Dead Butt Syndrome: What you Need to Know and How to Fix It
The recent New York Times article on “dead butt syndrome” certainly grabbed attention, and for good reason—it sheds light on an important issue affecting many of us. It’s a great introduction to the public health booty emergency many are facing, but here, we’ll take a deeper dive into the practical steps you can take. If you’re searching for answers to your own derriere dilemma, you’ve come to the right place.
For years, I have been telling people how important strong gluteal muscles are, and how they are central to fitness and quality of life. Having a strong butt is integral to having a strong back, strong hips, and strong knees. In fact, having buns of steel is something I made a whole section about in my Bulletproof Back course. As a personal trainer with over 15 years of experience, the strong butt philosophy is something I am willing to stake my reputation on.
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What is Dead Butt Syndrome?
Don’t worry, your butt hasn’t actually died. It’s just acting like it. Although the name is a bit of an exaggeration, it is a simple way of saying that your butt muscles have been underused so long that your body is forgetting to use them. Gluteal amnesia is an alternate term, which I feel is more accurate (albeit less spicy). Whatever it’s called, your butt forgetting to do its job can be a real problem.
In gluteal amnesia, the body starts using other muscles to do the jobs the glutes are supposed to do. this phenomenon is called synergistic dominance, in which a “helper” muscle begins to take over for the primary mover. In this case, your hamstrings may pick up the slack caused by your gluteals not firing. Over time, this becomes the default. The new, altered muscle recruitment and movement patterns can continue the cycle and contribute to smaller, weaker glutes that don’t fire. This muscle imbalance can eventually cause injuries to the hips, knees, and lower back.
Why Does It Happen?
There are several likely causes of dead butt syndrome, but the most obvious one is sitting for long periods of time. If you’ve ever sat for hours at a time (like on a long flight or car ride), you have probably experienced a temporary case of dead butt syndrome. The more your body is out into these positions, the easier the “off” switch to your glutes gets flipped.
Sitting isn’t the only thing that makes your glutes shrivel up and die (metaphorically speaking). Here are some other factors:
Low protein intake. Protein is a building block of muscle, so when protein intake is too low, it can be hard to maintain and repair existing muscle.
Lack of exercise. The body makes daily choices about what to maintain or repurpose. If you aren’t using muscle, your body doesn’t see the point of keeping it around!
Rapid weight loss from dieting, bariatric surgery, or semaglutide drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, etc. These interventions make it almost impossible to get enough protein/calories to maintain muscle mass. “Ozempic butt” is real, y’all!
Undereating due to medical conditions, medical treatment, or food insecurity.
What to Do About It
Identifying what causes dead butt syndrome is only part of the equation: now it’s time to do something about it! Here are some simple steps you can take right away.
Stand up for a few minutes every 30 minutes. Standing encourages blood to flow to your lower limbs and gives them some activity. Use a wearable fitness tracker to get reminders to move.
Walk around. Walking is one of the most accessible exercises for able-bodied people. You can do it anywhere — you can even pace the floors at your home or office if walking outside isn’t comfortable or safe.
Do glute-specific exercises. Exercises for your backside are as simple as squeezing your butt cheeks together while standing in line at the grocery store, but that doesn’t have to be your go-to. In fact, it is ideal to set aside a little time for yourself to work on your glute exercises. Start off easy by simply activating the glutes and then progress to real muscle-builders like squats, lunges, and deadlifts. A few great exercises to get started on:
Glute bridges — Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and slowly raise your hips. Be sure to tuck your tailbone and push through your midfoot as you do this to maximize gluteal recruitment. Hold for time. Start with 30 seconds and work up to three minutes. See the video here.
Clamshells — Lie on the side, legs stacked, knees at 90 degrees. Keep your heels together as you lift the top knee. Repeat for reps. Start at 15 and work up to 30 or more. See the video here.
Hip Shrugs — Stand on the edge or a step with the inside edge of your left foot parallel to the edge. The right foot is floating. Drop your right hip down, then raise it as high as possible without letting your shoulders move. Repeat for reps, then do the other side. Start with 10 reps and work up to 20 or more. See the video here.
Check out these other glute-building exercises. You’d be amazed at the progress you can make!
Eat protein. Ensure you get at least one palm-sized portion of protein-rich food at each meal. You can also supplement with protein powder or an essential amino acid complex (FYI — for people who don’t get enough protein, essential amino acid complexes are superior to BCAAs, which don’t have all nine amino acids found in protein).
Make sure to eat enough. Use an online calorie calculator (or better yet, get a resting metabolic assessment) to determine your daily calorie needs. Try to eat close to that number and avoid a deficit of more than a few hundred calories. Once you start eating enough, you should start building muscle right away!
Now that you’ve got a plan of attack, let’s wake up that dead butt! Remember to move your body, do glute-building exercises, eat enough protein to build muscle, supplement when necessary, and don’t undereat. If you need more guidance or support, partner with a qualified fitness professional. You are welcome to book a consultation here. Before you do that, check out these testimonials from clients!