Have you ever forgotten how to perform a super simple task just because you haven’t done it in a while? Applying eyeliner, crossword puzzles, basic math.

It happens to all of us, and—I cannot lie—it even happens to our butts, big or small.

Gluteal Amnesia & DBS

If our glutes don’t move and perform their functional roles, they forget their purpose, and we develop something called Dormant Butt Syndrome (DBS).

I am not making that up.

Its more technical term is gluteus medius tendinopathy, though it’s also known as gluteal amnesia. It’s a condition in which our gluteal muscles forget their main purpose: supporting the pelvis and keeping our bodies in proper alignment. It can cause pain in the hips, lower back, knees, and legs.

If we don’t flex our muscles, they falter and fail us when we need them most.

“Sitting is the new smoking.” – Pam Trudeau

Get Your Rear in Gear

For two years, we sat tight at home, waiting to resume our lives. At the beginning of lockdown, it seemed ok—even indulgent. Eat in bed! Work meetings from my chair! Every episode of Ted Lasso!

After a while, we all grew tired of dialing into everywhere from our derrieres.

I was never Jenny-from-the-Block, but after so many months of binge-watching and eating the diet of my two teenage boys, I started noticing that my rear was woefully out of gear.

Reboot & Routine

We solve sudoku and wordle to fend off memory loss and sharpen our brains. We clean out our caches and upgrade RAM to keep our computers working. Whether we’re talking about brains, bytes, or bottoms, sometimes a hard reboot and a good routine are just what we need.

Let’s set an intention and an alarm clock to wake up our sleepy backsides and remind our glutes that they have a goal: less dormant butt, more badonkadonk.

Here are 9 exercises developed by Miraval Arizona’s Fitness Supervisor Pam Trudeau to reboot your glutes.

Step-Ups: Facing step, step up slowly with one foot. Squeeze glute, driving through heel & straightening knee. Bring other foot onto step. Reverse process to step down. Repeat 5-10 times each leg.	Kneel to Standing: Step right leg forward to half-kneeling. From a kneeling position, step right leg forward to a half-kneel. Step up, driving through heel of right foot. Reverse order to go back down. Repeat 5-10 times each leg.	Stationary Lunge: With head up & back straight, place legs shoulder-width apart. Bend both legs simultaneously until front thigh parallels the floor. Do 5-10 lunges on each side.
Bridge (beginner): Lie back with legs bent and inhale. Exhale, pressing hips up, and hold. For 4-6 breaths, press hips higher by squeezing base of butt & pressing down on heels.	Single-Leg Bridge (beginner/advanced) Lie back with legs bent and lift butt several inches off the floor. Slowly extend right knee, keeping stomach tight. For 4-6 breaths, press hips higher. Repeat with left knee extended.	CLAM (beginner): Lie on side, legs bent 90°. Open top knee to ceiling, rotating leg outward. Touch toes to ankle of bottom leg. Close knees, rotating leg inward, maintaining hip position. Repeat 10 times on each side.
Kneeling Side-Leg Circles (intermediate/advanced) While kneeling, place one hand down at side, and other hand behind head. Extend opposite leg out to hip height. Circle leg 8 times in each direction. Repeat on other side.	Quadruped Extension (beginner) Tighten stomach and raise right leg & left arm. Keep trunk rigid. Inhale as you lower right leg & left arm. Exhale as you raise left leg & right arm. Repeat 5 times on each side	Plank with Single-Leg Lift (intermediate/advanced) In push-up/plank position, slowly lift one leg off the floor. Lift, lengthen leg & engage glutes on exhale. Inhale & lower leg. Repeat 5 times for each leg

Glute Strength

Put an end to dormant butt syndrome, a condition that refers to the tightness of hip flexors and underdeveloped gluteal muscles. Sitting for periods throughout the day or sleeping in certain positions can weaken the gluteal muscles and strain other parts of the body. If you don’t train your trunk, your surrounding muscles and joints absorb strain during exercise that can cause hamstring injuries, back pain, hip pain, and serious knee damage. Learn to use a Step bench, free weights, medicine balls, and/or resistance tubing to increase the strength and power of your backside.