How to Activate Your Glutes | Body Sculpting & Personal Training in Carlsbad, CA

Why Your Glutes Aren’t Activating

Modern life is built around sitting. Desk jobs, long commutes, couch time — all of it keeps the hips flexed and the glutes lengthened and inactive for hours each day.

Over time, your nervous system adapts.

When the glutes stop being regularly recruited, other muscles step in:

Quadriceps
Hip flexors
Lower back

This creates altered movement patterns where your strongest muscle group — the glutes — is no longer leading lower-body movements.

So when you squat, your quads dominate.
When you lunge, your knees take the load.
When you lift, your lower back compensates.

Your body isn’t broken. It’s simply efficient at repeating what it practices most.

Signs Your Glutes Are Disengaged

You may have underactive glutes if:

You feel leg workouts mostly in your thighs
Lunges bother your knees
Your lower back gets tight after training
You rarely feel glute soreness
You struggle to “feel” your glutes at all

If this sounds familiar, the solution is not heavier weights.

It’s better activation strategy.

The Missing Link: Isometric Contraction (The Hold)

Here’s where most training programs fall short.

Need Help with Meal Planning?

Need help with meal plans and food prep? I decided to use my skillset of cooking delicious food from around the world to help those in need. Healthy food that gets you results in the gym can be so tasty that you might question is it really healthy. Spices, herbs and culinary techniques with fresh ingredients make the difference. Let me show you how its done.

Andrea TagalogSeptember 13, 2023BodybyDrea Comment

The Best of Hawaiian Food: Recipes for Poke and Lomi Lomi Salmon

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My Favorite Japanese Recipes (+ Videos of How to Make Each!)

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NutritionAndrea TagalogNovember 4, 2020recipes, healthy, JapaneseComment

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FitnessAndrea TagalogJune 8, 2020Body by Dreaworkout, quick shotComment

The One-Minute Workout: Drills You Can Do at Home

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DIY Dumbbells Plus Exercises You Can Do at Home

I had so much fun—and got a great workout—filming this week’s video! It took me back to my days when I was ballin’ on a budget. I was young and broke, but I wanted to get stronger. So instead of paying for a monthly gym membership or expensive at-home exercise equipment, I got creative and made my own at-home gym.

FitnessAndrea TagalogMay 11, 2020Body by Dreacoronavirus, home workout, full bodyComment

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Just because your favorite gym is closed doesn’t mean you have to quit working out during the pandemic. There are numerous body weight exercises that you can easily do in your living room or backyard. If you want to take it up a notch, buying a few pieces of affordable exercise equipment online will give you an additional range of possibilities.

FitnessAndrea TagalogMay 10, 2020Body by Dreafitness, at home, coronavirusComment

Super Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets Recipe

The secret to my gluten-free chicken nugget recipe is to get your oil super hot before adding the breaded chicken. This ensures that the chicken comes out slightly browned and crispy, not soggy from extra oil being absorbed. I use avocado oil because it doesn’t smoke at high heat (like olive oil does), but you could use a variety of Paleo-friendly oils, including coconut oil, or even a mixture.

NutritionAndrea TagalogApril 18, 2020Body by Drearecipe, chicken, healthy, kid friendlyComment

Basic Fitness Is Not Just for Beginners

Learning to exercise with proper form is a lot like learning to meditate or do yoga. Having a beginner’s mind will do wonders for your basic fitness as you learn how to engage your muscles properly, including ones you may have never thought of before! Many of my clients—even the ones that have been working out a lot on their own—are surprised to discover what it really feels like to engage their abdominal core or drop their shoulders to properly engage the back and shoulder muscles.

FitnessAndrea TagalogApril 16, 2020Body by Dreadepression, mental health, foundations, basicsComment

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NutritionAndrea TagalogMarch 6, 2020Body by Dreasouthern cooking, recipe, chickenComment

Work Your Lower Body "to Failure" in under 30 Minutes with This Quick Shot

For this quick lower body workout, I have you targeting your glutes using "drop sets." Make the most of your time and get the best lower body workout possible by using a timer to track your rests between sets and exercises. You should give yourself one minute in between exercises and when increasing weights in between sets.

FitnessAndrea TagalogMarch 5, 2020Body by Dreaglutes, quick shot, quick workout, lower bodyComment

Chicken Pho Recipe

This chicken pho recipe is an easy way to get dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. The refreshing herbal flavors and luscious broth make chicken pho a winner with everyone in your family, whether you’re watching macros so you can hit those fitness goals or you’re trying to feed your kids something healthy.

NutritionAndrea TagalogFebruary 26, 2020Body by DreaVietnamese, chicken recipe, healthy recipe, soupComment

Fitness & Nutrition Blog

Why Your Glutes Aren’t Activating

Signs Your Glutes Are Disengaged

The Missing Link: Isometric Contraction (The Hold)

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