Gluteus Medius, Pelvic Floor, CORE, Lats - You Can’t Strengthen INHIBITED Muscles

// WHERE TO FOLLOW ME //
Website: elishaceleste....
Substack: humanfreedompr...
Learn Kinetix with me: kinetix.academy/
// 2023 CHANNEL UPDATE //
I’ve moved on from Mobility Mastery (self fascia release) in order to focus on teaching Kinetix, my method of root cause discovery for pain and dis-ease that involves partner fascia release as a “diagnostics” (and regeneration) tool. Kinetix is a complete scientific methodology that I teach to friends, partners and professionals alike inside The Kinetix Academy.
My other primary focus will be the launch and growth of a new podcast and Substack community called The Human Freedom Project.
// NEW CONTENT ON KZbin //
Sometime in 2023 I will return to KZbin with HFP podcast episodes and content created to help you know and understand yourself as a whole organism made of body, soul and spirit. This content will feature the Kinetix methodology, pain science, fascia secrets I’ve learned from 15+ years in private practice, neuroscience and evolving beyond the brain, trauma and the body, and more! I’m excited to go on this new adventure with you.
********** // VIDEO DESCRIPTION // *********
Today’s message could save you years of frustration trying to get out of pain, so I hope you take this knowledge and use it for more efficient healing even if you never join a course of mine.
“INHIBITED: to restrain, hinder, arrest; to prohibit, forbid.”
When a muscle becomes inhibited, it is not “lazy” or simply “weak,” which is often the perspective offered by physical therapists and personal trainers. An inhibited muscle is restrained/prohibited/forbidden from activating (by your brain/nervous system).
The common protocols for “fixing” this issue involves strengthening those “lazy” muscles, but this is the last thing you should do.
Which muscles are most commonly considered “lazy”?
Gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, your entire “posterior chain,” pelvic floor/deep CORE (or just “your core”), quadratus lumborum (low back) and latissimus dorsi (large back muscle involved in shoulder instability).
ONLY when we’ve taken care of the cause of inhibition will we begin activating.
And only after they’ve been activated will you move on to strengthening.
The #1 thing I want you to take away from this video is this:
YOU CAN’T STRENGTHEN AN INHIBITED MUSCLE.
If you are being told by therapists or trainers that you’re in pelvic instability, that your glutes are “lazy” or you have ANY muscle inhibited (including upper body muscles like your subscap or lats) and they are trying to have you strengthen those muscles....I can almost guarantee you it will backfire.
Why?
When you try to strengthen a muscle that’s prohibited from activating by your brain, your body will go into compensations. And those compensations are often the very thing causing your current PAIN.
There’s a strategic approach you need to apply if you want to solve this as quickly as possible, and you can do this on your own (or, with someone’s help):
1. You might need to STOP certain activities that are causing further compensations, pelvic instability and/or glute or deep core inhibition.
2. Next, figure out why those muscles are inhibited before trying to activate them. Is it from a fall or previous injury? Where is your fascia tightest, and is your thigh fascia pulling your pelvis out of alignment (which can cause muscle inhibitions)? What’s your posture like? Your gait?
3. Then you have to address the cause of inhibition (with fascia release and maybe changing your gait and a few lifestyle habits). The primary action here is strategic fascia release so that your left and right quads/hip flexors/adductors etc are balanced and no longer pulling your pelvis or hips out of alignment.
4. Activating the inhibited muscles comes next, and this also needs to be strategic: you want to do small range, isolated movements that fatigue the specific muscle(s) you’re targeting and cause you to get sore the next day. That’s how you know they’re working (firing)!
5. Once your glutes and core muscles are activating and you’re feeling relatively pain-free (or 100%), you’ll progress to full body movements. As soon as you can integrate these activations into full body movements you’re off to the races! You can return to your favorite activities to TEST your newly functional body.
6. If the pain recurs or you start getting sore in places of compensation that you now know caused your pain (plantar fasciitis, knee pain, back pain etc), you’ll go back a few steps and reinforce these new patterns. Often, it takes progressive reinforcement of new patterns for them to stick. But they WILL stick with perseverance.

[@pedramtabande1110]

wow you explain everything perfectly. loved it

[@blink99v]

postural restoration institute,and breathing

[@gogobeastdude]

you are brilliant you probably understand this better than anyone on the planet

[@ElishaCeleste]

Hey, thanks for the compliment! I missed your comment when you first posted, but I appreciate your kind words 🙏🏽

[@stephanszwajcar2287]

You are so right, I'm again overwhelmed by your wisdom! 👌

[@ElishaCeleste]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lucietaylor3162]

Makes perfect sense. I am fused T2 to L4 (scoliosis surgery 6 years ago when I was 44). My glutes are weak and my pelvis is tilted . I see a chiropractor once a week but I’d love to be able to help myself now that I am “grounded” by the government.

[@desaltomac]

Profound advice here... I'm 50yo with boxing having been at the core of my training from 13yo... my body has been compensating in the left side for a few years now- hip, groin and shoulder for a tailbone/L5 injury at 18- one has to go back to basics as instructed here in a step by step structured process ... I've been watching a load of Elisha's videos this week- absolutely excellent ... Matt London

[@ElishaCeleste]

Matt - glad you're finding my videos helpful, thanks for your comment!

[@jenniferp347]

This makes a lot of sense and now I've got questions! Heading to your group so I can be more detailed and keep track of feedback easier.

[@trungvinh6701]

good knowledge, you right. My right QL compensated for my left glute medius. Non of any workouts can target my left glute medius, my right QL keep getting tighter and tighter. Then i thought like you and discovered side plank, no other muscles can compensate for it, so happy to feel my glute fire

[@birdy1959]

This makes total sense!

[@ElishaCeleste]

Glad you think so!

[@haldi_doodle]

This is SO relevant and helpful!! Definitely going to go deeper to understand what my muscles have been trying to protect.

[@CHK12319]

I fell on my tailbone as a kid too and have anterior pelvic tilt, lazy lower abs (despite doing crunches consistently since age 12), and lower back pain when I stand for any notable period of time.

[@Juggernaut365]

This is very awesome information! I have a deep core that is not functioning as well, which led to my right side being lifted constantly by my shoulder and neck. Now I have really bad right arm atrophy. I also had a tailbone injury as a teen, now I’m going to dive in and see what I can find! I was hoping that it was all caused by glute amnesia, but after listening to you I’m second guessing myself. I’ve been battling this for years, it almost killed me by making my diaphragm quit working and every breath feels like fire due to only having my neck to breath. . I’m a real mess, but still battling every minute of every day

[@ElishaCeleste]

Hey Rod, glad you saw this video and found some answers. I have a ton of free content (here on KZbin and my blog), and you may be able to use those to solve this for yourself. This can be a tough thing to solve without step by step guidance though. I do have online courses and right now there's a special offer that ends Monday. It's a 4 course bundle that includes Solving Pelvic Instability. SPI is a strategic process, and you get my guidance step by step all the way through activating your glutes and core properly (but first, you have to figure out why they've stopped activating). I mention the course because you can find answers and still stay stuck if you don't do this in a strategic way. I'm speaking from experience. I was stuck in pelvic instability for almost a decade before figuring out how to create stability for good. I had trainers and doctors all try to help me but they actually made things worse. Anyway, you can check out the course bundle (the special offer) and learn more about Solving Pelvic Instability here: mobilitymastery.com/all-access-pass/ And if you decide to just use my free content - awesome, I wish you success! There's a lot here that can help.

[@Juggernaut365]

@@ElishaCeleste I’ve about lost my will to fight this, it seems like my entire body is in a tug of war which makes just existing unbearable. Like you mentioned the doctors making it worse, they’ve drained me of money and left me to fend for myself. Im going to give it one more try bu going through your videos, I’m pretty sure the root cause is pelvis related which is effecting my legs and my ability to sense the ground and breath. Hopefully your gains have stuck! Thank you for the great content 🙏

[@Juggernaut365]

@@ElishaCeleste I seem to have all compensations, including the low back situation you described for yourself. I’m going to comb through your videos again to see if I find one that details what you did to get the tailbone moving again!

[@ElishaCeleste]

@@Juggernaut365 - my gains have stuck and I feel pretty great overall. My weakest link is my lower abdominals, so I still work on strengthening those muscles. I highly recommend looking at any of my videos where I talk about what pain is. Pain can feel scary when we don't understand it. Fear of pain makes pain worse. Even if someone (such as yourself) has a really bad case of pelvic instability, hip misalignments and muscles not firing...it's 100% possible to exist in such a body with ZERO pain. Pain is always a nervous system response to sensing danger. If you react to pain with more fear of danger...you get more pain. We have almost omnipotent control over how much pain we experience in our bodies, regardless of actual physical disability. I offer these thoughts as encouragement, because I believe there is always a solution to both the pain we feel and any actual dysfunction in our body.

[@Savimbi_]

@@Juggernaut365 this is me down to a T and the thing that is so fr5ustrating is that people dont realise that im walking around with pain and discomfort all day, its so mentally draining. did you manage to sort any of the issues out, ive noticed its been 2 years.

[@evakatz6351]

Thanks for the video! Could a knee injury cause the glutes on the same side to be inhibited?

[@TravelinArt-y2f]

Nice information. I agree. I used to be an active guy, but as I aged I guess I got lazier. Just recently, I have realized that I have a lot of muscle imbalances throughout my body I believe from bad posture and inactivity, and my hips in general I'm pretty concerned about because I cannot move the way I wish to move. Muscle imbalances happen for many reasons but the only way to move better or to even get closer to normal is to actually work on NORMAL.

[@mrdman094081]

So well targeted and perfectly explained. Very good vid. Without this understanding I would have gone several more years without ever healing. Oh, the perpetual cycle of training and re-triggering ! You can't strengthen an inhibited muscle ! Also, Kudos to Dr Steve Matta at 441 Lyceum Ave, Philadelphia for pointing me in the right direction. I had prolotherapy and acupuncture treatments by him and since then I found you on youtube. Thanks. It's amazing that you were able to release your spine after that injury. Thumbs Up for this amazing vid !

[@AmandaandNicholas]

YES! I have been in PT for two years since giving birth and still have trouble firing my glutes and my it band always takes over or my adductors do and I also have flat arches and anterior pelvic tilt! I do have scoliosis but never had issues till giving birth.

[@AmandaandNicholas]

Is it possible that muscles “deactivate” due to not using them? Having a very sedentary lifestyle?

[@ElishaCeleste]

Muscles become WEAK from not using them. If they are deactivated/inhibited, I believe it's due to the reasons I talked about in this video...and no amount of "strengthening" them will work until the cause is addressed.

[@bellabella4145]

Same, dont know what to do now!

[@kellyb2076]

Oh my gosh! I fell twice on my tailbone when I was 26 (I'm 33 now) and I've been wondering what effect it's had. Can you do a video specifically about tailbone injuries and the process you went through to release all that 'gunk' in there? Thank you SO much!!! Your videos are amazing. I've been doing them for three nights straight, and I can feel such a difference in my whole body.

[@ElishaCeleste]

Hey Kelly - I'm just now seeing your comment for some reason. YES, I will definitely do a video on tailbone injuries in the near future. Keep an eye on the notifications, I'll try to get this out in the next few weeks 😊

[@Terrytrickz]

so if you can get proper stimulation to the muscle or muscles that are not facilitating when they should to restore proper reciprical inhibition between 2 muscles then the function turns to normal and they will stretch and tighten like normally essentially

[@valeriafonsecadiaz1527]

At 12:39, how did you "release" and is it a one-time release, or is it a progressive release?

[@priyankavijay6054]

Plz tell what to do in the case when diaphragm muscles or abdominal muscles are in spasm due to anxiety..I feel spasm in upper abdomen area and it is bcoz of anxiety

[@ParisLatka]

Fascinating. I am wondering if my lats or another muscle are fully firing and how that may be stressing my shoulders. My shoulders feel weak even though I am mindfully strengthening them often.

[@ElishaCeleste]

Yeah so that's the thing about inhibited muscles - if you try to strengthen them, you'll just end up compensating with other muscles. We can chat about this on a zoom call!

[@Terrytrickz]

i learned this from dr. rhett polkas videos too

[@buttercup1765]

So true...pt told me lazy glutes. I asked him why they were lazy and he basically said nobody really knows the answer to that

[@dede4866]

because we dont use them

[@ElishaCeleste]

I disagree that it's because we don't use them - muscles certainly become WEAK when not used, but that's not the same as inhibited. Hope this video helped shed some light!

[@buttercup1765]

@@ElishaCeleste my right femur head keeps popping out of my acetabular socket. When it does this, it creates diffuse pain through the leg, sacrum and back. I can push it back in and have been doing that for years. Pt said that wouldn't hurt me but I'm afraid I'm causing repetitive damage. What would be a reason that the femur head keeps pulling out of the socket? My sartorius muscle is tight on that side and my leg hikes up when this happens making it shorter And then the sacrum is out of alignment and then hello pain! Thank you so much... You are a ray of sunshine especially these days!

[@sidpratap2730]

can a joint dysfunction inhibit a muscle?

[@Terrytrickz]

yea that guy i mention that no exercise corrects the inhibit muscles alone it has to manually restimulated then retest then use exercises cause it actually works now. its kinda like telling a person in a wheel chair they just need to walk more...bro they cant turn on there muscles so theres no exercise possible

[@lw7654]

There’s doubt I have pelvic instability from many pelvic surgeries I had long ago. I’ve been compensating for a long time. Now I’m pretty screwed up. Core is def weak. Trying to strengthen that and my glutes/spine never seems to help. It just triggers more discomfort. No one has figured this out. I also have neck/shoulder/ pain. My ribcage feels twisted. Trying to correct this mess has been tough. It’s a vicious cycle. Don’t know what to do anymore, it’s been 4 years of trying to fix but unfortunately nothing is helping.

[@lw7654]

Theres *no* doubt

[@elchihiro]

Probably one of the most informative videos I've encountered on mobility, ever. Thank you for it. I've been trying to figure out what's been causing my entire right leg from functioning properly, it has come to a point it is perceived as a leg length discrepancy, causing me pain in my left knee, right hip joint and low back. I can do all the clamshells and unilateral exercises in the world to no avail. As I'm on the verge of giving up (both physically from knee pain and emotional despair), I have about one more lead to what might be causing it (can't really elaborate about it here) but other than that I'm out of ideas and will officially give up. Could probably use your guidance, either by 101 or as a part of a program.

[@ElishaCeleste]

Thanks for the compliment, sorry I missed your comment when it first came in but I appreciate you taking the time to share! 🙏🏽

[@leighsirvent654]

I had undiagnosed Mesenteric Artery Ligament Syndrome for 16 years in which I held my abdomen bc of pain. Surgery fixed this issue but rib pain and tightness is still present. How can I contact you.

[@ElishaCeleste]

You can reach out to [e-mail] if you're interested in a Zoom consultation with me.

[@mcanol1]

This really rings true for me. I wish I could work with you, but we're so far away.

[@gogobeastdude]

mcanol1 just go

[@Infamous1ism]

How do you go about correcting lordosis? I too fell on my butt a few years ago and don’t know where to start

[@ElishaCeleste]

I feel it's important to be cautious if you also have low back PAIN. But if you don't, then you can go into the low back fascia and release it, and check out your tailbone fascia on a TENNIS ball (a lacrosse ball will be way to hard and might traumatize the tissue further).

[@gymguy25]

I'm assuming the reason is because I used to put my wallet in my right back pocket for years, I found out in late 2019 through a visit with a chiropractor that my pelvis was twisted to the left, he straightened me out but this caused my right glute to atrophy significantly. I had been doing a lot of gluteal activation exercises (the typical ones) and it was getting better though it was still noticeably smaller than the left, last Summer, I hurt my low back and it re-atrophied my right glute back to square one. I did some stretches for the back injury and it healed pretty quickly but that seemed to cause some atrophy in my left glute as well, though it's still noticeably bigger than the right. Been doing all kinds of glute exercises and nothing seems to help, are you saying I need to foam roll and stretch all the muscles mentioned at 11:05?

[@dadmaxx8127]

I'm hearing that I should stop playing sports until I fix my pelvic instability...is that correct?

[@ElishaCeleste]

Some people may need to stop for a period of time. We're all different. But for anyone who compensates as a result of pelvic instability and glutes not firing, then it's a process of "slowing down to speed up." Taking a month off to fix a problem thoroughly is a lot less time spent in frustration than not stopping and spending years with your foot on the gas pedal and brake at the same time.

[@Juggernaut365]

I would bet 90% of all muscle related issues are related to upper or lower cross syndrome, which is a great recognizable pattern to clue us in on which muscles are inhibited and which are overactive and need stretched! I have both which is a huge pain in the ass! It’s also called “stratification syndrome” It almost killed me due to not letting my diaphragm function, but I’m starting to win finally after 15 years 😎

[@whosluvnu]

What’s your corrective routine? I’m pretty sure I have both cross syndromes and I’m only 24. I don’t want my body to get worst the older I get. Help is appreciated. Stay healthy 🙏

[@Juggernaut365]

@@whosluvnu nothing has worked yet, still searching for answers… how goes the battle for you?

[@languagelover9170]

Can I stretch Inhibited muscles? Like do a Hip Stretch instead of strengthening?

[@ElishaCeleste]

I wouldn't recommend stretching an inhibited muscle either - if it's TIGHT *and* inhibited, this is a sign your brain has recruited that muscle to stabilize something neurologically, and stretching it might feel good in the short term, but it can backfire and cause more pain long term.

[@languagelover9170]

@@ElishaCeleste Wohoo, thank you!

[@TheUnicornBunny]

My body story sounds THE EXACT SAME.

[@ElishaCeleste]

You can heal! This is totally resolvable - the hard part is putting the puzzle pieces together. The important thing is to figure out if any muscles are inhibited, and then if so WHY they are inhibited. Take care of that, then activate and don't stop until you feel functional again.

[@trottaessex]

Hey totally relevant to the issues I’ve had for over 25 years - good days and bad , ups and downs , thousands spent over the years and frustration. - still trying so will carry on trying

[@Terrytrickz]

if we can fixed a compensation why not do that first then reinforce its ability to make you move as normal as a human is designed to

[@sportogsind9840]

I think this is my story

[@00Mandy00]

What you say sounds like there is some good information, but also dangerously metaphor filled and incomplete. You talk a lot, but don't say much that is actually usable or judgeable, but that seems to be every bodyworker on KZbin. It's a firehose of stuff people know and don't know and theorize on and have personal experience with and every video is different. Others actually make fun of your approach. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on PT and classes and my life is destroyed. I can't throw any money at whatever you might have to offer because this video is in the past. The sum total is just helplessness, that helps the pain a lot.😑

[@ElishaCeleste]

There are no simple or short answers. Every individual in pain is in pain for reasons unique to their life history, sports, injuries, physiology, psychology, diet, mindset etc. The human organism is one of the most complex phenomena on the planet, which is why there is not a single person alive who can tell you to do X for Y problem and have it apply successfully to everyone.