Dead Butt Syndrome: What It Is, How to Spot It, and What to Do About It

Let’s talk glutes specifically what happens when they “go to sleep” on you. If you’ve ever experienced lower back tightness, hip discomfort, or felt like one side of your body is working harder than the other during workouts, you might be dealing with something called Dead Butt Syndrome (DBS).

It sounds dramatic, but it’s more common than you think especially for women who sit for long hours at a desk, drive frequently, or have had long breaks from consistent movement (looking at you, postpartum mamas, desk warriors, and Netflix marathoners).

What Is Dead Butt Syndrome?

The official term is Gluteal Amnesia, and it means your glute muscles (specifically the gluteus medius) have become inactive or under-engaged. Your body has found ways to compensate usually by overloading other muscles like your hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, or lower back.

How to Spot It:

Here are some signs that your glutes might not be firing the way they should:

• 🪑 You sit most of the day and feel stiffness or pain in your hips or lower back when you stand up.
• 🏃‍♀️ You feel your quads or hamstrings doing all the work during squats, lunges, or step-ups.
• 🔁 One leg feels more dominant or stronger during exercises.
• 🚶‍♀️You have an uneven walking or running stride, or hip drop (pelvis shifting side-to-side).
• 💤 You feel “disconnected” from your glutes in certain exercises.

Why It Matters:

Your glutes are some of the strongest and most powerful muscles in your body. When they’re not working, everything else has to overcompensate. Over time, that can lead to knee pain, hip tightness, low back issues, and plateaus in your strength training.

At Trubliss Fitness, we see this often especially in women just getting back into a routine after time off or those who haven’t had glute activation as part of their warm-up. And the good news? We can absolutely fix it.

5 Ways to Wake Up Your Glutes:

1. Glute Activation Before Every Workout
   Before your workout, include a quick activation circuit:
   • Glute bridges (bodyweight or banded)
   • Clamshells
   • Banded lateral walks
   • Donkey kicks
     Just 5–10 minutes can make a big difference.
2. Check Your Form
   In our classes and personal training sessions, we constantly cue form. Small adjustments like a deeper hip hinge, better knee alignment, or weight placement in your heels can re-engage your glutes.
3. Mind-Muscle Connection
   Slow down. Focus on actually feeling your glutes contract during exercises. Squeeze at the top of your bridge. Pause at the bottom of your squat. The connection matters more than speed or weight.
   
4. Stretch What’s Tight
   Hip flexors and quads often get overworked when glutes are underactive. Try stretching your hips regularly and foam rolling tight areas to make space for your glutes to re-engage.
5. Train Your Glutes with Purpose
   Deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, and bridges should be regular players in your workouts. If your body isn’t used to them, start light and focus on quality movement. Our coaches at Trubliss can build this into your plan intentionally.

Final Thoughts

Dead Butt Syndrome might sound funny but it’s not something to ignore. The good news? Your glutes aren’t actually “dead.” They just need a little TLC and consistency to wake back up.

Whether you’re walking into your first class or coming off years of inactivity, we’re here to help you reconnect with your body and build a strong, functional foundation.

If you're noticing some of these signs in your body, let’s chat. Book a movement strategy session with one of our coaches and let’s get those glutes firing again. 💪

Because strong glutes aren’t just for looks they’re your secret weapon for everything.

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• Coach Diana