monkey butt and quad dominance, Are they linked?

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Oct 9, 2018
396
63
Texas
For pitching, it wouldn't take months--probably a few weeks at most.

I've worked with a personal trainer on this exact issue. I bicycle a lot--I rode 36 miles yesterday--so I'm ridiculously quad dominant.

Given a second or two to properly distribute my weight and get the feet position correctly, I can use my glutes. Mainly, I had to learn what it feels like to "activate the glutes". It only took me about 3 or 4 weeks before I could do it whenever I wanted.

So, I don't think a reasonably athletic pitcher would have any trouble at all.

There could be stamina issues...quad dominance means the glutes are underdeveloped. It might take months to build up the glutes...but, that is really a matter of strengthening the glutes.

Now, for movements which are reflexive, e.g., jumping in a basketball game, it would take months to rewire the semi-automatic movement.
"I bicycle a lot--I rode 36 miles yesterday--so I'm ridiculously quad dominant."

This statement has rolled around in my head for a while.

Is there an equivalent activity that uses only glutes ? Jumping rope ?
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
83
"I bicycle a lot--I rode 36 miles yesterday--so I'm ridiculously quad dominant."

This statement has rolled around in my head for a while.

Is there an equivalent activity that uses only glutes ? Jumping rope ?
I have always wondered about bike riding and pitching. As a former HS football coach, I loved when my kids got weight lifting riding bikes. We normally were really good if we had a lot of bikes outside and not as good when we didn't.

I know a very good JUCO program that have their pitchers ride bikes instead of running to save joint issues.
 
Feb 25, 2020
953
93
I think a key thing in "quad dominance" vs "posterior chain" is not the strength of the muscles, but which muscles the athletes are using when actually moving. Which muscles are being employed by the brain. In quad dominant athletes, their brains and nervous systems are developed or have been trained to use quads in motions where using glutes/hammies may actually be more efficient or better. It's not as simple as just making glutes stronger. It's training the brain to prefer/be able to use different muscles.


As far as accomplishing this, I like kneesovertoesguy's simple little routines. He is kind of aimed at knee health, but doing kb swings after doing some of his daily routines makes my hammies feel like sling shots. It's not a fast thing to change.
 
May 15, 2008
1,913
113
Cape Cod Mass.
Quad dominate pitchers tend to go up more than out, have trouble getting stacked, and also tend to leap because their back foot gets too far off the ground. Addressing the problem is harder than simply doing glute exercises and saying 'use your glutes more'. This is where the QOH trainer is useful. Asking them to 'push the ground away' at takeoff can work.
 
Feb 25, 2020
953
93
Is monkey butt a result of being quad dominant and not just a clearing technique to prevent hitting yourself with the ball?

I posted yesterday but didnt try to address the OP question haha.

To make it simple quads are knee extensors and also HIP FLEXORS!!!!(to be more accurate 1 of the 4 quad muscles is a hip flexor). So when they contract they are exerting force to bend at the hip. So yes a quad dominance would definitely contribute to poor posture/FSR IMO.

The glutes and hammies are hip extensors. So when those contract they straighten the hip. They make the body straight/tall/stacked.
 

fanboi22

on the journey
Nov 9, 2015
1,138
83
SE Wisconsin
When i look at all the quad v glute posts and info, it really seems like it can be describes as easily as staying on the balls of your feet vs heel. At least for the movement type things. And i am not using anatomical terms, just a 'feel'. I think with Kettle ball, sure you can use glutes to extend, but you can't just think of glutes for pitching motion or basketball. It starts with the 'rigid' lever drive foot for pitching. Java has alot of this info in his drive mechanics thread. Essentially staying on the balls of your feet. Basketball as well, when looking at the hyperarch info, these athletes walk with a gate that starts with the balls of their feet. Making springy actions. Not allowing the heels to really touch.

Again i am oversimplifying, but if we think of just staying on the balls of the feet, does that cover most of it to activate the posterior chain?
 
Apr 12, 2015
792
93
@fanboi22 Like a lot of things, this is a simple problem and a complex problem all at once. As you conjecture and as Sluggers pointed out earlier, its fairly easy to get a pitcher to move correctly and get the feel of glutes vs. quads. That's the simple part. That complex part is that most quad dominant athletes are neurologically wired to use their quads instead of their glutes. So when things are sped up and pressure is applied, or the athlete stops consciously thinking of activating the glutes they fall back into firing their quads, just like any other ingrained bad habit. This is the complex part.

It can take a frustratingly long time to train the brain/body to activate the glutes when appropriate at all times.

So yes, it can be as simple as just saying "stay on the balls of the feet". At the same time, that is often like telling someone who has been right handed their whole like to only use their left hand now.
 

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