Glute clenching—or the habit of constantly squeezing your glutes—is a common issue that can negatively impact hip mobility, glute strength, and even pelvic floor function. While strong glutes are essential for movement, stability, and postpartum recovery, excessive tension in these muscles can lead to low back pain, SI joint discomfort, pelvic floor dysfunction, and reduced strength gains.

What Causes Glute Clenching?

Glute clenching is not the same as intentional glute activation during an exercise like a squat or hip thrust. Instead, it’s an unconscious habit that stems from factors like:

• Weakness or instability in the core, hips, or pelvis

• Poor posture or alignment, such as constantly tucking the pelvis

• Pain or tightness in the lower back, hips, or pelvic region

• Compensations due to pregnancy, postpartum recovery, or movement imbalances

• Holding a baby on one hip, which can cause pelvic shifting and glute gripping

Glute clenching can present in two ways:

1. Squeezing the glutes together as if holding a pencil between the butt cheeks

2. Tucking the pelvis under when standing, walking, or carrying weight (often seen in postpartum moms holding babies on their hips)

Why Glute Clenching Leads to Weakness, Tightness, and Pain

When your glutes are in a constant state of tension, several movement patterns are affected:

• Reduced hip mobility: The inability to move fluidly through the back of the hip limits how well the glutes can function.

• Lumbar spine compensation: Instead of movement occurring at the pelvis and hips, excessive tension causes compensation in the low back, leading to stiffness or pain.

• Pelvic floor dysfunction: If your pelvic floor muscles are constantly tight (similar to glute tension), they struggle to respond appropriately during activities like coughing, sneezing, or jumping, which can lead to leaking or other pelvic floor symptoms.

• Loss of strength and muscle tone: Tight muscles are weak muscles—if your glutes are always clenched, they aren’t able to properly activate and grow, which could be a reason for the flat butt appearance postpartum.

Strengthening the glutes isn’t just about squats and hip thrusts. Addressing mobility, alignment, and tension is key to unlocking full glute engagement and function.

How to Fix Glute Clenching & Improve Hip Mobility

To correct chronic glute clenching, focus on creating space in the hips, improving glute length and strength, and addressing pelvic floor imbalances. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

✔ Create Space In The Back Of The Hip

If your glutes are constantly clenched it can be hard to get movement in the back of the hips, which means it is harder for you to load and lengthen the glute max. We need the glutes working through their full range of motion for them to be strong! The tightness in the back of the hips and glutes can contribute to making the smaller muscles like the piriformis overwork and put pressure on the nerve. This in turn can contribute to things like sciatica, SI joint pain and general tightness. Learning to move the femur back into the socket helps open up the backside and release any posterior glute and pelvic floor tension.

• Exercise: Hip Shift Off Yoga Block

✔ Address Glute & Pelvic Floor Tension

Tight glutes and an overactive pelvic floor often go hand in hand. If your pelvic floor muscles are constantly “on,” your glutes will struggle to engage properly. Using breathwork, gentle release work, and positional adjustments can help improve overall glute function.

• Exercise: Glute & Pelvic Floor Release

✔ Improve Hip External & Internal Rotation

Your hips need both external and internal rotation to move well. Poor hip rotation can lead to tight deep hip rotators, which contribute to discomfort and reduced glute activation.

• Exercise: Dynamic Pigeon (Hip External Rotation Stretch)
• Exercise: Side Lying Hip Internal Rotation

✔ Strengthen the Proximal Hamstring for Better Pelvic Positioning

The proximal hamstring (the part of the hamstring that attaches to the pelvis) plays a key role in pelvic alignment and glute activation. Weakness here can contribute to anterior pelvic tilt and further reinforce glute gripping. Finding the proximal hamstring without your glutes or hip flexors over working can help unstick the sacrum (again, creating more space at the back of the glutes and hips) and help relieve things like deep butt pain or sciatic nerve pain

• Exercise: 90/90 Breathing with Hip Lift

Final Thoughts: Don’t Skip Mobility For Better Glute Function

If you want strong, well-functioning glutes, stop clenching and start moving! Rather than holding unnecessary tension, focus on:

✅ Improving hip mobility to allow the glutes to function properly

✅ Releasing tension in the glutes and pelvic floor for better muscle activation

✅ Incorporating hip rotation drills to enhance movement patterns

✅ Strengthening the proximal hamstrings to support pelvic positioning

By implementing these mobility, alignment, and strengthening strategies, you’ll improve your glute strength, reduce hip tightness, and optimize pelvic floor function—leading to better movement, pain relief, and stronger lifts postpartum.

Want More Help with Glute Strength & Mobility?

If you’re looking to build strong, functional glutes while improving mobility and pelvic floor health, check out my Grow Your Glutes program inside the Lift with Emily app!

Join Grow Your Glutes Here →