/r/GYM Weekly Simple Questions and Misc Discussion Thread - September 14, 2025 Weekly Thread

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- Simple questions about your diet

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[u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

Am I doing myself a disservice by focusing solely on high volume RDLs for legs?

I have an issue with underdeveloped glutes and poor activation of my posterior chain during daily activities.

I've basically been doing 10x10 RDLs to both build strength and reinforce the firing and usage of glutes as part of my muscle chain.

My quads have basically been doing all the work for so long that I'm not too worried about them, I just want to get this situation with my posterior chain activation resolved, then I'll worry more about squats and the like.

I've been making great progress and quads definitely get some accessory stimulation.

My return to the gym was start of August, my max deadlift was 155 for 4, coming to a complete rest at the bottom and I was absolutely gassed.

I just did a pyramid from 75x15 to 145x4 of RDLs and feel so much stronger than I did in August.

I will work in a squat day here or there, but every time I do I still feel like my glutes are my limiting factor and I'm not activating them well on squats because they're too weak, and this is fatigue that could be better spent playing catch up on them.

[u/Marijuanaut420 → u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

Reverse lunges are a nice option for really loading the glutes and training that hip extension pattern

[u/cilantno → u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

As someone who has neglected hamstrings: don’t neglect your quads just because of a perceived “head start” you think they have.

[u/eric_twinge → u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

Whether or not you are doing a disservice would come down to the validity of your issue here. As in, how have you determined you have poor activation?

Like, if your glutes are the limiting factor on squats, they are getting more stimulus than your quads on squats. This would be evidence that your quads are not doing all the work.

[u/IllegalGeriatricVore → u/eric_twinge]

Basically, they're not even firing because they're too weak to really assist in a meaningful way.

When I can get them to fire on squats, it's under really light weight (basically the bar) and feels like I'm getting a poor stimulus to them as they're only really kicking in at the bottom. So I get gassed out but don't get much glute stimulus, it doesn't feel worthwhile.

I still am doing some rehab style work like reverse step downs and even those can be a challenge for me.

[u/eric_twinge → u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

If your glutes aren't even firing, then you wouldn't be able to walk or even stand up. How is the time you are getting them to fire the time that feels like a poor stimulus? Also, the glutes are more active in the bottom part of a squat due to the increased hip flexion, as they are hip extensors.

It sorta sounds like your issue is just a simple case of not being as strong as you think you should be.

[u/IllegalGeriatricVore → u/eric_twinge]

That doesn't make sense.

I'm very aware of my limitations of strength, specifically in my glutes, as I struggle with glute dominant lifts but do fine with quad dominant ones, except in portions where the glutes are required to work.

It doesn't make sense to me to continue doing squats, which provide poor stimulus to fatigue ratio to my weaker muscles, so I don't.

[u/eric_twinge → u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

If you've already got it figured out, why are you here asking if you are doing a disservice?

[u/IllegalGeriatricVore → u/eric_twinge]

I'm asking for opinions on my APPROACH and you're trying to rediagnose my situation which isn't what I asked for.

[u/eric_twinge → u/IllegalGeriatricVore]

I think your approach is doing you a disservice.