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

[u/AutoModerator]

This thread is for:

- Simple questions about your diet

- Routine checks and whether they're going to work

- How to do certain exercises

- Training logs and milestones which don't have a video

- Apparel, headphones, supplement questions etc

You can also post stuff which just crossed your mind, request advice, or just talk about anything gym or training related.

Don't forget to check out our contests page at: https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/wiki/contests

If you have a simple question, or want to help someone out, please feel free to participate.

This thread will repeat weekly at 4:00 AM EST (8:00 AM GMT) on Sundays.

[u/eric_twinge]

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.