Training the Glutes Using a Pendulum: How I incorporate the isometric ramping technique into my training.

Within our Joint-Specific Training Library at A.C.C.E.S., we often employ the concept of isometric ramping. This term originated in a clinical setting, where it was used in conjunction with the Functional Range Release Technique. We have adapted isometric ramping into our internal-based strength training to help ourselves, clients, and A.C.C.E.S. members feel specific musculature working.

As therapists, we try to get a client to engage a particular muscle by using manual feedback (our hands), sinking them into the tissue and cueing the client to engage that area until we, the practitioner, feel the correct tissue engage.

In our A.C.C.E.S. training, we use isometric ramping and cue specific tissues that we want to focus on. Once we have a clear picture of the exact tissue we want, we can then ramp up the effort, shifting the stimulus from teaching the nervous system what we want to using the nervous system to really push from that area and generate more force from this “stuff”.

Using Isometric Ramping Prior to Glute Training

Recently, I programmed in isometric ramping of the glutes prior to using the reverse hyper and the pendulum to train the glutes.

The Sequencing:

1. In a prone (face down) position, I placed my leg out at 90 degrees so my inner thigh was on the ground. My knee was also bent to 90 degrees.

2. From here, the cueing was very specific. I didn’t want to just use my glutes by lifting my knee off the floor. Rather, I wanted to engage my glutes gently and shine a “spotlight“ on the exact stuff I wanted. My cue was to engage and pry open the anterior hip joint capsule. I knew I was doing it correctly when I could feel the opposite side of the joint stretch as I engaged.

3. After I felt like I had a good grasp of the glutes and my hip joint was ready, I stayed in this position and did 3 repetitions of hip hovers. Whereby, I lifted my leg from the ramping position, using the glutes (and other hip rotators) to raise and control the hip joint back to the neutral position. I did the same thing from neutral back out to the initial training position.

4. To train reactive strength and the glutes to near failure, I used the reverse hyper (see video). Instead of the usual strap that the hyper comes with around the back of the ankles, I used a medium band and put it around my knees. I locked my spine and pelvis in place, glued my heels together, and used the glutes to pry my knees apart. I did repeated efforts of hip extension, which biased the glutes. Each repetition, I let the weight oscillate a bit, allowing me to train reactive strength and hypertrophy in the same set.

In conclusion, this is exactly what the Joint-Specific Training Library is built on — understanding the tissue first, then training it. Isometric ramping gives you a way to bridge that gap, turning awareness into effort and effort into real strength from the right place.

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