Gluteal muscle wasting - inadequate protein/nutrition?

[Yen]

Thanks everyone.

My concern is due to the fact that this seemed to occur rather suddenly, over the past month or so. I wondered about something neurological but I don't have any other symptoms, at least not any ominous red flags.

I've started doing some exercises to target this area and see if that helps.

[Wahine]

Sudden onset glute wasting is a concern. I'd second going to the doc. Having said that, probable culprits are age related muscle loss (though I'd expect that to be more gradual), wasting related to arthritic changes in the hip joints or wasting due to nerve compression in the low back (the compression can come from disc issues, degenerative changes in the spine related to wear and tear or a combination of those two things).

No matter what the cause, working on glute strength is an important part of addressing the issue. Squats and lunges are great but proper form is very important to prevent knee or back irritation. And there are a ton of other glute exercises out there. Working with a PT or personal trainer might be the best answer.

[tulip]

+1 on seeing a doctor to rule out anything serious. Pilates might be a good alternative to Crossfit. Pilates strengthens and works on flexibility. My backside is much stronger (visibly so) since I started Pilates, and my lower back and hip issues are resolved as long as I do Pilates regularly. I am a big advocate of classical Pilates taught by people trained in classical Pilates. Many gym "yogalates" type classes are downright injurious. I prefer mat to apparatus but that's probably because the apparatus classes are so expensive and I'm so cheap.

[Yen]

Pilates is a good suggestion, and also Yoga. I definitely need to be more aggressive about strengthening this area, and I will consult a doctor if I don't see visible improvement. I do have some hip issues (recurring tendonitis of the hip flexor, and more recently IT-band) stemming from an old injury many years ago but they are healing. However, that has gone on for the past few years, while the visible appearance of gluteal muscle wasting is very recent. Admittedly, I have been sitting for longer periods in the mornings with my coffee and laptop, and it's become a bad habit -- it is true that a body out of motion stays out of motion! I should set a timer for a short period and get up when it goes off, since 30 minutes easily becomes 2 hours if I'm not paying attention to the time.

+1 on seeing a doctor to rule out anything serious. Pilates might be a good alternative to Crossfit. Pilates strengthens and works on flexibility. My backside is much stronger (visibly so) since I started Pilates, and my lower back and hip issues are resolved as long as I do Pilates regularly. I am a big advocate of classical Pilates taught by people trained in classical Pilates. Many gym "yogalates" type classes are downright injurious. I prefer mat to apparatus but that's probably because the apparatus classes are so expensive and I'm so cheap.