4 Exercises to Help you Strengthen your Glutes
You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to working your glutes. In this article, we’ll show you some useful exercises to help you strengthen your glutes, as well as some other useful recommendations you may find handy.
Of course, having strong glutes is one important aspect of your physical appearance. However, strong gluteal muscles also contribute greatly to your whole body’s health and well-being.
Strengthening your glutes won’t just give you benefits such as helping to prevent muscle injury, but will also improve the strength of your legs and your body’s general strength. Below, we’ll show you some exercises you can include in your workout.
Exercises to strengthen your glutes
Repetitive physical exercises are one of the main tools at your disposal for giving your whole body a workout. These serve to strengthen different muscle groups and improve your body’s physical condition.
One of the positive effects of these exercises is that you can strengthen your glutes. By using various exercises, especially those focused on working your legs, you can get excellent results.
Squats
Conventional squats are the ‘go-to’ exercise to strengthen your legs. You should include squats in all your lower body workouts. There are also different variations of squats you can use.
Including squats in your workouts will help you to strengthen your glutes, quadriceps, and the muscles belonging to your core. To do a conventional squat, follow these steps:
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your arms beside your body.
- Bend your knees while you stick your bottom out behind you; as if you were about to sit down on a chair. Put your hands out in front of you to help you keep your balance.
- Try to keep your head and spine aligned, and avoid curving your back. You’ll get better results if you keep your core muscles firm during the exercise. Straighten up again and repeat.
Glute bridge
You can do a glute bridge in several different ways; all the different exercises can help to strengthen your glutes. Also, it’s a great option to help you strengthen your back muscles and reduce back pain. This is how you can do it:
- Use an exercise mat or other comfortable surface, and lie down on your back. Your arms should be on the floor alongside your body.
- Bend your knees and place your feet flat and firmly on the floor.
- Lift your hips off the floor until your body is straight, from your shoulders and back to your knees. Support your weight with your arms. The secret to this exercise is squeezing your glutes and your core throughout for better resistance.
Side lunges
This exercise will stimulate your thigh muscles and help to strengthen your glutes. It’s also useful for working your inner and outer thighs.
- Stand with your feet apart at shoulder width.
- Bend one of your knees and lean your body toward that side and forward a little, and at the same time keep your other leg straight, as you can see in the opening photo.
- Go back to your starting position and repeat the movement on the other side.
Hip extensions or kicks
Just like with the glute bridge, for this exercise, you’ll need an exercise mat or another comfy surface. Hip extensions or kicks are perfect to help you strengthen your glutes, as well as working all the muscle groups in your core. This is how you can do it:
- Get down on all fours. Your hands should be flat on the floor. Keep your back in a straight line.
- Slowly straighten one leg out behind you, and if you can, lift it a little higher. Control the movement.
- Try to get your leg as high as possible. Keep your leg extended for a moment then return your knee to the floor. Repeat on the other side.
Strengthen your glutes: something more than just exercises
These exercises we mentioned above are perfect to help stimulate and strengthen your glutes, but it’s also necessary to set the intensity level and weights according to your needs and physical condition. To that end, we suggest you talk to a professional trainer.
On the other hand, it’s also important to change or improve your habits. From your diet and eating habits to your sleep cycle, all of these aspects will influence your general health and fitness level. Cultivate good habits in your daily life to get the best results and keep yourself as healthy as possible.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Liebenson, C., Mendiguchia, J., Martinez-Ruiz, E., Edouard, P., Morin, J. B., Martinez-Martinez, F., Idoate, F., Mendez-Villanueva, A., Ekstrom, R. A., Donatelli, R. A., Carp, K. C., Pubalgia, E. P., … Anterior, L. C. (2016). Glúteos. Función del glúteo mayor durante la locomoción. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.
