Easily Strengthen Your Glutes with These Exercises

 

Your glutes are one of the most important muscles in your body. They support your pelvis, knee and spine when standing on one leg.

If you want to build strong, lean glutes, it's essential to train them regularly. Thankfully, there are some simple exercises you can do at home or in the gym that will yield great results.

1. Lying Leg Raises

Men's Health Fitness Director BJ Gaddour recommends performing leg raise exercises, also known as lying leg lifts or straight leg raises, as a bodyweight exercise to strengthen your gluteus and improve balance and core strength.

Start this exercise by lying on your back with your legs extended in front of you and hands supporting under your glutes for support. Start lifting your legs up straight towards the ceiling while maintaining flexed abs throughout the movement.

Once you're finished, slowly lower your legs back to the starting position and repeat for a set number of reps. This exercise works your abdominal muscles while also challenging your hamstrings and lower back.

Leg raise exercises come in a variety of variations, such as kneeling on all fours. This version may be especially helpful for those without access to a gym, according to Gaddour. You could also use a mat on a soft surface if desired for this move.

Another variation is a side leg raise, which works your thighs, hips and glutes while lying down. You can also do this move standing up.

The National Institute on Aging recommends performing this exercise if you're looking for an alternative to leg lifts or simply want to add variety into your workout regimen. Not only does it target the legs, but it also works the torso, arms and shoulders.

Men's Health Fitness Director BJ Gaddour suggests the lateral leg raise as an effective exercise to strengthen your glutes. It can also reduce lower back pain and enhance posture - however it's essential that you perform this exercise correctly for maximum benefit.

2. Donkey Kicks

Donkey kicks are an excellent way to build and strengthen your glutes. Since they require no jumping or equipment, donkey kicks make for a great exercise option for both those with hectic schedules as well as beginners.

These exercises are great for building upper body strength and stability as you must remain on all fours the entire time. According to Jacques, this exercise targets the gluteus maximus (your 'back butt'), as well as hamstrings and abs muscles.

But to maximize its potential, you must perform this move correctly. Here are three common errors to watch out for when performing donkey kicks:

Locked-out Elbows - When performing donkey kicks, some people tend to lock out their elbows, placing extra strain on their joints and increasing the risk of injury. To reduce this risk, keep your arms in a soft bend while performing the move.

Neglecting to engage the core and abdominals - Another common mistake is failing to engage your core muscles while performing donkey kicks, leading to reduced glute firing and hip and spinal imbalance as well as a weak core.

To avoid this from occurring, wrap your transverse abdominis muscle around your torso like a corset or band before doing the kick. Doing this will keep your core engaged throughout the exercise and maximize its benefits.

Finally, be sure to go slowly during both eccentric and concentric phases of donkey kicks so your muscles have time to work at their maximum potential. Otherwise, you could be using momentum instead of muscle power when lifting your leg, which won't benefit your glutes.

Donkey kicks are surprisingly straightforward to master and provide numerous benefits. Not only that, but they're an ideal way to incorporate glute exercises into your workout regiment; moreover, donkey kicks have been known for building lean lower body mass.

3. Floor Hip Extension

Floor hip extension is an ancient exercise that helps strengthen your glutes and hamstrings. Additionally, it engages your core muscles which may reduce back pain by working out these key areas.

This exercise can be performed with or without a resistance band. You could also hold a barbell or dumbbell in your hand for added weight and intensity.

You can incorporate this exercise into a variety of ways, such as the step-up - an excellent functional movement that requires strong glutes and hamstrings.

Start in a standing position and hold onto the back of a chair or wall for stability. Then, push your right leg up and behind you while maintaining your stance and feet flat on the ground. Repeat on both sides, if available.

Weighted resistance exercises like the glute and hamstring crunch are an excellent way to build strength and size in your glutes and hamstrings. By wrapping a band around your ankles, you can increase the resistance of this exercise.

Once you feel confident with this exercise, try increasing the intensity and progress to more challenging exercises.

Another exercise to engage the glutes and hamstrings is the stability ball hamstring curl. This exercise is more advanced, so start by focusing on the hip extension portion before progressing to a leg curl later on.

This exercise is easy to perform, and can be done either with or without a stability ball. It's an ideal choice for beginners since not much equipment is necessary.

This exercise works your glutes and hamstrings, and can be done from home or the gym. Not only does it increase mobility in your hips, but it also improves balance and coordination - ideal for athletes!

4. Lunges

Lunges are a popular bodyweight exercise that can be done to build muscle mass and tone your entire lower body. Additionally, they improve flexibility and mobility, which may reduce pain in your legs or hips from prolonged sitting.

They can also strengthen your gluttes, which control the up-and-down movement of your legs. Composed of three muscles: gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, these gluts help provide strength to all parts of the body.

To maximize the benefit from lunges, incorporate them into a strength training routine. The size and angle of each step can affect which muscles are activated during different variations of lunges.

Fitness expert and MYX coach Joey Thurman, CSCS, CPT, FNS states that lunges are an excellent way to build strength and balance in your legs and core. However, they're not recommended for people with knee pain or injuries due to additional strain placed on the joint.

To build a stronger and more stable core, always perform lunges with proper form. A common mistake is letting your spine collapse and leaning forward - this is unsafe for either your back or spine, so make sure your core remains tight while keeping shoulders, knees and hips level during the movement.

If you're uncertain how to perform a lunge exercise, consult with your personal trainer or an experienced fitness instructor for guidance. They may suggest modifications that make the exercise easier for beginners or add more challenge. Some examples include curtsy lunges, reverse lunges and side lunges which can be done with barbells or dumbbells to increase resistance and challenge your core more.

5. Step-Up

Step-ups are an excellent lower body exercise that can be done anywhere. They're adaptable for all fitness levels, increase your heart rate, and strengthen your glutes.

Step-ups offer numerous benefits, but to get the most from them you must be mindful. According to Chicago-based certified personal trainer Stephanie Mansour, there are several common mistakes you should watch out for:

Stepping up unevenly with one foot on top of another or pushing too far forward so your knee passes your toes, and not keeping your torso straight as you step up can put undue strain on your knee joints, leading to injury or pain. These errors should be avoided at all costs!

Kelly O'Connor, CPT and owner of Body and Mind in Chicago advises against standing too far in front of the surface you're stepping on. While this may seem like a no brainer, standing too close can make your step-ups harder, according to O'Connor.

Instead, try standing on one side of the surface and taking a step with your lead leg. This can challenge your balance in an often underutilized way, according to expert advise.

If you want to increase the intensity, Brewer suggests doing this exercise with dumbbells in each hand and weighted step-ups. This variation also increases your total body burn.

Finally, you can do several sets of slow-mo descending step-ups to build strength and muscle mass in your glutes. Additionally, using a resistance band during these exercises helps strengthen core muscles while preventing back rounding.

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