Transform your lower body: Essential exercises for stronger glutes
Your lower half—hips, buttocks, thighs, and legs—contain some of your body's largest muscle groups. These powerful muscles are responsible for stabilising and supporting your entire body, and conditioning them can help you maintain balance and move freely.
Sitting on your butt won’t get you those gains but intense butt exercises will activate and grow your well-rounded glutes. Your butt aids in your ability to hinge and squat, while simultaneously working to keep your back strong and pelvis stabilised. helping to lower back discomfort throughout the day. Strong glutes can make you a better runner and even help you avoid knee injuries.
What are glutes?
Your glutes include three distinct muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The gluteus maximus is the largest and provides most of the shape of the butt. It also keeps you upright when sitting and standing, and acts as the lower-body power generator.
Second in command is the gluteus medius, which sits between the gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus, and its main job is to stabilise the pelvis. It also promotes movement of the hip and upper leg, including hip abduction hip external rotation, and hip internal rotation.
And, you guessed it, the gluteus minimus is the smallest and located right below the gluteus medius. “This muscle helps to produce several movements of the hips and legs including hip extension and hip internal rotation.
Here are a few exercises that target your lower half to keep you strong.
Bulgarian Split Squat
It targets the lower glute max and glute medius, while also torching the glute minimus when you add slight rotation to the working hip.
Steps
● Stand on right foot, with left knee bent and foot off the ground.
● Bend right knee, extending left leg down until knee is a few inches off the ground, keeping arms out in front of you for balance. (Feel free to use a block or ball as a marker of where knee should land).
● Slowly return to start. Complete all reps, then switch sides.
Walking Lunges
It helps stabilise the hips and pelvis, and there’s an aerobic component that you may not get in other exercises.
Steps
● Start standing with feet together, holding a pair of weights at shoulder height, elbows bent in front of body.
● Step right foot forward and bend knees to lower down into a lunge, stopping when both legs form 90-degree angles.
● Press through the right heel to stand and step left foot forward, lowering into a lunge. That's one rep.
Glute Bridge March
The glute bridge is a great move for working on your hip extension.
Steps
● Start lying on back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
● Engage core, then press into heels and squeeze glutes to raise hips until body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders.
● Lift right knee towards chest. Pause, then lower right foot.
Repeat with the other leg.
Goblet Squat
The goblet squat works the hips in flexion and abduction, which targets all three muscles of the glutes.
Steps
● Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a weight in front of your chest, elbows pointing towards the floor.
● Push hips back and bend knees to lower into a squat.
● Push yourself back to start.