The Three Best Glute Exercises
The glutes, short for gluteal muscles, are the muscles in your buttocks. They are made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus! These muscles are located at the back of your pelvis, just below your lower back.
We need strong glutes to promote healthy femur positioning, to be dominant over our hamstrings, and to help with decreasing deep hip pain and tightness! They also help us maintain a neutral pelvis and protect our lumbar spine!
Below are three of the best glute exercises - make sure you feel your glute kicking on, not your hamstring and/or back!
Single leg bridge: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Extend one leg straight out, the other foot should stay planted on the ground. Press through the heel of the foot that's still on the floor and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Hold the position for a second at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down without letting the lifted leg touch the floor. Repeat on both sides!
2. Single leg clam-shell: Stand with your back against a wall, feet hip-width apart. Place a resistance band of your choice just above your knees. Keep your knees slightly bent. Shift your weight to one leg, keeping the standing leg slightly bent. Lift your other leg off the floor, keeping your knee bent at about 90 degrees, with your foot against the wall. Slowly open your lifted knee outward. Focus on squeezing the glutes and outer thigh of the standing leg to initiate the movement. Slowly bring your lifted knee back to the starting position. Repeat on both sides!
3. Staggered leg RDL: Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in both hands. Step one foot back, creating a staggered stance with the back foot positioned slightly behind the front foot. Keep your knees slightly bent. Your weight should be centered over your front leg, with the back foot just lightly touching the ground for balance. Slowly, push your hips back while keeping a slight bend in both knees. The weight should travel diagonally towards the opposite foot. Lower the weight until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings of your front leg, typically around knee-height or just below. Reverse the movement by driving through the heel of the front foot, engaging your glutes and hamstrings to stand back up. Repeat!
If struggling to fire your glutes or with performing these exercises, schedule a visit with us and we can help you out! https://www.bimwellness.com/booking