How To Train The Glutes

Over the last several years, the glutes aka booty, cabose, or whatever you want to call it has gained obsessive popularity in everyday culture. Everyone is talking about the booty. Our culture has turned an innocent peach emoji into a booty symbol. Booty booty is poppin up everywhere. Just scroll down your news feed on any social media outlet and you will get hit with some booty in your face. As aesthetically pleasing it is to to the eyes, a strong backside is important for performance and injury prevention.

A quick anatomy lesson

To the naked eye, it may look like your glutes are composed of just one clump of muscle. As you unravel the glutes, you'll see that they’re composed of a few different muscles. The 3 muscles are: The gluteus max, gluteus minimus, and gluteus medius. Together these muscles move your legs side to side and rotate your thighs outward and inward. Furthermore, they help to hold you upright.

Weak glutes have been linked to pain and dysfunction in the lower back and even the knees. They’ve been the workhorse for many years, helping athletes to sprint, jump, and swing, without any acknowledgement. So, go ahead and take time to give yourself a pat on the butt and thank you glutes for all the hard work.

For some weird reason anyone with some junk in trunk is now an expert on glute training. I see some of the most ridiculous exercises in the gym, likely influenced by social media gurus. I can think of 100 better things to do in the gym than to spend any amount of time walking sideways or hopping around like the Easter Bunny on a treadmill.

How Do You Train The Glutes?

Here’s the good news - training the glutes is easy. There are a variety of exercises to choose from that target glutes. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced athlete, these move will wake your sleepy glutes up.

First Find and Activate Your Glutes

Before performing squats and lunges it's beneficial to get your glutes excited. If you sit be

hind a desk all day at work or spend hours commuting you will benefit from some glute activation. It's rare that I meet a client who doesn't need to learn how to find and wake up their glutes.

In the video below I've highlighted a few different moves to help get those glutes firing. The important thing to keep in mind while performing these moves is to keep the "core" engaged and to actively squeeze the glutes. Put your mind into the muscle you're working to feel the burn.

You don't have to do every exercise bellow, just pick 2-3 moves and perform 10 repetitions on each leg. The goal is to find and feel your glutes before your workout. When your glutes are firing properly, you'll be able to get the most out of your workout.

Single Leg Glute Bridge

This variation is more challenging compared to the traditional double leg bridge (both legs on the ground). A great degree of core and hip stability is involved in executing the move properly. Make sure you drive your heal into the ground while keeping your core engaged and squeeze your glutes to extend the hips.

Side Lying Hip Abduction

The biggest mistake I see with this move is allowing the hips to roll forward. Keep your legs straight and long while you slowly lift up focusing on using your glutes.

Quadruped Donkey Kicks

Maintaining a strong posture on all fours is the key to this move. Keep your elbows straight and push the ground away with your hands while maintaining a tight core. As you kick your leg to the ceiling, don't allow your posture to change (it's all about core stability).

Clam Shell

Stack your legs to about a 45-degree angle, strike a pose and get comfortable. Keep your ankles, knees, and hips all stacked on top of each other. Next, lift your knees up as high as you can without shifting your hips or pelvis. Typically, the shifting of the hips or pelvis is the biggest mistake I see people make with this exercise. Often it's a lack of awareness or strength. Make sure you can perform this move correctly before using a resistance band.

Quadruped Hip Extensions

Maintaining a strong posture on all fours is the key to this move. Keep your elbows straight and push the ground away with your hands while maintaining a tight core. As you lift your legs up don't forget to keep them straight and long (it's all about core stability).

Fire Hydrants

Maintaining a strong posture on all fours is the key to this move. Keep your elbows straight and push the ground away with your hands while maintaining a tight core. Lift your knee out to the side (at a 90-degree angle) as high as you can without shifting and rocking your weight (it's all about core stability).

Quadruped Hip Circles

Maintaining a strong posture on all fours is the key to this move. Keep your elbows straight and push the ground away with your hands while maintaining a tight core. Lift your knee out to the side (at a 90-degree angle) as high as you can without shifting and rocking your weight(it's all about core stability). kick your feet up towards the ceiling then back out to your side. Finish by driving your knee into your elbow and repeat the three step sequence.

Straight Leg Fire Hydrants

Maintaining a strong posture on all fours is the key to this move. Keep your elbows straight and push the ground away with your hands while maintaining a tight core. Straighten out your legs to the side (your foot should be lined up with your hips) lift your leg as high as you can without shifting and rocking your weight(it's all about core stability).

Now that your glutes are primed and ready it's to take it to the next level. There's a good chance you might already be doing some of these, but If you're not cycle them into your routine to keep things fun and fresh.

Banded Hip Abduction Squats