You use your glutes all day long every day. Every time you sit down, stand up, walk, and go up or downstairs. You also consciously engage them when you’re working out…. usually. It’s easy to mindlessly do squats and similar exercises and never really zero in on your glutes. Here’s how to get your glutes in gear and get better results.

The term ‘glutes’ refers to your gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles. The maximus is the largest and most superficial of the three muscles while the medius and minimus are deeper and smaller. The maximus extends the hip and rotates the thigh out. The medius and minimus abduct or move the thigh out and internally rotate it.

How Strong Glutes Help You

Your glutes help you stand up and keep you erect once you’re up there. They allow you to stand on one leg without sagging sideways through the hip. They propel you forward when you walk or run and they help you decelerate as you go downstairs or downhill. Strong glutes also help counteract tight hip flexors, keep you aligned and balanced, and assist with core control.

How to Get Get Your Glutes in Gear

While the hips affect the joints above and below, they in turn are affected by the rest of the body. A quick check for body asymmetry can help you recognize imbalances that are putting stress on your hip joints. And I consider it essential to start all hip exercises with a scan for proper foot position. You can read more about that here or follow along in the glute exercise video below – I begin with alignment of the feet.

This video takes you through five exercises that target the glutes. We’ll cycle through them twice for a ten-minute glute workout with modifications to increase (or decrease) the challenge.

In addition to checking for proper foot position with all of the glute exercises, here are a few key reminders:

  • Basic Squat
    • The hips drop back and down.
    • Chest stays lifted to protect the low back.
    • Mix it up – e.g. come up slowly to isolate the glutes.
  • Single Leg Hip Hinge
    • Use a chair or wall for balance as needed
    • Movement is all at the hip. (Knee does not bend and straighten.)
    • Reach forward (not to the floor) to help maintain good back mechanics.
  • Sumo Squat
    • Feet are rotated outward with knees and hips rotated to align with them.
    • Hips drop back and upper body leans slightly forward as you lower into squat.
    • Don’t allow shoulders to round forward as you lower.
    • Increase intensity by adding a heel raise or controlled jump.
    • Change the tempo – e.g. lower slowly for eccentric glute work.
  • Bird Dog Plank (legs only)
    • Use a table, chair, or stair steps for hand placement if a plank on the floor is too challenging.
    • Focus on the extension portion of the movement (leg out behind) for maximal glute contraction.
    • While you can add an opposite arm lift with the leg lift, that changes the exercise to more of a core workout. Stay with legs only to target the glutes.
  • Bridges
    • Hands down by your sides for more stability or up near your head to increase the challenge.
    • Focus on form – there are many variations of bridging exercises. Have fun with them but always make sure you’re doing them well.

Obviously, these aren’t the only exercises you can do for your glutes but I think they provide a great mix for targeted glute work. Use the workout above or simply incorporate them into your current fitness routine.

Stay fit!