The Best Glute Exercises For Men & Women - Activate Your Glutes

Fitness Gurus on Instagram and Facebook LOVE glute exercises. Everyone wants to learn how to grow a booty but this week we want to bring it back to the basics.

Dr. Rob wants to share his 3 favourite glute exercises that activate your gluteus medius which can help reduce your risk of injury and help with low back pain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE5MPqIqv2o&feature=youtu.be

These are the types of exercise that people tend to avoid, especially guys! These exercises are great for everyone, especially people who may not engage their glutes as much. If you’re sitting for long periods of time at work, in the car, or on the couch then chances are your glutes are not being activated very often.

The great thing about glute exercises is that they help build up strength and endurance in these muscles to give your hamstring, hip flexors, and low back muscles a break so they can stop overcompensating which may lead to pain. When all of your muscles are balanced it will improve your form during workouts, runs, or your sport! Glute activation exercises like these should be included in your warm up so you can effectively recruit the muscles during your compound lifts or runs or can be used as a killer finisher to your activity!

Our 3 Favourite Glute Activation Exercises:

1. Clam Shells

This is a common exercise for people with hip or low back problems but it is also an excellent way to prevent those problems! Start by laying on your side with a Theraband or loop band above or below your knees. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and slowly bring your top knee up so you open your legs like a clam. Hold at the top and then slowly lower your knee back to the start. You want to avoid trying to rock backward and open your hips to lift your leg higher because this tends to take the focus away from the gluteus medius muscle we’re trying to target. To avoid this try this exercise with your back against a wall and use your hand on the ground to steady yourself and prevent rocking!

2. Jane Fonda (leg lifts)

This exercise is slightly harder but follows the same principles as Clam Shells. Start on the ground laying on your side but this time with your legs straight. You want to slowly lift up and then slowly lower your leg down. Try counting to 3 when you lift your leg and counting to 3 again while you lower it to really feel it! This exercise can be done with or without a band depending on your comfort level. When you’re doing this exercise you want to watch your foot while you lift and lower to make sure that you’re not rotating your hips in or out which makes the exercise less effective.

3. Monster Walks

For the final exercise you can get up off the floor! Choose an area with enough space that you can take a few steps and then place the band around your knees or ankles. Bring your feet wider than shoulder width apart and start taking wide steps forward without losing tension on the band. If you put the band around your ankles to make it harder, make sure that your knees are not collapsing inward. For all of these exercises we want you to do as many as you can until it starts to burn…. then do 5 more!  If you have questions about these exercises be sure to ask your therapist at your next appointment!