Glutes, Glutes, Glutes!
At the start of each class, we ask our clients for requests — anything that they would particularly like to work on during the session. One of our most common requests: glute work. And we love that! Why? Because whether the requester knows it or not, strong glutes are essential to healthy, highly functioning spines, hips, and knees.
Understanding the Glutes
“Glutes” is a catch-all term describing all of the muscles on the back half of the pelvis. While there are nine different muscles in this region (actually, 18 if you count each side separately!), the name “glutes” comes from the anatomical name for the three largest ones - gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The other 6 muscles on each side are often called “the deep six.” If you want to learn more about glute anatomy - check out our past blog, Anatomy Moment: Good Glutes.
As we consider how to best strengthen the “glutes” it’s important to remember that “glutes” refers to so many muscles, each with their own functions. To make sure we work all the glute muscles, we make sure to find challenges in all ranges of motion and multiple movement functions.
Ready to strengthen those glutes? Let’s do it.
Flat Back Bridge - Gluteus maximus
Set up: lie on your back, feet hip socket distance apart, find your neutral spine.
EXHALE engage your core to stabilize your back, then push into your heels to engage the glutes. Lift your hips up, pausing at your highest point where the weight is in your shoulders and not in your neck.
** Check that you can still feel that core activation - if you’ve lost it you may be overarching your back, which not only isn’t great for your back, you also won’t be working your glutes as effectively - we don’t want that! You should be maintaining a neutral spine as you lift up.
INHALE lower down to the mat
Repeat 15-20x. Finish with a hold at the top.
Not sure how to tell if you're maintaining a neutral spine? Start by placing your thumbs on the bottom of the ribs and the fingers on the top of the hip bones (in the front of the body). As you lift and lower your hips, make sure the space between the thumbs and fingers is staying consistent. If it’s changing as your hips move, it’s a sign that you’re losing your neutral spine!
Side Lying Glutes - Gluteus Medius and Minimus
Set up: lie on your side, with the bottom leg bent and top leg extended, reaching so long through the leg that the bottom waist begins to lift off the ground, and the top hip slides away from the ribs. Engage your abs to stabilize the upper body.
Lift & Lower
EXHALE lengthen through the top leg, lifting it up to hip height
INHALE lower the leg back down
Continue 8-10x, making sure the bottom waist/hips are staying stable. You want to be feeling the work in the outer glute. If it’s mostly in your thigh, check that the leg is in line with your hips/shoulders and not forward of them. Still in your thigh? Try slightly externally rotating the leg (turning the toes slightly up to the ceiling).
Key point: make sure you’re keeping the bottom waist actively lifting away from the ground, and not letting the top hip scrunch up towards your ribs as you move your leg. This could compress the lumbar spine, which we want to avoid.
Leg Kicks
INHALE lift the leg & hold it hip height
EXHALE engage the abdominals and send the leg behind you, pointing through your toes *keep low back stable*
INHALE to reach the leg forward, flexing the foot
Continue 8-10x, making sure the hips are staying stacked and stable.
Pause with your leg in line with hips and shoulders. Flex the foot to prepare for the next variation:
Rotation
Starting with the leg lifted to hip height and the foot flexed…
INHALE & EXHALE as you externally and internally rotate the leg (thigh) in the hip socket
Make sure the upper body stays stable and the hips stacked.
Rest for a few breaths - you should definitely be feeling the work!
Lift the leg back up to hip height, externally rotate the leg, and draw it a few inches behind you (maintaining the stability of the low back, abs engaged).
INHALE & EXHALE as you engage the abdominals and pulse the leg a tiny bit back & up - feeling the center of the glutes working x15
Internally rotate the leg and draw it forward of your hips (as far as you can keep hips stacked).
INHALE & EXHALE as you tap your toes to the ground, then lift back up to hip height x15
Prone Glutes - Gluteus Maximus
Set up: Lie on your stomach. Engage your low abs to stabilize your low back. Bend one knee to 90 (or as far as you can keep your low back still).
EXHALE to hover the knee/thigh off the mat
INHALE to lower back down
This should be a small range of motion, isolating the work to the hamstrings and glutes and not letting the low back arch. Keep the public bone gently pressing into the mat the whole time.
Repeat 8-10x each side.
Clamshells - Deep Six
Set up: Lie on your side, stack your hips and shoulders, with knees bent and heels in line with hips. Slide the top hip away from the shoulder to stack your hips and prevent compressing the low back.
EXHALE to rotate the top thigh, lifting the knee as high as you can while keeping the hips stable. Heels stay squeezed together.
INHALE to lower back down
Key Point: Are your hips moving as the knee moves? Often we need to encourage the top hip to stay forward as we move to keep the hips stacked. This ensures the movement is coming from the femur rotating in the hip socket, and not from the spine and pelvis rotating backwards.
Tiny Bicycle - Deep Six
Set up: From clamshells, guide your knees forward so they are in front of your hips, finding a 90 degree bend in the hips and knees.
EXHALE to lift the top leg to hip height, hip knee and ankle on the same line. Flex the top foot.
INHALE/EXHALE as you move the leg in a small circular motion — imagine your pedaling on the tiniest bicycle in the world!
You should immediately feel the work deep in the top glute!
Standing Glutes - Putting it all together
Squats
Set up: Stand with feet wider than your hips. You can decide if you want to externally rotate the leg or not but your knees and feet should be able to point in the same direction.
INHALE hinging back from your hips, as if you’re sitting into a throne behind you
EXHALE push through your heels to activate your glutes, and stand back up
Repeat 15-20x. Finish with a hold at the bottom of your squat.
Feeling it in your low back? Make sure you’re keeping your abs engaged, and go slow. Can you find a range of motion that is sensation-free in the back? If not, check out our next blog on the Squat or come to class and we’ll help you out!
Let’s Move!
Book a group class or private session to use what you’ve learned:
