Do you want to have solid and toned glutes? If so, you need to start activating them!
This blog post will discuss 9 powerful and simple glute activation exercises. These exercises are designed to help you achieve the best results possible. So what are you waiting for? Start working on those glutes today!
This glute activation exercise program is designed to be short and sweet, and to acivate the major muscles in the hip. In 9 minutes, you can cross “glute activation exercises” off your list. These exercises are simple, powerful, and effective.
What are the best glute activation exercises?
The best glute activation exercise is the glute bridge exercise. The glute bridge is a joint rehabilitation exercise that isolates and activates your glutes.
Let’s take a look at the anatomy of the glute muscles and understand their importance.
The gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus are the three main muscles that make up your buttocks. The best glute activation exercises engage the glutes through hip extension and challenge hip and lumbar spine stabilization. The glutes, core, and hips work together to maintain fluid and stable movement.
The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three muscles and is responsible for extending your hip. The gluteus medius and minimus work together to stabilize your hips and keep them level when you walk or run.
The smaller muscles, the group of muscles called the hip rotators, are essential because they help you move your legs in several different directions. They also stabilize your pelvis and help keep your spine in alignment. In addition, strong glutes can help prevent injuries to your knees, hips, and back.
The glute muscles are connected to the core muscles in your abdomen and lower back. These muscles work together to stabilize your spine and pelvis. Strong glutes can help you maintain good posture and prevent injuries.
The best way to activate your glutes is to perform exercises that target these muscles.
Isolating and loading these muscles accomplishes two tasks:
- It strengthens the glutes to help stabilize the pelvis and low back during training and everyday activity. These specific exercises will help activate and “warm-up” the glute muscles before a workout.
- It helps to build aesthetics for a vital, round gluteal region.
Why is it important to activate the glutes?
The glute muscles are essential for several reasons. Most importantly, they help stabilize and protect the pelvis and low back during training and everyday activity. Second, they help build aesthetics for a vital, round gluteal region. Finally, keeping the glutes strong is essential for injury prevention and good posture.
How do I know if I have weak glutes?
There are a few signs that you might have weak glutes.
The glutes’ weakness often manifests as low back pain, hip pain, or knee pain. The gluteus maximus is the powerhouse of the lower extremity, and the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus stabilize and support the lower limbs.
Weakness in the stabilizing muscles can create an imbalance and adverse load on the hip and knee, causing pain. Glute activation is key to restoring average balance and stability.
It is likely due to weak glutes if you have difficulty completing exercises involving the legs and buttock region. Similarly, if you are performing complex movements such as squats that target the glutes but find yourself sore in your quadriceps or hamstrings, this indicates that you may have weakness in your glutes.
Your lifestyle may predispose you to weakness in the glutes. For example, sitting for long periods may place a constant stretch load on the glutes, creating a weak environment. Likewise, the inactivity associated with sitting for long periods can cause atrophy and weakness in the glutes.
How do you activate your glutes?
You can (and should) be activating your glutes in most movements. For example, hip extension exercises will strengthen the gluteus; however, challenging these muscles using bands and varying foot positions can also engage the hip rotators and core.
Ideally, complex movements such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts that require these muscle groups to work synergistically will be sufficient to strengthen these muscles.
However, suppose you are beginning or do not utilize these muscles regularly. In that case, performing these 9 powerful and simple glute activation exercises is a good idea to isolate the muscles.
9-Minute Glute Activation Workout and Warm-up
Workout Equipment:
A resistance band (optional)
The best way to utilize this program is to work through the 9 Powerful and Simple Glute Activation Exercises at your own pace.
Each exercise takes approximately one minute, and for nine exercises, that is less than 10 minutes for a complete glute activation workout.
What are the nine best glute activation exercises?
Glute bridge for glute activation- with or without the resistance band
- Glute bridges start with laying flat on your back, feet blat on the floor, and knees hip-width apart.
- Knees bent to 90 degrees
- Engage your core muscles (tighten your stomach like you are going to get punched)
- Focus on the glute contraction and allow your hips to come up off the floor.
- If you feel tightness in the hamstring, bring your heels closer to your butt muscles
- Hold at the top for two seconds and slowly lower your hips to the floor
- Glute bridges can be used with or without a mini band around the knees.
- Adding the mini band will activate the hip abductors (gluteus medius and minimus) along with the glute maximus
- Perform three sets of 15-20
Donkey kick for glute activation and hip stability
- This exercise can be performed with or without an exercise band
- Begin on all fours with your knees and hands shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle, raise your leg until your thigh is in line with your back.
- Squeeze your glute muscle at the top of the movement and hold for two seconds.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
- Perform three sets of 15-20 on each side.
Fire hydrant for glute medius activation (with or without resistance band)
The fire hydrant exercise can be done with or without a band. Adding a band around the knees will increase glute activation, and the added resistance will help guide the exercise
- Begin on all fours with your knees and hands shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your right knee bent at a 90-degree angle, raise your leg to the side until your thigh is in line with your back.
- Squeeze your glute muscle at the top of the movement and hold for two seconds.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
- Perform three sets of 15-20 on each side.
Clamshell for glute medius activation (with or without resistance band)
This exercise can be done with or without a band. Adding a band around the knees will increase glute activation, and the added resistance will help guide the exercise
- Begin by lying on your side with both legs bent to 90 degrees at the hip and knee. Your feet should be stacked on top of each other.
- Keeping your heels touching, raise your top leg as high as possible without moving your pelvis or trunk.
- It is essential to keep your pelvis and trunk neutral as this will isolate the gluteus medius muscle
- Squeeze your glute muscles at the top of the movement and hold for two seconds.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
- Perform three sets of 15-20 on each side.
Banded kickbacks for glute activation
- Begin standing with a band around your ankles and feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core muscles
- Stabilize with your right leg and squeeze your left glute, extending your left leg behind you.
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise
- Return your right leg to neutral.
- Repeat with stabilizing on your left leg and extending your right leg
- Alternate left and right legs for a set of 20. Repeat three sets.
Squat with the band for glute activation
Squats are a key glute activation exercise. They require mobility through the hips and strength through the core.
- Begin standing with a band around your knees or ankles, feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core muscles
- Send your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise
- Keep your weight in your heels as you drive up through your heels to return to standing while you activate your glutes
Sidewalk with the band for glute activation and hip stability
Sidewalks are a great way to activate your glutes and are one of the most common glut activation exercises
- Begin standing with a band around your knees, feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core muscles
- Take a big step to the side with your right leg, keeping your left leg straight.
- As you step to the side, slightly bend your knees to engage your glute muscles
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise
- Keeping your weight in your heels, press through your right heel to return to standing.
- Repeat on the other side. Alternate sides for a set of 20. Repeat three sets.
Sidewalk with squat for glute activation
- Begin standing with a band around your knees, feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core muscles
- Take a big step to the side with your right leg, keeping your left leg straight.
- As you step to the side, slightly bend your knees and lower into a squat.
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise
- Keep your weight in your heels, and press through your right heel to return to standing.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Alternate sides for a set of 20. Repeat three sets.
Lunge pulse
I love this exercise. This one is for you if you want killer glutes and a bonus of a solid quad exercise.
- Begin standing with feet hip-width apart
- Step forward with your right leg, lowering into a lunge.
- Make sure your front knee is at a 90-degree angle, and your back knee is hovering just above the ground
- From this position, pulse up and down for 30 seconds, keeping your core engaged and your glutes firing
- Return to standing and repeat on the other side. Perform three sets on each side.
How do I use this glute activation workout?
This set of glute exercises can be used in a number of way:
- If you are new to exercising your glutes, start doing these exercises twice to three times per week. As you get stronger, you can increase the number of days you do them per week. Be sure to warm up before and cool down after you finish.
- This can be a stand-alone HIIT workout with using all the exercises concurrently.
- As a warm-up for a heavy leg workout or lower body workout
- As part of a greater management strategy for low back and hip pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exercises activate the glutes?
Exercises include hip extensions, such as the glute bridge, and lower body exercises that focus on hip extension.
It is important to keep the core engaged through any glute activation exercises. Squats and lunges active the glutes and address muscle imbalances that can cause injury.
How do I activate glutes before a workout?
It’s essential to warm up the targeted muscle groups before a workout. Banded walks or glute bridges with a band are great options to best active glutes before a workout.
Do activating glutes work?
Yes, absolutely. Glute activation exercises are a common element in any stability program. In addition, isolating and activating the muscle will help prepare it for a more challenging workout or as a rehabilitation tool for lumbar support.
What does it mean to activate your glutes?
Activating your glutes means engaging the muscle group known as the gluteus maximus, more commonly referred to as the “glutes.” The glutes are responsible for hip extension, essential in movements like walking, squatting, and jumping. Glute activation exercises help to ensure that the glutes are firing correctly.
Conclusion
With these nine glute activation exercises, you will have a great foundation to build the aesthetic and functional booty you desire.
Remember to use proper form and increase weight or repetitions gradually to avoid injury.
Start incorporating these exercises into your routine today, and be sure to let us know how they work for you!
