Glutes Gone Strong

Knowing how to properly engage and train your glutes  is integral to any fitness routine. Not only are the glutes incredibly powerful and their activation important for the performance of just about every exercise, they happen to be the muscle group that many of us really want to develop.

When the ladies of Girls Gone Strong get together, you can be sure there will be some glute training!

In honor of your booty, the Girls Gone Strong have compiled this list to help you design your glute training. Indeed squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts are amazing for developing your glutes, are the king of lifts, but today we want to highlight a few other very effective glute exercises.

1. Lateral Band Walks

DO

• Maintain a sizable distance between your feet at all times, and maintain tension on the bands.
• Set your hips back and keep your knees soft.

DON'T

• Let your knees cave in.
• Let your upper body rock or your hips hike up and down.

2. High Step Ups

DO

• Set the bench up at a height that drops your hip below your knee to fully engage the glute.
• Drive through the heel of the up leg.

DON'T

• Push off excessively through the down leg.
• Let your core disengage on the way down.
• Let your hip kick out or knee cave in on the up leg.

3. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

DO

• Hinge at the hip of the standing leg and keep the knee soft.
• Keep your hips square and foot of the up leg pointing towards the ground.
• Keep the back leg straight glute engaged.
• Use your lats to keep the weight connected to your body (if using weight).

DON'T

• Round at the back, especially the low back.
• Go further into the hinge than your current mobility and stability level will allow you to.
• Take your leg higher than your hips or your torso lower than your hips.

** Learn more about the Single-Leg Deadlift here.

4. Kettlebell Swing 

DO

• Use your hips to accelerate the bell in an explosive fashion.
• Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes at the top.
• Bend your knees and set your hips back at the bottom.
• Swing the bell back quickly through your legs.

DON'T

• Lift up the bell with your arms.
• Arch your back at the top.
• Lift the bell up over your head.
• Round your back at the bottom.

** Learn more about the Kettlebell Swing here.

5. Skater Squat 

DO

• Drop your rear knee back far enough to keep your front knee from going past your toes.
• Reach your arms out in front as a counter balance.

DON'T

• Let your weight shift forward.
• Try to go too deep too soon.

**Learn more about the Skater Squat here.

You can implement one or all of these exercises in your existing program to help build and strengthen your glutes, as long as you listen to your body and progress safely.