Glute Exercises
Glute Exercises
Building strong, shapely, sexy glutes is so 2021. Men and women alike often have this as a key goal in their quest for the perfect bod. But what are the glutes? And, how do we build a booty to be proud of?
What Are Glutes?
‘Glutes’ is the popular term used to describe the trio of gluteal muscles found in your bottom that originate from the pelvis and insert into the femur – the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus.
Gluteus Maximus
The gluteus maximus is the largest and most apparent of the three gluteal muscles. It is particularly large and fleshy, playing a significant role in the visual shape and appearance of the hips. It covers part of both the glute minimus and medius, and is the muscle that gives you that peachy bottomed look. It’s function is to extend the trunk, and extend / laterally rotate the hip.
Gluteus Medius
The gluteus medius is a broad and thick muscle, situated on the outer surface of the pelvis. It’s the prime mover of abduction at hip joint and also assists in flexion, extension and rotation of the hip.
Gluteus Minimus
The gluteus minimus is the smallest of the three gluteal muscles and is situated near the top of the booty, immediately beneath the gluteus medius. It works in synergy with the gluteus medius to produce the internal rotation and abduction of the thigh. It’s also is an important stabilizer of the pelvis.
The Benefits Of Strong Glutes
Above and beyond the obvious aesthetic benefit of a strong, shapely bottom, here are some others you may not know of…
Improved Performance: As you’ve seen above, the glutes play a very large role in the movement of the hip and stabilisation of the pelvis. If you have strong glutes, you’ll have improved acceleration, deceleration, explosive power and stability.
Injury Prevention: Weak glutes can cause a world of pain; when the glutes are weak, other areas of the body may compensate (usually the lower back or hamstrings) and this can lead to injuries. Weak glutes can also lead to stabilisation issues which means your more likely to take a fall or could create an imbalance which puts undue pressure on your knees. This is compounded as we age and are vulnerable to muscle loss or poor bone health.
Improved Posture: Non-activating glutes can contribute to poor posture and forward tilting hips can force the abdomen to protrude outwards, giving the appearance of a large tummy.
Weight Management: The glutes are one of the largest areas of muscle in the body, we know that having high levels of muscle mass requires more energy for fuel. Many studies have conferred that more muscle mass results in a higher BMR, this was again asserted in a Study by The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Getting those glutes built will help your body burn more calories even outside of exercise.
Glute Activation
Glute activation is the ‘activating’ or ‘firing’ of the gluteal muscles in an effort to strengthen them, correct imbalances, aid flexibility and improve the communication between the brain and the glutes. For many individuals, their glutes often remain ‘inactive’ or ‘switched off’ – try to tense your glute muscles…can you feel them contract? If you try this seated and have strong glute muscles, you should literally rise up from your seat. If not, you need to work on those glutes! Inactive glutes can be an indicator that the muscles are weak and are not relied on as much as they should be during physical movements – the body will likely compensate for this by using other muscles which are probably not as big or have the capacity to be as strong as the glutes, this can lead to injury and imbalance.
These Glute activation exercises should be incorporated into your resistance training programme, activate, then strengthen!
Glute Exercises
There is only one way to build your glute muscles, and no, it’s not by using the Stairmaster. You’ll need to use resistance training if you want to grow your glutes, performing mostly compound, multi-joint exercises, such as full squats, deadlifts, lunges and step-ups. And please, don’t just train your glutes! Ensure you follow a full body resistance training plan that works all the major muscle groups (chest, back, arms, abs, legs, shoulders).
You’ll need to ensure you are progressively overloading the glute muscles, by ensuring there is a gradual increase in volume, intensity, frequency or time within your resistance training plan.
Diet is, of course, fundamental to muscle building as is ensuring you are consuming sufficient food and getting in ample protein.
Keep in mind that muscle building is not an easy or quick process, some of us are blessed with an ample bum but, for many, it’ll need a hell of a lot of hard work and consistency. If you want to take the guesswork out of muscle building, fat loss or body recomposition, you can hire me as your Online Personal Trainer and fast track your transformation.