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There are an unseemly amount of exercises out there and only so much time to sift through which ones do what you need them to do---in this case, work them PEACHES!
As a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and writer, my job and passion are slapping all the nonsense and pyramid schemes out of the way and providing the people with the truth. Each and every one of these 5 Effective Glute Exercises provided below has been proven valid through studies and shown through hard work done by Bikini Competitors, Olympians, Personal Trainers, and the like.
Give this article a gander and get those booty muscles burning with these 5 Effective Glute Exercises provided below!
Why Is It Important To Strengthen Your Glutes?
Whether male or female, strengthening your glutes is an essential part of having a strong posterior chain that can help support the lower back, hamstrings, and knees. The glutes aid in the extension of the hip, so when the glutes are not capable, or strong enough to do their job, the body utilizes other muscles that can end up leading to over-worked muscles and joints. This can lead to injuries in the knees, hips, and eventually, the spine.
5 Effective Glute Exercise
Barbell Hip Thrust
You’ve probably seen these bad boys performed on TikTok or Instagram at this point, but Barbell Hip Thrusts are the ideal exercise to strengthen your glutes. There will be some engagement in the hamstrings, adductors, and quads in this exercise, but the main focus will, overall, be peachy glutes.
This exercise targets the whole of the gluteal muscles---the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, and the gluteus medius. And if you didn’t know there are three separate muscles to the whole of the gluteal region or buttocks…now you do!
You can find an example here:
Romanian Deadlifts
One of the absolute BEST exercises to engage the hamstrings and the glutes is Romanian Deadlifts---tag-lined “Romanian” after the Romanian Olympic Weightlifter, Nicu Vlad, and Dragomir Cioroslan, a Romanian Olympic middleweight weightlifter, who invented the exercise. This movement is a mobility exercise and strength exercise combined into one with its hip-hinge dominant movement.
It’s important to note that there is a hamstring-dominant and a glute-dominant RDL (Romanian Deadlift) variation. A hamstring-dominant RDL will have only a slight knee bend, which contracts more of the hamstrings during the hip hinge movement. A glute-dominant RDL will require more knee bend to engage more of the glutes in the hip hinge movement.
You can find an example here:
KAS Glute Bridge
All thanks to one of the best coaches out there, Coach Mark Carroll, the KAS Glute Bridge was introduced to save the day and build our glutes. Now, this exercise has the same setup as a Barbell Hip Thrust. The only difference between a KAS Glute Bridge and a Barbell Hip Thrust is the range of motion or, in this case, the depth of motion.
During this exercise, you will only lower the bar until halfway down to the floor. There will be no momentum pushing you through the motion which will aid in creating more tension in the gluteus muscles. This exercise is truly great for building your glute muscles, try this one out next time you set up for a Barbell Hip Thrust.
You can find an example here:
Low Bar Squat
Similar to a high-bar squat but placed lower on the traps, the Low Bar Squat is an important exercise in building one’s gluteus muscles. Contrary to a high-bar back squat and a front squat, a low bar squat engages and puts more focus into the glutes, along with engagement in the lower back and hamstrings.
The differentiating load of a Low Bar Squat is essentially what causes this difference in engagement and knee flexion, as you will end up having a hinge to your torso which forces the gluteus muscles to work in the movement.
You can find an example here:
Reverse Lunge
“Reverse” because it requires the individual to lunge back rather than forward, reverse lunges are another great glute bias exercise.
Whether using dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell, reverse lunges are easily customizable with the equipment available to you. Deficit reverse lunges with a slight forward tilt to the torso are especially glute-focused as it increases the ROM (Range Of Motion) to further engage the glutes.
In a deficit reverse lunge, you will start on a raised flat and stable surface, like a small box or two 45lb plates stacked on top of one another. Then, you will keep the form instructions of a reverse lunge by lunging back, driving the front knee forwards and the bottom knee down while engaging the glutes. This is a deficit reverse lunge, which can be performed with added weight like dumbbells or kettlebells.
You can find an example here:
Conclusion
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