The glutes can be stronger and bigger thanks to strength training. But if you're doing the right exercises and still don't feel the burn in your butt, it could mean you're not engaging your glute in all its angles.
It is difficult for many people to activate the glutes because they have a sedentary lifestyle or sit all day working. Not training enough or eating enough to build muscle can also contribute to a lack of glute activation. These muscles have become used to being numb and not participating if not used regularly. And, over time, this can lead to big problems.
When gluteal activation doesn't occur, two other muscle groups take over the work: the hamstrings and the lumbar paraspinal muscles, which help keep the spine upright. As a consequence, cramps in the hamstrings and back pain can appear.
The importance of activating the glutes
The gluteal muscles are formed by the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three muscles and its primary function is to extend and externally rotate the thigh at the hip joint. However, the medial extends laterally to the side of the hip and thigh, and works to abduct the thigh at the hip joint.
Lastly, the smallest muscle of the group is the gluteus minimus which works in conjunction with the medial to abduct the thigh and helps prevent the hips or knees from collapsing inward. Engaging all three muscles will help stabilize the hip, pelvis and trunk.
Glute activation involves feeling these muscles tighten during an exercise. To do that during large, compound movements like squats and deadlifts, you'll first need to warm up the buttocks and make sure they are activating correctly in lighter exercises.
That can mean going back a lot in the amount of weight you're using and the number of reps you're performing because your hamstrings and back muscles are used to taking over. The easier and lighter exercises ensure that numb glutes really get activated. Once they are active, you can isolate them.
To know if the glutes are activated, you have to think about squeeze them. But you can also look in the mirror to make sure you can see that squeeze or touch your buttocks to tell them when they're supposed to squeeze.
Exercise routine to activate the glutes
In all the movements that we show below, the buttocks must be squeezed consciously. If you want to notice the effects of training and improve performance, take note.
Donkey kick
- Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
- Squeeze your right glute before lifting your right leg off the ground, maintaining a 90-degree angle at the knee.
- Raise your right leg as high as you can without arching your back.
- Hold the top position for a couple of seconds, keeping your glutes engaged.
- Slowly lower your right leg back to the starting position and repeat with your left leg.
Make sure you don't arch your back while doing this exercise. Glute activation is what matters here, not how high in the air you can lift your leg. It's an exercise that can be easily expanded with a resistance band once you build strength.
bird dog
- Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
- Squeeze your core and right glute as you lift your right leg and left arm off the ground.
- Raise them until they are extended and in line with your back.
- Hold this position for a couple of seconds before returning your arm and leg to their starting position.
- Repeat with the left leg and right arm.
Be sure to keep tension on your glutes at the top of the movement. If you stop squeezing them, other muscles will have to work to keep your leg in the air.
Leg extension in prone position
- Start by lying face down. You can cross your arms and use them as a pillow if that's more comfortable for you.
- Squeeze your glutes and slowly lift your legs off the ground a few inches while keeping your knees straight.
- Hold the top position while squeezing your glutes for a couple of seconds before returning your legs to the ground.
Side step with a band
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a circular band placed just above your knees.
- Bend your knees and hips to maintain a squat position.
- Then take a step to the side, pushing your front knee out and activating your gluteal muscles.
- Bring the trailing leg back to the starting position.
- Continue to step for another 10-15 repetitions before stepping in the other direction, pushing the opposite knee out.
Shells to activate glutes
Getting it right can be tricky. Many people choose bands that are too strong or curve the lower back. Any of these failures will not allow the correct activation of the gluteus.
- Lie on your side with your hips at 45° and knees at 90° with a band above your knees.
- Keep your feet together at all times as you open your top knee against the resistance of the band.
- Slowly bring your top knee back so it meets your bottom knee.
- Repeat 10 repetitions.
- Then complete on the other side.
step-ups
The climbs to the drawer or the step up are another of the best activation exercises. This will not only warm up the gluteus, but also the quadriceps, adductors and calves.
- Stand with one foot on a stair box and your hands on your hips.
- Then, bring the other foot out to the side and touch the ground.
- Engage the gluteal muscles throughout and repeat for 10 reps for 3 sets on each leg.
- If you want to make the exercise more intense, start in the same starting position with one foot on a step box and the other leg out to the side.
- Then step back with your side leg about 45° behind your body.
- Repeat for 10 reps for 3 sets on each leg.
fit ball on the wall
- Wrap a resistance band around your inner hip, lean your inner hip over the exercise ball against the wall, and pull the band toward your outer hip with your hand.
- With your inner core engaged and your stance tall, bend your inner knee up to your chest.
- Start by pushing your outside hip into the ball to bring your inside hip up and level with your other hip.
- Then release and drop your inner hips down and repeat. Do 10 repetitions for 3 series.
Glute bridge
The glute bridge is one of the best exercises to activate glutes. It is possibly the only one that many think of to warm up the lower body before doing hip raises. In this case, it is best to start without weight. We can approximate the load with the use of resistance bands or with light weights.
- Start by lying on the floor with your hands at your sides.
- Bend your knees and pull your feet toward your butt until they are directly below your knees.
- Focus on squeezing your buttocks to lift your back and buttocks off the ground.
- Lift with your buttocks until your body is in a straight line from chest to knees.
- Hold this position for a couple of seconds while squeezing your glutes.
- Using your buttocks to support the weight, slowly lower yourself to the floor.
goblet squat
Although many find it a leg exercise that can be incorporated into a strength routine, it is also a powerful glute activation exercise. We can do it without weight slowly or with a very light load. We are only activating the glutes, so it is not necessary to lift a lot of weight.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold a light dumbbell with both hands just in front of your chest.
- Shift your weight back to your glutes as you bend your knees and push your hips back and sit into a squat. Don't go over 90 degrees with your knees.
- Maintain tension in your glutes at the bottom of the movement and use that glute tension to return to the starting position.
monster walk
This exercise activates the entire gluteus medius. It is usually complicated to work, since many movements are compensated with other muscles. It is recommended to do it slowly and with an ankle band.
- We will start standing up, wrapping the band around the legs. The lower we place the band, the more difficult this hike will be.
- Instead of bringing your feet together as in the lateral movement, here we'll take a wide stance and hold it as we walk forward.
- We'll take a big "monster" step forward with our right leg, then our left, keeping a wide stance. As if we were going diagonally.
- We will walk forward for 4 steps, then backward for 4 steps.