Activating your glutes is one of those workout terms that's often said, but rarely explained (similar to engaging your core !). But glute activation, or firing up your glute muscles, is super important — and for more than just strength training workouts. When your glutes aren't working properly and engaged, the rest of your body suffers the consequences, resulting in potential pain or injury.
Take for example how often we're seated in our daily lives. Extended periods of sitting can cause hip flexor muscles to tighten and even "turn off" your glutes entirely, leaving you with a very real case of dead butt syndrome, per the Cleveland Clinic . Especially during COVID, our time sitting down increased, and continues to be a major part of our work day, whether we're WFH or in office.
"[We're] sitting for work, sitting in cars, sitting once we get home. Because of this, dead butt syndrome has become its own epidemic," says Ife Obi , ACE-certified personal trainer and certified Pilates trainer. This typically manifests as muscle tightness and numbness in the glutes, but can gradually escalate to more severe pain and inflammation.
Glute activation exercises are the answer for protecting your entire body — not just your butt — from unnecessary discomfort. "Whether in a workout or walking up stairs, if our glutes aren't kicking in, then it will throw our alignment out of whack leading to key issues like back and knee pain," says Obi. She emphasizes that many people don't even realize how much we use our glutes throughout the day, relying on them to keep us upright, stable, and moving forward.
Strengthening your glute muscles is crucial in ensuring that they're ready when you need them, whether that's during a workout or squatting down to pick up your kid. Ahead, we've rounded up seven of the best glute activation exercises, all of which can be done without any equipment. For the record, you don't need to do them all together — choose three moves from the list ahead, and complete two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps for each exercise.
For energizing sleepy glutes, protecting against injury, and building a stronger butt, aim to do these glute activation exercises about three times a week. — Additional reporting by Lauren Mazzo, Chandler Plante, and Jade Esmeralda Ife Obi is an ACE-certified personal trainer and certified Pilates trainer. 6 Kettlebell Glute Exercises to Swing and Squat Your Way to a Stronger Butt Glute Bridge The glute bridge is a classic bodyweight exercise you'll find in tons of workout styles, from Pilates to yoga and functional fitness.
To use this as a glute activation exercise, you don't need any equipment, but if you want to take this one up a notch, you can also try weighted glute bridges . Fire Hydrant One of the most important jobs your glutes do is leg abduction (i.e.
, moving your legs out to the sides). This glute activation exercise ensures you prime your butt muscles for that action, which comes in handy if you're doing an activity with side-to-side movements, like tennis or pickleball . Donkey Kicks Another important movement your glutes do? Pull your legs backward.
You can accomplish this movement — and thus activate your glutes — by doing a move like a donkey kick (shown here) or kickback (shown below). Lateral Band Walks If you don't have a small-loop resistance band (aka a miniband ), you can do this glute activation exercise with just your bodyweight. Either way, don't step your feet completely together as you walk; keep them slightly apart so your glute muscles remain engaged.
Single-Leg Bridges If you're a beginner to glute activation exercises, this one might be difficult, and that's OK. To modify, instead of lifting your foot all the way up, just lift onto your toes; the majority of the work should still be happening in the other leg. Marching Bridge =The marching glute bridge is a great way to prepare your glute muscles for the more advanced single-leg glute bridge and also fire up your core and hip flexors.
Take this one nice and slow; don't try to rush through the reps. Standing Kick Backs This glute activation exercise will both wake up the glute of the kicking leg, as well as encourage some balance work in the standing leg — a win-win for your workout warmup, no matter what your sweat session includes. If you need to, you can use a chair or wall for balance for these booty kicks.
How Much Does Orangetheory Cost? Here Are the Membership Prices For 2024 Tamara Pridgett was an associate editor with PS Fitness. She's a NASM-certified personal trainer and Precision Nutrition level 1 coach, and was a Division 1 All-American sprinter. Lauren Mazzo was the senior fitness editor at PS.
She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise. Prior to joining PS, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for Shape Magazine covering health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, sex and relationships, beauty, and astrology. Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for PS Health & Fitness.
Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she overshares on the internet, creating content about chronic illness, beauty, and disability. Jade Esmeralda , MS, CSCS, is a Staff Writer, Health & Fitness.
A life-long martial artist and dancer, Jade has a strong passion for strength & conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Strength and Conditioning from George Washington University..
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