Written By: Chloe Wilson, BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy
Reviewed by: KPE Medical Review Board
Glute strengthening should be a core part of any rehab programme.
Whether you have back pain, arthritis, knee pain when you run or flat feet, chances are glute weakness is a contributing factor.
Strengthening programmes for the legs often focus on the quads and hamstrings but glute activation and strengthening is just as important, if not more.
Having weak glutes can affect your lower back, pelvis, hips, knees and feet increasing your risk of:
There are three glute muscles that form the buttocks:
The three glute muscles work together to extend, abduct and internally rotate the hip i.e. move it backwards, out to the side and twist it in, and the glutes play an extremely important role in many daily functions.
Having strong glute muscles helps:
So let’s look at the best glute exercises to help reduce pain, improve function and prevent injuries. With each of these glute strengthening exercises you want to aiming to do:
I have included a number of progressions for each of these glute strengthening exercises but don’t rush through too fast – make sure you can do at least 20 repetitions of each glute exercise before you start working on the progressions.
Glute squeezes are a great exercise to start with to get the feeling of glute activation and isolation
· Sit or lie in a comfortable position
· Squeeze your buttocks together as tight as you can and hold
· You should feel yourself lift slightly
Glute kickbacks aka glute lifts or glute extensions are a great glute strengthening exercise on all fours
· Start in box position, hands directly under shoulders, knees directly under hips, back flat
· Raise one leg behind you, keeping the knee bent at 90o without letting your back dip
· Clench your glutes throughout and hold at the top
Alternative: as you take the leg back, straighten the knee until your leg is parallel with the floor
Bridges are one of the best glute exercises and should form some part of any glutes workout.
· Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip width apart
· Clench your glutes and slowly raise your buttocks up of the floor into a bridge position and hold
· Don’t let your back arch or your buttocks dip
There are loads of different variations and ways to challenge yourself more with bridging exercises as your glutes get stronger.
The clam is one of the best glute strengthening exercises for glute med isolation and is a must for pretty much anyone. Glute med is super important for stability and control. Most people with back, hip, knee or foot problems have weakness in their glute med.
· Lie on your side, knees bent, feet together, with shoulders, hips & feet in a straight line
· Keeping feet together, activate glutes and lift top knee as high as you can without rolling back at your pelvis. Hold
· Slowly lower back down
· Keep your pelvis central, not rolling forwards or backwards and draw your top hip down, away from your shoulder to lengthen through the waist
Glute raises are similar to glute bridges but with your feet raised.
These works the glutes harder and through a greater range making it a more challenging glute strengthening exercise.
· Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on a low stool, hip width apart
· Clench glutes, lift buttocks up into bridge position and hold
Single leg bridges are a much more challenging glute strengthening workout than a simple bridge both from a strength and control side. If you have weak glutes, the pelvis will tend to drop as you lift the leg so watch out for that.
· Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip width apart
· Clench glutes, lift buttocks and hold in bridge position
· Lift one foot and straighten the knee, keeping your thighs inline and hold
· Make sure your pelvis doesn’t dip down at all
· Lower your foot and repeat with the other leg
AKA the hip thrust, this is a more advanced glute strengthening exercise - it might not look it but it's much harder than a simple bridge.
NB this exercise is not recommended if you have back problems.
· Sit, leaning back against a gym ball or bench, feet hip width apart, knees bent, spine in neutral
· Clench glutes, push down through feet and raise buttocks up letting your upper body move back slightly
· If you need to, use your arms for some support, but don’t arch your back
· Hold the position and then lower down
Before and after doing any glute strengthening exercises it is a good idea to do some glute stretches. These help get the muscles ready for action and ease out any tension that builds up in the muscles during your glute workout.
As well as stretching the glutes muscles, it also helps to stretch the piriformis muscle which is the deepest buttock muscle found underneath the glutes.
So make sure you have a go at:
The glute muscles don’t work in isolation, they work alongside all the other leg muscles. Our bodies function best when we have good strength, flexibility, stability and endurance in all of our muscles. So alongside glute strengthening exercises, make sure you also work on:
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Page Last Updated: 2020-10-06
Next Review Due: 2022-10-06
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