Are you getting the most benefits from the glute exercises you do? At its core, proper glute activation is a key component of any exercise program. Not only can strong glutes improve your performance in activities like running, jumping, and squatting, but they also play an important role in core stability and balance. To say strong glutes are a must is an understatement. Sadly, most people have weak glutes because they don’t strength train and sit too much. But you also want to get the most benefits from your glute training. Let’s look at some glute training tips to help you get more out of your workouts.
Include More Glute Focused Exercises in Your Routine
If you depend on deadlifts, squats, and lunges to build glute strength and size, you won’t optimize your glute development. While these exercises are effective, you’ll get more return if you also do exercises that target your glutes in a more isolated way, like glute bridges and hip thrusts. Nothing beats hitting your glutes hard with these exercises.
Studies show hip thrusts lead to very high levels of glute activation, making them a natural for targeted glute development. Plus, you can increase the resistance by placing a barbell across your mid-section as the exercise becomes less challenging. To get the most benefits, focus on squeezing and engaging your glutes throughout the entire motion. Keep the tempo slow and controlled and take a brief pause at the top of the motion to maximize muscle activation and time under tension.
Go Reverse with Your Lunges
Switch that forward lunge for a reverse lunge, to target your glutes more. To optimally target your glutes, you need to maintain a vertical shin angle and keep your weight from shifting forward. If you shift your body forward, you target your quads more than your glutes and hamstrings. When you step back into a reverse lunge, you have better control over the way your weight is distributed and your shin angle and it’s easier to target your glutes.
Reverse lunges allow for more deep glute activation than other lunge variations, as the back leg is the one that is moving. Unlike forward lunges, which can be hard on the knees, reverse lunges create less impact and stress on the knees, while still targeting the glutes effectively. So, reverse lunges are more knee friendly. Reverse lunges also increase stability and balance, which helps to reduce the risk of injury. Walking lunges and curtsy lunges are other effective lunge variations for the glutes.
Use the Muscle-Mind Connection
If you’re just going through the motions when you do glute exercises, you’re not maximizing the mind-muscle connection – or the results you get. By connecting mind and body, you can consciously activate your glutes more when you train. Focus on your glutes when you do exercises like squats and concentrate on the movement and contraction of your glute muscles. Maintain tension throughout the exercise and use a slow tempo to avoid using momentum.
Target Slow-Twitch and Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers in Your Glutes
Your glutes are made up of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers, so target both by doing a variety of glute-focused exercises. Use light weights and higher repetitions for some exercises and heavier resistance and lower repetitions for some sets to ensure you’re targeting both slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Incorporate plyometrics into your routine too to target fast-twitch muscle fibers. By doing this, you’ll build explosive strength and power in your lower body.
Add Some Step-Ups
Step-ups are an important exercise for glute development because they’re a unilateral movement and strongly activate the glute muscles. The higher the step, the more you’ll target your glutes. Additionally, step-ups require balance and stability, making them a great exercise for improving overall core strength and stability.
Step-ups also involve a large range of motion which stimulates the glutes in a way that other exercises cannot. Furthermore, they’re a plyometric movement that requires the glutes to generate power and explosiveness. You can shift the focus of step-ups more toward your glutes and hamstrings and away from your quads by driving through your heels when you do the exercise.
If You Can’t Do Step-Ups, Try Bulgarian Split Squats
Some people lack the balance to do step-ups or have knee problems that stepping up on a platform aggravates. If that’s the case, your next best bet is the Bulgarian split squat. Bulgarian split squats are a powerhouse exercise for targeting the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The unilateral nature of the movement allows for focused muscle recruitment for increased tension and hypertrophy.
Additionally, the movement allows for a greater range of motion thereby activating more muscle fibers. Since the Bulgarian split squat power is generated by a single leg, it allows for a greater focus on form and technique. As such, Bulgarian split squats are an effective and safe way to target the lower body muscles and promote hypertrophy.
Add Some Glute Action to Your Cardio
Long, slow cardio like jogging or cycling won’t do a lot to hypertrophy your glutes. However, sprints and plyometrics activate fast-twitch muscle fibers and can help you build a shapelier backside. Also, adding step ups, like using a stair climber or climbing flights of stairs, will activate your glutes more than exercise on level ground. However, stair climbing, sprints, or plyometrics shouldn’t be a substitute for more focused glute strength building but these exercises will stimulate your glutes more than traditional forms of cardio like jogging.
The Bottom Line
By targeting the glutes with the right exercises and techniques, you can ensure you’re getting the most out of your training. Remember to focus on proper form, use a good range of motion, and challenge yourself with heavier weights and more repetitions for maximum results. Glute strengthening is essential for injury prevention, improved posture, and overall health and wellness. Not only can it help reduce pain and discomfort, but it can also improve your athletic performance and your performance when strength training. As a bonus, strong glutes help counter the negative effects of too much sitting. So keep training your glutes!
References:
- Neto WK, Soares EG, Vieira TL, Aguiar R, Chola TA, Sampaio VL, Gama EF. Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Feb 24;19(1):195-203. PMID: 32132843; PMCID: PMC7039033.
- “What Are the Best Glute Exercises? – Bret Contreras.” 24 Aug. 2014, https://bretcontreras.com/best-glute-exercises/.
- “Ten Glute Training Tips For A Stronger, Leaner Backside.” 12 Sept. 2016, https://www.poliquinperformance.com/ten-glute-training-tips-for-a-stronger-leaner-backside/.
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