If you’ve trained with any of us at the First Guess Fitness compound, you may have noticed that we’re kind of obsessed with everyone’s glutes. We know. It may come off as a strange (and creepyish) obsession but there IS a reason and it’s why we program so many booty exercises into our programming.Of course, we want you to have a nice looking, firm, and shapely backside (dudes too!) but there’s more to it than that. Besides sex-appeal and attracting a mate, your heine serves all sorts of other functions that are important to movement, strength, and posture. All of which are important to your #Goalz!
When it comes to movement, your hips are your body’s center of gravity. This is where it all starts: running, jumping, sprinting, squatting, and picking things up and putting them down.
When your tucchus isn’t operating optimally, they may be weak (not strong), inhibited (possibly from other ‘stiff’ muscles), or dormant (lights on, no one’s home) then other things may start to go wrong. For example your body may start to generate movement from your spine which I’m sure you can understand will cause problems.
If you are struggling to ‘feel’ or ‘lock out’ your glutes when you train they may be inhibited. If that’s the case then some targeted soft tissue and mobility work may be part of the cure (beyond the scope of this post) but we DO recommend working with a professional or specialist to be sure.
If your glutes are weak and it’s just a strength issue, that’s easy. You just need to train that juicy double hard! Here are a few our favorite exercises that directly target your fanny… and coincidentally the ones that activate the most muscle!
Glute Bridges w/Mini-Band Abduction
Coaching Tips:
- Keep feet shoulder width
- Knees should be bent at 90 degrees at top
- Keep weight on heels
- Squeeze glutes as you extend hips
- Your torso should be roughly a straight line form knees to shoulders at top
- Keep tension on the band so it doesn’t pull your knees closer together
- Brace abs and hold throughout the movement (as if you were going to get hit at any moment)
- Exhale as you are going up and locking out
- Lockout (pinch glutes together) for :01-:02 to feel contraction
Barbell Glute Bridges
Coaching Tips:
- Keep feet shoulder width
- Knees should be bent at 90 degrees at top
- Roll barbell with 45lb plate diameter over hips. Use a Squat Sponge (pictured), Hampton thick bar pad, Airex Pad, or roll a yoga mat around bar to make it comfortable on your hips.
- Pull the bar into your hips/quads and hold TIGHT.
- Keep weight on heels
- Squeeze glutes as you extend hips
- Your torso should be roughly a straight line form knees to shoulders at top
- Keep tension on the band so it doesn’t pull your knees closer together.
- Brace abs and hold throughout the movement (as if you were going to get hit at any moment)
- Exhale as you are going up and locking out
- Lockout (pinch glutes together) for :01-:02 to feel contraction
Band Hip Thrust
Coaching Tips:
- Keep feet shoulder width
- Knees should be bent at 90 degrees at top
- Keep weight on heels
- UPPER BACK should be on the support on the pad/bench; DO NOT support by the arms/elbows.
- Keep band over your hip bones/hip crease.
- Squeeze glutes as you extend hips
- Your torso should be roughly a straight line form knees to shoulders at top
- Keep tension on the band so it doesn’t pull your knees closer together
- Brace abs and hold throughout the movement (as if you were going to get hit at any moment)
- Exhale as you are going up and locking out
- Lockout (pinch glutes together) for :01-:02 to feel contraction
Barbell Hip Thrust
Coaching Tips:
- Keep feet shoulder width
- Knees should be bent at 90 degrees at top
- UPPER BACK should be on the support on the pad/bench; DO NOT support by the arms/elbows.
- Keep weight on heels
- Roll barbell with 45lb plate diameter over hips. Use a Squat Sponge (pictured), Hampton thick bar pad, Airex Pad, or roll a yoga mat around bar to make it comfortable on your hips.
- Pull the bar into your hips/quads and hold TIGHT.
- Squeeze glutes as you extend hips
- Your torso should be roughly a straight line form knees to shoulders at top
- Keep tension on the band so it doesn’t pull your knees closer together
- Brace abs and hold throughout the movement (as if you were going to get hit at any moment)
- Exhale as you are going up and locking out
- Lockout (pinch glutes together) for :01-:02 to feel contraction
Foot Elevated, 1-Leg Hip Thrust
Coaching Tips:
- Knee should be bent at 90 degrees at top
- Keep weight on heel
- Keep non-working leg flexed at hip and knee
- UPPER BACK should be on the support on the pad/bench; DO NOT support by the arms/elbows.
- Drape doubled chain over hip crease and hold with hands.
- Squeeze glute as you extend hips
- Your torso should be roughly a straight line form knees to shoulders at top
- Brace abs and hold throughout the movement (as if you were going to get hit at any moment)
- Exhale as you are going up and locking out
- Lockout (pinch glutes together) for :01-:02 to feel contraction
And one last thing to remember….
