The glutes (also known as the gluteal muscles) are made up of three muscles known as the maximus, medius, and minimus. Many people working in front of a screen and mostly sitting down for the majority of the day will develop issues with the back (especially the lower region) and weaken their glutes. This is mainly due to sitting forward too far on your chair which has a knock-on effect of causing the hip flexors muscles to become tighter than usual. This tightening will lead to the gluteal muscles to become inactive. This will result in problems like making the hip less flexible and reduce the movement that can be performed with them.
If you have experienced issues like the ones aforementioned, then do not fear as this article will help you train the glutes to reverse these catastrophic effects of sitting too far forward for a prolonged period of time as well as developing and strengthening your glutes. This is important for your structural health and posture. These exercises will help increase your bum size which is always a nice bonus too.
Here are the 3 key steps required to perform a successful glute bridge
It targets all three muscles that build up your glutes(gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus and gluteus medius) and the hamstrings. They are the strongest and largest muscle group in your body.
Itβs a perfect exercise for beginners and gymaholics as well.
If you are looking for an exercise which makes toned legs and strong glutes glute bridge is a perfect choice. You can make it at home on your mattress or in the gym without any required equipment.
If this exercise is performed properly, then you will feel a burning sensation in both your hamstrings and glutes. This is not a pleasant feeling but the benefits will help improve the mobility of your hip in addition to developing the muscles in your lower back. So for all you desk-dwellers who have been struggling with your hip movement or anyone who wants to strengthen your glutes, this is the exercise for you.Β
There are many varieties of this glute bridge exercises that can be performed without any equipment required.
This is a great variation as supporting the glute bridge with only one leg increases the difficulty by a factor of two. The steps to do this exercise is:
It is advisable to use a mat for this exercise.
Beware, this is a step up from the other glute exercises mentioned. You will need a towel for this one (both to perform the exercise as well as wiping your sweat off afterwards). To do this exercise (known as glute bridge and curl):
This one is a toughy! To do this exercise:
Youβve mastered the Glute Bridge, now bring on the Hip Thrust
The glute bridge aforementioned all involved using the body mass as the main source of resistance. The hip thrust is the same as the glute bridge but it incorporates a barbell instead of your body mass. You will need a flat bench and a barbell which weighs an amount that will enable you to do 6 to 8 reps whilst maintaining good form. The steps to do this is: