Did you know that the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle? People with office jobs are used to sitting for far too long. But the glutes can do a lot more. For people without mobility issues, the glutes are the muscle that enables walking, running, jumping and so many other sports (skiing, snowboarding, skating, horseback riding).
Warm-up
Start your workout with an activation movement that will ensure your glutes are properly warmed up. Lay down on the floor, palms down, and look at the floor. Keeping leg and pelvis straight, raise your left leg quickly until you reach a sticking point, hold for a moment and slowly lower your leg without touching the floor. Repeat 20 times and then return to the starting position. Switch sides.
Then you do a series of glute bridges, which are also great for activation. To begin, Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Hip Thrust
Start with your shoulder blades at the edge of a bench, feet on the floor shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly to the side, a barbell (weighted or unweighted) on your hips. Press your heels to the floor and lift your hips. Engage your glutes to move the bar until your thighs and shins form a right angle at the knee and squeeze your butt at the top. Lower back down and repeat 1 more time. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
Deadlift
Feet shoulder-width apart, a barbell (weight or not) directly over toes, hands holding bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, hips articulated, back flat, shoulder blades back and down, and face forward. Activate hips and push forward and up, pushing knees outward. Raise until legs and hips are fully engaged. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. If your gym has a hex bar, try using it for extra glute activation.
Important: Choose a weight that challenges you, but does not overwhelm you! A clean execution must always be in the foreground. When deadlifting, make sure to keep your back straight and slide the barbell along your thighs and shins.
Standing hip adductions
Stand with a short resistance band (light to moderate resistance), thighs and knees soft, hands on hips, shoulder blades back and down. First, shift your weight to your left leg and slowly lift and balance your right leg to your right side as far as you can. Return to starting position to perform one repetition. 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Do all reps on the same side, then switch sides. If necessary, lean against a wall to keep your balance better.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Do the same glute bridges as you did for the warm-up, but this time do the rep with just one leg straight. 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Do all reps on the same side, then switch sides.
Bulgarian Split Squat
The Bulgarian split squats are a modification of the classic lunges. The movement isn’t much different than regular lunges. What is different is the starting position. Your back leg is in an elevated position during the execution. Why this variant? Thanks to the increase, the range of motion increases and you can go even deeper. That’s why the Bulgarian split squats are intense even without additional weight and effectively train your booty! You can put even more focus on your butt if you move your front leg further away from the elevation and thus change the angle.
Place your back foot on a raised area such as your couch. The front knee is at right angles. Now you go low and up like a classic lunge. Start by doing 10 repetitions per side. If it gets too easy, increase to 15 reps per side and maybe add water bottles for extra weight. Here, too, you complete a total of 3 rounds.
Looking for more ways to challenge your glutes? Check out this post about Smith Machine Squats.