Your glute muscles have some very important functions, like extending your hips, stabilizing your pelvis and spine, and maintaining your balance and posture. If your glutes are weak and deconditioned, you could be at risk for significant injury.
As a personal trainer, my lifestyle is generally very active, but other commitments have kept me glued to my desk recently. Knowing that sitting all day can wreak havoc on glute strength, I needed a routine that would challenge these muscles without requiring too much time.
I wanted something that didn't need too much equipment beyond a yoga mat either. So then when fitness influencer Pamela Reif's 12-minute glute workout appeared on my YouTube feed, I picked up my set of the best resistance bands and got to work.
Watch Pamela Reiff’s 12-minute glute workout
To do this workout you’ll need a yoga mat, a strong looped resistance band, and a solid elevated surface (like a coffee table or chair).
There are 16 exercises in the routine, with a few movements that are repeated on each side. All are performed for 30 seconds except the final hold, which is done for a full minute.
The only rest you’ll get is when you change positions at the four-minute and the eight-minute mark. The exercises are:
- Wide glute bridge
- 1-far bridge
- 3-3 pulse + normal
- Wide hold
- 3-3 abductor + pulse
- Hold + go higher
- 1-leg bench press
- Pulses
- Hold high
- Abductor
- Left front, right opens
- 5 pulses + hold
- Right front, left opens
- Push out + floor touch
- 5 pulses + 2 crunch
- Final hold
My glutes had gone numb by the time my afternoon break rolled around, so I was eager to get on the mat and press play. Here’s what I found after completing this workout.
I needed to rest. A lot.
I’ve done Pamela Reif workouts in the past, so on some level I knew what to expect. Still, the difficulty of this routine was humbling and I needed to build in a lot of unscheduled rest breaks for myself.
Once I got to the last few exercises, I cut the work intervals to 15 seconds, and I could only do the final hold for 10 seconds before stopping. It should come as no surprise that my glutes were completely shot the next day, and I was forced to take several days off from any lower body work.
This routine will challenge your glute strength and endurance like very few will. Keep that in mind if you’re brave enough to try it.
The strong resistance band hurt my hips
I don’t own a thin plastic looped band like Reif uses, so I was forced to pull out my heavy duty fabric band instead. I’m sure that’s part of the reason why I found this workout to be so brutal.
Fabric bands are great for training maximal glute strength and power, but a little too strong for more endurance-based workouts like this one. By the middle of the workout I was feeling a lot of impingement in my hips, so I had to reduce my range of motion on most of the exercises.
In hindsight, I should have removed the band and finished the workout without any resistance. That’s an option if you’re struggling to do the exercises with proper form, or if you don’t own a resistance band at all.
The exercises were creative and interesting
Glute bridges are a fantastic exercise to grow and strengthen the glute muscles, but after a while they can get pretty boring. Reif titles this workout “12 Min Creative Booty” and now I see why.
She takes the basic glute bridge and expands it into a lot of interesting variations, and these new moves forced my glutes to work in different ways. Some of the exercises even targeted the hamstrings and the core as well.
If your bridges, squats, and deadlifts have felt a little uninspired lately, Reif’s routine could spark some new life into your lower body workout days.
If you’re a beginner, practice the basics first
While the glute bridge can get boring, it’s absolutely vital that you perfect the basic bridge first before attempting this workout.
Reif forgoes any verbal cueing in favor of upbeat music, and while I prefer that choice personally, it’s not great for those who don’t know how to do the exercises with correct form.
She includes a few brief written cues on the screen like “concentrate on one butt cheek,” but it’s entirely possible to miss these little reminders if you’re not staring at the screen (I missed them initially).
There aren't modifications for the exercises, which can be a problem if you’re dealing with any injuries. Many of the exercises involve lifting your hips and torso off the ground with your feet propped onto an elevated surface, and that position has the potential to aggravate lower back issues.
Choosing a lower surface or keeping your feet on the floor could solve the problem, but you’d already have to know that’s an appropriate option — Reif doesn’t ever suggest that alternative.
More from Tom's Guide
- I’m a personal trainer — this 4-move resistance band routine strengthens your shoulders without weights
- No need for weights — this 7-move workout improves your posture and strengthens your arms with just 1 resistance band
- Ditch sit-ups — you just need a resistance band and these 5 exercises to build a stronger core
