Forget the 'six pack': Build glute stability to protect your lower back with these 3 Pilates moves

Of course, your core muscles are crucial for protecting your lower back against pain and injury, but did you know that your glutes are just as important, and technically, they also count as part of your core?

So let's forget about sculpting a six-pack for one moment, because banking some moves to build glute strength and stability will help protect your lower back and reduce strain and overcompensation, and you don't need to pack on the weights for hip thrusts or lunges, either.

These Pilates exercises are brilliant for helping to strengthen and stabilize, working your hips and glutes, but also targeting big and powerful muscles like the quads and hamstrings. And you'll need to ensure you're engaging your core muscles throughout to help you be strong, stable and in full control of the movements. Ready?

What are the 3 exercises?

Rippling abs might look great, but your core muscles do so much more than look good. They are protective muscles, keeping you stable and helping to drive safe movement. Here are three moves that increase strength and stability in your lower body while engaging your core to power motion.

Aim for 45 seconds on each side and 15 seconds of rest between exercises, completing 5 rounds. We turned to Bojana, a Pilates instructor at Strong Pilates, for these exercises, which she demonstrates below.

If you experience pain or an exercise doesn't feel good for you, stop and seek advice from your physician or a physical therapist.

1. Step-ups

Use a box, bench, stable chair, reformer, or bench to perform your step-ups. Ensure the height is challenging enough that you really need to drive through your standing leg, and try to perform the knee raise at the top.

You are isolating one side of the body at a time, testing balance, cross-education of the muscles and coordination. Try to use your core muscles to help drive the movement through your legs and always stand tall.

• Stand facing the reformer with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a weight in both hands if you'd like to load the exercise
• Step onto the reformer platform with your left foot, then drive through your left leg to step up onto the platform, bringing your right foot to land
• Drive your right knee high toward your chest, then rest the right foot down so that you're standing on the platform
• Reverse the movement by stepping down with your left foot first, then your right
• Switch your leading leg every rep.

2. Single-leg glute bridges

Single-leg glute bridges focus on one side of your body at a time, allowing you to isolate the working muscles and really focus on engagement. You'll need to squeeze your glutes and core muscles to stabilize your hips and prevent them from rotating as you raise one leg into the air and press through the standing leg.

You can add weight to your hips by lying a dumbbell across them to increase the resistance, or perform this move with your bodyweight. To protect your back, focus on a high hip drive without arching your spine, creating a straight line from knee to shoulder and keeping your chin tucked.

• Lie on your mat or a reformer bed with your knees bent and feet flat, hip-width apart
• Tuck your chin, place your hands by your sides and engage your core
• As you exhale, extend one leg away from you and press your hips upward into a bridge, driving through the stabilizing leg as you extend your hips
• Pause at the top and squeeze your glutes
• Slowly lower down through your spine, with your butt being the last part of the body to rest
• Extend your arms toward the ceiling to make the move harder; bend the extended leg and raise it higher toward the ceiling to make the move easier.

3. Reverse lunges with arm raise

This move stretches the hip flexors of the moving leg while working the gluteal muscles of the standing leg hard for stability. You are, again, working one side of the body at a time, using the resistance of the bed to push your opposing leg back and work through tension; this is the perfect opportunity to attach some springs.

Fear not if you don't have a reformer; you can use a dishcloth or towel on a hard floor to recreate the effect of the reformer bed. If you can and want to, try raising your arms as you lower into the lunge to further challenge your balance.

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart on the reformer platform
• Step back with your right foot, resting on the ball of the foot. The left foot should be planted firmly down
• Keep your hips square and chest forward and engage your core
• Slowly and with control, push the reformer carriage back and lower into a lunge
• Maintain a soft knee bend in your right leg, but focus on extending the leg back as far as you can
• Rise to stand and extend both legs. Complete your reps on one side, then switch.

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