When you hear the phrase "strong glutes," you probably envisage squats or lunges with a set of the best adjustable dumbbells, or a bar in the gym. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t need heavy weights or hours in the gym to strengthen and sculpt the largest muscle in your body — in fact, a few Pilates moves can help you build stronger glutes at home.
Below, we share a ten-minute workout, designed to sculpt, lift, and tone your glutes, from physiotherapist and Pilates instructor Lilly Sabri. As well as helping you lift heavier weights and run faster, strong glute muscles can help reduce lower back pain, improve your posture and stability, and prevent knee and ankle injuries.
The workout below is suitable for most people. But if you’re a complete beginner, you’re pregnant or recently postpartum, or you’re recovering from an injury, it’s always a good idea to seek advice from a qualified professional before taking on a new workout routine.
What is the workout?
All you’ll need for this workout is your bodyweight, but it might be worth grabbing one of the best yoga mats for comfort, as all of the exercises will be performed lying on the floor.
As with all Pilates workouts, the key to this one is to move slowly and with control. You might not work up a huge sweat, but if completed with good form, you’ll really isolate and work the glute muscles with these exercises.
You’ll do ten exercises in total, doing each exercise for 50 seconds, followed by a 10-second break to reset.
Here are the exercises involved:
- Frog pumps
- Glute bridge with arm lift
- Glute bridge with hip drop
- Side leg lift and lower (left)
- Side knee drive (left)
- Side fire hydrant (left)
- Side leg lift and lower (right)
- Side knee drive (right)
- Side fire hydrant (right)
- Narrow glute bridge and pulse
Sabri demonstrates all of the exercises, as well as giving form tips along the way, so you can follow along with her in real time on the YouTube video.
What are the benefits?
The glutes are the largest muscle in the body, so far from being just an aesthetic goal, strong glutes can help improve your overall muscle mass in the body. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so stronger glutes mean you’ll improve your overall metabolic health, and burn more calories at rest.
As well as protecting the muscles in your lower back, strengthening your glute muscles can improve your posture and prevent lower-body injuries by making you more stable as you move. When the glutes are strong, your hips won’t sway from side to side as you move, leading to better balance.
Like with all Pilates exercises, your core is also getting a workout here. As you lie on your side, make sure there’s a gap between your waist and the floor, and keep your core activated throughout. To do this, think about squeezing your belly button into your spine, and moving with control.
Finally, if, like me, you’re a runner, strong glute muscles are essential. They are the powerhouse of your stride, so strengthening them can help you run faster and stronger. It can be difficult to ‘switch on’ your glutes when you’re running, so doing a quick 10-minute workout like this as your warm-up could be a great place to start.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
More from Tom's Guide
- “Build a stronger body for life”: A coach shares her 30-minute full-body dumbbell workout to help boost functional strength
- Forget gym machines — study shows this type of exercise is the most effective at building strength, muscle and power
- Ditch the gym — this 30-minute functional fitness workout can boost full-body strength and muscle at home
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
