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7 Functional Glutes Exercises To Try At Home + A Full Workout
Sure, you've probably seen countless workout offerings to build and sculpt your butt. But in my experience, first as a professional dancer and then a fitness trainer, I've found a functional approach to glutes workouts is way more favorable.
That's why, as a lead trainer at P.volve, I love teaching their "pre-hab" method, which helps your body move the way it was physically designed to. By strengthening your glutes and articulating your pelvis and hips at various angles, like the exercises I've outlined below, you're helping your body's postural imbalances and increasing your overall mobility. In doing so, it prepares your body for everyday life, including all its expected and unexpected movements.
The best thing about these exercises is not only do they feel amazing while you are doing them, but they also benefit your mind and body long afterward. For a complete workout, go through each exercise, one after the other.
Summary
P.stance
How to:
- Start with your feet parallel and hip-width apart.
- Squeeze your glutes and reach your tailbone back a few inches getting a deeper stretch in the back of your glutes.
- Keep your knees stacked over your ankles with your weight in your heels, abdominals engaged, and chest slightly inclined.
- Drive through your heels to return to full extension of the hips.
- That's one rep. Complete 8 reps.
Step Back Reach
How to:
- From your P.stance, drive into one leg as you lengthen and sweep your other leg back to a "six o'clock" angle, catching on the ball of your foot.
- Squeeze the glutes as your back foot lands, allowing for a deeper stretch in the front of the hip.
- Press into your front heel to pull your back leg into P.stance.
- That's one rep. Complete 8 reps, and hold your last one back.
Threshold
How to:
- Holding your step back, lift and reach your back leg farther behind you, and catch on the ball of the foot with your glutes engaged.
- Squeeze your standing glute to pull the leg back into the starting point.
- That's one rep. Complete 8 reps.
Int 45 Forward Hinge
How to:
- From your stepback, maintain the parallel position of your front leg.
- Rotate your pelvis and back leg internally toward your standing leg, getting a deeper activation of your glutes, and catch on the ball of your foot.
- Drive your torso forward over your front leg maintaining a long low back with your abdominals supported.
- Push into your front heel to return the torso upright to reengage the glutes and work toward more mobility in the hips.
- That's one rep. Complete 8 reps.
Internal 45 Leg Lifts
How to:
- Shift your weight into your front leg as you maintain your internal positioning.
- Keep your back leg lengthened as you lift and engage your glutes.
- Exhale and pull your abdominals in and you lower your back leg to a tap. (Advancement option: Hover instead of tapping the back leg.)
- That's one rep. Complete 8 full reps, followed by 8 micro movement reps at your top range.
Lateral Leg Lifts
How to:
- Carry your back leg to the side as you maintain your weight and P.stance in your standing leg.
- Both hips and shoelaces will be pointing forward.
- Laterally lift your leg using your other leg and press through your inner thighs to tap the leg back down.
- That's one rep. Complete 8 reps.
Soccer Kick
How to:
- Carry your leg outstretched to your 12 o'clock as you come to full extension of your standing leg.
- Squeezing your standing glute, exhale and pull your lower abdominals in as you carve your arms down to shoulder height and lift your leg to your soccer kick.
- That's one rep. Complete 8 reps. Repeat the entire series on the other leg.
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