Three of a physical therapist’s best glute exercises for strong, stable muscles can be done at home.
It is a positive thing that you are exercising at home. Maintaining a regular exercise regimen is crucial for maintaining your body’s strength, stability, and pain-free feeling. It is also good for relieving stress. For those who work desk jobs or other jobs requiring prolonged sitting, it is extremely crucial to make sure they move and use their major muscles frequently. The glutes, which comprise multiple muscles in your bottom that cooperate and require consistent attention, are among the most important muscle groups to focus on.
According to Jennifer Esquer, PT, DPT, a physical therapist, influencer, and author of The Mobility Method and The Optimal Body, “glutes serve to manage the axis point of the body: our hips.” “We need strong, dynamic glutes to move through our hips better.” Weak glutes can be damaging for multiple reasons, mostly because they are a structurally vital pair of muscles that are typically caused by inactivity, bad posture, and extended periods of sitting without breaks. Basically, other muscle groups take over to make up for the glutes when they are not strong enough, or in some situations, completely shut off. That may sound good, but sadly, it soon begins to cause more harm than good.
The low back, quadriceps, or hip flexors frequently take over when the glutes are not given enough attention to fully activate, according to Esquer. “It may be time for some additional glute-strengthening workouts if you are experiencing increased pressure and strain in your low back, hips, and front of your legs.” But even if you’re not feeling discomfort or weakness in these areas, maintaining your glutes in good shape is a wonderful strategy to prevent it down the line and stay strong every day.
Esquer walks us through three excellent glute exercises (apart from squats) that you can perform at home; all you really need is a sturdy chair and a mat if the floor is hard. Because these exercises are simple on the knees and minimal impact, you can feel secure performing them. Follow the detailed instructions provided below, and then view the example video of Esquer above for pointers on correct form and visual clues. Try these at-home glute workouts.
- Thrusters of the Hips
- A) Place your feet on the floor in front of you and place your shoulder blades on the edge of a chair. Ensure that your heels are directly under your knees, your core is activated, and the chair edge is firmly supporting your shoulder blades.
- B) Lower your butt toward the floor while maintaining a tucked in chin, tight core, and a pelvis beneath your rib cage.
- C) Take care not to hunch over when descending.
- D) Make sure your body presses up in a single motion by tightening your glutes and lifting yourself back up to the beginning position.
Five to ten times is the repetition.
- Bulgarian Partial Lunges
- A) With your back to the chair, take a position in front of its edge.
- B) While keeping your other foot in a lunge posture on the ground, bring one foot behind you and rest it on the chair’s edge.
- C) Squat with your back knee down to the floor, maintaining your chest slightly forward and your hips in line with your shoulders. (See the video above for a full lesson.)
- D) As you lower yourself, make sure your front knee stays exactly over your front ankle; if necessary, change how far you stand from the chair edge.
On each side, repeat ten times.
- Walk-Outs on Bridges
- A) Bend your legs so that your knees are directly above your ankles and lie on the floor.
- B) As you raise your hips to a half-bridge posture, squeeze your glutes, tuck your tailbone under, and maintain your rib cage down and together.
- C) Continue to tighten your glutes and slowly extend your feet, one at a time, without allowing your hips to sag or shift.
- D) Move your feet out until you are unable to keep them entirely on the ground. When you reach a point where it feels as though your toes would lift, move them back beneath your knees.
Ten times through, switch up which foot you start with.