Workout of the day: 3 exercises to wake up your glutes

A sedentary lifestyle stops the buttocks from tightening properly, and this translates into pain in the lower back, knees, back of the thigh, and even ankles. And during sports, such as running or strength training, the passivity of this part of the body reduces performance, leads to overstrain of other muscle groups and injury.

Three exercises from personal trainer and Redefining Strength founder Cori Lefkowith will help activate your gluteal muscles: feel them good, make them tense up again, and fully turn on both during home movements and in training.

How to do a workout

Do these exercises every day as a small complex on your own or as a warm-up before your main sports activity.

To get started, try to perform each element in one approach 15-25 times. In the future, be guided by your capabilities: feel free to change the number of repetitions, work with weights or expander bands for additional load.

If only one side works in the movement, do the same number of times on each. Try to do everything slowly and under control. The main task is to strain the buttocks as much as possible and exclude other muscles from work.

How to do exercise

"Frog" bridge

Because the gluteal fibers are angled, they pump best when the hips are slightly apart and outward. This variation of the bridge will allow you to load exactly what you need, and not the back of the thigh or lower back.

Lie on the floor on your back, bring your feet together and spread your knees to the sides. Place your elbows on the floor next to your body. Direct the pelvis up until the hip is fully extended, and then lower back to the starting position. At the top point, strain your buttocks with all your might.

Hip movements on the side

This movement pumps the gluteus medius, which provides hip stability.

Lie on your side, lift your leg lying on top 25-30 centimeters from the floor. Then perform a series of movements without resting in between.

Take turns doing:

raising and lowering the leg in a small range (side lying leg rise);
hip flexion (front kicks);
flexion and extension of the hip (front to back kicks);
Bicycle kicks.

Keep your foot on the floor until you have finished all four movements.

Circle feet on all fours

This exercise improves the mobility and stability of the hips, and engages both the large and middle gluteus muscles.

Get on all fours with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Straighten your leg back and tighten your buttocks at the extreme point. Keep your hip from turning outward.

Then move your leg to the side and bend your knee at a right angle - this position is called a "fire hydrant". Make sure that the body does not turn to the side, and the lower leg and thigh are parallel to the floor.

After that, bring your knee to the elbow of the same name and start the exercise over again: pulling back, "fire hydrant" and knee to the elbow. The entire bundle is counted in one go.