Trainer suggests these workout routines to bolster your buttock muscles
In today's office-bound world, prolonged sitting can lead to weak and deconditioned glutes, which can result in mobility issues, aches and pains, and even future injuries. To counteract this, a certified personal trainer recommends a series of exercises to strengthen the glutes for those with sedentary lifestyles.
The best exercises to strengthen the glutes include the glute bridge, squats, hip thrusts, donkey kicks, clamshells, Bulgarian split squats, and lateral lunges. These exercises activate and strengthen the glute muscles effectively, helping to counteract muscle weakening from prolonged sitting.
The glute bridge involves lying on your back with knees bent, feet flat, and lifting your hips by squeezing your glutes, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. This exercise builds glute strength, improves posture, and back health.
Squats, on the other hand, require standing with feet shoulder-width apart and lowering your hips back and down as if sitting. This exercise strengthens the glutes, thighs, and core.
Hip thrusts involve sitting with your upper back on a bench, feet flat, and lifting your hips using a glute contraction. This exercise targets the glutes intensely.
Donkey kicks, performed on hands and knees, involve kicking one leg upward with a bent knee. This exercise focuses on gluteus maximus activation.
Clamshells involve lying on your side with knees bent, feet together, and opening your top knee while keeping your feet touching. This exercise strengthens the gluteus medius for pelvic stability.
Bulgarian split squats require placing one foot on a bench behind you, bending the front knee down, and performing a squat. This exercise is great for unilateral glute strength and balance.
Lateral lunges and side-stepping with resistance bands improve lateral glute strength and hip stability.
For the "Glute Kickback" exercise, start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Squeeze your right glute and lift your right heel, keeping your right knee bent at a 90° angle. Pause for two to three seconds when you've reached the top of your range of motion, then slowly lower your right knee back down. Perform this exercise with 3 sets and 12-15 reps on each side.
The "Fire hydrant" exercise involves raising your knee out to the side while on all fours, and lowering it back down. This exercise is performed with 3 sets and 12-15 reps on each side.
To make the exercises more challenging, the trainer suggests adding ankle weights or a small dumbbell in the crook of your knee for the "Glute Kickback" exercise when it starts feeling easy. The trainer also suggests progressing the "Glute Bridge" exercise by performing single-leg glute bridge or placing a dumbbell on your hips once base-level strength is developed.
In addition to strengthening exercises, it's crucial to stand up and move every 30–60 minutes to prevent glute muscle weakening caused by prolonged sitting.
Furthermore, glute stretches such as seated or supine figure 4 stretch, pigeon pose, and gentle foam rolling help relieve tightness that develops from hours of sitting.
Thus, a combined approach of regular glute strengthening exercises, periodic movement breaks, and appropriate stretching can effectively strengthen and maintain glutes in office workers with sedentary lifestyles.
The series of exercises to strengthen the glutes, such as the glute bridge, squats, hip thrusts, donkey kicks, clamshells, Bulgarian split squats, and lateral lunges, are highly effective in activating and strengthening the glute muscles, counteracting muscle weakening caused by prolonged sitting. Additionally, incorporating health-and-wellness practices like regular fitness-and-exercise routines, moving every 30–60 minutes, and performing glute stretches can further improve office workers' glute health.
