by Mackenzie Roberts-Craig

Your glute muscles assist you with walking, standing up, and walking up stairs. Therefore, having weak glutes and tight hip flexors will hinder these movements.

The truth is that most of us spend hours of our daily lives sitting whether that be for 8 hours at work at a desk or at home on the couch watching TV, and in doing so, we actively weaken the gluteal muscles in our body. This can cause problems further up and down the kinetic chain, including knee and back pain. No matter what type of training you are doing whether it be rehab, marathon training, or cycling you still need to train your glute muscles.

Here are the 3 most effective exercises to strengthen your glutes!

Lateral band walks

First place a small resistance band just above your knees.

1. Bend your knees and push your hips back into a squat position
2. Engage your core and keep your back flat. Step out to put tension on the band and then keep tension on the band take a further step and then bring the other foot back in while maintaining tension on the band.
3. Perform 12 steps on the right leg and then step back the other way on the other leg.

As the exercise gets easier use a thicker band or move the band down to just above the knees.

Clamshells

1. Begin by lying on your side. Place your feet together and bend your knees. Make sure your shoulders, hips, and feet are all in a straight line.
2. While keeping your feet together, squeeze your glutes and lift the knee on the top as high as it will go. Stop when you feel your body rolling.
3. Slowly lower the knee back down and repeat for 12-15 reps on each side

Add a dumbbell to your knee or use a resistance band as the exercise gets easier.

Glute Bridges

1. Begin by lying on your back. Place your feet directly under your knees and hip-width apart
2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the ground. While doing this keep your back flat and ensure your glutes don’t dip.
3. Pause at the top for 3 seconds and then slowly lower yourself down. Repeat for 12-15 repeats.

Add a dumbbell or plate to your thighs or use a resistance band around the knees as the exercise gets easier.