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WHY YOU SHOULD BUILD YOUR GLUTES, PLUS THE BEST EXERCISES FOR IT

Having strong glutes is important for a wide range of movements, and these 5 exercises are recommended by personal trainers.

01 Nov 2021
Do you find it hard to maintain good posture? Have difficulty keeping your back straight when performing a deadlift? Or do you suffer from pain in the knees or back? If you face any of these regularly, it could be a sign that you have weak glutes, and we don’t just mean saggy or jiggly butts.

The fact is, having strong glutes is not only a matter of aesthetics but is also important for a long list of reasons. Besides the ones mentioned above, they help determine your stability and athletic performance, enable daily movements (walking, running, standing up, climbing stairs, jumping, sitting upright), facilitate rotation of the legs, and stabilise the pelvis when you move. That’s a lot of work for one set of muscles. Now imagine if your glutes were injured or weak. That would put you out of a wide range of physical action, which can then lead to the deterioration of the rest of your muscles.

Strengthening your glutes not only addresses these concerns, it will also reduce your overall risk of injury when moving and working out. Besides, when you activate and build muscle groups, it will lead to better bone density and more efficient energy storage and use.

With all that said, how do you strengthen your glutes?

The Best Training For Your Glutes

Paul Chek, founder of California-based CHEK (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology) Institute, designed the 7 Primal Patterns® that he recommends should be implemented in every fitness programme.

The patterns are fundamental movements that develop in utero, continue throughout infancy, and are essential for proficiency in movement throughout one’s lifetime. The seven patterns are: Twist, push, pull, bend, squat, lunge, and gait.

To build glutes strength, trainers at Fitness First recommend a combination of the first three – twist, push, and pull – and these 5 are their favourite moves:

Barbell Squats

In this move, you balance a weighted barbell on your upper breath while performing a squat. A compound exercise (that uses more than one muscle group at the same time); besides the glutes, it also works the hamstrings and lower back.

Single Leg Squats

Also known as pistol squat, this intermediate to advanced move is basically a squat that’s performed while balancing on one leg, which further challenges your balance and stability.

Lunges

In this move, one leg stays anchored while the other moves forward, backward, side or crossover. Lunges is a resistance exercise that’s great for building not only the glutes but also the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves.

Deadlifts

This is weightlifting at its basic – you simply lift a weighted barbell and then place it back down. Get your form right (this is where you’ll benefit from having a personal trainer) and you will see tremendous strength gains over your other lifts. This move is excellent for overall strengthening, besides helping your muscles grow and improving your core stability.

Leg Curls (Stability Ball)

Lying supine, press your feet onto the stability ball, squeeze your glutes and hamstrings, and lift your hips into a bridge. Hold for a second, then lower your body back to the starting position. On top of building strength and muscles in the glutes and hamstrings, this move also makes your core stronger.

Well then, don’t just sit on it – get moving and give your glutes the attention they deserve. Your entire body and overall fitness will benefit from it.

• Get in touch with us to see how Fitness First Personal Trainers can help you strengthen your glutes.

References:

3 Moves to Strengthen Your Body’s Biggest Muscle – Your Butt
The Importance of Strong Glutes: 5 Big Reasons to Work on Your Glute Strength
The Importance of Strengthening Your Glutes
4 Reasons to Strengthen and Activate Your Glutes with Top Exercises