This blog post covers the best exercises to activate and strengthen the gluteal muscles.
How To Strengthen The Gluteal Muscle
Read First:
- Aim to FEEL the muscular activation in the back of the hip.
- Do not allow your lower back or pelvis to move.
- Focus on the exercise that gives you the best results.
- Exercises to be performed pain-free.
(Note: The exercises are designed to engage the BACK of the hip. If you would like to engage the gluteal muscles on the SIDE of the hip, check out this blog post: Gluteus Medius Exercises.)
1. Posterior Pelvic Tilt

Instructions:
- Stand up right.
- Rotate your pelvis backwards.
- Make sure that you do not move the legs.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hips.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
2. Standing Hip Extension

Instructions:
- Stand upright.
- Hold onto something for balance.
- Rotate your pelvis backwards.
- Without arching your lower back, extend your leg backwards.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Progression:
- Use a resistance band.
3. Kick Back

Instructions:
- Assume the 4 point kneel position
- Rotate your pelvis backwards.
- Without allowing your lower back to move, lift your leg as high as possible.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on other side.
- Progression:
- Use an ankle weight.
4. Prone Hip Extension

Instructions:
- Lie down on your stomach.
- Rotate your pelvis backwards.
- Whilst maintaining this alignment, lift your leg as high as possible.
- Do not let your lower back arch.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on other side.
- Progression:
- Use an ankle weight.
5. Clam Shell

Instructions:
- Lie down on your side with your knees/hip in a slightly bent position.
- Keep your ankles together throughout this exercise.
- Reach the knee (upper leg) forwards.
- Lift up your knee (upper leg) as high as possible.
- Make sure that you do not move your pelvis as you lift the knee.
- Aim to feel a muscular contraction in the back/side of your hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds at end range.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
6. Knee Lift In Frog Position

Instructions:
- Lie on your stomach.
- Bring your knee up towards the side.
- Keep your foot in contact with the floor.
- Lift your knee upwards.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds at end range.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
- Repeat on other side.
7. Glute Bridge

Instructions:
- Lie down on your back with your knees bent.
- Rotate your pelvis backwards.
- Push your heel into the floor.
- Lift your hips off the floor as high as possible.
- Do not allow your lower back to arch.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hips.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Hold onto a weight at the front of your hips.
8. Single Leg Bridge

Instructions:
- Lie down on your back with your knees bent.
- Hold one knee towards your chest.
- Tilt your pelvis backwards.
- Push your heel into the floor.
- Lift your hips off the floor as high as possible.
- Do not allow your lower back to arch.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
- Repeat on other side.
9. Deep Lunge

Instructions:
- Assume the lunge position.
- Hinge forwards at the hips so that your torso is leaning forwards.
- Place most of your bodyweight on the leading leg.
- Whilst maintaining the torso in the leaning forward position, slowly lower your body down.
- Make sure to push through the heel of the front leg.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Hold onto an appropriate amount of weight.
10. Triple Extension

Instructions:
- Stand at an arm’s length to a wall.
- Place your hands onto the wall at shoulder height.
- Lean your body weight into your hands.
- Lift the knee up as high as possible.
- With the leg that is in contact with the floor, tilt your pelvis backwards and push the hips forwards.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
11. Standing Hip Thrust

Instructions:
- Tie a resistance band to a stationary object at floor height.
- Face away from the anchor point.
- Hold onto the resistance band between your legs.
- Walk forwards to increase tension in the resistance band.
- Hinge forwards.
- Thrust your hips forward as you stand up right.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hips.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Increase tension on resistance band.
12. Hip Thrust

Instructions:
- Sit down on the floor with a bench behind you.
- Have your knees in a bent position and feet on the floor.
- Lean your middle back on the bench.
- Rotate your pelvis backwards.
- Push through your heels.
- Thrust your hips upwards as high as possible.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hips.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Rest an appropriate amount of weight in the front of the hips.
13. Hip Thrust (Single Leg)

Instructions:
- Sit down on the floor with a bench behind you.
- Have your knees in a bent position and feet on the floor.
- Lean your middle back on the bench.
- Hold one knee towards your chest.
- Push through your heels.
- Thrust your hips upwards.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hip.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
14. Lean Back Deep Squat

Instructions:
- Start in the standing position with feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
- Hold onto something in front of you.
- Push your hips backwards as you squat.
- Aim to place more of your body weight into your heels.
- Squat as low as you are able to.
- Aim to feel the muscular contraction in the back of the hips.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Perform exercise without using your hands.
- Hold onto an appropriate amount of weight.
15. Romanian Dead Lift

Instructions:
- Start in an up right standing position.
- Keep your lower back neutral throughout this exercise.
- Slowly lower the weight as far as possible by hinging at the hips.
- Aim to feel a pulling sensation in the back of the hips.
- Stand up right.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Hold onto an appropriate amount of weight.
16. Dead Lift (Staggered)

Instructions:
- Place your feet in a staggered position.
- Bend the front knee slightly.
- Shift most of your body weight onto the front leg.
- Keep a neutral spine and pelvis throughout this exercise.
- Push your hips backwards as you hinge forwards from the hips.
- Aim to feel a pulling sensation in the back of the hip.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Progression:
- Hold onto an appropriate amount of weight.
17. Curtsy lunge

Instructions:
- Start in the standing position.
- Hinge forwards at the hips so that your torso is leaning forwards.
- Bring your foot behind and as far to the side of the other foot. (See above)
- Perform a slow lunge.
- Push your hip out towards the side as you lunge.
- You can hold onto something for balance.
- Aim to feel a muscular contraction on the side of the hip of the front leg.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Progression:
- Do a deeper lunge.
- Reach your foot further to the side.
- Hold onto a weight.
18. High Step Up

Instructions:
- Place a step that has the approximate height of your knee in front of you.
- Place your foot on top of the step.
- Hold onto something for balance.
- Hinge forwards at the hips so that your torso is leaning forwards.
- Shift your body weight into the front leg.
- Push through your heel of the leg that is on the step.
- Step up onto the step.
- Aim to feel a pulling sensation in the back of the hip.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Progression:
- Hold onto an appropriate amount of weight.
19. Bulgarian Split Squat

Instructions:
- Sit on the edge of a bench.
- Straighten both legs in front of you.
- The position of the heels dictates the approximate distance that you will stand from the bench.
- Stand up facing away from the bench.
- Hold onto something for balance.
- Place one foot on top of the bench.
- Hinge forwards at the hips so that your torso is leaning forwards.
- Shift your body weight into the front leg.
- Push through your heel of the front leg.
- Lower your body as low as possible.
- Aim to feel a pulling sensation in the back of the hip.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Progression:
- Hold onto an appropriate amount of weight.
Can’t feel your glutes Activating?
If you can’t FEEL the glutes activate whilst performing the exercises, you may need to address some of the following factors.
1. Limitation In Hip Extension

Tight hip flexors (muscles at the front of the hip) can limit how far the hip can extend backwards.
This can make it difficult to get your hip into a position where you can engage your glutes properly.
Stretching the hip flexors may unlock more movement in your hips to allow for the glutes to engage.
a) Hip Flexor Stretch

Instructions:
- Assume the deep lunge position as above.
- Perform a posterior pelvic tilt:
- “Tuck your tail bone underneath you”
- Lunge forwards.
- Lean slightly backwards.
- Make sure you feel the stretch at the front of hip on the back leg.
- You may need to adjust your position so that you feel the stretch in the right area.
- Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds.
For exercises to improve hip extension:
See Post: Increase Hip Extension
2. Hamstring Dominance
If your gluteal muscles are not firing off properly, it is likely that your hamstring muscles are compensating for it.
To address this, I suggest releasing the Hamstring muscles to give the opportunity for the Glutes to activate during the exercises.
a) Hamstring Release

Instructions:
- Sit down on the floor with your leg straight in front of you.
- Place the back of your thigh on top of a foam roller.
- Use your body weight to apply an appropriate amount of pressure into your Hamstrings.
- Roll on top of the foam roller.
- Make sure to cover the entire area between the back of the knee and back of the hip.
- Continue for 2 minutes per side.
3. Lower Back Dominance
If you mainly feel your lower back engaging whilst performing the glute exercises, try this stretch.
a) Lower Back Stretch

Instructions:
- Sit down on a chair.
- Push your knees out to the side.
- Lean all the way forward.
- Aim to feel a stretch in the lower back.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
4. Excess Sitting

Prolonged sitting places the glutes in a position where it becomes difficult to engage them.
Here’s the brutal truth about sitting…
We sit too much!
Think about it:
- We sit at work whilst using the computer
- We sit in a car/bus/train on the way to and from work
- We sit when we watch the television or use our mobile phones
… That’s a whole lot of sitting!
5. Walking Pattern

Whilst you are walking, let your back leg remain extended for a split second longer.
This will engage your gluteal muscle group as the hip moves into an extended position.
It should feel as though you are gliding as you walk.
If you remember to do this every time you walk, you will essentially be training your gluteal muscles everyday!
Conclusion
Follow the exercises mentioned on this blog post to help activate and strengthen your glute muscles.
What to do next
1. Any questions?… (Leave me a comment down below.)
2. Come join me on the Facebook page. Let’s keep in touch!
3. Start doing the exercises!
Disclaimer: The content presented on this blog post is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use of the content provided on this blog post is at your sole risk. Seek guidance from a healthcare professional before starting any exercise and/or implementing any recommendation. For more information: Medical Disclaimer.
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