Having well-defined glutes not only enhances your physique but also contributes to overall lower body strength and stability.
Whether you’re aiming for a curvier figure or simply want to strengthen your posterior chain, incorporating specific exercises into your fitness routine can help you achieve your goals.
In this article, we will explore the three best glute exercises that can help you accentuate your physique.
EXERCISE 1: LUNGE WITH DUMBBELLS
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart while holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Extend one leg back while leaning forward until your body is parallel to the ground, extending your arms toward the ground.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repetitions: 12 to 20 repetitions with each leg.
EXERCISE 2 : BARBELL SQUATS
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Place the bar just above the shoulders on the trapezius muscles and hold it firmly on both sides.
- Bend your knees, push your hips back and lower yourself into a squat. Lower yourself until your knees form a 90-degree angle.
- Get up slowly without locking your knees and repeat the movement.
- Perform between 8 and 12 repetitions.
EXERCISE 3: BARBELL HIP THRUST
- Start practicing with a light weight bar and place it on the floor in front of you. Grab a typical weight bench and sit with your back against it (on your side).
- Now make sure your shoulders are pressed into the padded section of the bench, with the soles of your feet pressed into the floor.
- Pass the bar over your legs and sit it in your lap on your hip bones, making sure it remains straight and well balanced.
- Use your hands to stabilize the bar before pushing yourself up with your heels, contracting your glutes at all times and making sure your shins remain vertical.
- Pause at the top (when your back is horizontal to the ground) before lowering yourself a few centimeters and repeating the movement. If your shins move excessively back or forward during the push, it means you’re losing focus on your glutes and using your quads and hamstrings instead. So avoid fast reps, focus on contracting your gluteal muscles, and make sure the range of motion is fairly shallow. It should be more or less the same as the glute bridge mentioned above.
- Complete between 8 and 12 repetitions.
