Less pain and better performance are just two of the benefits of strong glutes. Learn more about glute training and how implementing glute exercises will make a big difference in your daily life.
The gluteal muscles are often an underutilized area that become weak, dormant, and tight.
This is especially true during pregnancy. By improving your glute strength (and really, the strength of the entire posterior chain), you'll have an easier time with everyday tasks.
And of course, you can learn how to grow glutes solely because of aesthetics too 😉
When people hear the words "strong glute muscles", they naturally think of their bum cheeks. And while that is correct, your gluteal muscles also wrap around the side of your hips as well.
For many people, our glutes are under-activated. Learning how to train glutes can have big effects on daily activities.
Some of the benefits of strong glutes include:
- easier time with day to day tasks (carrying, holding)
- less back pain
- reduced knee pain
- better performance (running, jumping, lifting, climbing)
- improved posture
- less pregnancy-related pain
The benefits of glute exercises are numerous.
And though strength is important, as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach I've learned that so is ensuring you're able to take the hip through a full range of motion with mobility drills as well as keeping the hip flexors open.
What are the glutes?
The glutes are a series of three muscles that make up the buttocks.
Broken down, these muscles are the gluteus maximus (the largest part of your bum and one of the largest and strongest muscles), the gluteus minimus (on your outer hip), and the gluteus medius (just above the hip and is over top of the minimus).
Though there are three gluteal muscles, they all work together to bring you a variety of functions:
- Hip extension (think bridges)
- Hip abduction (taking your leg away from your body to the side)
- Hip external rotation (turning your leg outwards)
For example glute bridges will target more of the gluteus maximus whereas abductions will target more of the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.
The majority of glute exercises people are familiar with focus on hip extension (like these gluteus maximus exercises). And though hip extension is great, the other functions need to be strengthened as well (especially for athletic performance).
These functions aid and support everyday movement and by strengthening them you improve your ability to perform day-to-day tasks like picking up your kids properly.
You can learn more about the function of the glutes and how to use them in my blog post: Glute Training 101: Everything You Need To Know.
The Benefits Of Strong Glutes
The best benefits of training glutes are listed below but know that there is so much more.
Keep in mind that your glute training needs to occur in a variety of planes as well as with a variety of loads and volumes.
Learn how to strengthen glutes with just three exercises!
Benefit #1: Improve Posture & Alleviate Back Pain
Due to our daily lives, we tend to have very under-activated and weak glutes (we sit all day!).
Especially as moms, our posture tends to be based on how we're carrying our kids. Instead of using our muscles, we lean to different sides of our body to support our babes.
One of the biggest benefits of glute exercises and training them as a whole (not just hip extension) is that they can help improve your posture, thus alleviating back pain.
Glutes help pull your pelvis back into place and take tension off of your lower back. This, combined with strengthening the anterior core and upper back can improve posture greatly.
Here's a bit more info on glutes and back pain.
Benefit #2: They Support Your Pelvic Floor
The word "pelvic floor" is just starting to become mainstream (thank god!).
Your pelvic floor is basically a sling that helps keep your organs inside your body. And one of the muscle groups within that sling are the gluteal muscles.
Your pelvic floor is most chatted about during pregnancy and if you have had a postpartum checkup with a pelvic floor physio you'll know all about it.
Through pregnancy and birth, our pelvic floors become stretched and/or weak. Since the glutes are one of the muscles necessary for the pelvic floor to function optimally it's essential to make sure they're activating when they should be.
For this reason, using glute exercises while pregnant (and before and after) can help quite a bit regarding back pain and recovery with pregnancy.
Benefit #3: Better Athletic Performance
Strong glutes are crucial to optimal athletic performance. Even if you never plan on playing competitively, they give you the power to push, sprint, pivot, and perform.
Unfortunately, normally only the gluteus maximus is targetted and in a vertical position (deadlifts). For the best performance, you need variety.
And while athletic performance may not seem relevant to you, better performance also means doing things like carrying kids easier (or without injury) or helping a friend move a couch.
That's why these glute finishers are so effective! They help your glutes get STRONG.
Benefit #4: Reduce Knee Pain
In my career as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, I have had too many people to count come through my door complaining about knee pain.
More often than not, these clients have been runners but there have been lots of are not runners and still experience pain.
While stretching and hip mobility work are part of the equation. The common denominator with almost all cases is weak glutes.
Strong gluteal muscles help pull the knee into the path it should be when you land. Weak glutes cause the knee to cave frequently upon landing.
Exercises like banded squats help re-train movement patterns and get the outer hip to fire and stabilize the knee.
Target those crucial muscles like your glutes with a mini band that can easily be taken anywhere you go!
You can learn more about how to prevent knee pain with glute training in this blog post but using glute exercises is a crucial part of it.
Why MOMS Need Strong Glutes
While better gym performance, less pain, and a shapely butt might be okay, as busy moms we're really looking for the day-to-day stuff.
From a life perspective, having strong glutes muscles lets you:
- keep up with your kids while playing tag or running beside them biking
- Carry grocery bags and a baby at the same time without pain
- prevent injuries from bending over to pick up a million toys
Strong glutes muscles are crucial for fit and healthy living regardless of what your goals are.
And remember, you also want to pay attention to hip mobility as well (learn more about the importance of hip mobility and strong glutes in pregnancy and postpartum)
Need help? Get the exact programs I use with my clients in my Ebook: Strong Glutes For Busy Moms.
The Best Glute Exercises For Beginners
This is a list of my favorite glute exercises that can be done at home.
Hip thrusts are easily one of the best glute exercises (and yes, they focus on hip extension) as we tend not to target our muscles horizontally. Like bridges, hip thrusts can be done in many variations (elevated, single-leg, paused, banded, etc).
- Frog pumps
- Weighted glute exercises
- Deficit lunges
- Standing hip abduction
- Walking lunges
- Standing kickbacks
- Quadruped hip extensions
- Extended range abductions
Stronger glutes = less back pain, better posture, more power.
This no-gym workout plan builds serious strength in just minutes a day.
Other Resources To Train Your Glutes
Learning to activate and engage the glute muscles properly (in hip extension as well as rotations) and completely is the first step to improving them.
From there, focus on progressing the glutes with weights, repetitions, or variations. Great glute workouts can be hammered out in under ten minutes.
I do have a lot of glute workouts on my YouTube channel and you can peek at my favorite glute finishers too.
- The best at-home glute exercises
- Glute activation exercises
- Best Gluteus Maximus exercises
- The best glute exercises with weights
- How to pick up your kids properly
- Glute exercises for pregnancy
- Follow along glute workouts at home
- Glute isolation exercises (how to grow glutes without growing your legs)
Common Questions About Glute Training & The Benefits Of Glute Exercises
Strong glutes can help reduce back pain, improve posture, carry kids easier and improve performance. Glutes also play a role in pelvic health and stability and having strong glutes can help alignment in walking, running, and knee pain.
Glutes are often overlooked muscles. Training the glutes helps with pelvic alignment and in turn stability while walking, running, and balancing.
Yes! Glutes respond well to high-volume training. However, if training them that frequently, it's even more important to ensure that exercises, loads, and repetitions are being varied so as to produce the best results.
Farrah says
Great post! I love doing squats, lunges and glute bridges on my leg day! 😛
Agness of Fit Travelling says
I know the importance of training the glutes, but somehow I always forget them. This is a great reminder and excellent workout!
fitasamamabear says
Sometimes we just need the reminder- glad it helped!
Deena | Divine Art of Homemaking says
Great post! I never knew glutes are part of the pelvic floor or that they could help improve posture! I definitely need to work on that!
fitasamamabear says
Glad you enjoyed the post! Sometimes I feel like glutes have a say in almost everything haha so yes definitely train them!
Evelyn Reese says
I love the breakdown of this important body part. I have just started my fitness routine and I make sure to include the glutes with hips and thighs.
fitasamamabear says
Wahoo! Congrats on the new fitness routine. I LOVE that you're including glutes. Keep it up 🙂
Davi says
Lots of good information! And I love how you can see your kids/toys in your pics. Definitely makes it more "real life" (I have a 14 month old).
fitasamamabear says
Haha yup she's always in the studio with me! It's so fun when they try to "mimic" 😀
GiGi says
Girl, I be working the glutes a lot lately and it's insane. I have totally noticed a difference, this BABY GOT a lil' back LOL!
fitasamamabear says
LOVE it! I'm jealous. My glutes struggle to grow so for me to keep a rounded booty I have to work them pretty frequently.. it's so rewarding though!
Lauren says
Great exercises and motivation. I have lower back problems, and I'll use some of these to strengthen my glutes. When those muscles around are stronger, my back tends to do better. Thanks!
fitasamamabear says
Glad it was helpful! Glutes play such an important role but are so often overlooked. Good luck!
Jordan says
I never knew glute exercises could help with posture! With 3 kids in the last 4 years, I have that "mommy" posture exactly like in your photo. Thanks for these tips - I'll have to try them!
fitasamamabear says
Glutes do SO much in terms of posture, pelvic floor function and overall ability to move. THREE IN FOUR YEARS?! You're amazing. Give the glute exercises a try and just shout if you need help!
jessica says
strong glutes are good for everyone and help maintain a healthy low back. nice post, thanks for sharing (:
fitasamamabear says
Yes! They honestly just do so much it's silly not to work them- thanks for stopping by!
Dionna says
I love how you break down the importance of doing these glute workouts. Thank you for the information!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks Donna! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Janet Earling-Bencivenni says
Great information. I think it's easy to overlook gluten. Many people assume they are getting them "good enough" with targeting other areas.
fitasamamabear says
Agreed. While the bigger exercises do target them to some extent. To really keep them strong and functioning they need to be hit as a main muscle group 🙂
Katie says
A weekend of gardening has reminded me that I'm in pretty terrible shape. I'm super motivated to get back into it this week! Thanks for the post 🙂
fitasamamabear says
I think whenever you do something you haven't done in a while you feel out of shape- so don't worry about it too much! That said, enjoy getting back into it!