It doesn’t matter whether want to grow a bigger booty or not, glute exercises should be part of any well-rounded strength training program. Our glutes are the largest muscle group in our body and are responsible for helping us move more efficiently by keeping our body upright and stable during everyday activities and workouts. If you’ve not given yours any TLC in a while, then this dumbbell-only workout will leave them feeling stronger in 30 minutes.
Focusing on glute exercises can also help reduce pain and keep us injury-free too. Research published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science reveals that glute strengthening exercises can help reduce lower back pain and even knee pain by stabilising the hip. Not to mention, they can help you run faster and provide power to other exercises, like squats and deadlifts. You even squeeze them during upper body exercises, like the bench press meaning, if they're not strong, you could be leaving serious gains on the table.
What’s great about this workout from Sweat App Founder and Fitness Coach, Kayla Itsines, is that it includes a mixture of isolation and compound exercises. This means that as well as targeting just the glutes to help strengthen them and iron out any imbalances, you’ll also be targeting the other major lower body muscles, like the quads, hamstrings and calves, giving you a well-rounded lower body workout. Perform three rounds of the exercises below, resting for 45-90 seconds between each exercise and two to three minutes between rounds. Here’s the workout:
- Bulgarian split squat — 20 reps (10 per side)
- Goblet reverse lunge — 24 reps (12 per side)
- Goblet squat —15 reps
- Squat pulse — 20 reps
- Straight-leg deadlift — 15 reps
- Donkey kick — 30 reps (15 per side)
Remember, if you don't have any dumbbells you can always use a kettlebell, or if you don't have this grab a couple of heavy water bottles. Just make sure, if you are using bottles, that you take shorter rest times to increase the intensity of the workout. If, however, you struggle with squats and lunges, try this knee-friendly glute workout instead.
