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Why Do You Need to ‘Activate’ The Glute Muscles?

‘Activating’ is simply another word for warming up. This means that these simple standing movements target that specific area in a series of controlled lower body exercises to make sure that these muscles are primed and ready before you start any workout.

With the glutes being one of the primary movers in the body, they also play a role in many compound movements, even if it isn’t leg day! In fact, your glute muscles help to stabilize your pelvis and support your entire body. So before your next workout, give yourself a few moments and make sure your glutes are fired up!

How Do I Activate the Glutes?

One of the easiest ways to ensure that the glutes are properly warmed up is to put the muscles through a series of exercises that require their full range of motion. During this standing workout, we focus on each of the three muscles of the glutes—maximus, medius, and minimus—to make sure that no muscle is left behind! These small movements should be challenging, but doable. This is a warmup, after all!

Start With a Pelvis Tilt

You might have heard this one before, but if you are not sure if you are ‘engaging’ your glutes, this one is for you! A pelvis tilt is the act of rotating the pelvis forward or backwards. To fully engage the glute muscles, you need to know what it feels like when your pelvis is in the right position and, if it is not, how to correct it.

First, we want to identify when the pelvis is tipped forward. Place your hands on your hips and stand naturally. You may notice that the natural curvature of your spine sends your butt backwards. This is the forward pelvis tilt.

When you are ready to activate the glute muscles, squeeze your butt. This may sound silly, but when you do so, do you feel how your pelvis tilts backwards? Holding this squeeze is the key to these activation exercises. It puts the focus on the glute muscles and releases any tension from the lower back (potentially causing injury!). During any exercise—whether it is upper body, lower body, or core—check in with yourself to see if you are holding that activation and keeping your body engaged. But remember: don’t hold your breath!

Work through the exercises slowly

Remember, this is a warmup for your glutes; this is not a workout! Move slowly through the movements and even repeat the round for a second time if you think you need additional time to feel warmed up.

Who Should Activate their Glute Muscles?

The short answer? Everyone. The long answer? Everyone! As we mentioned before, the glutes are powerful movers in our body and are responsible for balance, stability and mobility through a wide variety of compound movements.

Whether you are a runner, weight lifter, or simply just love to work out, these exercises are for you!

This workout was created specifically in mind for beginners, but this is also a great option for exercises when lying down may not be an option (such as outdoors) or for those that prefer exercises that keep them off the floor.

Watch the video:

4 Standing Glute Activation Exercises

Spend 1:00 in each exercise, repeat 2 times.

Challenge: Add a mini band above your knees or around your ankles!

lateral band walk

Muscles Targeted: gluteus medius & gluteus minimus

How To: Start with a hip hinge, keeping your knees directly over your ankles. Take small steps to one side, making sure that you always bring the opposite foot back to meet the other, always stopping at shoulder width.

Form Tip: To ensure that you are keeping the focus on the gluteus medius, look down and always watch that your toes are always facing away. When the gluteus medius is weak, it can externally rotate the leg and you will not target the muscle in the same way.

Modification: If you are in a small space, you can alternate stepping back and forth.

Optional: As you feel warmed up, you can speed up the step, by turning it into a side shuffle. The same form tips would apply.

monster walk

Muscles Targeted: gluteus medius

How To: Start in the same position as the previous exercise. Step forward and out to the side with one leg. Bring your trailing foot to meet the arch of the forward foot, briefly tapping the toe before stepping out to the opposite side with the opposite foot.

Form Tip: Much like the lateral band walk, a weak gluteus medius will turn the foot outwards; keep those toes forward. Equally, make sure that you are taking a large step, but not so large that it causes your knees to bend inward or extend over your toes. Keep the core engaged, preventing an arch in your back.

Modification: Keep the movement small until you are able to take larger steps.

Quarter Squats

Muscles Targeted: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius & gluteus minimus

How To: With your back against a wall, with your pelvis tilted to keep your lower back flat to the wall, slowly slide down the wall, sending the knees forward. At the bottom of the squat, squeeze your glutes. As you stand, keep the glutes squeezing until your legs are fully extended. Repeat.

Form Tip: As you lit and lower, keep the engagement through the entire movement, never allowing your back to come off the wall. Squeezing the glutes is critical to make sure that they are getting fully warmed up in this exercise.

Challenge: Press upwards onto your toes for added quad engagement.

Bonus: These squats work the whole posterior chain!

Standing Donkey Kick

Muscles Targeted: gluteus maximus

How To: Start standing, with both feet underneath your hips. Use a wall or table for balance. Lift one foot from the ground, bending the knee to a 90 degree angle, with foot flexed. Both knees should be in one line. With the core engaged and glutes squeezing, press the foot backwards in small movements. Perform all reps on the same side before switching.

Form Tip: To ensure that this movement works the gluteus maximus, the glutes and core must stay engaged. This limits the range of motion, but focuses the exercise on the glute muscles. If you release this engagement, you will find that your back arches, potentially causing injury and not warming up the gluteus maximus!

Modification: The movement can be done on the floor in the quadruped position. Much like the standing variation, make sure to keep the core engaged and the foot flexed as it presses upwards.