5 Exercises To Target Your Glutes

One of the first areas most individuals strive to target when beginning a workout program is their glutes. No matter what their motive, this is actually a great thing when it comes to overall health, avoiding injury and functionality.

Being a part of our core muscles, our glutes function to support movement between our lower and upper body. Developing a strong core is essential to building an overall stronger and healthier frame. So today we are going to go over 5 exercises that you should be incorporating into your exercise program in order to develop a strong backside.

Squats

Squats should be a staple in any workout program to that targets the muscles of the lower body. Because of this, they are a must when trying to develop your glutes. No matter what form of squats you do whether it be bodyweight squats, barbell squats or any of the other variations that are out there, you will be required to engage your glutes during the entire lift.

One training tip for squats that you should keep in mind in order to fully develop your glutes is to strive reach full range of motion. This will ensure that you are getting the most out of each rep and will force you to fully engage your glutes as well as the rest of your body.

Straight Leg Deadlifts

Straight leg deadlifts are a great exercise to target your entire backside. They require you to fully engage the muscles of your back, glutes and hamstrings. Keep in mind that straight leg deadlifts should be done with strict form and under control in order to avoid injury to the lower back pain and injury.

Like the name implies, straight leg deadlifts are performed by doing a deadlift while keeping your legs fairly straight. However, there should be some bend in your knees in order to avoid placing unnecessary stress on your lower back and knees. This exercise can be done with a barbell, dumbbells or any other form of weight you have access to.

Hip Bridge

Hip bridges are an awesome way to directly target your glutes. There are a wide variety of variations of the hip bridge allowing you to perform them with whatever equipment you have available to you.

The simplest variation involves laying on your back with your knees bent at about a 45 degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. All you have to do is push your hips up toward the ceiling as far as you can and return them back down to the floor.

Variations that add a bit more intensity involve putting your feet up on a ball or a barbell or dumbbells across your hips. These will force you to maintain your balance while increasing the range of motion or the weight that you are required to push up.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian split squats are a variation of the squat that involves extra balance and intensity. They are done by putting one foot up on an object behind you and then performing the squat with the other leg. These can also be done with a barbell on your back or dumbbells in each hand to increase intensity.

A few things to keep in mind when performing Bulgarian split squats is to first maintain your balance by trying them without weight and next to keep your knee from extending out past your toe. This will help you avoid injury to your knees and the other joints involved in this movement.

Lunges

Lunges are a super simple way to work your glutes and can also be done using a number of different variations. The most basic variations involve using just your bodyweight and lunging with one leg out in front of you while staying in place or continuously moving forward.

Lunges can also be done in reverse or with a barbell or dumbbells. Just like the Bulgarian split squat, a few things to keep in mind are balance and keeping your knee from extending out past your toes.

So there you have it. By incorporating each of these exercises into your workout program you will be well on your way to more developed glutes.

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