Having strong glutes (gluteal muscles) is beneficial in many ways. Not the least of these is the way your glutes affect your posture. Happily, making improvements doesn’t have to be difficult, or only possible in the gym. Glute exercises without weights can be very effective and can be done virtually anywhere.
The Problem With Sitting
The reason so many people have weak, inactive glutes is that they sit too much. Their glutes become weak and stop doing their job. Combine this with the inevitable tightness that sitting brings to hip flexors and you have a recipe for poor posture. This lifestyle problem is affecting a growing number of people yearly.
Before we discuss individual exercises, lets have a very quick look at what your glutes actually are.
Everyone’s heard of the gluteus maximus, but what about the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus? Yes, there are three separate muscle groups here (actually four if you want to be exact – if you want a technical description of what each does, you can go here.)
Gluteus Maximus
The gluteus maximus is the largest gluteal muscle and its main job is to act as a hip extensor. It springs into action when rising from a seated or squat position and when climbing stairs. It is generally inactive when standing and walking.
Gluteus Medius and Minimis
The gluteus medius and minimis have mainly the same functions, so we’ll lump them together. They are the primary stabilizers of the pelvis so have a key role in injury prevention.
Four Simple and Effective Glute Exercises
Squats
Squat key points:
- sit back as if sitting down on a chair
- feet shoulder width apart
- feet pointing slightly outwards
- go slightly past horizontal to bring the glutes into play
- don’t let your knees pass your toes
- back straight and head up
Lunges
Lunge key points –
- big step forward
- knee doesn’t pass toes
- don’t bounce
- back straight and head up
Plank
Planks key points –
- keep your body and legs in line
- keep tension in your glutes throughout
Climbing stairs
Stair climbing key points –
- try two stairs at once to activate glutes
- be careful of your knees going down
Final thoughts
So there you go, some simple but very effective glute exercises without weights that can be done anywhere, anytime! The beauty of the exercises that we have chosen is that they are complex movements that use a lot of different muscles and so make you stronger in general. Have fun.
