Glute exercises

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The top five glute exercises to tone and shape your butt

Here are the top five glute exercises that will help tone, strengthen and sculpt your butt for summer.

Glute exercises

Photo: Unsplash

We found five of our favourite glute exercises to sculpt and scult the perfect butt for summer.

There is a reason why the peach emoticon is the symbol for the bum; firm, round and perky. But how do you lift, tone and build the perfect derriere? These five glute exercises withh not only tone your tush but also provide some functional benefits.

Aesthetics aside, the glutes are your bodies largest and most powerful muscle, group. They are responsible for moving your hips in every direction.

The glutes, along with the calves, hamstrings and calves, form the “posterior chain” and generate more power and force than any other muscles in the body.

So as you can tell, you shouldn’t skip glute day and we recomend these adding these glute exercises to your routine asap.

Barbell hip thrust 

According to the Glute Guy and biomechanist Bret Contreras, the barbell hip thrust is the king of all glute exercises. It activates the glutes better than any other exercises and you will walk away feeling a deep burn.

How to do it

Place your upper back against a box or bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Put a padded loaded barbell across your hips so your glutes are near the floor. Then squeeze your glutes and raise your hips until they’re in line with your body.

Keep your back in neutral the entire time, making sure not to arch your lower back during the movement. Return to the starting position and repeat.

The step-up

We subconsciously perform this movement every day – climbing up stairs, getting into into the car and walking.

How to do it

Slowly step to place your right foot on a platform, placing your foot firmly on the deck while keeping your torso upright and aligning your knee over your second toe. 

Push off with the trailing (left) leg to raise your body onto the platform placing that foot alongside your leading (right) foot. During this transition, your torso and your right shinbone will move slightly forward past vertical, but try to avoid excessive forward movement.

Slowly load the weight of your body into your leading (right) foot, step back to place the trailing (left) foot on the floor in its starting position.

Allow your body to lean slightly forward during the step-down movement. Load your weight into your trailing (left) foot and step off the platform with your leading (right) foot, returning to your starting position.

Repeat for the opposite side.

Step Ups, Glute exercises
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The Squat

It has been argued that the squat is the king of all lifts. 

The squat builds not only the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and minimus but also strengthens the calves, quads and hamstrings. 

It is a full posterior chain workout. 

How to do it

Place a barbell in a rack just below shoulder-height. 

Dip under the bar to put it behind the neck across the top of the back, and grip the bar with the hands wider than shoulder-width apart. 

Lift the chest up and squeeze the shoulder blades together to keep the straight back throughout the entire movement. Stand up to bring the bar off the rack and step backwards, then place the feet so that they are a little wider than shoulder-width apart. 

Sit back into hips and keep the back straight and the chest up, squatting down so the hips are below the knees.

From the bottom of the squat, press feet into the ground and push hips forward to return to the top of the standing position.

Squat, Glute exercise
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The deadlift

Another contender for the title of “King of the Lifts” is the deadlift. 

To put it simply the deadlift is the act of picking up something heavy and then putting it back down again

When this movement is done properly, the glutes and the back of the thighs should feel the work, not the back.

How to do it

Stand behind the barbell with the feet about shoulder-width apart, the toes slightly rotated out, and the shins almost touching the bar. 

Sit back into the hips slightly while keeping a straight back so that the chest is lifted upward, and bend forward to grip the bar in an over-under grip with one palm facing up and the other facing down.

Squeeze the bar in the hands and sink back onto the hips while pressing the feet into the floor. 

Keeping the back flat, push the hips forward to move to a standing position. Finish standing in a tall position with the shoulders pulled back and the legs straight.

Return to the starting position by shifting the weight back into the hips and keep the back straight while allowing the knees to bend. 

Deadlift, glute exercises
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Lunges

The lunge is a great unilateral exercise that not only builds strength but also balances and stability.

The staggered stance forces your glutes as well as your core to stabilise your body. 

Lunges also work a variety of other muscles including your hamstrings, quads, and calves.

How to do it

Stand with the feet hip-width apart and grip one dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing each other and the arms straight down by the side.

Keep the back straight and step forward with the right leg. As the right foot hits the floor, lower the left knee towards the floor.

Descend to a comfortable range of motion; push the right foot into the ground to stand up by bringing both feet back together at the starting position.

Photo: Unsplash

Add these exercises to your routine to not only look good from behind but also help prevent injury, build strength and better posture.