Complete glute workout to strengthen and mobilize the glutes. These drills will also add size to your glutes.
The truth is that most females train their glutes incredibly well. How about men? Their glute training is often very basic.
You can get great results with just squats and deadlifts, but to train your glutes to their full potential, you need to do more than just that.
The glute exercises demonstrated here will build strength, mobility and size. Many of the hip and thigh muscles are also activated and worked.
The purpose is to add strength in the shortened length of the muscle, in the end-ranges of the hip joint. You are exploring different ranges of motion with your legs while continuously activating and tensing the glutes.
This way you will develop strength in different muscle lengths and angles, which ensures your glutes can fire and work in every position imaginable.
In sports, martial arts and movement training it's very rare to be always in "a perfect alignment", which is why you need strength when you are "out of alignment".
When you explore different ranges of motion, all the accompanying muscles that work alongside with the glutes will also strengthen and mobilize to a great degree.
Versatile Glute Training
The point is to lift your leg up, feel the glute being activated and then start moving the leg to different positions, rotating the leg and also flexing the knee.
You can work on these drills 1-3 times per week as a part of your leg workout. Do these in the end of your workout as a finisher, or to warm up for the main workout.
Continue doing these glute exercises until your legs get tired for 1 to 5 sets per leg.
Standing Glute Training (Beginner)
Stand on your one leg and hold onto something like a table or a wall for support. Then just start moving the leg up, down and sideways.
In the beginning you won't be able to lift the leg very high and that's ok. Progress comes with time. Your legs may also often cramp in the beginning.
Your range of motion will gradually increase if you just stay consistent.
Kneeling Glute Training (Intermediate)
Sit down on all fours and lift your leg up. Then start doing the drill.
The floor below will cut your vertical range of motion in half and that's the point. The higher you need to hold your leg up, the harder it will be.
Similar to the standing glute training, you explore the space around you with one leg and focus on activating the glute.
Prone Glute Training (Advanced)
Lie down on the floor, use your hands for support and lift your leg up. Then explore.
Lying on the floor will dramatically cut the vertical range of motion and force you to keep the leg very high on a horizontal level.
Lack of space tremendously increases the effectiveness and difficulty of the exercise.
Although this is the advanced variation of the exercise, it's still beneficial to do either the kneeling or standing drills, because they offer a bigger range of motion (and sometimes that's what you want).
Train hard, stay safe.
Should I do all the variations on one leg first and then the other?
Should I max out each variation, rest and then do the next variation, or just jump straight to the next variation without rest?
Do both legs in turns. You should take 1-3 minutes of rest between sets because minimizing rest wouldn’t give much benefit here.
Is this good to do after the Hip Bridges, as a finisher?
That works well. This is good enough to be an alone workout as well