The glutes (gluteal muscles) are the muscles around your buttocks, thighs, hips, and pelvis and are key for movements such as lifting, rotating, and extending your legs; they even help to keep you stable when standing.
WHY MIGHT WOMEN WANT TO WORK THEIR GLUTES?
The glutes are a major focus area for both men and women, as keeping them strong and supple helps to improve your posture, prevents injuries, and can increase your athletic performance.
But what about women specifically? Why are glute-focused exercises so key? Here are just a few reasons why butt workouts are worth including in your next fitness session.
- Reducing back pain: The glutes are a supportive muscle, and weakness in this area can lead to back pain. Women can be more prone to back pain, particularly after menopause, so keeping your glutes strong and healthy can help to minimise these issues.
- A firm, toned behind: While we like to focus on boosting strength and fitness through working out, there’s also no ignoring the impact that training can have on the look of your body. By working out your glutes, you’re more likely to be able to tone your booty for a more shapely, firmer butt.
- Easing pain or injury during pregnancy: Many pregnant people experience pelvic, hip and back pain throughout their pregnancy. Strong glutes can help to reduce this by stabilising the sacroiliac joint in the pelvis, preventing excessive lumbar extension and helping avoid the overuse of the lower back.
- Protecting joints: Particularly after menopause, women can also be more prone to joint issues such as osteoarthritis, causing aches and pain around areas such as the knees and hips. Strong glutes help to keep your thigh bone in a centered position during hip extensions, preventing hip pain. They can also stop your knees caving in towards each other, which can often be a major cause of knee issues.
TOP GLUTES EXERCISES FOR WOMEN
These are some of our favorite exercises for working your glutes and bum, whatever your goals. You can add these movements into your existing exercise routine or mix and match a few rounds of several of these exercises for the ultimate glute strengthening and shaping workout.
- Deadlifts: You can complete deadlifts with either a barbell or with a dumbbell in each hand, just make sure to keep check of your form, maintain an engaged core and keep your back straight.
- Hip Thrusts: If you’ve never done hip thrusts before, then start by just using your own body weight, before you add in any weight; you’ll definitely still feel the benefit of the movement through your glutes. Once you’ve perfected the form, you can integrate a dumbbell placed across your hips, before levelling up to a barbell. Don’t let your back overextend and keep your core engaged.
- Sumo Squats: Again, start practising squats using just your own bodyweight, they’ll be enough of a challenge if you’re a beginner. As you improve, you can start to integrate either handheld weights held at chest height or a barbell on your shoulders.
- Standing Glute and Kickbacks: Great for sculpting your bum and legs, as well as boosting your core stability and working your hip flexors, kickbacks can be done without any equipment, or you can add a resistance band around your legs or use the cable machine with an ankle cuff attachment to add more of a challenge.
- Walking Lungs: This is an extremely effective movement on its own, or you can hold a dumbbell in each hand for added weight. Lunges are an excellent movement for targeting your whole lower body and core.
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