Everyone seems to want a round, built booty. From fitness influencers to J-Lo, the glutes and glute workouts are definitely getting their 15-minutes of fame. As fitness enthusiasts, we are screaming, “finally,” since we’ve appreciated how important a strong derriere is to our overall fitness and well being for years.
Doing lower body exercises that focus on the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, abductors, and adductors is about more than just aesthetics. If your glutes are weak, it’s not something to be ignored.
How do you know if your backside needs a little tune-up? Here are four signs you may need to pay a little more attention to your caboose.
4 Signs You Need to Strengthen Your Glutes
#1 Knee, Low Back and/or Hip Pain
Your glutes are the foundation for your pelvis. If your pelvis is out of alignment, your hips tilt forward. This causes a ripple effect throughout your body. Your muscles in that chain (low back, hips, and knees) stop functioning optimally, and your body will start to compensate in other ways, like relaxing and contracting muscles incorrectly, causing pain, which can become chronic.
#2 Poor Posture
If you are hyper-extending (arching) your back or hunching over, it can be another sign of weak glutes affecting the tilt of your pelvis. Strengthening your glute, hip (abductor and adductor), and core muscles will help you stand up straight. This not only prevents injuries and chronic pain that often come with poor posture but standing up straight will make you appear taller, more confident, and slimmer (bonus!).
#3 An Abnormal Gait
Are you swaying to one side when you run or walk? Experiencing muscle spasms? This could be a sign that your booty needs a little extra work. Strengthening your glutes helps maintain proper pelvic position when running.
#4 Plantar Fasciitis
If you have sharp pain and inflammation in your heels, plantar fasciitis may be the blame. This is caused by an abnormal foot strike position due to weak glutes.
Build a Booty With These 5 Trainer-favorite Glute Workouts
Ready to work on those glutes and reap all the benefits that come with putting your booty to work? These five trainer-favorite glute workouts will sculpt your backside, strengthen important stabilizing muscles, and keep your routine fresh, so you never get bored.
#1 Lower Body Build
Trainer Danielle Pascente takes you through a dynamic superset workout with exercises like lunge to pulse and straight-leg deadlifts to build all angles of your butt, hips, and thighs.
#2 Butt & Thigh Blast
This workout is sure to make you sore in all the right places. From squats to bridges, trainer Jeanette Jenkins blasts your lower body with this no-equipment needed routine.
#3 Booty Lift
In a time crunch? Trainer Katie Dunlop kicks your butt into shape (literally) in just ten minutes. She gives you the option to use dumbbells for an added challenge or just bodyweight if you only have enough time to work out from your living room.
#4 Daisy Dukes
Kiss your excuses goodbye with this 10-minute booty and thigh sculpting workout with trainer Christine Bullock. This super effective workout focuses on compound exercises that target multiple muscles at once and gets your heart rate up.
#5 Barre Booty Burn
Trainer Katie Dunlop combines your favorite barre workouts, like banded hip-bridge pulses and clamshells. Plus, she kicks up the intensity to burn calories while hitting all the hard-to-target muscles in your hips and glutes.
Hello Booty!
Armed with five booty-kicking workouts, there’s no excuse for neglecting your backside any longer. From reducing your chance of injury to looking phenomenal in a pair of skinny jeans, getting a strong booty is rewarding and fun!
