The Science of Stronger Glutes and 5 ways to Activate Them Before Your Workout
Why We Don’t Have Strong Glutes
In today’s sedentary world, many of us spend hours sitting at desks, driving, or lounging, which takes a toll on our body specifically the gluteal muscles. Prolonged sitting or inactivity leads to short, overactive quadriceps and hip flexors. These muscles dominate during functional movements like climbing stairs, squatting, or even walking, causing compensatory patterns that can lead to chronic pain and discomfort over time (Clark et al., 2010).
When your quads and hip flexors are overactive, your glutes and hamstrings often become underactive/lengthened due to the length-tension relationship. This imbalance means your glutes aren’t firing effectively, forcing other muscles, like your lower back, to compensate (Sahrmann, 2002). Tight hip flexors can also pull your posture forward, exacerbating the issue and leading to further dysfunction.
The gluteal muscle group consists of three key muscles, each with distinct roles:
Gluteus Maximus: The largest and most powerful glute muscle, its primary action is to extend the thigh at the hip joint (e.g., standing up from a squat). It also stabilizes the pelvis during movement (Neumann, 2010).
Gluteus Medius: Located on the outer and upper side of the hip, this muscle is critical for hip abduction and stabilizing the pelvis for movements like walking or running. It prevents the hips from dropping excessively on one side, which is key for proper gait (Presswood et al., 2008). Addtionally when activated, it helps rotate your femur laterally, providing an opitmal alignment for your knees to go over your second and third toes as perform movements like squats, lunges, etc..
Gluteus Minimus: The smallest glute muscle, it works alongside the gluteus medius to assist in hip abduction and pelvic stabilization. It also helps with internal rotation of the thigh (Moore et al., 2020).
Weak or underactive glutes can lead to a cascade of issues, including knee pain, lower back strain, and poor athletic performance (Reiman et al., 2012). Fortunately, activating and strengthening your glutes before a workout can counteract these imbalances and improve overall movement quality.
How to Activate Your Glutes Before a Workout
These targeted movements “wake up” the glutes, counteracting the effects of prolonged sitting and ensuring they engage during compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, or lunges (Distefano et al., 2009). Activation exercises also improve the mind-muscle connection, helping you feel your glutes working, which enhances their recruitment during training (Schoenfeld, 2010).
Here’s a simple, science-backed glute activation routine to perform before your workout. These exercises target all three glute muscles and prepare your body for optimal movement. Perform this circuit for 2–3 rounds, focusing on slow, controlled movements to maximize muscle engagement.
Glute Activation Routine
Glute Bridge (Targets Gluteus Maximus)
How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Engage your core and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips toward the ceiling, forming a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold for 1–2 seconds at the top, then lower slowly.
MAKE SURE: That your spine is in a nuetrall position throughout the movement. For example if there is a curve in your back as you lie on your back, before you start the movement you would need to anteriorly rotate your pelvis to ensure proper alignment
Reps: 12–15
Why it works: This isolates the gluteus maximus, promoting hip extension and pelvic stability (Lehecka et al., 2017).
Clamshells (Targets Gluteus Medius and Minimus)
How to do it: Lie on your side with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and legs stacked. Keeping your feet together, lift your top knee as high as possible without rotating your pelvis. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower slowly.
MAKE SURE: That your spine hips and shoulders is nuetral postion, and that your controlling the negative part of the movement
Reps: 10–12 per side
Why it works: Clamshells strengthen the gluteus medius and minimus, improving hip stability and preventing knee valgus (Boren et al., 2011).
Side-Lying Hip Abduction (Targets Gluteus Medius and Minimus)
How to do it: Lie on your side with your bottom leg bent and top leg straight. Lift your top leg toward the ceiling, keeping it straight and avoiding any hip rotation. Lower slowly with control.
MAKE SURE: To keep your top leg super straight (by squeezing the quad), your toe is pointing straight and not up and out to the side.
Reps: 10–12 per side
Why it works: This directly targets the gluteus medius, which is critical for lateral stability during dynamic movements (Distefano et al., 2009).
Standing SL Fire Hydrants (Targets Gluteus Medius and Minimus)
How to do it: Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Keeping your knee bent, lift one leg out to the side until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower slowly.
MAKE SURE: To make sure you have your balance before perfroming the movement, you will need to bring your foot out to the side with you not leaving it behind, lastly you need to have good posture.
Reps: 10–12 per side
Why it works: This exercise strengthens the glutes while improving hip mobility and stability (Selkowitz et al., 2013).
Single-Leg Glute Bridge (Targets Gluteus Maximus)
How to do it: Lie on your back with one knee bent and foot flat on the floor, the other leg extended straight. Lift your hips by squeezing your glutes, keeping your pelvis level. Hold for 1–2 seconds, then lower slowly.
MAKE SURE: That your spine is in a nuetral position throughout the movement. For example if there is a curve in your back as you lie on your back, before you start the movement you would need to anteriorly rotate your pelvis to ensure proper alignment. To make this harder you can either put your foot on an elevated surface, or your upper back on an elevated surface, so that when you thrust up your thrusting leg is about a 90 degree angle.
Reps: 8–10 per side
Why it works: This unilateral movement challenges glute strength and pelvic stability, addressing imbalances between sides (Lehecka et al., 2017).
Tips for Effective Glute Activation
Focus on form: Move slowly and deliberately to ensure your glutes are doing the work, not your quads or lower back.
Use a resistance band: Placing a mini band around your thighs or knees during exercises like clamshells or fire hydrants increases resistance and glute engagement (Cambridge et al., 2012).
Breathe properly: Exhale during the effort (e.g., lifting your hips) and inhale during the relaxation phase.
Don’t rush: Spend 5–10 minutes on this routine to fully activate your glutes.
Long-Term Strategies for Stronger Glutes
While glute activation is a great start, building stronger glutes requires consistent effort. Incorporate these strategies into your fitness routine:
Strength Training: Include compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, and lunges in your workouts. These exercises heavily recruit the glutes when performed with proper form (Contreras et al., 2015).
Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight, reps, or intensity of your glute exercises to promote muscle growth (Schoenfeld, 2010).
Mobility Work: Stretch your hip flexors and quads daily to reduce tightness and allow your glutes to function optimally. Try the kneeling hip flexor stretch or pigeon pose (Mills et al., 2015).
Minimize Sitting: Take breaks every 30–60 minutes to stand, walk, or perform a quick glute exercise like a mini squat (Buckley et al., 2015).
Unilateral Training: Incorporate single-leg exercises like step-ups or Bulgarian split squats to address imbalances and ensure both glutes are equally strong (McCurdy et al., 2018).
Conclusion
Weak glutes are a common issue in our sedentary society, but with the right approach, you can restore their strength and function. By understanding the science of glute activation and incorporating a targeted pre-workout routine, you’ll improve your performance, reduce injury risk, and move better in everyday life. Pair this with consistent strength training and mobility work, and you’ll be on your way to stronger, more powerful glutes that support your overall health and fitness goals.
Start activating your glutes today, and feel the difference in your next workout!
References
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