Your glutes are the largest and most powerful muscle group in your body. Yet, how often do you focus your workouts on your glutes? You've probably done workouts exclusively for your arms, but your biceps and triceps aren't half as important as your glutes.
The glutes are primarily responsible for extending and abducting the hip, and they contribute to nearly all full body movements, including walking, sprinting, jumping and throwing. Your glutes work every time you drive off the ground. Ignoring this muscle group during your workouts will obviously impair your strength, impacting nearly every skill you use on the athletic field. Also, if you don't use your glutes, your central nervous system will disinhibit them, forcing your hamstrings and lower back to pick up the slack, potentially leading to an overuse injury.
If your glute training has lagged, it's time to change your workouts to include glute-dominant moves such as Squats, Deadlifts, RDLs and Barbell Hip Thrusts. (Learn 4 of the best glute exercises you're not doing.) Meantime, perform the following 30-day glute workout program in addition to your normal routine to restore muscle function and build a solid base of glute strength that you need to succeed in your sport. Check out the video playlist above to see some of the exercises in action.
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The 30-Day Glute Workout Plan
Weeks 1-2: Perform each exercise for 2 sets of 25 reps per movement and 2 sets of 30 seconds per hold. Rest 30 seconds between sets.Weeks 3-4: Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 30 repetitions per movement and 3 sets of 45 seconds per hold. Rest 30 seconds between sets.
Day 1
- Bodyweight Squat
- Glute Bridge
- Medicine Ball Good Mornings
- Reverse Lunge
- Sumo Squat
Day 2
- Squat Jumps
- Medicine Ball Lateral Lunge
- Glute Bridge Hold
- Lunge Jumps
- Wall Sits
Day 3
- Glute Kickbacks
- Ice Skater Hops
- Narrow Stance Squat
- Lunge Holds
- Glute Bridge
- Medicine Ball Single-Leg RDL
