Glute activation exercises are something that I include in almost every one of my sessions with my personal training clients. I wasn’t surprised to discover when I started working with my trainer that she was on board the glute activation train too. We do a lot of it in our sessions.

You might be wondering…what is glute activation and why is it so important?

Your glutes are the biggest muscle in your body and they have a play a few important roles. Proper movement of the hip comes from the glutes. Your glutes are responsible for hip extension, hip abduction and internal and external rotation of the hip joint. In my book, Ultimate Plank Fitness, I consider the glutes part of the overall core makeup along with a group of other muscles that all work together to build the “trunk of your tree.”

Unfortunately in today’s sitting culture, weak glutes that have lost their ability to fire correctly have become a widespread problem. When this happens you are prone to experiencing low back pain, hamstring injuries, knee pain and more.

Glute activation exercises specifically target the muscles that make up the glute and both strengthen them and train them to fire correctly.

How should you work glute activation into your routine? 

It’s easy! You can do it at home or at the gym. All you need for my five favorite exercises is a mini resistance band and about 10 minutes. First, let’s talk about the mini bands. I love these from Perform Better. They are available on Amazon Prime and are only $14.95 for a set of four in varying resistance levels.

Do these exercises 3-4 times a week on their own or add them into your workout routine. I’ll either warm up with them or add a set of them in before I squat or deadlift to make sure that my glutes are awake and firing before going into the movement so I can get the most out of it.

For my runners, I can’t stress the importance of you adding some of these to your pre-run routine. Especially before you go out for a run after you’ve been sitting all day long!

The 5 Best Mini Band Exercises for Glute Activation.

I’ve put together a photo and description along with a video demo of each exercise.

ALL HAIL THE SIDE SHUFFLE! I have been doing these with my clients for years (they don’t even ask anymore, they just put a band on after they finish warming up) but my trainer introduced me to the two-step sidestep (versus taking like 10-15 steps one way and 10-15 the other). With the two step you’re able to stay more equally fired in both glutes throughout. I also love that they work in the frontal plane, something that isn’t incorporated enough in our training routines. If you only have time to add one of these exercises to your routine, do a set of these before a run or before you squat or deadlift.

Form cues: 

• Position mini band above the ankles
• Slightly bend the knees
• Draw in the belly and engage the abs
• Place feet hips distance apart
• Take two steps to the right while keeping good tension in the band (never step the feet together to touch) and then take two steps to the left
• Do this for 45 seconds or 20 steps total (each two-step in a direction counts as one)

The glute activation squat is just an air squat with a mini band above the knees.

Form cues:

• Position mini band above the knees
• Place feet slightly wider than the hips (just a tad)
• Sit butt back like you were sitting down in a chair and keep your chest lifted and abs engaged
• Push out on the band the entire time and never let knees cave in
• Squeeze glutes to stand
• Repeat 20 times

The monster walk is a little funky to master but I like it, especially because it moves forward and backward.

Form cues:

• Position mini band above ankles
• Slightly bend the knees
• Take six steps forward, with each step you will make a semi-circle with the foot by drawing it in and then back out again (watch the video)
• Take six steps back, reversing the movement
• Perform 5 sets (up and back = 1)

Bridge is another one of my top exercises that I would add to your core training. They are so beneficial for so many reasons but we’ll focus on the band exercise for today.

Form cues: 

• Position mini band above the knees
• Lay down on your back and bend your knees so that the heels are directly under the glutes
• Place your hands by your sides, palms down
• Press into the palms and lift your hips, lower back down
• Keep pressing out with the knees the entire time (up and down) and never let that tension off the band
• Repeat 20 times and hold the last one up for a 10 count

Don’t laugh at the clamshell. It’s super legit when it comes to adding a mini band to the movement. All of my clients look at me with bewildered eyes when I make them do these. They don’t understand how it can burn so badly!

Form cues: 

• Position mini band above the knees
• Lay on your side with knees bent and stacked
• Support the head with the hand and place the opposite hand on the hip/glute that is working.
• Lift the top knee away from the bottom and lower it back down. Keep feet together as you do this.
• Use the hand that’s on the hip/glute as a reminder of what you’re working and what you’re engaging
• Perform 20 on each side.

So there’s your crash course on glute activation. DO IT! As always, let me know if you have questions or feedback.

Do you include glute activation into your workout routine?