Exercises for Back and Buttocks

Ever wonder why your butt hurts after running a bunch of stairs or doing some lunge exercises? Do you experience hip or back pain after a run or bicycle ride? The gluteus maximus, the largest muscle within the body, along with the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, are the three muscles within the body created to stabilize our back and legs, which enables us to move our body. Through evolution, the gluteus maximus enlarged in humans to keep us stable while standing and to counteract the high impact forces we experience while running or sprinting.

However, now that our lifestyle has changed, many humans have lost muscle tone in their glutes due to sitting and being more inactive, as well as having disproportionately stronger muscles within the body that then bear the burden of keeping the body stable. If we end up using our hip flexors, thighs, and hamstrings, instead, too much pressure is placed on the low spine and we consequentially experience back pain. If our hips are tight, this also inhibits the use of the glutes.

Don’t forget!

We focus so much on exercises for strengthening the core and our arms these days, often forgetting the muscles that help us keep good posture and balanced alignment within the body. This is why I call it the forgotten muscles. We need our glutes most while running but many runners use more their hamstrings and quadriceps to run and therefore end up with shin splints, knee pain and hip pain.

If we work on isolating the muscles in certain exercises, we can not only strengthen the glutes, but train them over time to be more active while we perform other forms of physical activity.

Below are five exercises that you can do every day to strengthen your glutes. They can be added to your workout routine or done on their own. It is best to do them in a warmer environment and away from distractions so you can focus on the muscle.

Quick switches 

I chose this exercise first because it is also a great way to build some heat in the body and raise the heart rate a bit. Start in a runners lunge with the right foot forward. Lift in the belly, start to lift the hips up, press with the hands, and then hop the feet, passing the legs through the center of the body, so that the left foot is now between the hands and the right leg is extended behind you. Repeat with the left foot in front. Start off slow, try ten on each side and as it becomes easier, you can both increase the speed and the repetitions, remembering to lift in the belly and the hips in order to protect the low back.

Side leg lifts

Lay on the left side of the body with the left forearm down, perpendicular with the body. Use the arm to stabilize you but do not lean into it so much that you find your left shoulder up near your ear. Lift the right leg up a couple of feet and then lower it so it is hovering above the left foot and continue to lift and lower the leg. Keep the rest of the body still, trying not to move the torso and hips but isolating the movement just to the moving leg, and therefore strengthening the glutes. Repeat ten times on each leg. You can do two sets to start and gradually increase to 4 sets.

Lunges in place 

I teach this exercise in my yoga class on occasion because it is a great compliment to the hip-openers we do. Start in a high lunge with the right foot in front and the left leg behind and straight with the heel up. Take an inhale and on the exhale, lower the left knee until it is hovering just above the ground, inhale and straighten, exhale and bend again. Repeat 5 times on each side. You can do up to 5 sets, remembering to breathe and keeping the spine tall.

Bent knee lifts on all fours 

Come onto your hands and knees. Press all ten fingers onto the ground and make sure your shoulders are over the wrists and your hips are over your knees. Lift the right knee and leg off the ground, keeping the right knee at a 90 degree angle and the bottom of the foot flexed and facing the ceiling. Gently lift the knee and the foot a few inches and then back down a few inches. The small movement allows the strengthening to be almost completely in the glutes, while the rest of the body stays still. The right hip will come up a little when you lift the leg but the hips will be neutral at the initial position. Do ten lifts on the right side, followed by ten lifts on the left side, and up to 4 cycles as it becomes easier for you.

Doggie lifts 

Starting on all fours again, shoulders over the wrists, hips over the knees. Lift the right knee out to the side and up, once it is up, straighten the leg, trying to keep the body centered and the arms straight. Bend the knee and lower back down to all fours. Repeat 5 on each side, up to 5 sets, trying not to let the hip of the leg that is extended be higher than the opposite hip. Again, this isolates the glutes and protects your back.

I have found through personal experience as well as watching my students over the course of weeks, months and years that consistency is the key to building sustainable strength in the body. Our body builds muscle memory and if you can do these strengthening exercises three times a week, your glutes will gradually become stronger over time and will support your body in its other activities.

Share the Strength

Do you have any other exercises or tips on how to strengthen your glutes? Please share them with us in a comment below. Send this article to some friends who love strength training!

Lauren Anas is a yoga teacher, a food and health lover, a runner and part of the Doron Yoga Team. She is happy to share her experiences of her own growth with the world, and seeing people better themselves makes her happy.