7 Bodyweight Glute Activation Exercises

7 Bodyweight Glute Activation Exercises

NOTE: The 53% discount on Best Gluteus Maximus Exercise Program ends tomorrow.

Okay, I am heading to day two of the EFI Summit.

Day one was great. Dean Somerset presented some amazing stuff on Voodoo Fitness Tricks and Hip Hinging.

I did a presentation on self-massage.

Rick-Kaselj-Self-Massage

Since I am out, I got Maria Mountain with a great video on some bodyweight glute activation exercises.

Enjoy the video and thank you, Maria.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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This video goes with a research article that I came across on glute activation and the impact on power production in athletes.

I want to go over the exercises. They were mentioning that in the article just to show you what they are.

CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.

#1 Double Leg Glute Bridge

Double Leg Glute Bridge

Feet flat on the floor. I am bracing with my abdominals. I am lifting my hips until I make a straight line here. Everything comes up together so I am just hinging at my hips. I am not rolling up and down with my spine and I think about squeezing my rear end when I do that.

#2 Quadruped Hip Extension

Quadruped Hip Extension

The Quadruped Hip Extremity Hip Lift, there can be a couple of versions for this one. But typically we do a bent knee version because that takes out some of the hamstrings so I put a little more emphasis on the glutes by putting the hamstrings in a shortened position. And the big thing here is to not extend through your spine at all. All of that movement just comes from the hip trying to use the glutes as you do that.

#3 Quadruped Abduction

Quadruped Abduction

Here I call it the “fire hydrant” for some obvious reasons. But then again I keep my heel as close as I can to my rear end and then bring that knee out to the side without tilting at my hips at all so I am getting the gluteus medius there.

#4 Side Clam

Side Clam

Then we will lie on our side and we will do a Clam Shell. In the article, I mentioned that the hips are flexed to about 60 degrees, so this would be 90 degrees of hip flexion and that would be about 60 degrees. My knees are bent to about 90 degrees. My feet stay touching and my hip doesn’t roll backward as I lift the top knee.

#5 Side Lying Abduction

Side Lying Abduction

Some people have to point their toes down a little bit when they do this. They might like to turn their toe up and use a little more of the front of their hips. Toe down and again not letting the hips open up.

#6 Prone Hip Extension

Prone Hip Extension 1

You can put a towel underneath the hips to this one in particular for someone who is a little bit tight in the hip flexors, a little hip extension.

Prone Hip Extension 2

If people have trouble with that, sometimes we do it with just a toe on the floor extending the hip making sure that they feel their glutes tighten as they go.

#7 Stability Ball Bi-Lateral Squat

Stability Ball Bi-Lateral Squat

The ball is just in my lower back and I squat back. And again as I squat back, I think about squeezing my rear end sitting my hips down and back slightly.

Those are the exercises that were put together in a dynamic warm-up circuit, one set of ten repetitions of each exercise. Research study shows that this improves the power production in athletes as measured in a counter-movement vertical jump. Those might be some great exercises to add to your dynamic warm-up before practice or games.

This is Maria from HockeyTrainingPro.com . My mission is to help 10,000 Goalies win more games with fewer injuries even if you don’t have the natural ability or genetic gifts of your competitors.

Maria Mountain

If you are looking for an exercise program that progressively targets gluteus maximus, then check out Best Gluteus Maximus Exercises Program, here:

Best Gluteus Maximus Exercises

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