An Evidence-based Glute Workout
Provided by American Council on Exercise
Key Takeaways
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Evidence-based workouts are the foundation of
a good resistance-training program. The glute exercises
presented here will develop both strength and function.
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ACE-sponsored research compared muscle
activation of the glutes and hamstrings when performing eight different
exercises.
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To learn how to properly perform our
recommended glute exercises, check out these links:
o Step-ups
o Lunge
o Hip
extension on multi hip machine
o Deadlift
While many may want to build bigger glutes for aesthetic reasons, these
muscles also play a number of essential functional roles. The glutes
(i.e., the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus) are prime movers in extension, abduction and
internal and external rotation of the hips.
In other words, strong glutes are crucial not only for everyday tasks like
walking, jumping, squatting and climbing stairs but also for sports-related
movements like side lunges, swinging a golf club and throwing a softball. In
addition, the glutes are essential for pelvic and core stability, postural
support, injury prevention and balance.
Anatomy of the Glutes
This illustration shows the posterior musculature of the hip and knee,
including the gluteal muscles and the hamstrings muscles.
To address the need for exercises that safely and effectively build stronger
glutes, ACE-sponsored research evaluated eight different
exercises to determine which ones best targeted this
muscle group. The researchers began by evaluating each of the study’s 12
participants’ one-repetition maximum (1-RM) on the following exercises:
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Traditional squats ·
Verticle leg press ·
Horizontal leg press ·
Step-ups |
·
Lunges ·
Hip extension on multi hip machine ·
Single-leg squat* ·
Quadruped hip extension* |
*No 1-RM was recorded becuase these exercises
use body weight as resistance.
On two subsequent workout sessions, researchers placed electromyography
(EMG) electrodes on the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius
and the hamstrings* muscles of each participant. The participants performed a
1-RM of the traditional squat, followed by a set of five repetitions of each of
the other seven exercises. When appropriate, these sets were performed at 80%
of each participant’s 1-RM.
*While the hamstrings are not gluteal muscles, they are synergists with
those muscles, as they are all hip extensors. The gluteus minimus
was not included because this muscle is deep to the gluteus maximus and cannot
be tested with surface electrodes.
Researchers then compared the amount of muscle activation for each exercise
to that seen with the traditional squat. Here is what they found for each
muscle and muscle group tested:
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Gluteus maximus: All exercises
elicited similar muscle activation, with the exception of the horizontal and
vertical leg press exercises, both of which elicited significantly less.
·
Gluteus medius: Quadruped
hip extensions, step-ups and lunges generated significantly more muscle
activation than squats, while the horizontal and vertical leg press exercises
again elicited significantly less.
·
Hamstrings: Quadruped hip
extensions, step-ups, lunges and hip extension on the
multi hip machine garnered significantly more EMG activity than squats,
with the horizontal and vertical leg press exercises once again eliciting the least
amount of effort.
The bottom line is that five exercises emerged as effective alternatives
to traditional squats: single-leg squats, quadruped hip extensions, step-ups,
lunges and hip extension on the multi hip machine. It makes intuitive
sense that multiple exercises would be effective in slightly different ways, as
the glutes are a large muscle group. Fortunately, they’re also easy to isolate
through training.
The researchers suggest focusing on the results for the gluteus maximus,
which is most important to strength development of the glutes overall. Nearly
all of the exercises showed statistically similar muscle activation for the
gluteus maximus, though the quadruped hip extension and traditional squat
showed the highest level of effort. The quadruped hip extension, which is a
body-weight exercise, can be progressed with the addition of ankle weights,
making it a good option for anyone who needs an alternative to the squat.
The optimal approach might be to mix and match all eight of the exercises
included in this study when programming glute workouts, to not only provide
variety to the routine, but also to target the muscle group in different ways
and avoid overuse injuries.
The researchers note that the horizontal and vertical leg press exercises
should not be dismissed based on the results of this study, as these machines
provide a stable environment where exercisers, particularly beginner
exercisers, have complete control over the range of motion.
Expert Advice
In the interest of providing options, we asked two experienced ACE Certified
Pros for their favorite glute exercises.
Allyson Murray, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and
Health Coach, chose deadlifts and lunges as her preferred options for
intermediate to advanced exercisers. Beginners can first perform hip hinges with a dowel along the spine and no
external resistance in order to learn proper form, as good postural alignment
should be achieved before adding weights.
Mann San Gil,
who has been an ACE Certified Personal Trainer for 24 years, says that his
favorite exercises for the glutes are squats and quadruped hip
extension. San Gil points out that you can hold dumbbells at
your sides while doing the squats and add ankle weights or an elastic band to
the quadruped hip extension to
provide an additional challenge and more resistance. “These
exercises are effective because they're extremely targeted,” he explains.
San Gil says that these exercises are appropriate for people of
all experience levels, as long as they don't have
any prior injuries. Both exercises can be modified by using
only body weight and decreasing the range of motion.
Final Thoughts
Performing several different exercises is essential when training the
glutes, as they form a large muscle group and drive a variety of movements.
Researchers suggest mixing and matching all eight exercises they evaluated in
their study, and our experts added a few more options to the mix:
·
Step-ups
·
Lunge
·
Hip
extension on multi hip machine
Author
American Council on Exercise
Contributor
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