Your glute muscles have a lot of important responsibilities: they stabilize and support your pelvis and low back, help to move your body forward when walking or running, and power you up from seated positions.
But since many of us spend our days sitting on these muscles instead of using them, our glutes are often weak and deconditioned. This can lead to faulty movement patterns, pain, and injury.
I instruct all my clients to do glute bridges, donkey kicks and fire hydrants at home in between our sessions. In my opinion, these are the best glute exercises you can do without equipment.
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I picked them because they’re equipment-free—so all of my clients can do them—and they’re all beginner-friendly. You can do them as exercise snacks to break up long periods of sitting, which will help your body feel less achy at the end of the day.
Start by doing two sets of each exercise for 10 repetitions, two to three times a week. When you feel stronger, scale this up to three sets of 15 repetitions.
You should feel muscle fatigue when doing these exercises, but never sharp pain. If you do, stop immediately and speak with your doctor.
Best glute exercises at home
1. Glute bridge
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Draw your belly button toward your spine.
- Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the mat.
- Hold your hips up briefly.
- Lower and repeat.
Trainer tips: Avoid arching your lower back. To do this, tilt your tailbone forward slightly and hold that position when moving. Once this exercise feels easy, consider using a looped resistance band around your knees to increase the difficulty.
2. Quadruped donkey kick
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15 each side
- Come to your hands and knees.
- Draw your belly button toward your spine.
- Squeeze your left glute and lift your heel toward the ceiling, keeping your left leg bent.
- Lower your left leg and repeat.
- Complete all repetitions on one side before switching legs.
Trainer tips: Keep your spine in a neutral position, and avoid any arching in your lower back.
3. Fire hydrant
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15 each side
- Come to your hands and knees.
- Draw your belly button toward your spine.
- Lift your right leg to the side, keeping your right knee bent and bringing your right inner thigh parallel to the floor.
- Pause briefly.
- Lower and repeat.
- Complete all repetitions on one side before switching legs.
Trainer tips: Tilt your tailbone forward slightly to keep the lower back in a neutral position. Keep the hips squarely pointing down throughout the exercise, even if you have to work in a smaller range of motion. Once this exercise starts to feel easy, consider using a looped resistance band around your knees to increase the difficulty.