5 Glute Isolation Exercises To Add To Your Next Glute Workout
If you’ve ever sought out a glute-focused workout in hopes of targeting
your peach growth , you’re certainly not alone.
The hashtag #gluteos encompasses more than 968,000 posts on Instagram and
has amassed 1.6 billion views on TikTok. If you are interested in “round
glutes”, “tone butt” or “firm glutes” workouts, you are just a couple of
taps away.
Such workouts may incorporate compound exercises, glute isolation
exercises, or a combination of both.
” Compound movements [such as squats or deadlifts] are movements that
hinge around more than one joint ,” explains Lexi Moreno, NSCA-certified
strength and conditioning specialist and performance coach on the app.
Future . Therefore, compound exercises can also target several muscle
groups at once. They are better for building functional strength and power
and generally offer the best value for money.
-
Isolation exercises, on the other hand, require the movement of a single
joint and therefore target fewer muscles during the exercise. Technically,
” glute isolation ” is a bit of an oxymoron . ” It’s impossible to isolate
the group of muscles we refer to as the glutes ,” says Moreno. « The
muscles that make up the quadriceps, the hamstrings and the core are
involved in one way or another. But that doesn’t mean that some exercises
don’t recruit the glutes more than others. »
While glute -focused exercises may seem like a smart strategy if your
primary goal is glute building, stacking your workouts solely with glute
isolation exercises is inefficient, to put it simply.
Think of the squat, a classic compound glute exercise that also engages
your quads, hamstrings, and core muscles, and the deadlift, which ” trains
basically every muscle in the rear of your body ,” as well as quads, lats,
and biceps, says certified personal trainer Mike Matthews, author of
Muscle for Life .
Now, consider that if you replace these compound exercises with isolation
moves that work each of those muscles separately, you quickly realize ”
you’re going to be spending a lot [more] time in the gym ,” says Matthews.
” Now you’re looking at literally double the time to train ,” she
adds.
In fact, if you’re a beginner, you’re better off skipping glute isolation
exercises altogether, says Matthews. “ People who are just starting out
really just need to do fundamental lower-body training to give their
glutes the maximum training stimulus, ” she says. « It’s not productive
for someone new to do, say, 10 to 12 hard sets a week for the lower body,
through squats, through deadlifts, through lunges, and then do another 10
sets of buttocks. It just means more time in the gym for really no
additional muscle gain .”
Matthews believes that glute isolation exercises can be helpful for
intermediate to advanced athletes who have been training steadily for over
a year but still want to increase their glute development. Adding ” a
little extra glute training volume to get that muscle group to grow a
little faster ” can help in these cases, she says. Reminder: training
volume = reps x sets x weight. You can get that extra volume by
incorporating sets of exercises that aim to reach failure—when you can’t
do another rep by the end—into your weekly workouts, Matthews
explains.
When in doubt, a trainer can help you determine which glute-focused
exercises you should incorporate and how often, based on your goal.
The best glute isolation exercises
How they work: Incorporate these glute isolation exercises into your
lower body training days that also include compound movements. Do each
exercise up to twice a week.
What you’ll need: A mini resistance band and dumbbells or a barbell.
(Although these tools are optional, they can add more resistance or load
if you want to bulk up and/or they can help activate sleeping glutes to
ensure you’re able to properly engage those muscles throughout the
exercise.)
1. Glute Bridge
● Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the
floor.
● Lift your hips off the ground so your body forms a straight line
from your shoulders to your knees.
● Pause when you’re in that position, then slowly lower your body
back to the ground.
● Do 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
2. Donkey kick
● Start on all fours on a yoga mat. Make sure your knees are below
your hips and your hands are below your shoulders. Bring your spine into a
neutral position and draw your ● shoulder blades down and back.
Inhale.
● Exhale. Keeping your knee bent, release and raise your right leg
until your thigh is in line with your spine, making sure your foot remains
flexed.
nhale.
● Lower your right leg to return to the starting position, but
without resting your knee on the mat.
● Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps. Switch sides and repeat.
3. Bulgarian split squat
● Get into a split stance with your right foot forward and your left
foot raised on a bench behind you.
● Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows close to your
body.
Inhale and lower your left knee (back knee) toward the floor while
keeping your torso upright.
● Exhale and push your right foot (front foot) toward the ground to
return to the starting position.
● Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps. Switch sides and repeat.
4. Hip abduction
● Begin by sitting on a hip abduction machine or bench with a mini
resistance band looped above your knees, legs together.
● Keeping her knees bent at a 90-degree angle, she squeezes her
glutes and presses her legs together. She pauses and continues to squeeze
her glutes, then bring her legs together with control to return to the
starting position.
● Do 2 sets of 20 repetitions.
5. Side walk with mini band
● With a resistance band wrapped around your lower thighs, place
both feet on the ground hip-width apart, making sure your knees remain in
line with your toes. Looking straight ahead, bend at the hips and knees,
making sure the knees are in line with the toes. Continue bending your
knees until your upper legs are parallel to the ground. Make sure your
back stays at a 45-90 degree angle to your hips. This is the initial
position.
Inhale.
● Exhale. Keeping a squat position with your right foot on the
floor, step your left foot out so your feet are slightly shoulder-width
apart.
● Inhale. Keeping the squat position and with your left foot on the
ground, step your right foot inward to return to the starting
position.
● Do 2 sets of 20 repetitions.
