Tighten and Strengthen Your Glutes in 10 Minutes With This 4-Move Bodyweight Workout

Updated on 12/29/2018 at 9:55 AM

Strengthening your glutes will more than likely make your butt bigger, but that isn't the only reason you should be working your gluteal muscles. Having strong, active gluteal muscles will help prevent dormant butt syndrome (where your glutes stop firing) and will ensure you get the most out of exercises that primarily recruit your glute muscles.

This workout can be used as a mini warmup before you do lower-body lifts, like squats and deadlifts, or it can be used as a quick booty workout.

The 4-Move Workout

Because these exercises will activate your glutes, you don't need to warm up before performing them. Perform one set of each exercise, and take no more than 30 seconds of rest in between each move and 60 seconds in between each set. Complete four sets.

Single-leg glute bridge: 10 reps on each side
Clamshell: 10 reps on each side
Fire hydrant: 10 reps on each side
Donkey kick: 10 reps on each side

Single-Leg Bridge

Lie on your back, and place your hands on the floor for stability as you bend one leg and lift the other leg off the ground.
Pressing your heel into the floor, lift your pelvis up, keeping your body in a stiff bridge position.
Slowly lower your body to the floor. This completes one rep.
Do 10 reps on each side.

Clamshell

Lie on your side with one leg stacked on top of the other in a position similar to the fetal position. Your knees should be bent at a 45-degree angle.
Rest your head on your lower arm.
Brace your abs or draw your belly button in toward your spine.
Keeping your feet touching, raise the knee of your top stacked leg as high as you can. Be sure not to shift your hips or pelvis. Your lower leg should remain in contact with the floor.
Pause for a one count, then return your upper leg to the starting position (on top of the other leg).
Then roll over so you are on your other side. Repeat the above steps for the opposite side.
Complete 10 repetitions on each side.

Fire Hydrant

Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
Keep your right knee at a 90-degree angle as you slowly raise your leg to the right until it is parallel to the ground. Avoid lifting your right hip, as you should keep both hips squared toward the floor.
With control, lower your leg back to the ground.
This completes one rep.
Do 10 reps on each side.

Donkey Kick

Start on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
Keep your right knee at a 90-degree angle as you slowly raise your leg behind you until your thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Pulse your flexed foot toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes. Your back should remain perfectly still in a neutral spine. The motion should be small and controlled with the muscle doing the work and not momentum.
Return to start position to complete one rep.
Do 10 reps on each side.