Two of the most popular areas to target are the butt and abs.
On a completely superficial level we want our butt and abs to look awesome. I’m not going to knock that goal. I’m just going to tell you that there’s a whole lot more that training your butt and abs does for you besides making them look nice.
Your butt and core are your powerhouse. All movement comes from these two areas, so if they’re weak, you can bet that you’re going to struggle to see major gains from your workouts. When your core and glutes don’t support your pelvis and spine, other muscles will try to help. This means you won’t move as efficiently which results in imbalance and overuse to those muscles. That’s a recipe for frustration and injury. Believe me, I know from experience.
Long story short, I’ve struggled with joint and muscle pain most of my life which got worse after some training injuries. Then it got even worse after having my daughters. Pregnancy is not kind to hips! I started working with a Physical Therapist and it has made a world of difference! Our main focus has been on building strength and endurance in the muscles around my hips and core to provide better support for my spine and pelvis. I’m already noticing far less pain and movement is easier. I can pick up my kids and play with them and my body feels STRONG! This workout is based on what my PT prescribed for me because I think virtually anyone can benefit from giving their glutes and core a little extra love.
What it does
This workout challenges the large and small muscles surrounding your hips, butt and core. It will challenge your stabilization and endurance capacity while building strength and tone in those muscles. That’s my fancy way of saying your muscles will not only work better but your butt will get noticeably firmer and more shapely!
The improvements you get from this workout will transfer into all your other workouts and daily activities. You might notice that your squats feel better – whether you’re squatting in the gym or squatting to pick up a kiddo. Or you might notice that it’s easier to roll up to sitting from lying down, or that your running or hiking improves. When you train the muscles that support all other movement, awesome things will happen.
How to use this workout
If you are trying to get back into exercising after having a baby or if you want to improve your overall workout performance and results, I highly recommend incorporating this workout into your week.
Since these exercises use low resistance and are designed to train the endurance capacity of muscles that are required to work all day, every day, you can do this workout every day if you choose. I personally do one round in the morning and another in the evening since I find that my muscles benefit from having that “reminder” of how to work.
When you first start out, one set of this workout may only take 10-15 minutes if you aren’t holding any of the exercises. As you progress to 5 to 10 second holds on some of the exercises, one set may take up to 20-30 minutes. That’s another reason I split it up into morning and evening sets.
If you can’t do two sets every day (I get it – it can be quite a commitment!) I would at least plan to do 1-2 sets 3 times per week and stick with it for 4 weeks to see noticeable improvements.
- 10 reps of each exercise
- Work up to 5-10 second holds on Glute Bridge, Clams and Single Leg Bridge
- 1-4 sets
- Minimal rest between exercises
- Can perform daily or at least 3 times per week
- Focus on your form and controlling each movement
Ball Dead Bugs
- Lay on your back, knees bent and feet either flat on the floor or hovering above the mat.
- Squeeze a ball between your hands and knees.
- Inhale and lower your right arm and left leg simultaneously to the mat.
- Make sure to continue squeezing the ball with your other hand and knee to keep your core engaged.
- Exhale and return to start.
- Inhale and lower your left arm and right leg, again maintaining the pressure on the ball with your other hand and knee.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Bird Dogs
- Start on your hands and knees, hands directly under your shoulders, and knees directly under your hips, spine in a neutral position.
- Without letting your torso wobble, raise and extend your right arm and left leg.
- Do not let your low back arch – you should feel your core working to maintain your balance.
- Return to start and repeat with your left arm and right leg.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Band Glute Bridge Hold
- Start seated on your mat. Place either a mini band or tie a full size band around your thighs just above your knees.
- Lay down on your back with your knees bent, feet and knees hip-width apart. Your outer hips should be activating to resist the band from pulling your knees together.
- Inhale and place your hands on your hips.
- Exhale, draw up through your pelvic floor, press down through your heels and press your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
- Use your hands to monitor how your hips move and work to raise them evenly.
- Inhale to lower your hips back down.
- Progress by holding the bridge for 5-10 seconds.
Clams
- Tie a band snugly just above your knees.
- Lay on your back with your knees bent, feet together.
- Exhale and draw up through your pelvic floor and engage your core then pull your knees apart as far as you can while keeping your feet and low back pressed into the mat.
- You should feel your outer hips working to resist the band and your core stabilizing the movement.
- Inhale as you return to start slowly with control – don’t let the band pull your knees!
- Repeat.
- Progress by holding your knees apart for 5-10 seconds before releasing.
Single Leg Glute Bridge
- Lay down on your back with your knees bent, feet and knees together.
- Rest your fists on your hip bones with your thumbs pointing up.
- Draw up through your pelvic floor, pull your belly button to your spine and pull your ribs down to engage your core.
- Press through your heels to lift your hips into a bridge, creating a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
- Use your thumbs as a gauge to make sure your hips are level.
- Maintaining your bridge, slowly lift your right foot off the mat and extend your leg, keeping your hips level and your core engaged.
- If you’re a beginner, lower your foot back to start. If you want to progress the exercise, keep your leg extended and hold the single leg bridge for 5-10 seconds before returning to the two-leg glute bridge.
- Again, maintaining your bridge, repeat, this time lifting and extending your left leg.
- Return to your two-leg glute bridge then slowly lower back down to the mat.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Monster Walks
- Tie a band snugly around your legs, just above your knees.
- Bend your knees and sit back into an athletic stance with your core engaged – make sure you hold this position the entire time you’re monster walking!
- Step your right foot forward and to the right – at about a 45 degree angle.
- Balance on your right foot as you bring your left foot to meet it, then step your left foot forward and to the left at a 45 degree angle.
- Repeat for desired number of steps moving forward then take the same number of steps, this time moving backward in the same zig-zag pattern.
Anti-Rotation Lateral Monster Walks
- Tie a band snugly just above your knees then tie another band around a post or in a door jam at waist-level.
- Hold the band at your belly button and step away from the post until the band is slightly taut.
- Bend your knees to sit back into an athletic stance, or partial squat – keep your heels on the ground, hinge at your hips, engage your core and keep your chest pointing forward, shoulders rolled back.
- Keeping your feet parallel and without allowing the band to pull your torso into rotation, step to the side as many steps as the band will allow.
- Slowly step your way back to start then repeat for the desired number of reps.
- Repeat stepping the other direction, holding the band in the other hand.