Glute and Butt Workouts At Home To Drive Sports Performance

The gluteal muscles are the strongest in the body and exert a considerable amount of force and power during sports and other physical activities. Toned butt muscles help you perform better, faster, and stronger. “I often tell my patients a strong butt is the key to a happy life,” says Dr. Jordan Metzel, physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. 

Your glutes are the three muscles — the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus — located in your butt. They provide the power to run and jump, as well as climb, bike and go uphill. Strong glutes will also help move and stabilize your legs and pelvis, protect your hip, knee and lower back from injury, and provide the round shape of your butt.

Stronger Glutes = Greater Athleticism

The glute muscles control everything from balance to power. Whether you run, jump, climb, or swim, your glutes have a significant impact on your performance. Weak glutes equal a loss in power, flexibility, and balance. 

“For athletes, strength is the foundation of athletic movement where speed and power are involved,” says Rondel King, a corrective exercise specialist. “Having that baseline of strength will make you a better athlete.” 

Exercises targeting this muscle will improve your mobility and health while giving you stronger, more toned glutes. You can ensure you target the right muscles during your butt exercises at home by using the Core Home Fitness Glute Drive.

Your glute muscles control lower body strength and power.  According to a recent study on sprinters, those with larger gluteal muscles became more elite in their performance. Runners with greater hip extensor and gluteal strength had greater power, athleticism, and explosiveness while running. It should come as no surprise that if you are a runner, play football or basketball, or enjoy any sport that involves running, you’ll perform better with well-toned glutes.

The Problem With Weak Glutes

If you spend a lot of time sitting, are inactive, or do not perform your glute exercises properly, your glutes could become weak. Weak glutes lower athletic performance and can lead to pain in your lower back, knees, and hips or even injury. 

• Weak glutes could cause the thigh to rotate inward while placing extra strain on your knee joint, leading to ACL injuries.
• Weak glutes can cause an inward rotation of your ankles during activity, leading to plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis.
• Weak glutes can cause pain in your sciatic nerve which runs through your legs and can lead to more severe problems.
• Weak glutes can cause your pelvis to rotate; this places more strain on your spine and lower back and can lead to increased back pain.

The best way to help solve these problems, or avoid them altogether, is to consistently add strength training to your home glute workout routine and build the muscles. In addition to protecting yourself from injury and pain, you can increase your power and athletic performance. You should use proper form at all times with your home glute exercises to limit your chance of injury while improving your flexibility and power during athletic activity. Performing exercises that specifically target the glutes, along with using equipment to isolate the muscle group, will help improve your athleticism through better performance and body mechanics.

Best Glute Exercises at Home

You can strengthen your glutes at home, with a little dedication, commitment, and proper technique. With the addition of equipment like the Glute Drive or the Adjustable Dumbbell set from Core Home Fitness, you can perform butt workouts  at home that provide all the benefits of the gym. For best results, work your glutes two or three times a week. Start with one set of eight to 10 repetitions of each exercise. As you build strength, increase the weight or resistance and the number of sets.

Glute Drive Hip Thrusts The Glute Drive from Core Home Fitness is compact enough that you can store and use it within the comfort of your home, while still getting the results as if you went to the gym. The upper body pivots and provides full spinal stabilization while adjustable resistance bands make it simple to isolate your glute muscles for an effective workout and fast results. 

Begin by unfolding the bench, securing the rear leg, and choosing the right resistance for your workout. Slide your buttocks down the bench and secure your waist with the waist strap.

• Using your core, lift your glutes from the starting position.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top of the lift.
• Lower your glutes in a controlled motion until you return to the starting position.

Unlike the traditional glute bridge using a bench or other equipment, the Glute Drive supports your spine, keeping it in a neutral position throughout the range of motion. This prevents hyperextension of the spine and injury. 

For a variation on this exercise: lift and lower your body with one leg on the floor, then switch legs. 

Walking Dumbbell Lunge

Walking dumbbell lunges will activate your glutes while strengthening your bum and legs getting you the most out of your at-home butt exercises.

• Set adjustable dumbbells to your desired weight and hold one in each hand with your arms to your side.
• Move one leg forward while lowering your back leg to make a lunge.
• Hold the position before stepping your back leg forward to stand up.
• Repeat lunges, alternating legs to “walk” forward.

Beginners can start without any weights, holding hands on your hips. As you get stronger, increase the weight on each dumbbell for added resistance. 

Weighted Squats

This crucial exercise for building glute strength has several variations to target specific muscles, but the essential movement stays the same. The Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbells are the perfect companion for this home glute workout, the compact equipment allows you to easily change weights from 5 to 50 lbs. without taking up the space of an entire rack of dumbbells. To squat:

• Spread your legs apart near shoulder width.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms down at your sides. 
• Keep your back straight, bend your knees, and squat to the floor. 
• Briefly hold, then return to standing, squeezing or flexing your glutes at the top.

Add additional weight and reps as you build strength. If you have good balance, you can vary this exercise by holding the dumbbells on your shoulder, or held in front of your chest. 

Fastest Home Glute Workouts

No matter what your sport, strong glutes can help you perform better and reach higher levels of fitness. The fastest, most efficient way to build strong glutes at home is to isolate and activate the three gluteal muscles with the Glute Drive and targeted exercises.

The Glute Drive is affordable, easy to use, and folds flat to store out of the way. This machine turns basic exercises into effective muscle-toning routines, and is an essential addition to your home workout routine. Find out how you can get yours today at Core Home Fitness.