Struggling to grow your glutes? You may be making this mistake

ActiveStruggling to grow your glutes? You may be making this mistakeOnce I changed this, I started seeing significant glute gainsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Once I changed this, I started seeing significant glute gains

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Getty)

Woman doing a glute bridge on exercise mat on the floor

(Image credit: Getty)

There’s nothing more frustrating thanmastering your squats, hip thrusts and Bulgarian split squats, but still seeing no signs of a bigger booty. Zero. Zilch. Nadda. A couple of years ago this was me and I just couldn’t put my finger on what the problem was. I was eating well and training hard lifting heavy weights, why were my glutes still not getting with the programme? It wasn’t until my coach at the time pointed out that I had been making a key mistake during my training and, since sorting this, I’ve seen some serious glute gains.

The mistake – and I know there will be loads of you who are guilty of doing this – was that I was doing absolutely no glute activation exercises prior to training. “When we talk about glute activation, we’re referring to the process of awakening the gluteus maximus muscles and priming them for exercise,” says Aroosha Nekonam, a personal trainer atUltimate Performance. “Failing to activate the glutes correctly can impede your progress in building strong glutes and, worse, other parts of your body will act as over-compensators during your lifts – most notably the lower back – which can lead to injuries and back pain.”

As someone who works at a desk, my glutes are rarely in use for most of the day, which makes it even more important to prioritise activating them before training. Otherwise, it’s like trying to make an electrical appliance work without turning it on, it just won’t work, no matter how hard you try. Of course, you also need to make sure you’re doing plenty ofstrength training exercises, aiming for progressive overload and eating correctly. But if your glutes haven’t even been activated properly, you’ll struggle with that mind-muscle connection and they won’t be engaged during your exercises.

As soon as I started actually spending five minutes incorporating these exercises into my warm-ups, not only could I actually feel my glutes working during my hip thrusts (instead of my lower back) but, over time, my booty finally got perkier too and my lifts became heavier. Probably because I was now recruiting the correct muscles needed for my exercises rather than other areas, like my lower back, trying to compensate. Grab aresistance bandand add these simple exercises into your next lower body warm-up and get ready to feel the difference and get those glute gains.

Glute activation exercises

Side plank clamshell

If you need an even greater glute contraction, put a booty band around your knees.

(Image credit: Getty)

Woman doing plank clamshell exercise

(Image credit: Getty)

Double leg bridge

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Again, to progress this you can add a resistance band around your shins.

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Glute activation exercises#

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Glute activation exercises

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