As a certified personal trainer, I’ve worked with many inactive clients and first-time gym goers over the years. I get it—many careers involve sitting at a desk for hours, which can easily lead to a sedentary lifestyle.
If you’re looking to counter the negative effects of prolonged sitting, a great place to start is focusing on your glutes, located in your buttocks. These three major muscles, responsible for stabilizing your pelvis and extending your hips, often become weak and deconditioned from sitting too long. Strengthening them can improve mobility, decrease aches and pains and help prevent future injuries.
Glute Bridge
Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15
- Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and knees bent. Keep your feet on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Squeeze your glutes together as if holding a piece of paper between them.
- Slowly lift your hips off the mat. Pause for a few seconds when you’ve reached the top of your range of motion.
- Lower your hips back to the starting position and relax your glutes.
Trainer tips
Keep your lower back in a neutral position and engage your core—avoid excessively arching your spine as you lift. Once you’ve developed some base-level strength, progress the glute bridge by performing single-leg glute bridge or placing a dumbbell on your hips.
Fire hydrant
Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 on each side
- Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Engage your core and maintain a neutral spine.
- Squeeze your right glute and lift your right knee, rotating your leg so that your inner thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause for two to three seconds.
- Slowly lower your right knee back to the start and repeat on the left side.
Trainer tips
Keep your hips square to the mat throughout the exercise, even if it limits your range of motion. This ensures you’re targeting the correct muscles.
Glute kickback
Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 on each side
- Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Engage your core and maintain a neutral spine.
- Squeeze your right glute and slowly lift your right heel, keeping your right knee bent at a 90° angle. Pause for two to three seconds when you’ve reached the top of your range of motion.
- Slowly lower your knee back down and repeat on the other side.
Trainer tips
Avoid drifting your heel toward your body’s midline when you lift your foot, as that can compromise your form. When these start feeling easy, add ankle weights or a small dumbbell in the crook of your knee to increase the difficulty.
Yoga mats to try
You'll need something soft and supportive underneath you while performing these moves. Below are some of best yoga mats we've tested this year. They're perfect for exercises like the above, as well as routines like this yoga for mobility session.
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