We tend to find round, firm glutes more attractive. But did you know toned glutes are also essential for optimal athletic performance, improving posture, and relieving hip and back pain? 

The gluteal complex helps stabilize your pelvis and lower back, so it plays a vital role in initiating all the movements that involve your hips' rotational flexion and extension. This includes everything from walking, running, and jumping to swinging a golf club or getting comfortable on the sofa. The biggest glute muscle - the gluteus maximus - is also one of the strongest muscles in the human body.

Believe it or not, there's even a condition that describes the weakening of the gluteal muscles called "Dead Butt Syndrome," or Gluteal Amnesia. A "dead butt" is one in which the gluteal muscles become so weak or inactive that a person develops numbness or a loss of sensation in the glutes.

Dead Butt Syndrome is typically a result of prolonged sitting or inactivity and can lead to pain and discomfort in the hips, lower back, and knees. But the good news is it can often be avoided with exercises that strengthen the gluteal muscles and improve mobility in the hips and lower back.

Below, we'll look at how you can avoid a "dead butt" and get strong glutes.

Why Strong Glutes Are Important?

If you don't work your glutes, they forget how to do their job. And since they're responsible for stabilizing the pelvis and affecting the body’s alignment, a sedentary lifestyle can lead to major pain and increase your chance of injuries when you do work out.

Strong Glutes Help Alleviate Lower Back Pain

Neglecting gluteal strength is pretty common today with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, and the price we pay is lower back and lower body pain. That's because the gluteal muscles help connect the upper trunk to lower body structures like the sacrum, pelvis, and femur.

If you have weak or inactive gluteal muscles, this forces other muscles in the lower back, knees, and hamstrings to take on more pressure. And since they're not built to do that, this can increase your likelihood of strains or injuries in these areas.

That's why using targeted exercises to strengthen the glutes is key. These can help to power your movements, support your weight, alleviate lower back pain, and improve posture.

Glute Workouts Can Improve Athletic Performance

Have you ever seen a powerful athlete with a flat butt? Probably not. Just look at the Chinese "flying man" Su Bingtian or NBA shooting guard James Harden.

Athletes who need to change direction quickly (as they do in sports like basketball, football, and tennis) leverage the gluteus medius and minimus to help rotate the hips. This creates propulsive force and momentum to help them change direction without injury. Even sprinters who do not need to change direction but only sprint forward need to activate the gluteus maximus. That's because hip extension is a source of power for acceleration and sprinting.

Hip strength is also essential for endurance, explosive power, and pain prevention in athletes. Research has shown that athletes who work on developing strength and power in their glutes, hips, and posterior chains can improve their overall performance and reduce their risk of injury. 

Glutes exercise you can do at home without weights 

If you want to start working your glutes at home but don't have the equipment, you can get started on glute exercises without weights.

Turn this list of exercises from Speediance’s fitness expert into a home glute workout. Perform each movement 12 times per set and do 4 total sets.

Let’s get rid of your weak glutes!

1. Lunges

How to:

1. Stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. 
2. Step one foot forward and lower yourself until your knees are at a 90-degree bend. Try not to extend your front knee over the front ankle. 
3. Holding the lunge for a second, press down through the heel of the front foot and squeeze the glutes to return to standing. 
4. Switch sides for one full rep.

2. Single-Leg Glute Bridge

How to: 

1. Lie on your back with your knees stacked right over your ankles. 
2. Place your arms at your side with palms down on the floor.
3. Push your heels into the floor as you lift your hips off the ground, and hold for 1 to 2 seconds at the top. 
4. Lower your hips to the ground before lifting up again.
5. Squeeze your glutes throughout the movement. 

Tips: Don't over-arch your back. Keep your chest open by ensuring your shoulders stay on the ground.

3. Squats

How to:

1. Begin with your feet hip-width apart. 
2. Keep your torso straight, your chest up, and your core nice and tight. 
3. Descend to a deep squat, sending your hips back and down as if you were trying to sit in an invisible chair. 
4. Keep your knees out and plant your feet on the floor to press back up. Then repeat.

4. Clamshell

How to: 

1. Lie on your side with your feet and hips stacked, both knees at a 90-degree bend, and your hand supporting your head.
2. Keep your feet together throughout. Slowly lift your top knee as far as possible without rotating your hip or lifting the other knee off the floor.
3. Squeeze your glute at the top. 
4. Slowly bring down the top knee and repeat.

Tips: Using resistance bands will help you build muscle faster.

5. Glute Kickback

How to:

1. Press both hands against a wall or hold onto a counter or the back of a chair to steady yourself.
2. Stand tall with your core engaged and knees slightly bent. 
3. Lift your leg backward by engaging your glutes. Keep your standing leg firmly planted to maintain balance. 
4. Slowly return to the starting position. Then repeat.

Glutes Exercise You Can Do with Speediance

Speediance offers 200 lbs of digital power resistance to facilitate strength training, muscle building, and increased stamina. When you're ready, you can even level up your training by using Eccentric Mode or Chain Mode.

Here are some exercises to work your glutes using the Speediance Gym Monster:

1. Barbell Kneeling Squats

How to:

1. Lock the pulleys to the footboard with the barbell attached.
2. Kneel on the ground with your knees hip-width apart.
3. Place the barbell behind your neck, resting on your shoulders.
4. Keep your knees down while you sit your hips down onto your heels. Keep your back straight and your core tight.
5. Extend your hips to lift back to an upright position. Isolate the glutes to power your movements instead of pushing with your legs. 
6. Squeeze your glutes at the top for a second, and then repeat. 
   
   

2. Barbell Squats

How to:

1. Lock the pulleys to the footboard with the barbell attached.
2. Place the barbell behind your neck, resting it on your shoulders.
3. Keep your back straight, chest up, and core nice and tight.
4. Assume a stance with your feet shoulder-width apart with feet slightly pointed outward. 
5. Engage your glutes to squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. 
6. Push through your heels to drive your body back up, then repeat.

3. Single-Leg Deadlifts

How to:

1. Lock the pulleys to the footboard with the barbell attached.
2. Pick up the barbell in a regular deadlift position.
3. Start by standing on one leg with your back tall. Your standing leg can be slightly bent; do not lock your knee.
4. Lean forward and sit your hips backward until your upper body is parallel to the floor.
5. Keep your chest open, and do not let your shoulders fall forward. Keep your hips aligned and parallel to the floor.
6. Using your hamstring and hips, come back to a standing position, then repeat.

Tips: Remember to keep a straight back throughout.

4. Glute Pull Through

How to:

1. Lock the pulley to the footboard with the triceps rope attached. Turn to face away from the side of the machine where the pulley is attached.
2. Keep your feet hip-width apart and grab the pulley between your legs with your palms facing each other.
3. Hinge forward from your hips with your spine straight and shoulder blades back until you feel a nice stretch in your hamstrings and glutes.
4. Keep a tight core and neutral spine throughout the motion.
5. Press through your feet and extend your hips to push all the way through, and squeeze your glutes at the top.
6. Slowly lower your hips down and back, then repeat.

5. Bent-Knee Deadlifts

How to:

1. Lock the pulleys to the footboard with the barbell attached.
2. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Hold the barbell with an overhead grip, just beyond shoulder width.
4. Bend your knees and hips, roll the barbell against your shins, and lower the bar toward the floor.
5. Keep your back upright throughout the movement.
6. Thrust your hips forward, pull the barbell up against your thighs, and squeeze your glutes as you stand up. Then repeat.

6. Cable Hip Abduction

How to:

1. Anchor the pulley to the footboard with the ankle strap attached. Put the strap around the ankle of the leg facing the back of the machine.
2. Stand with the feet hip-width apart. Grab the pole for support. 
3. Keep your back straight, your chest open, and your core nice and tight.
4. Slowly extend your working leg out to the side as far as possible. Keep the other foot planted firmly to the ground to maintain your balance.
5. Keep your hips square. Squeeze your glutes at the top, and hold for 1 to 2 seconds.
6. Lower your leg to the starting position, then repeat.

Try These Speediance Workouts to strengthen your glutes.

With Speediance's smart workout technology, you can curate your own workout using the exercises to create a custom template. Speediance Gym Monster also comes with the following pre-programmed expert-level glute-targeting workouts and programs.

Toned Legs & Round Butt

With Speediance's smart workout technology, you can curate your own workout using the exercises to create a custom template. Speediance Gym Monster also comes with the following pre-programmed expert-level glute-targeting workouts and programs.

Strength training: Glute Pump

This exercise routine complies with the Pyramiding Training Principle, which gradually raises the weight being used while lowering your reps until muscle fatigue is reached. This helps build muscle faster.

Quick Fit: Lunch Break Glutes & Legs Workout

This shorter workout lets your work your glutes and legs over your lunch and gives you an energy boost to power the rest of your day.

Activation: Glutes Workout

This workout aims to activate your glutes to improve your hip flexibility and stability.

Half-Range Meets Slow-Eccentric: Glutes Workout

This ultimate glute workout adopts the half-range and the eccentric training method to create a new training experience for your glute muscles. It's ideal for intermediate and advanced-level trainers looking for high-intensity, high-volume training.

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