If you’ve been to one of my classes you’ll already know how much I love exercises that target your ‘glutes’.
These are the muscles of your buttocks that give vital support to your pelvis when you’re on your feet. They work when you lift your leg out to the side or out behind you and they’ll help you get out of a chair more easily.
The biggest cause of weakness in the glutes is down to sitting for long periods of the day as most of us do and you are even more likely to have weakness in your glutes if you suffer from persistent back pain.
One of my favorite exercises for strengthening the glutes are squats and here are my top tips for good technique:
- Hinge through your hips- start the movement by moving your tailbone behind you
- Keep your trunk upright and your shoulder blades drawing down and backwards
- Hold your knees in line with your toes and keep your weight in your heels
- Your gaze should remain forward but lower slightly as you squat so you keep the length through the back of your neck.
- Lower and rise at a constant pace
If you have any issues with your knees, try placing a small ball between your thighs to help with better positioning of your knees during the movement and work within a comfortable range.
For more ideas about exercises to strengthen the glutes and prevent knee pain click here:
An exercise to improve knee pain
For painful hips or problems with bursitis click here: