Strengthening Your Glutes – Without Getting Up

Strengthening Your Glutes – Without Getting Up

Here are two simple poses for strengthening your glutes that are easily attainable – and you can do them lying down (almost!)…

Here are two postures that readily fit the bill for this month’s glute challenge. Often when pondering poses for the glutes, we think of various standing poses, like victory pose, warrior I, and warrior III etc. But here we have two poses that are excellent for strengthening the glutes that begin in a lying position. And by doing just these two simple poses on a regular basis, one can quickly increase their strength and gain stability in more advanced poses.

[A] Half-Locust Pose (Ardha Shalabasana): Start from a prone (face down) position. Keep the chin down and arms by the sides (palms facing upwards). Inhale one leg up without bending the knee or rolling to the opposite side. Keep the hips square. Retain the breath, and hold the pose for 8 –  10 seconds. Lower the leg down to the ground on the exhale. Take a rest breath. Then do the other leg. Do 8 – 10 rounds.

[B] Bound Bridge Pose (Setu-Bandhasana): Start from a supine position. Bend the knees and place the soles of the feet into the earth, keeping knees stacked over the ankles. Place the arms by the sides or back over head. On the inhale, press the feet in the ground; raise the hips; and, squeeze the glutes. Be sure to keep the thighs in parallel form, focusing on engaging the glutes. Keep the breath flowing as you hold the pose for 30 seconds. As you exhale, lower the hips back down to the mat. Do 6 to 8 rounds.

Conclusion: Though they look easy, these poses are the building blocks for generating and maintaining strength in the glutes. If practiced regularly, they will make the rest of your practice more powerful and bring support in daily living. In addition, both poses are key for reducing / eliminating lower back pain.