GLUTES - help needed!

If you don't have access to a gym - try stairs! Focus on firing your glute muscles while you slowly, purposefully, take each step. Add some weight by throwing some heavy stuff into a back pack.

Also wall squats with a ball so you get the range of motion. And when the weather picks up, just go outside and do squats in your driveway... then start picking up stuff to hold while you squat... like a bicycle.

I'm on the same boat. Ever since knee surgery, doc told me I needed to strengthen my glutes. I just started doing squats at home to see how it goes.

BTW, going up the stairs would be great except that my knee hurts when going down

Are you a member of a gym?

If so I would recommend strength training exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Straight Leg Deadlifts, and Hyper Extensions are great for your glutes.

You can also do glute bridges at home.

This. if your glutes are so bad that it's causing knee pain, it's time to quit doing DVD workouts and join a gym.


Squats, Stiff Legged Deads, Dimel Deads, snatch grip deads, Pull Throughs, Good Mornings. Do all of those for a while and your glutes will get stronger.

I'm on the same boat. Ever since knee surgery, doc told me I needed to strengthen my glutes. I just started doing squats at home to see how it goes.

BTW, going up the stairs would be great except that my knee hurts when going down

You could slide down the stairs on your glutes. :drinker:

if you have bad knees most of these workouts can be modified...but honestly I dedicate one whole lower body day to my glutes....I want a great butt

squats squats squats...all types

high leg presses, deadlifts

wall sits

cable kick backs.

stair climber...

yeah just tons of stuff to get this booty big..and it has been working. Needing to buy bigger undies

Lunges will give you an *kitten* that'll bring the dudes in bunches. Bigger steps + deeper stretch at the bottom really targets the glutes.
Deep squats also do a good job bringing those glutes up.
Actually any deep pressing (with your legs) movement will activate those glutes for glute growth.

S Q U A T S!!! Deep Squats. They don't necessarily have to weighted, more reps of 'air' squats are a really good.

Also dead-lifts, good mornings, leg presses, lunges, etc.

*Disclaimer: I am not an expert, just letting you know from my experience and what has worked for me.

I have suffered with something called runner's knee where in my IT Band gets irritated because the Gluteals aren't doing their job of directing the leg chain and the quadriceps have taken control so it pulls my knee out of alignment, not good if your an obstacle course racing junkie and a personal trainer by trade.

I have found for myself that the best exercises to really target the gluteals are pilates based ones such as glute bridges, clams, leg raises etc. You have to physically re-condition the gluteals to redo the job they should be doing. You should aim for very slow, very controlled movements particularly in the clams otherwise the front of the leg will take over (or hamstring in your case). The slower the movement the better, and when you really feel that glute contract hold it in position for a few seconds, get it back into the habit of being the instigator in the legchain. Then you can add in the squats, lunges, single leg deadlift, split squats off a bench, stright leg deadlift etc.

First and foremost you should aim to get the muscles playing ball and doing their correct job, which will give your knee the support it needs so you can then work on deep squats etc and shaping the buttocks.

Hope that helps

I favour DVDs as I'm not really confident using weights at the gym....

A lot of people favor DVDs for that reason.
But as I said, if you have such a severe muscle imbalance that you're having knee pain, don't you think it's time to step out of your comfort zone to address your health/well being?

I was nervous the first week or two at the gym, you get used to it.

I just don't think you can build a lot of glute strength in your living room by doing workout DVDs.