Activate Your Glutes In 7 Moves

Looking for the ultimate legs and glutes workout? Our quick seven-move glute workout requires no equipment and can be done in 15 minutes. Strengthen your lower body with side-step glute moves and lunges that will leave you feeling strong and toned. Here’s a quick cardio workout that will activate your glutes using just your bodyweight.

The legs and glutes warmup

Perform two sets of the following exercises to prime your muscles for the work ahead. If you want to know more, check out our guide to warming up.

1. Lateral lunges

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Take a large step to the side with your right leg. Bend your right knee and squat down. Keep your left leg straight. As you squat down, bring the weights toward the ground on either side of your right foot. Switch legs.

The goal: 10 lateral lunges per leg

2. High knees

For this exercise you will run forward or in place driving your knees much higher than usual and rebounding off the balls of your feet until you’ve completed the set number of reps.>Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Drive one knee as high as it will go and in a fast movement. Keep your back straight and your core tight.

The goal: 20 high knees per leg

3. Bottom out squats

For this warm-up you will get in your deepest squat position driving knees out, keeping your chest up and being sure to keep your feet flat on the floor and your weight evenly distributed.  Hold the very bottom of the squat position for 30 seconds and “play” in this position to find tight spots and lean into these areas to work on achieving a deeper stretch over the time allotted.

The goal: 30 seconds bottom out squat

 

The legs and glutes workout

12-minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

1. Jumping squats

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, lowering your butt until your knees are at a 90-degree angle while keeping your back straight. Explode upwards, jumping up and landing on your heels. Repeat the motion, making sure your knees don’t go past your toes.

The goal: 12 jumping squats

2. Pulse lunge walks

Works glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Step forward several feet with your right foot,and bend down until your right leg forms a 90-degree angle and your left knee almost touches the floor. Pulse one inch up and down before coming all the way up and repeating with the other leg in front. Repeat on the opposite side.

The goal: 12 pulse lunge walks per leg

3. Skaters

Starting in a standing position with feet together, jump as far as possible straight out to one side, landing on the outside foot and letting your other leg cross over behind the landing leg, lightly touching down for balance, if necessary. Reverse the movement by jumping straight out to the other side and landing on the other leg just as before.

Alternate exercise: Lateral box step overs (if you have the equipment)
For step overs you will start with one foot on the floor and one foot on a 6-8 inch box. From this position you will jump laterally landing on the floor with the foot that started on the box and bringing your foot from the floor to land on top of the box. Repeat in reverse and alternate directions to complete all reps.

The goal: 12 Skaters or Lateral Box Step Overs per leg

 

4. Shuttle run drill

Run to the 10-meter mark, touching the floor or cone, and run back to the start to complete 100 meters.

The goal: 100 meters or 10 segments

 

Ready to try our Quick 7-Move Glutes Workout? Save our printable version of the workout. Once you’ve mastered this glute workout, try our leg progression power moves.