Welcome to Modify This Move, a series that will provide you with all the information you need to modify a common exercise to suit your needs, your body, and your mood. Each tale explains a fundamental fitness action in detail before offering a variety of variations based on your current level of fitness or energy, any current or past ailments, or the muscles you wish to focus on the most. So leave your ego at the door and make sure every workout is appropriate for where you are right now.
Your hips are likely flexed for the most of the day as a result of sitting at a computer, lounging on the couch, and driving. Your hip flexors probably feel like a rubber band that is about to break as a result.
According to Joanna Castro , a New York-based NASM-certified personal trainer and certified functional strength coach, performing glute bridges, in which you lie on your back, press your feet into the ground, and extend your hips upward toward the ceiling, can help counteract all the flexion you subject your hips to on a regular basis. In turn, she continues, “it helps make daily life more comfortable.”
Glute bridges assist develop your glutes, hamstrings, pelvic floor, as well as your core, which serves to keep you stable during the action, in addition to stretching your hip flexors, according to Castro. another benefit? There are several modifications to the standard workout, so you can choose the lower-body action that best suits your unique capabilities, requirements, and fitness objectives.
Try a toned-down glute bridge variety, for instance, with less bells and whistles if you want to concentrate on improving your form or get it back on track if you’ve established any questionable habits. You can also use specific glute bridge variations to focus on the muscles you typically ignore or want to work particularly hard that day, such the hamstrings or glutes. A glute bridge variant might help you restore muscular balance if you discover that one side of your body is noticeably stronger than the other. Whatever your circumstance, you should feel free to adjust, improve, or advance the OG exercise to fit where you are right now.
Are you prepared to put the exercise to the test? Once you’ve mastered the standard glute bridge, refer to the directions below to see Castro change it up with seven alternative versions that are suitable for people of all fitness levels and talents.
A GLUTE BRIDGE’S PROCEDURE A. Knees should be bent, feet should be flat and hip-width apart, and arms should be at sides with palms facing down.
B. Exhale and lift the hips off the floor by slowly pushing with both heels while maintaining a tight core and tucked tailbone. As high as you can without letting the lower back arch, raise the hips.
C. After taking a breath, slowly descend each vertebra of the hips back to the floor.
Don’t worry if the conventional glute bridge doesn’t seem to work for you after giving it a shot. Try using a different glute bridge variant that’s as hard (or relaxing) as you want it to be and moves you one step closer to accomplishing your goals rather than forcing yourself to remain with the traditional motion.
Here are some glute bridge variations that you may use to adjust the difficulty of the exercise, including two that can be done with or without equipment. Castro also offers alternate ways to work your hamstrings and glutes as well as versions of the glute bridge that can help rectify muscular imbalances. Whatever you decide, keep listening to your body as you push through your reps. If something doesn’t feel right, try a different activity.
ELEVATED GLUTE BRIDGE: A GLUTE BRIDGE VARIATION FOR LEVELING UP This glute bridge variation is effectively a hip thrust because you’ll rest your shoulders against a sturdy, 14-inch-tall item (like a plyo box or bench) as opposed to the floor. Due to the elevation, it takes your hips a longer time to completely stretch, which increases the strength challenge and makes the exercise “extra exciting and spicy,” according to Castro.
A. Kneel down on the floor with your feet placed hip-width apart, your arms crossed in front of your chest, and your center of shoulder blades resting against a bench or box.
B. To return to the beginning posture, contract your glutes, push through your heels, and extend your hips to the ceiling while maintaining a flat lower back, chin tucked, and forward-gaze. The body should create a straight line from the shoulders to the knees, with the knees aligned with the heels and bent at 90-degree angles.
C. Slowly lower your hips two to three inches off the ground while maintaining a level lower back and strong knees. Once the body creates a straight line from the shoulders to the knees, push through the heels and elevate the hips to return to the beginning position.
This glute bridge version is especially helpful if you’re a beginner trying to solidify the right technique and core engagement before moving on to more complex exercise options, according to Castro. She says that to execute the motion correctly, visualize pouring soup out of your hips with each inhalation. Then, on each exhalation, bring your hips back to neutral to stop the flow. It’s a slight action, but when you do it while breathing properly and pour the soup out, she claims that people experience a pelvic tilt.
A. Kneel down on the floor with your feet flat and hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
B. Draw the navel toward the spine while inhaling to tilt the pelvis.
C. Engage your core and press your low back into the ground as you exhale.
GLUTE BRIDGE VARIATION TO BUILD STRENGTH: GLUTE BRIDGE WITH WEIGHTS According to Castro, one of the simplest ways to advance a glute bridge and grow muscle is by adding a weight, such as a dumbbell or a kettlebell. Additionally, she adds, doing this glute bridge variation regularly will provide you the strength you need to complete daily tasks (like picking up a heavy object off the floor) successfully and effectively. ICYDK, if your glutes are weak, you may compensate with other muscles (such your hamstrings or quads) during activities, which can ultimately result in damage. Your glutes also help support your pelvis and maintain the appropriate operation of your lower body.
A. Lie faceup on the floor with a dumbbell resting across your hips, your knees bent, and your feet flat and hip-width apart. With hands, grasp the dumbbell’s ends.
Holding the top of each bridge for three to five seconds will help you extend your time under tension, or the period of time your muscles are contracting against an external resistance. GLUTE BRIDGE WITH ISOMETRIC HOLD In result, this glute bridge exercise can promote tendon health, muscular growth, and strength without the use of additional resistance. According to Castro, holding your muscles for a long time might activate them if your weight alternatives are limited. It’s frequently much tougher than it appears to be.
A. Knees should be bent, feet should be flat and hip-width apart, and arms should be at sides with palms facing down.
C. three to five seconds of holding. Then, gradually drop each vertebra back to the floor as you inhale.
HAMSTRINGS: WALK-OUT GLUTE BRIDGE Walking your heels out while holding a glute bridge will activate the hamstrings, which are located on the back of your thighs and are in charge of flexing your knee and extending your hip. As you do this, keep an eye on your form and core. You will feel it in your lower back if you walk your heels too far and lose core stability and are unable to maintain good form, according to Castro. When you walk your feet out at the top of the exercise, you should lessen your steps or take fewer steps if you have any back pain.
C. Step out with your left foot first, then your right, placing your complete weight on your heels. Without allowing your lower back to arch, take as many steps as you can while switching your feet.
D. Lower your toes to the ground after slowly walking your feet back until your ankles and knees are in line. After taking a breath, slowly descend each vertebra of the hips back to the floor.
Give this glute bridge variation a try if you want your bottom to ache very bad. GLUTE BRIDGE VARIATION TO ISOLATE THE GLUTES: FROG PUMP Frog pumps stimulate the glutes more than traditional exercises since the bottoms of your feet are compressed together as opposed to lying flat on the ground, according to Castro.
A. Knees should be bent, and your arms should be at your sides with your palms facing down. Bring the bottoms of the feet together after bending knees out to the side and to the floor.
SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE IS A GLUTE BRIDGE VARIATION TO IMPROVE MUSCLE IMBALANCES Although minor muscle imbalances are completely normal and expected (you do have a dominant side to your body, after all), Castro advises that more pronounced imbalances should be corrected because they can increase the risk of injury. And she claims that’s why training just one side of the body at a time with the single-leg glute bridge might be helpful. Furthermore, she continues, “because you’re on one foot, your core needs to work a little harder to stable it’s simple to transfer your weight to one side or the other.”
A. Knees should be bent, feet should be flat and hip-width apart, and arms should be at sides with palms facing down. Raise the right foot off the ground, bringing the right knee up toward the hips.
B. Exhale and steadily push through both heels to raise the hips off the floor while maintaining a tight core, a tucked tailbone, and an elevated right foot. As high as you can without letting the lower back arch, raise the hips.
Model and fitness expert: Joanna Castro Hair and makeup: Tee Chavez Activewear: Girlfriend Collective Workout bench: Ignite by SPRI Photography: Anthony Cunanan Art direction: Jenna Brillhart
