Glute Butt Exercises That Vanish Lower Back Pain

Butt Exercises That Vanish Lower Back Pain A strong butt supports the rest of your body.

Glute exercises with stability ball for Vanishing Lower Back Pain

Sitting at a desk all day is a pain in the butt—literally. Though you may be hard at work, your glute muscles aren’t working at all, and over time, they become weaker and elongated. In turn, the body “turns off” the glutes and begins relying on stronger muscles nearby—like those in your lower back and surrounding your knees—to pick up the slack. The bad news is that the extra stress on these body parts makes them more susceptible to injury.

To help you ward off knee and back pain, learning to activate, or “wake up” your glute muscles is key. And this quick routine can help you do just that! All you need is a stability ball (like a 65 cm Trideer anti-burst stability ball) and just a couple of spare minutes. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, and incorporate them into your workout routine two to three times a week.

1. Marching

Start on your back and bring both feet on top of your stability ball, hip-distance apart.

Press your arms into the ground at your sides to stay balanced and stable as you lift your backside up and off the floor.

Keeping your pelvis stable, float one leg up into a tabletop position. Now, with your core pulled in, switch to the other side at your own speed. Repeat.

MORE: 6 Stretches You Must Do If You're Stuck Sitting All Day

2. Footwork

Still lying on your back with your feet on the ball, bring your heels together and turn your toes out.

Press your arms and feet down as you lift your backside up and engage your glute muscles. Hold here for a few seconds, and then press your legs out long in front you without letting your heels pop apart or your backside drop down.

Use your hamstrings and glutes to pull the ball back in towards you without losing your form. Keep your arms extended and flat on the mat. This helps stabilize the pelvis, so you don’t tense your neck or shoulders as you perform the exercise. (If your shoulders are tight, do this 4-minute stretch routine.)

3. Single Leg Footwork

Bring your legs into a parallel position on the ball and place the heels hip-distance apart, keeping the knees bent.

Lift your backside up and off the floor. Carefully, without dropping your pelvis, lift one leg up into a tabletop position.

Maintaining your form and alignment, push the ball away from you with your one leg, then pull it back in to your start position. Keep your pelvis stable and lifted the whole time. Repeat on the other leg.

There are a lot of moves known to tone your tush: squats, stairs, lunges, kick backs, and hip bridges, just to name a few! But when scientists hooked up EMG sensors to test how intensely butt muscles fire in moves such as these, some scored better than others. When you have limited time and perking up the caboose is a priority, your go-to move matters.

Outstanding butt-firming exercises are those that primarily target the gluteus maximus—the biggest, strongest muscle in your butt and the strongest part of your body—but also engage the smaller side-butt muscles. (Try this 8-week butt makeover challenge that only takes 10 minutes a day.) A good way to gauge if a move is a superstar strength exercise for your gluteus maximus is to ask yourself the following questions:

After 10 reps: “Do I feel some fatigue?”

After 15 reps: “Do I feel quite a bit of fatigue?”

At 20 reps: “Do I need a break?”

If it’s a yes on all three, you have a good move with an appropriate amount of resistance.

Here's how to do the perfect lunge:

The best exercise to maximize your gluteus maximus is Forward Step-Ups. This move recruits far more glutes than quadriceps and can be done anywhere with just a stool, box, bench, or step. Higher is not always better when it comes to selecting your equipment. A bench that's too high could hurt your knees. About 12-14 inches is a great step height for most women.

(Customize your own walking plan with Walk Your Way to Better Health and lose up to 5x more belly fat!)

Try 20 repetitions on each leg, using the “strength test” described above. If that set doesn't meet the fatigue parameters, try adding a set of 15-pound dumbbells or full jugs of laundry detergent for the following set.

How To Do Forward Step-Ups:

Stand behind a 12-14” step. Place your right foot completely on the top (no heel hanging off the back). Hold your core muscles tight and keep your spine erect. Gaze straight ahead.

Lift your left foot up to meet your right, keeping most of your body weight on the right. Be sure, as you lift, to keep your knees facing forward (do not turn your right knee in). Hold momentarily at the top, then lower your left foot back down to the ground.

Repeat, taking your left foot up/down 20 repetitions, then switch legs for 20 on the other side.

Take a brief recovery, grab weights (if needed), then perform a second set of 20 on each side.

Perform this Forward Step-Ups routine every other day, not only to perk up your booty, but also to keep your hips healthy and strong.