This post contains 8 glute activation exercises to help you build stronger, more engaged glutes.
A common issue I come across as a qualified personal trainer is my clients struggling to ‘feel their glutes working’ when exercising.
This refers to the all-important mind-muscle connection, that is recognised in the fitness community as a key factor in helping to maximise hypertrophy aka muscle gains.
If this frustrating problem sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
The good news? A few simple tweaks before your workout can wake those glute muscles up and get them firing properly, helping you establish that vital mind-muscle connection and paving the way to some serious glute gains!
This is where I’d like to introduce you to 8 game-changing glute activation exercises.
You’ll learn how to safely and effectively perform these movements, while also finding tips to help maximise your glute growth along the way.
If this sounds good, keep on reading!
Why Glute Activation Matters
Your glutes are more than just aesthetic muscles—they play a crucial role in posture, athletic performance, and injury prevention.
Whether you’re lifting weights, running, or even just standing for long periods, strong and engaged glutes provide stability and support for your entire body.
Glutes and Posture
Your glutes are a key component of your posterior chain (the muscles running along the back of your body). When they’re weak or inactive, your pelvis may tilt forward (anterior pelvic tilt), leading to lower back pain and poor posture. Over time, this can cause discomfort, spinal misalignment, and even an increased risk of injuries.
Glutes and Athletic Performance
From sprinting to jumping to lifting, your glutes are one of the strongest muscle groups in the body. Engaged glutes help generate power, improve speed, and enhance overall movement efficiency.
Athletes with strong glutes tend to have better endurance, improved agility, and reduced injury risk during explosive movements like squats, deadlifts, and lunges.
Injury Prevention and Muscle Compensation
Weak or inactive glutes force other muscles to compensate—especially the quads, hamstrings, and lower back. This over-reliance on surrounding muscles can lead to:
- Knee pain due to excessive strain on the quads.
- Lower back pain from improper spinal support.
- Hamstring tightness as they work overtime to assist weak glutes.
By activating your glutes before a workout, you wake them up, ensuring they take the lead in lower-body movements rather than letting other muscles overcompensate.
This reduces strain on your joints, improves exercise effectiveness, and helps prevent injuries in the long run.
Signs Your Glutes Are Not Activating Properly
If you’ve been training your lower body consistently but still don’t feel your glutes working, there’s a good chance they’re not firing the way they should. Here are some common signs that your glutes are taking a backseat during workouts:
1. You Feel Exercises More in Your Quads, Hamstrings, or Lower Back
Ever done squats or lunges and felt the burn everywhere except your glutes? This is a classic sign of muscle compensation. Instead of your glutes taking the lead, your quads, hamstrings, or even lower back are stepping in to do the work. Over time, this can lead to muscle imbalances, tightness, and even injury.
2. You Struggle to Maintain Proper Form in Glute-Dominant Exercises
Exercises like hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, and glute bridges should heavily recruit your glutes—but if you’re constantly adjusting your stance, losing balance, or experiencing lower back strain, your body is likely compensating for weak or inactive glutes. Poor activation can make these movements feel awkward or ineffective.
3. Your Glutes Aren’t Growing Despite Regular Training
You’re doing all the right exercises—squats, deadlifts, lunges—but your glutes just aren’t making progress. If other muscles are taking over, your glutes aren’t being fully stimulated, which means less muscle activation, less strength gain, and minimal growth.
💡 Now we know why it’s important and how we can recognise if our glute muscles need a little extra work to activate, let’s take a look at 8 awesome glute activation exercises to get those muscles firing properly so you can feel and see real results!
Best Glute Activation Exercises to Wake Up Your Glutes
If you’ve been struggling to feel your glutes working during lower-body workouts, glute activation exercises are the missing link.
These moves are designed to wake up your glutes, improve the mind-muscle connection, and ensure they fire properly during your main workout.
➡️ Perform 2-4 of these exercises for 2-3 rounds of 12-15 reps as part of your warm-up before your main workout.
These exercises also require little to no equipment.
However, if you want to invest in some exercise equipment to take your glute training sessions to the next level, I recommend investing in some short resistance bands and/or ankle weights. These will be especially useful if you’ll be working out at home!
1. Glute Bridges
A staple in glute activation (and a personal favourite of mine), glute bridges help isolate and fire up the glutes without involving the quads too much.
How to perform glute bridges:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Engage your core, squeeze your glutes, and press through your heels to lift your hips toward the ceiling.
- Hold at the top for a second, making sure to squeeze your glutes.
- Lower back down with control and repeat.
🔥 Make it harder: Add a resistance band above your knees or try single-leg glute bridges for extra activation!
2. Banded Clamshells
This exercise targets the glute medius, which is crucial for stability and preventing other muscles from taking over.
How to perform banded clamshells:
- Lie on your side with your knees bent at 90 degrees and a resistance band just above your knees.
- Keeping your feet together, open your top knee as wide as possible without rotating your hips.
- Slowly lower back down and repeat before switching sides.
3. Banded Lateral Walks
If your quads take over during squats and lunges, banded lateral walks will teach your glutes to engage properly.
These use short resistance bands that you can easily find for an affordable price on Amazon!
How to perform banded lateral walks:
- Place a resistance band above your knees or around your ankles.
- Lower into a slight squat position and step sideways while keeping constant tension in the band.
- Take 10–12 steps in one direction, then return to the start.
🔥 Pro tip: Avoid letting your knees cave in—press outward against the band to keep your glutes engaged.
4. Donkey Kicks
A great isolation movement to help you feel the glutes working without engaging the quads.
How to perform donkey kicks:
- Get into an all-fours position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Keeping your knee bent, lift one leg up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glute at the top.
- Lower back down without touching the floor and repeat on the other leg.
🔥 Make it harder: Add ankle weights or pause at the top for 2–3 seconds and squeeze!
5. Fire Hydrants
This exercise activates the glute medius, helping to improve hip stability and prevent knee and lower back pain.
How to perform fire hydrants:
- Start in an all-fours position with a neutral spine.
- Keeping your knee bent, lift your leg out to the side without rotating your torso.
- Lower with control and repeat before switching sides.
🔥 Pro tip: Use a resistance band around your knees for an extra challenge.
6. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
A progression from the standard glute bridge, this move ensures each glute is working independently.
This exercise is also great for resolving any unwanted imbalances within our glutes.
How to perform single-leg glute bridges:
- Lie on your back with one foot flat on the floor and the other leg extended straight.
- Press through the heel of your grounded foot to lift your hips while keeping your extended leg in line with your torso.
- Lower with control and repeat before switching sides.
🔥 Pro tip: Keep your hips level to prevent your lower back from taking over.
7. Seated Banded Abductions
If you struggle to feel your glutes in squats, seated banded abductions will help activate them beforehand.
These also happen to be one of my favourite exercises for securing a good booty pump at the end of a glute training session!
How to perform seated banded abductions:
- Sit on a bench or chair with a resistance band above your knees.
- Keep your feet flat and press your knees outward against the band.
- Return to the start and repeat.
8. Hip Thrust Holds
A simple yet effective isometric exercise that improves glute activation by increasing time under tension.
How to perform hip thrust holds:
- Sit with your upper back against a bench and a barbell or weight across your hips (optional).
- Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line.
- Hold this position for 20–30 seconds, squeezing your glutes as hard as possible.
- Lower back down and repeat.
How to Incorporate These Exercises Into Your Routine
Now that you know the best glute activation exercises, the next step is figuring out how to fit them into your workout routine for the best results. Glute activation doesn’t have to take long, but doing it consistently and correctly can make a huge difference in how well your glutes engage during workouts.
Recommended Sets and Reps Before a Workout
Glute activation works best as a warm-up before lower-body sessions. The goal is to wake up the muscles without fatiguing them before your main workout.
✔️Choose 2–4 exercises from the list above.
✔️Perform 2–3 rounds of each exercise.
✔️Aim for 12–15 reps per exercise (or 20–30 seconds for holds).
✔️ Use slow, controlled movements to maximize engagement.
Example Glute Activation Circuit
- Glute Bridges – 15 reps
- Banded Lateral Walks – 12 steps in each direction
- Donkey Kicks – 12 reps per leg
- Hip Thrust Holds – 30 seconds
Repeat for 2-3 rounds.
This should take 5–10 minutes max—enough to activate your glutes without tiring them out before your workout!
Additional Tips for Better Glute Engagement
Glute activation exercises are a great start, but if you’re still struggling to feel your glutes firing during workouts, a few simple tweaks can make all the difference. Here’s how to maximize glute engagement and stop letting other muscles take over during your main workout.
1. Prioritize Slow, Controlled Movements
Rushing through exercises reduces muscle activation and allows stronger muscles (like the quads or lower back) to dominate. Instead, focus on slow and controlled reps, emphasizing the mind-muscle connection.
✔️ Lift with control, especially in the eccentric phase (lowering part).
✔️ Pause at peak contraction (e.g., hold the top of a glute bridge for 2–3 seconds).
✔️ Slow down the eccentric phase of the movement (where your muscles are lengthening)- for example, count 4-5 when lowering into a squat.
2. Use Proper Breathing Techniques
Breathing isn’t just for relaxation—it plays a crucial role in glute activation and core stability. Proper breathing helps you brace your core, preventing your lower back from compensating.
✔️ Inhale during the eccentric (lowering) phase.
✔️ Exhale and engage your core as you lift (e.g., at the top of a hip thrust or squat).
3. Optimize Foot Placement for Better Engagement
Your foot positioning can make or break your glute activation in certain exercises.
- Too much pressure on the toes? Your quads are likely taking over.
- Feet too far forward in hip thrusts? Your hamstrings might do more work than your glutes.
✔️ For squats and lunges – Focus on driving through the heels and midfoot rather than the toes.
✔️ For hip thrusts and glute bridges – Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart, with shins vertical at the top of the movement (see diagram below).
4. Maintain Proper Posture and Pelvic Positioning
Your pelvic alignment directly affects how well your glutes engage during exercises. If your pelvis tilts forward (anterior pelvic tilt), your lower back will compensate instead of your glutes.
✔️ Tuck your pelvis slightly under during hip thrusts and squats.
✔️ Avoid overarching your lower back, especially in glute bridges and hip thrusts.
✔️ Keep your ribs down and core engaged to prevent excessive spinal extension.
Before starting a hip thrust, do a posterior pelvic tilt (tuck your hips under) and squeeze your glutes—this will instantly improve activation!
FAQ: Best Glute Activation Exercises
The best exercise for glute activation is the glute bridge because it directly targets the glutes, improves the mind-muscle connection, and helps prevent quad or lower back compensation.
Other great glute activation exercises include banded lateral walks, hip thrust holds, and clamshells.
Glute activation shouldn’t take too long- 5 to 10 minutes is enough. Aim for 2–4 exercises, performing 2–3 rounds of 12–15 reps each. The key is to feel your glutes firing before moving on to your main workout. If they’re still not engaged, add an extra round or tweak your form.
Yes! Resistance bands are one of the best tools for glute activation because they add constant tension, forcing your glutes to work harder. Exercises like banded clamshells, lateral walks, and seated abductions are especially effective.
However, bodyweight movements like glute bridges and donkey kicks can also activate your glutes without bands.
If you feel squats, lunges, or hip thrusts more in your quads than your glutes, it could be due to poor glute activation, incorrect foot placement, or incorrect pelvic positioning (an anterior pelvic tilt causing your lower back to overarch) can prevent proper glute engagement.
To fix this, try focusing on glute activation drills before training, drive through your heels, and slightly tuck your pelvis during glute-dominant movements.
You don’t need to do glute activation every day, but if you struggle to engage your glutes, adding 5–10 minutes of activation work on rest days or before upper-body sessions can be helpful. If your glutes are already well-activated, stick to doing it before lower-body workouts to avoid overworking them.
If you’ve been activating your glutes but still don’t feel them engaging, try these tips:
1. Slow down your reps – Move with control and pause at the top of each exercise.
2. Check your form – Small adjustments like foot positioning, pelvic tilt, or core engagement can make a huge difference.
3. Increase resistance – Use stronger bands or ankle weights to add more challenge.
4. Mind-muscle connection – Actively squeeze your glutes throughout each rep instead of just going through the motions.
If all else fails, record yourself performing exercises to analyze your form or consider working with a personal trainer to spot potential issues.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been struggling to feel your glutes working, now you know why glute activation is a game-changer!
By properly waking up your glutes before training, you’ll increase strength, improve workout performance, prevent injuries, and enhance muscle growth—all while ensuring your lower back and quads aren’t doing all the work.
The key is consistency. Make glute activation drills a non-negotiable part of your warm-up, focus on proper form and controlled movements, and over time, you’ll notice stronger, more engaged glutes that fire up exactly when they should.
💬 I’d love to hear about your glute training journey! Have you tried glute activation before? What exercises work best for you? Drop a comment below and share an update about how your training is going.
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