When people talk about “switching on” their glutes, they usually mean one muscle: gluteus maximus. It is the largest of the three gluteal muscles and a major contributor to hip extension, which is why bridges, hip thrusts and leg lifts feature so heavily in glute workouts.
But your glutes are a team, not a single muscle. Gluteus medius and gluteus minimus help control the pelvis, move the hip out to the side and contribute to rotation. Beneath them is a group of smaller hip external rotators, including piriformis, the obturators, the gemelli and quadratus femoris. Together, these muscles help control the position of the thigh and pelvis when you walk, climb stairs, squat, run or balance on one leg.
“Lazy glutes” is not a medical diagnosis, and the muscles have not usually switched off. It is a useful shorthand for a more complex problem: the muscles may not be contracting strongly enough, recruiting at the right time, co-ordinating well with the rest of the body or tolerating the load being placed on them. Other muscles may then dominate the movement, making it difficult to feel the intended muscles working or maintain good hip, knee and pelvic control.
That is why doing more hip thrusts is not always the complete answer. Hip extension matters, but so do external rotation, abduction and single-leg control.
These three exercises are deliberately entry-level. They are designed for people starting out, returning from injury or dealing with weakness and poor muscular control. The clam trains external rotation, the prone leg lift targets gluteus maximus through hip extension, and the one-leg wall sit introduces abductor and external-rotator control in a weight-bearing position. The aim is to improve contraction, co-ordination and strength before progressing to heavier resistance, larger movements, faster speeds and more demanding strength or power exercises.
Exercise 1: The clam
What it targets
The clam trains hip external rotation — the action of rotating the thigh outwards.
Many people describe the clam simply as a “glute exercise”, but it is better understood as an exercise for the hip external-rotation system. This includes contributions from the gluteal muscles and the smaller external rotators located deeper around the back of the hip.
It is a useful entry-level exercise for someone who has weakness, has difficulty deliberately contracting these muscles or loses hip and knee control during more demanding movements.
How to perform it
1) Lie on your side with your hips and knees bent and your feet together.
2) Position your shoulders, hips and pelvis so they are stacked vertically.
3) Gently brace your abdominal muscles to keep your lower back and pelvis still.
4) TOP TIP: Squeeze your heels together first before moving, to get more glute recruitment and contraction.
5) Then clench your buttocks together to effectively ‘squeezing your glutes” to raise the knee towards the ceiling.
6) Keep focusing on the heel and glute squeeze more than the thigh raise.
7) Pause briefly at the top and concentrate on the muscular contraction.
8) Lower the knee slowly and with control.
How much should you do?
Start with 10 to 12 controlled repetitions on each side for two to three sets.
Begin without a resistance band if the movement is difficult. A light band can be placed above the knees once you can complete the exercise without losing your pelvic position.
What should you feel?
You should feel the muscles around the back and outer part of the hip working. You should not feel sharp pain in the hip, groin, knee or lower back.
Common mistake
Do not roll your body backwards to lift the knee higher. A smaller movement performed with good control is more useful than a large movement created by twisting the pelvis.
Exercise 2: Prone leg lift
What it targets
The prone leg lift targets gluteus maximus through hip extension — the action of moving the thigh backwards.
Gluteus maximus is the largest gluteal muscle and plays an important role in movements such as standing up, climbing stairs, running, jumping and lifting.
This entry-level exercise teaches you to produce hip extension by contracting gluteus maximus without relying excessively on your hamstrings or arching your lower back.
How to perform it
1) Lie face down with both legs straight.
2) Rest your forehead on your hands so your neck can remain relaxed.
3) Gently tighten your abdominal muscles and keep your pelvis in a neutral position so you are not arching your back.
4) Contract the buttock muscle on one side before beginning the movement.
5) Keeping your knee straight and your kneecap facing the floor, lift the leg a small distance.
6) Stop before your lower back arches or your pelvis rotates.
7) Pause for one to two seconds before slowly returning the leg to the floor.
8) Repeat on the opposite side.
How much should you do?
Perform 10 to 12 repetitions on each side for two or three sets.
The leg only needs to lift a short distance. The purpose is to achieve a deliberate gluteus maximus contraction, not to lift the foot as high as possible.
What should you feel?
You should feel the main contraction in the buttock. Some hamstring activity is normal, but the exercise should not be dominated by discomfort or tension in your lower back.
Common mistake
Lifting the leg too high often causes the lower back to arch. Reduce the height, gently brace your trunk and think about squeezing the buttock before your foot leaves the floor.
Exercise 3: One-leg wall sit
What it targets
The one-leg wall sit introduces hip abduction and external-rotation control in a standing position, with an emphasis on gluteus medius and the surrounding hip muscles.
These muscles help control the pelvisnd keep the thigh and knee aligned when your weight is supported on one leg. This is important during walking, running, stair climbing, lunging and many sporting movements.
Although this exercise remains relatively low level, it is more functional than the first two because it asks the hip muscles to work while supporting body weight.
How to perform it
1) Stand side-on to a wall, close enough for the knee nearest the wall to make contact with it.
2) Lift the leg closest to the wall and bend the hip and knee.
3) Press the outside of the lifted knee gently but firmly into the wall.
4) Balance on the outside leg.
5) Bend your standing hip and knee slightly, moving into a shallow one-leg squat or wall-sit position.
6) Keep your pelvis level and your standing knee pointing over the middle of your foot.
7) Maintain pressure into the wall while holding the position.
8) Keep breathing normally throughout the exercise.
How much should you do?
Start by holding the position for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat it two or three times on each side.
As your control and endurance improve, gradually build towards squatting and performing 8-12 movements per set.
What should you feel?
You should feel muscular effort around the outer hip and buttock of the standing leg. Both hips are contributing, but the standing-side gluteus medius has an important role in keeping your pelvis, thigh and knee controlled.
Common mistake
Do not allow the standing knee to collapse inward or the pelvis to drop or rotate. Reduce the depth of the wall sit if you cannot maintain your alignment.
These exercises are a starting point — not the finish line
These three movements are intended to establish muscle contraction, neuromuscular co-ordination and a base level of strength.
They are appropriate for beginners, people returning from an injury and those who cannot yet perform harder exercises with good technique. However, they should not remain the entire program once they become easy.
When you can complete them comfortably, without pain and without compensating through your pelvis, knee or lower back, you should progressively increase the challenge.
The next stage may include:
•Bridges and weighted hip thrusts for stronger hip extension
•Resisted side steps for the hip abductors and external rotators
•Squats, step-ups and split squats
•Lunges and single-leg squats
•Dead lifts and single-leg Romanian dead lifts
Running, jumping and sport-specific exercises where appropriate
Muscles become stronger when they are gradually exposed to greater resistance and more demanding tasks. These entry-level exercises help establish the control required to perform those harder movements effectively.
Safety advice
These exercises should create muscular effort or fatigue, but they should not produce sharp or increasing pain.
Anyone with a recent injury or operation, substantial weakness, balance difficulties or persistent hip, knee or back pain should seek individual advice from a Physiotherapist or other appropriately qualified health professional before beginning a new exercise program.
Tim Keeley, B.Phty, Cred. MDT, APAM, is the founder and Principal Physiotherapist of Physio Fitness, a sports injury and rehabilitation clinic established in Bondi Junction, Sydney, in 2007. With more than 25 years of clinical experience and over 20,000 treatments performed, Tim specialises in sports, fitness and post-operative rehabilitation.
He is also the founder of Physio Rehab, an online platform providing structured injury and surgery rehabilitation programs, professional courses and an extensive exercise video library to people worldwide. His Physiotherapy and exercise content is followed by nearly 300,000 YouTube subscribers.