Forget Squats — Strengthen Your Glutes and Get Stronger with 3 Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Why strong glutes are the key to getting rid of knee and back pain.
• How to properly perform the three golden exercises for the lower body without special equipment.
• Secret techniques from Caroline Idiens that’ll make your workouts twice as effective.
• How many times a week you need to train to see real results.

Our glutes aren’t just about aesthetics. They’re the largest muscles in our body and, without exaggeration, some of the most important. Maintaining their strength is critical for both ordinary daily activities, like walking or climbing stairs, and active sports: running, cycling, or weight training. As a health and fitness specialist, I often observe that people underestimate the role of the gluteal muscles until they encounter their first discomfort.

As we age, many of us begin to feel pain in the back, knees, or hips. This significantly affects the quality of life and the ability to engage in favorite activities. Glute exercises help stabilize the knees, hips, and ankles, and also strengthen the core, which further protects the neck and spine. “Strong glutes, hamstrings, and quads are essential for supporting the hips and knees, ensuring a powerful stride, and protecting the lower back,” explains Caroline Idiens, personal trainer and fitness expert for longevity.

Why Glutes Are Your Main Engine

If you’re into running or hiking, you have even more reasons to focus on this area. The gluteal muscles are one of the primary “engines” during running, responsible for hip extension and forward movement. When they’re weak or inactive, runners often compensate using the lower back or hamstrings, which inevitably leads to injuries. Activating and strengthening the glutes helps stabilize the pelvis and improves the power of every step.

Fortunately, you can work on this area with weights or your own body weight. This means training is available to you anywhere in the world — at home, in a hotel, or in a park. Caroline Idiens, author of the bestseller Fit at 50, highlighted three key exercises that’ll help you reach your goal. She advises performing this circuit two to three times a week for steady progress and health reinforcement.

1. Glute Bridge

If you’ve attended Pilates at least once, this exercise should be very familiar. The glute bridge is a wonderful tool for improving glute strength, hamstrings, and core muscles. I like this exercise for its versatility: once you master the basic technique, the intensity can be easily increased. For example, by squeezing a Pilates ball between your thighs or using an elastic resistance band around your legs.

Performance technique:

• Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet hip-width apart.
• Lift your hips off the floor, pushing them upward, and squeeze your glutes as hard as possible at the top.
• Slowly lower your back and hips to the starting position.
• Try to keep your body in a straight line during the lift.
• Complete three sets of 12–15 repetitions.

2. Romanian Deadlift

Caroline notes that the Romanian deadlift is perfect for simultaneously strengthening the hamstrings and glutes. For runners, it’s a real must-have because the exercise protects against hamstring strains and knee issues. The main secret here is to feel the load specifically in the glutes, not the lower back. To do this, you need to push your hips back as if you’re trying to turn off a light switch on the wall behind you with your glutes.

How to properly perform the Romanian deadlift:

• Stand tall, square your shoulders, chest up. Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs.
• Slightly bend your knees and start leaning forward, pushing your pelvis back. The dumbbells should glide along your legs, and your back stays perfectly flat.
• When your torso is parallel to the floor and you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh, use your hip strength to return to a vertical position.
• Do three sets of 8–10 repetitions.
• For progress, once you confidently master the movement, be sure to use weights — dumbbells or a kettlebell.

3. Split Squats

Split squats, often called lunges, might not be the favorite exercise for many, but their effectiveness for the glutes and quads is undeniable. Caroline included them in her list because they’re critical for knee stability. This is the foundation for those who walk a lot, run, or go hiking in the mountains. Additionally, split squats excellently develop balance and coordination.

Instructions for performance:

• Take a step forward with one leg and backward with the other, assuming a lunge position.
• Lower your back knee toward the floor, keeping your torso straight and your front knee directly over your toes.
• Push through the heel of your front foot to return to the starting standing position.
• If you want to add intensity, hold dumbbells in your hands.

Advice from MODISTA

• Always start with a warm-up: 5 minutes of active movement will prepare your muscles and joints for the load.
• Watch your breathing: exhale at the moment of greatest effort (for example, while lifting in a glute bridge).
• Don’t rush: quality of execution and the feeling of muscle work are much more important than the number of reps.

Which of these workouts seems most challenging to you, and which is your favorite? Share this article with a friend who could also use a boost of energy and health!

ℹ️ REFERENCE

Caroline Idiens is a well-known British fitness trainer and expert specializing in training programs for women aged 40+. She’s the author of the popular book Fit at 50 and the founder of an online training platform that helps thousands of people stay in shape and maintain spinal health. More professional tips and programs can be found on her official resource 🌐.