Building strong muscles doesn’t require the use of weights. There are numerous, great bodyweight workouts that can help you build some serious strength. Incorporating bodyweight exercises into your training give you the ability to get stronger virtually anywhere.
Check out these four great glute-building bodyweight exercises for a killer lower body workout!
Evil Jump
I first learned the Evil Jump from Coach Eric Doyle at Long Beach Kettlebell Club, and it’s as awesome and challenging for your glutes and leg muscles as it sounds. Start with your feet together, and then hop out and down into a body weight squat. As you come back up from the squat, power up with your glutes and hop your feet back together. Then immediately hop into a bodyweight lunge with the left leg in front. As you come up from the lunge, power through your glutes and quads and switch the legs mid air so that you land in a bodyweight lunge with the right leg in front. Hop the feet back together to repeat the motion. To regress the movement, simply replace the jumps with steps: step out into a body weight squat, step the feet back in, and then step out to each lunge. You’ll still get the lower body muscle-building benefits by stepping out instead of jumping, but including the jumping into the movement will also get the heart rate up and will tie in a heavier cardiovascular component.
Single Leg Deadlift Isometric Hold
Single leg deadlifts are great for building up the strength in your glutes and hamstrings, but if you don’t have access to weights, holding the bottom hinge position of the single leg deadlift can provide some serious muscle strengthening benefits.
Use the handle of the kettlebell or other object in front of you for balance assistance if needed. Squeeze your glutes, hamstrings, and abs and hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side.
Fire Hydrant / Donkey Kick Combo
To fire up the glutes, try out this combination of a fire hydrant and a donkey kick. Place yourself on the ground or on a bench on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Keep your spine straight and make sure that your shoulders and wrists are in alignment and your hips and knees are in alignment. Start by bringing your right leg directly out to the side in a 90 degree bent position. You should look like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant! Squeeze your right glute at the top of the fire hydrant, then bring the leg back down to your starting position. Immediately transition into a donkey kick, in which you kick your right foot up toward the sky. Keep your foot flexed and your knee bent in this position. Focus on squeezing right at the bottom of the glute where your muscle connects to the top of your hamstring. Bring the leg back to the starting position and repeat this movement 10-20 times per side.
Horse Stance
This isometric hold will make you feel the burn in your glutes and quads!
These four simple bodyweight exercises will help you build serious strength in your glutes and entire lower body! Try them out in a circuit fashion for an awesome, do-anywhere workout!
Lauren Weiss is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor based out of Long Beach, CA. She specializes in kettlebell training and unconventional workouts and has been working with both types of fitness for over a year. Lauren has her BOLT Kettlebell Sport Certification through the USA Kettlebell League and has expertise working with kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells and several unconventional fitness tools. Lauren received her BA in Journalism and uses her writing expertise to craft thought-provoking articles about trending fitness, health & wellness topics. Follow Lauren on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
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