“Speed walking and power walking absolutely help build glute strength,” says Matty. However, incline is a crucial factor if you want to have the greatest impact on glute recruitment. “Walking on an incline maximizes your glute activation,” he says. “The hill is your friend.”
The best “cardio” machine for the glutes is the stair-climber. If your gym doesn't have one, go for the stepper machine.
Walking or running on a flat treadmill primarily works your lower body muscles. But, including incline training may benefit endurance and muscle-building because, as Harvard Health reports, it “generates more muscle activity than walking or running on a flat surface, since you work against gravity.”
For Toning: If your primary goal is to tone your glutes and lower body, the StairMaster may be more effective. However, if you want a more balanced workout that also improves endurance and includes upper body movement (if you use handrails), the incline treadmill is a great choice.
When hill training, the angle of the hill takes some edge off the hamstring requirement, and allows athletes to hone in on building glutes, due to the overall speed of movement, and direction of the swing leg.
Together, they contribute to 4 primary motions: hip extension, hip abduction, hip external rotation, and posterior pelvic tilt. If you want to maximize the development of your glutes, you should incorporate these five categories of exercises: Squats, Lunges, Split Squats, Step Ups (and other similar exercises)
Running uphill activates the posterior chain of your body, meaning you work your glutes, hamstrings, and calves much more than you would at little to no incline. When you activate more muscles, you burn more calories.
Walking or jogging on an incline can develop endurance and some strength in your legs, but nowhere close to the size and strength that you would get from squats.
"[The 12-3-30 workout] is an easy formula to remember," says Floyd-Jones. "It only takes 30 minutes, and while it is challenging because of the incline and duration, it is simply walking—which is attractive to those who don't enjoy running or who are unable to run." Is Walking a Good Enough Form of Exercise?
“Speed walking and power walking absolutely help build glute strength,” says Matty. However, incline is a crucial factor if you want to have the greatest impact on glute recruitment. “Walking on an incline maximizes your glute activation,” he says. “The hill is your friend.”
The benefits of incline walking are numerous. Walking along hills (or on an incline treadmill) can increase cardiovascular health, build muscle, and burn calories. An incline workout makes your body work harder than it does on smooth ground since you're working against gravity and propelling yourself upward.
Walking for 30 minutes burns about 125 calories for a 150-pound person — and adding an incline will increase that calorie burn. So with healthy diet changes, the 12-3-30 workout has the potential to burn the calories needed for steady, gradual weight loss.
Treadmill
Walking or running at an incline is one of the simplest ways to activate your glutes. Aim for a 10-15% incline to get the best results. To add variation, try brisk walking and transition into intervals of running.
The primary benefits of an incline treadmill workout include that it: Targets different muscles. Additionally, incline walking targets different muscle groups in your legs, such as your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves – making it an effective way to tone and strengthen these areas.
It can lead to early fatigue and overexertion, which might discourage continued exercise. It's essential for users to assess their fitness levels and start with a manageable incline. Potential for poor posture: Maintaining proper posture on an incline is more challenging.
It also engages every major muscle in your lower body - glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs and calves to exercise and thus tones your body better.
Aerobic exercise includes any activity that raises your heart rate such as walking, dancing, running or swimming. This can also include doing housework, gardening and playing with your children. Other types of exercise such as strength training, Pilates and yoga can also help you lose belly fat.
Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily habits, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.
Using the best gym machines, like the hip thrust machine, leg press machine, and Smith machine, is key to really targeting those glute muscles and getting the most out of your workouts.