How can I encourage my glutes to activate?

Author: Emilie Windler  |  Last update: Thursday, October 2, 2025

The traditional Step-Up exercise forces the hip to move into a full extension, ensuring the glute muscles are firing.
  1. RESISTANCE BAND KICKBACKS. ...
  2. WALL SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE. ...
  3. HIP DROP AND LIFT. ...
  4. STABILITY BALL HIP DROP AND LIFT. ...
  5. RESISTANCE BAND HIP DROP AND LIFT. ...
  6. TOE STAB HIP RAISES. ...
  7. TOE UP HIP RAISES. ...
  8. TOE DOWN HIP SWINGS.

Why do I struggle to activate my glutes?

One of the main reasons for lack of glute activation is due to lack of hip extension. There are a lot of people who compensate for poor hip extension by leaning forward or arching their back. This can cause a lot of pain as well as increasing tightness in your hip flexors.

How do you activate dead glutes?

You can activate and strengthen the glute muscles with exercises like lateral lunges, marching glute bridges, and side-lying leg lifts. Stretching the hips and glutes can also be helpful.

How do you know if your glutes are activated?

Prone Hip Extension Test is more to determine the quality of glute activation. As stated in the video, the gluteus maximus muscle should contract before the hamstring muscle. If the order is reversed, then the person would have some degree of glute dysfunction. The other part is the quality of the contraction.

What are the symptoms of inactive glutes?

Watch out for the following symptoms to determine if you have weakness in your gluteus medius:
  • Chronic muscle pain in the joints and groin area.
  • Internal rotation of the knees.
  • Abnormal movement pattern due to weak abductor muscles.
  • Muscle tightness as the body compensates for the lack of hip stability and control.

WHY YOUR GLUTES AREN'T GROWING & How To Fix It

How can I reactivate my glutes?

Some of the best exercises for glute activation include the following:
  1. Full Extension Step-Up.
  2. Resistance Band Kickbacks.
  3. Wall Single-Leg Glute Bridges.
  4. Hip Drop and Lift.
  5. Toe Stab Hip Raises.
  6. Toe Up Hip Raises.
  7. Toe Down Hip Swings.
  8. Toe Up Hip Swings.

How to increase blood flow to buttocks?

Kneading is a technique where muscle tissues within the buttock region are pulled and squeezed. Kneading is used to improve blood flow and loosen muscle tightness. The pulling and squeezing actions performed during kneading encourages an increase in blood flow to the buttock region.

What exercise has the highest glute activation?

In general, the step-up exercise and its variations present the highest levels of GMax activation (>100% of MVIC) followed by several loaded exercises and its variations, such as deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges, and squats, that presented a very high level of GMax activation (>60% of 1RM).

How long does it take to reactivate glutes?

To activate your glutes, put together a routine that will wake them up so they perform during your workout. The routine doesn't need to be any longer than 5 minutes. An idea of what to include could be glute bridges, clams, fire hydrants and donkey kicks. This ensures you are targeting all of your gluteal muscles.

Does squeezing glutes activate them?

Researchers found that those who performed gluteal squeezes increased their hip extension—or glute—strength by 16 percent compared to an 11 percent increase in those who performed glute bridges. Gluteal girth also increased in the group who performed gluteal squeezes.

Does walking activate glutes?

Walking is a fantastic low-impact workout that can help build your glutes when you need a reprieve from lifting. Plus, anyone can do it! Remember that to get the most butt-boosting effects you'll want to properly activate your glutes, dial up the incline, and stay on top of good form.

Does sitting all day weaken glutes?

Plus when you sit for a long time, your glutes can become weak or deconditioned which leads to muscular imbalances, especially if you don't get much physical activity. Imbalances strain your glutes, making them more likely to be injured.

What causes a flat butt?

The appearance of a flat butt can be caused by several factors including: genetics, sedentary jobs or activities that require you to sit for extended periods. As you age, your butt may flatten and lose shape due to lower amounts of fat in the buttocks and loss of collagen in the skin.

How long does it take to tone glutes?

One important thing to remember is that glutes don't grow overnight. Rather, most people start seeing noticeable changes within 6-8 weeks. For others, they might notice progress around 10-12 weeks. Again, this is all based on training, diet, and - of course - body type.

How to wake up dead glutes?

4 Key Exercises to Wake Up Your Glutes
  1. Glute Bridges. Lie face up on the floor with arms by your sides, palms pushing into the floor, and knees bent with feet on the floor, feet hip-width apart. ...
  2. Rainbow Taps. ...
  3. Tabletop Hip Adduction. ...
  4. Side Plank Clamshell Thrust.

What is the best glute workout?

If you already know how to properly activate the glutes, here are the exercises I'd recommend:
  • Low Bar Squat.
  • Barbell Hip Thrust.
  • Romanian Deadlift.
  • Step Up.
  • Reverse Hyper.
  • Curtsy Lunge.
  • Sprinter Position Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats.
  • Single-Leg Hip Thrust.

Why are my glutes not activating?

“Many people have weak or inactive glutes due to sedentary lifestyles or improper training techniques,” Adrian adds. Sitting for hours generally tightens your hip flexors and lower back, and weakens the opposing muscles, your abs and glutes.

How do you treat dormant buttocks?

Bridges, planks, squats, and leg lifts may all be done while lying down to keep your glutes in the greatest shape possible. Adding a band or an ankle weight for further resistance can be advantageous in some cases. If you have to sit for a good portion of your day, at least switch things up a bit.

What are the symptoms of weak glutes?

“The first sign of gluteal weakness is generally poor posture, which will eventually lead to low back pain,” said Dunn. “Weak glutes will also cause an inability to get out of a chair without using your hands or to go down the stairs without holding onto the railings, which will eventually cause knee and hip pain.”

Why are my glutes not toning?

A person may have a flat butt because of age, genetics, glute use, or problems with glute activation. Luckily, you can add moves to your workout to help build bigger, stronger glutes. Those options include glute-focused cardio exercises, general glute-focused exercises, stretching, and unilateral movements.

What leg press position targets glutes?

5 Ways to Leg Press
  • Placing the feet higher up on the foot pad encourages the hamstrings and glutes to activate, which takes stress off the quads. ...
  • Placing the feet low on the foot pad totally shifts the stress loading pattern of the exercise onto the quads.

What foods activate your buttocks?

Best Foods for Glute Growth
  • Protein-Rich Foods: Include lean sources of protein in your diet, such as chicken breast, turkey, fish, eggs, tofu, and legumes. ...
  • Complex Carbohydrates: Opt for complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, oats, and whole-grain bread.

What drink opens up arteries?

Pomegranate juice is rich in polyphenol antioxidants, which research suggests can improve blood circulation. This juice also has nutrients, including vitamin C, which strengthens blood vessels and can improve blood flow in that way.

What is lazy bum syndrome?

Despite the funny name, Dormant Bottom Syndrome (DBS) is a real condition. It develops when your glutes, or butt muscles, lack strength, and the hip flexors – the muscles that control your hip movements – are tight. This is often the result of sitting all day behind a desk or workstation.

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