Workout of the week: 25-min functional glute workout

ALLY NJAMA

Personal trainer at EVO Fitness in Bern

Ally is a former professional boxer and a former natural bodybuilder. He specializes in correcting and treating muscle imbalances, which cause pain and a limited range of motion. Ally has over 20 years of experience as a personal trainer and will help you achieve any personal fitness goal.

Follow him on Instagram: @njama3

Book a PT session: [email protected]

25-MIN GLUTE WORKOUT

ALL LEVELS / glute workout / 25 minutes

Equipment: Barbell, gym benches & dumbbells

Having firm buttocks is more than just an aesthetical appealing trait. In fact, your glutes help you tremendously with the most simple movements such as walking, climbing stairs or running. Additionally, modern society’s desk jobs make us sit on our buttocks for long periods, meaning we must go the extra mile to keep our glutes healthy and active.

That’s exactly what Ally Njama, our personal trainer from EVO Bern in Switzerland, is giving you today: a 25-minute glute workout consisting of 4 fundamental exercises to fire up those particular muscles. In the past, Ally has also brought us a full-body workout for strength and mobility and a 30-minute total core workout. Make sure to check them out!

Each exercise needs to be performed for 10 times for 4 sets. Rest time between sets is 1 minute.

1. Barbell hip thrust
2. Elevated hip thrust
3. Goblet squat
4. Bulgarian split squat

Ready? Let’s torch those glutes!

WORKOUT SETUP

• 4 exercises
• 10 reps each exercise
• 4 sets
• 25 minutes
• Equipment: Barbell, gym benches & dumbbells

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

If you don’t have the equipment originally needed for this workout, you can substitute it with these everyday items or use these alternative exercises.

Alternative equipment 

• Barbell = a broom handle with a gym bag with weights on it
• Gym benches = two stable chairs
• Dumbbells = water bottles filled with water and / or sand

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

1 – BARBELL HIP THRUST

10 reps, 4 sets

• Sit on the ground with a bench behind you, bending your knees, feet planted on the ground.
• Hold a barbell and let it rest above your hips.
• If possible, use a padded bar or slip something soft between the bar and your body.  It will make the exercise more comfortable.
• Lean back, so your shoulders are on the bench and position the bar above your hips. 
• Drive your hips up, lifting the bar. In the top position, your knees should be bent at 90-degree angle, and your shoulders should be near the top of the bench, with your body forming a straight line between them.
• Pause at the top of the lift and squeeze your glutes, then lower your hips slowly.  

2 – ELEVATED HIP THRUST

10 reps, 4 sets

• Place two benches approximately 60 to 90 centimetres apart from each other.
• Place your upper mid-back and shoulders on one bench, arms extended to the sides or with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle and pressed into the bench.  
• Make sure your feet are elevated on the other bench and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. 
• Raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders by pressing your feet into the bench while keeping your core engaged. 
• Squeeze your glutes hard and hold for 4 seconds. Slowly lower them back towards the floor. 

Tip: To make this hip thrust more advanced, tuck one knee towards your chest as your press off with the other foot.

3 – GOBLET SQUAT

10 reps, 4 sets

• Stand tall and hold a dumbbell vertically, putting your hands below the top of the weight. 
• Place the dumbbell against your chest and keep it there throughout the whole movement. 
• Squat, keeping your core tight and back upright. 
• Get back up, placing the strength on your feet during the movement.
• Repeat. 

4 – Bulgarian Split Squat

10 reps, 4 sets

• Find yourself a step, bench or any other contraption that you can rest a foot on. It needs to be about knee height.
• Get into a forward lunge position with torso upright, core braced and hips square to your body, with your back foot elevated on the bench. Your leading leg should be half a meter or so in front of the bench.
• Lower until your front thigh is almost horizontal, keeping your knee in line with your foot. Don’t let your front knee pass beyond your toes.
• Drive up through your front foot back to the starting position, again keeping your movements controlled.
• Repeat 10 times then swap to the other leg.

Now that we’ve performed this functional glute workout, it’s time we check some more workouts:

• Dumbbell lower body workout
• Functional full-body workout
• 20-min stability workout
• 20-min abs and core workout
• 30-min total core workout
• 30-min upper body workout
• 12-min kettlebell mobility flow
• 16-min EMOM workout
• Full-body Yoga tone workout
• Full-body workout for strength and mobility
• 45-min strength and endurance workout
• 35-min kettlebell workout for strength and power
• Full-body dumbbell workout
• Functional shoulder workout
• 35-min functional strength workout