Workout of the Week: Glute Kickbacks

This week’s workout is Glute Kickbacks. Glute Kickbacks are a great exercise for strengthening your glutes, hamstrings, and hips. Your glutes are the largest and strongest muscles in your body; strengthening them can improve posture and make sitting down, standing up, picking up heavy objects and climbing stairs easier.

Here’s how to do Glute Kickbacks:

1. Begin by kneeling on the floor or an exercise mat, and bend at the waist with your arms extended in front of you. Keep your arms spaced about shoulder-width apart.

2. Your head should be facing forward and your knees should be bent about 90 degrees between your hamstrings (located on the back of your thighs) and calves.

3. Next, lift your right leg up until your hamstring is in line with your back while holding the 90-degree angle bend. Squeeze your glutes throughout this movement and hold this position for a second or two.

4. Finally, slowly return to the starting position by bringing your leg back down towards the mat.

5. Repeat with the left leg, and continue to alternate legs until you complete a full set. Try doing 2-3 sets of 15-20 Glute Kickbacks for each leg.

Tips:

• Your upper torso should remain stationary and only the legs should move.
• At the end of step 3, your upper leg (thigh) should be parallel to the floor, while your calf should be perpendicular to it.
• You can also do variations of this exercise by doing all your reps for one leg and then switch to the other, or try adding ankle weights for more resistance.

We hope you’ll try Glute Kickbacks over the weekend and then build this exercise into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.

Want more fitness ideas? If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.