With gyms not opening up until the end of the month, many of us are still working out from home – but it can be easy to get into a bit of a rut.

One area that you need to make sure you’re focusing on is the bum. Your glute muscles have a tendency to switch off if you’re sitting for long periods, but the right exercises can wake them up to help you build stronger, toned muscles in your bum and legs.

Award-winning Pilates instructor and founder of Pilates PT, Hollie Grant, has shared her favourite moves for waking up the bum muscles.

‘Given that so many of us are working from home and we aren’t walking around commuting as often, many of us are noticing lower back pain creeping in,’ says Hollie.

‘My best advice is to switch on those glutes! We’re sat on them so much of the day that they can weaken, and lengthen, and become less effective at doing their job.

‘Here are my favourite glute exercises to ensure they stay strong, functional and awake:’ 

Clams

Lay on your left-hand side, knees bent at 90 degrees with the heels in line with the tailbone.

Ensure your hips are stacked one on top of the other, and imagine there’s a Malteser under your left side of your waist you don’t want to melt (try not to sink into the floor).

Keeping the heels connected exhale and lift your right knee up away from your left, rotating the leg towards the ceiling as if you are opening a book. Inhale to release the leg slowly back to the start.

Continue for 60-90 seconds. Repeat on the other side.  

Glute kickbacks

Start in four-point kneeling (hands and knees) with a neutral spine.

Bend your right knee and imagine you are holding a football behind your right knee.

As you exhale start to lift the right leg back and up towards the ceiling (keeping hold of the football) as high as you can maintain a neutral spine (eg don’t dip your lower back).

Inhale to lower it back down with control.

Repeat for 60-90 seconds and then repeat with the left leg. 

Hip rolls

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet hip width apart and arms reaching up towards the ceiling. Inhale and gently press your lower back into the floor.

As you exhale engage your glutes and start to lift the hips up towards the ceiling slowly.

Try to peel up as if you are trying to articulate through each vertebra of the spine.

Inhale to hold at the top before exhaling to slowly roll down through the spine a vertebra at a time.

Repeat 10-15 times.  

Deadlifts

Stand with feet hip width apart and knees soft.

Ensure your back is neutral (I imagine a surfboard strapped to my back that I am gently pressed against).

Inhale and begin to hinge at the hips, as if bowing. Do not bend the knees, simply keep them soft.

Fold forwards as far as the hamstrings will allow (ideally almost 90 degrees).

At the bottom exhale and press down into the heels and slowly begin to come back up, using your glutes to drive the movement.

Repeat 10-15 times – slowly.  

Scooter

Stand with your feet hip width apart, knees bent in a high squat position as if perched on a stool.

Lean your weight over onto your left foot. Reach your right leg out behind you and tap the floor with your foot. Bring it back in and tap the floor next to your left foot.

Repeat 10-15 times keeping the weight on your left foot, and ensuring your hips stay still, then repeat with the right leg.  

Hollie is live streaming her classes via Zoom, and they cost £10 per class and are free for NHS workers.

Her classes include her ‘Pilates PT Method’, which is a unique combination of Dynamic Mat Pilates and HIIT. 

Hollie is also offering ‘The Bump Plan’ classes, a trimester-specific training methodology designed for all stages of pregnancy that combines low impact cardio and Pilates.

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