7 Exercises to Strengthen your Glutes and Improve your Posture

One of the biggest factors to maintaining good posture is having strong glutes that are consistently engaged and firing properly. Your glutes help to control where and how your pelvis is held and are also connected to other muscles in your back, which affect the alignment of your shoulders. So…am I saying that working your butt can help you have better posture, which in turn, can help give you relief from some of your aches and pains? Yes!

Here are 7 exercises you can do to help strengthen your glutes and improve your posture:

Bird Dog

1. Get down on all fours with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders

2. Extend your right hand out in front of you and your left leg out behind you simultaneously and hold for a 2 count

3. Bring your arm and leg back to the ground

4. Extend your left arm and right leg and hold for a two count

5. Do 3 sets of 20 reps

Straight Leg Kick Backs

1. Stand upright (you can hold onto a chair or countertop for balance)

2. Kick one leg straight out behind you, keeping your knee straight and foot flexed

3. Bring your foot back to the starting position and repeat

4. Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side **Want to make it harder? Add a resistance band around your ankles to increase your resistance.

Donkey Kicks

1. Get down on all fours with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders

2. Keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle, flex your foot and kick it up behind you

3. Return your knee to the starting position without resting it on the ground and kick it up again

4. Do 3 sets of 10 reps with each leg

Romanian Deadlifts

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart

2. Hinging at the waist, reach down as far as you comfortably can

3. Keeping your heels firmly planted, raise back up to standing

4. Do 3 sets of 10 reps **Want to make it harder? Hold onto some light dumbbells to add some resistance.

Fire Hydrant

1. Get down on all fours with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders

2. Keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle and your foot flexed, bring your thigh straight out to the side, trying to get your thigh parallel with the ground

3. Return your leg to the starting position without resting it on the ground and raise it up again

4. Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side **Want to make it harder? Increase the weight you are holding in front of you.

Goblet Squat

1. Stand with your feet at least shoulder width apart – whatever is comfortable for you

2. Hold a free weight or a kettlebell in your hands in front of your chest, just under your chin

3. Lower down into a squat, keeping your feet flat on the floor

4. Pushing through your heels, raise back up to your starting position

5. Do 3 sets of 10 reps **Want to make it harder? Increase the weight you are holding in front of you.

Reverse Lunge

1. Stand up straight with your feet together (you can use a chair or countertop for balance)

2. Keeping your left foot on the ground, step your right foot back behind you and lower your knee down as far as is comfortable

3. Pushing through the heel of your left foot, return to standing position with both feet

4. Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side

Add these exercises into your current workout or just try to fit them in throughout the day – while you’re watching tv or while the baby is sleeping. Your body will thank you! Sometimes it’s hard to fit in a full workout, but these are exercises you can do almost anywhere that will help you stay on track and keep your booty strong. Who doesn’t want a good-looking booty?? You can have a great booty throughout your whole pregnancy!