Pilates for Glutes: 10 Must-Try Workouts
So you’re here looking for glute exercises. And I’m here because I actually know how important the glutes are to your posture. So we’re going to blend your wants with what I need you to have with 10 exercises that Pilates can help you with your glutes.
Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, co-founder of onlinepilatesclasses.com and I’ve been teaching Pilates since 2008, I’ve been doing Pilates since 2005. And I’m also the person who trademarked Thass®. So I do feel qualified to talk to you about your butt when it comes to strengthening it using Pilates exercises. But why I really wanted to work on my Thass® which is where your thigh meets your behind, is not for the aesthetic reasons that we all are trying to work our booties out today. I actually wanted to work on it because you should have a balance between your glutes and your hip flexors. And when you have an imbalance there, most people’s imbalance goes towards the hip flexors, towards the quads, it affects your posture, it affects your lower back, it affects your mobility, it affects your longevity. And so with these exercises that I’m going to talk about today, no matter what level you’re at, are going to help you strengthen your hamstrings, strengthen your glutes and give you a more well-rounded, balanced version of all these muscles in your body which is so key for posture, longevity, mobility. And, you know, for those of you who are here for the looks of your glutes, you’re gonna get that.
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Why should be doing Pilates?
Alright before we get started, in case you’re not familiar with Pilates, I want to just briefly explain what it is, which is Pilates is a full-body workout that’s designed to balance your imbalances. That means equal parts strength and flexibility. So we’re actually going to activate all the muscles while we stretch them. And that helps us create flexibility that will stand the test of time, as long as you’re doing Pilates, I should say. And so that is Pilates. It’s going to help with your core, your posture and your flexibility. If you want to know more about Pilates, and what it is, I made a video, What is Pilates, no BS. It has all of the information that you need to know about doing Pilates as part of your workout regimen. And if you are interested in Pilates for glutes, I actually have an amazing Mat class here on this channel that is actually focused on your abs, your center, your core, and your glutes. And it’s going to combine a lot of the exercises I talk about today in a full-body workout, so you can check it out.
5 Mat Pilates Glute Exercises
1. Single Leg Kick on the Mat
Alright, so let’s get into these exercises. The first five are going to be for the Mat which means you can do them anywhere you can lay on the ground. And the first one is Single Leg Kick. Now, I like the Single Leg Kick for everyone. You can do it in less than a minute. You can even set a timer and do one minute and it’s going to be credible for strengthen your hamstrings and glutes while also stretching the front of your body. You can see that that’s like a hamstring curl happening that’s also opening the front of your body. You’ll also be able to work your abdominals away from gravity, it can be extremely helpful when it comes to your posture. So this is an exercise I love. If you have anything going for your knees, put a ball or a block between your knees, it’s actually going to be really helpful for stabilizing your thighs and your hips and still getting the benefits of stretching those hip flexors and quads while working in the hamstrings and glutes.
2. Double Leg Kick on the Mat
The second exercise I have for you is a Double Leg Kick. You can see it’s quite similar to the Single Leg Kick in that legs are kicking. But this one is actually designed to challenge for both legs who are going to kick. And what will happen here, if you have really tight hip flexors, is that you will actually start to, what I call twerk, your butt is going to come off of the Mat and that’s going to avoid the stretch. So when you’re doing the Double Leg Kick, I really want you to focus on getting that pubic bone into the Mat and pulling your frontal hip points, your top hip points, up. So it’s going to feel like you’re tucking your pelvis a little bit while lying on your stomach. But this is going to ensure that you get hamstrings and glutes going every single kick. And then the added bonus is that you actually get to stretch your shoulders and work your upper back. So you’ll see, you’ll get so much great posture work and benefits out of this exercise.
3. Thigh Stretch on the Mat
Alright, up next we have the Thigh Stretch. This one is one of my favorites to do. Now, you do have to be able to be on your knees. So if you have any knee issues, you’re gonna want to wait till my next exercise which is the Shoulder Bridge. But the Thigh Stretch I truly love because it is going to open up those thighs (it’s in the name, guys) while working your hamstrings and glutes. So, so awesome. If you want to put a ball or block between your knees this is going to help you use your inner thighs at the same time. I know you’re here for the butt and I’m going to make sure you get full body all the time guys because I truly believe in a full body practice, also you can get your butt trained. So Thigh Stretch is going to be great to open those hip flexors and strengthen the hamstrings and glutes as you move.
4. Shoulder Bridge on the Mat
And then we’ll lead into Shoulder Bridge. Shoulder Bridge is our fourth exercise for your Pilates glutes here on the Mat. And there’s multiple variations of Shoulder Bridge you can do. You can actually just do a simple one where you lift your hips up and lower it down. By the way, everything we’re showing you it’s on a free tutorial we have on our YouTube channel, so make sure you subscribe to it and hit the notification so you never miss a video from us. But Shoulder Bridge has an option where you can actually just lift your hips up and down. You’ll also see in videos, I have a little marching technique you can do, it’s really helpful for isolating the glutes. And also you can do the kick part. And the kick part is more advanced, it’s going to challenge your stability of your pelvis while working your glutes. So really awesome.
5. Side Kicks on the Mat
Lastly, I have one more for you. And it’s the Side Kicks. Okay, these are not your Jane Fonda side kicks, these are absolutely the side kicks that you need. If you’re a runner, if you’re an endurance athlete of any kind, and also if you’re just a human. Why? We actually need to work our side bodies and your glutes are not just the backside of your butt, but the sides of your booty too, alright? And so we have to actually work our glute mead, and our glute minimus. And what I love about the Side Kicks is it really does isolate that. You’re not going to do a ton of reps with these guys. Here’s the reason why: these muscles are phasic muscles. And so they don’t have the endurance that our postural muscles have. But if you want well-rounded, well-balanced glutes that actually can perform, and not just be a looks thing, you want to work those glute mead and minimus. And so you’ll see that in the Side Kicks, and in that tutorial you’ll understand what you need to be doing with your pelvis and your torso so you get the most of these exercises.
Do these five Pilates exercises for bum as many times as you want. You can do them every single day. You’re going to do less than 10 reps of everything. In fact, the more advanced you are, you’re going to get down to three reps of each. Why? It’s always about quality over quantity. And with this low-impact work, you can do intentional movement like this every single day.
5 Pilates Glute Exercises Reformer
Here are five Pilates reformer exercises for glutes.
1. Footwork on the Reformer
First up is Footwork. What? How is Footwork for the butt? Well, you’re feeling your quads, my love, that means you’re not working your tush, which is why you’re feeling your quads and really a sign you’re doing it incorrectly. So here is the deal. In my Footwork video, I’m actually going to talk to you about where you place things on your feet. And where you should be pushing from and if you’re feeling out your quads is because you’re pushing from your knees, you’re not pushing from your thighs and your glutes. And so really understand this is going to benefit that booty, but also your entire body and how you stand up in this world. So check out Footwork.
2. Hamstring Curls on the Reformer
Next up, we’re going to do Hamstring Curls. Now, a lot of people like to skip Hamstring Curls on the Reformer. Why? Because it’s really difficult to get into it. But I do show you how to transition in to Hamstring Curls in my tutorial video. And it’s not that difficult, it’s a little weird, it feels a little sloppy the first few times but then you get the hang of it and you feel pretty cool. But when you work your hamstrings on the Reformer, you can change if you’re gonna do one spring or two spring based on your ability, plus you can do a single leg version as well. And I highly recommend when you do your Hamstring Curls, you curl your tailbone a little bit, it’s going to feel like you’re tucking your knot boxes there. But it’s gonna help you isolate that hamstring and glute so again, you don’t do that little twerk motion where the booty pops up. If you can lift your knees at the same time without going to your lower back you’ve got yourself a great glute workout, plus those hamstrings, plus you’re working your abs against gravity. So, you’re welcome.
3. Down Stretch on the Reformer
All right, next up, we got Down Stretch. I know you’re like “that’s not really a glute thing”. It is, the problem is that most of you do it with your arms. So here is the deal. If you set yourself up for success with your Down Stretch, meaning you put your pelvis in the right place and you push with your heels and not your arms, you are going to strengthen those hamstrings, work those glutes and open the front of those thighs. You’re also going to give yourself amazing practice and extension, meaning full-body workout. That’s what I’m here for. I’m gonna make sure you’re working your whole body all the time. But you’re gonna get really good strength in the hamstrings and glutes, and also start to benefit yourself into a backend.
4. Thigh Stretch on the Reformer
Next, we have Thigh Stretch, just like the Mat, we have it here on the Reformer. Why is that great for you? Well, it’s great for you because you have access to the straps and the springs, meaning you can actually go further on the Reformer than you probably will be able to do on the Mat. And so it’s another great way to really actually strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, stretch those hip flexors, but also challenge your mobility, challenge the angle and the depth you can go on your thigh stretch. So if you’re doing this on the Mat, I would love for you to do it on the Reformer because the Reformer is going to benefit your Mat one.
5. Knee Stretches on the Reformer
And lastly, it’s those Knee Stretches. If those Knee Stretches are burning your quads, it’s just another sign you’re not doing it right, you’re not going for in the right place. And a lot of times I see people get too high in their Knees Stretches. They’re not rounding from the correct place. And so when you check out this tutorial, I want you to understand exactly where I’m moving from, you’ll actually see that my legs, when I’m doing Knee Stretches round and flat, do not go that far, they go the length of my calf. And the reason for that is because I’m trying to keep my pelvis in place so that I’m not pushing with my lower back or pushing with my hips. And I can actually get more hamstrings and glutes in that exercise. When you get to Knee Stretches, knees off, you’ll actually lift those knees just a little bit. Not a lot of it. If you lift only a little bit you’ll actually get more mobility in your hamstrings and glutes.
And if you really want a fast kicker, you can do the single leg version. That is your bonus Pilates glute exercise, but I promise we’ll also get your heart rate up. So you’ll do cardio at the same time. I told you, you’re gonna have more than one thing from me when you’re doing Pilates, because we’re not spot trainers here. We’re also not trying to pick exercises to work on a part of our body we all have insecurities about. We’re here to work our whole bodies to have security in our posture, our longevity and our mobility.
Additional Resources and Tools
All right, so here’s some more resources and tools for you because I can tell you are here and you’re passionate about making sure you’re getting your body strengthened.
So you can go to fullbodyinfifteen.com if you want a free class. 15 minutes that all the same exercises I talked about for the booty, plus more. So it’s about 20 exercises that’s going to, I promise you, work that Thass® and also the rest of your entire body. Also, if you’re curious about having a home studio, like I do, if you want to have different pieces of Pilates equipment to help you with your journey, you can go to opc.me/homestudio to get a free guide that we have. And it will help you choose the right pieces for the space that you have.
And if you do want to have a Reformer, you’re pretty set on that, watch my video we have here on this channel, it explains the best Reformer for your home studio so you can actually get the most out of it. Here’s the deal, if you do want to work your glutes with Pilates for glutes, but you get a reformer that actually doesn’t have the right springs or the foot bar is in the wrong place, it’s going to affect you getting those glutes. Angles matter. So my video explaining why like the Reformers that I like and help you choose the one that’s right for you.
I’m thrilled to have you here and if you are enjoying what we have, and you’re wanting to get feedback on your form, have community and accountability towards working your glutes but also the entire body, I would love for you to join onlinepilatesclasses.com by going to free online pilates classes. At OPC we do truly want to make sure that you get all the benefits of Pilates in your body, that you understand that you are brave and courageous and you’ve got a lot of amazing things going on for you, and we’re here to help you do that. Check out onlinepilatesclasses.com/youtube.
Thank you so much. Have an amazing day.