All the benefits of the core-strengthening exercise dead bugs

Fitness

Welcome to our weekly Move of the Week series. Every Monday, we’ll be sharing with you one of our favourite exercises – how to do them, what muscles they work and why they should be a regular part of your workout regime. This week: banded glute bridges.

Glute bridges are one of the best known lower body exercises for a reason. They isolate the glutes, the biggest but often most underused muscle in your body, while also requiring total body control. 

Resistance bands supercharge the strengthening effect of the exercise to get glutes that can support you through days at your desk as well as intense workouts. 

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What is a banded glute bridge? 

A banded glute bridge is still the same classic move, performed by lying on the floor and pushing your hips to the ceiling, but with a band places around the knees. 

This exercise is great because:

It isolates the glutes: these muscles need to be powerful but are often underactive, so focusing on strengthening them individually can help.

It reduces pain: strong glutes can take the pressure off the lower back. 

It’s a great warm-up: activating the glutes before you work out helps you engage them properly during exercise. 

What muscles are worked in a banded glute bridge? 

This move mainly targets the lower body, including: 

  • Glute medius 
  • Glute maximus 
  • Hamstrings 
  • Abdominals
  • Pelvic floor

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    How to do a banded glute bridge 

    1. Lie on your back with your feet placed flat on the floor, knees pointing towards the ceiling and pushing out against the resistance band looped around the knees. 
    2. Tuck your pelvis by pushing your pubic bone to the sky, squeezing your belly button to your spine and pushing your ribs down. 
    3. Press through your heels to raise your hips off the ground, maintaining the pelvic tilt to avoid arching through the spine. 
    4. Ensure your knees push out against the resistance band. 
    5. At the top, squeeze the glutes for a few seconds before lowering to the floor. 

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      Images: Stylist

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