A 30-minute glute-love workout

Happy Sunday and welcome to Workout of the Week!

This week, I have a fun weights circuit to complement the strength-training program for this month — with a loooot of emphasis on the glutes. I didn’t set out to make a glute workout, but wow, did my rear end have some things to say in the day or two after I made this video! (Don’t worry, there’s some good upper body and core stuff in there, too.)

I don’t want to get too much into training for aesthetics here because it’s not what we’re all about (of course, if it’s your thing, you’re still very welcome here). And glute training has indeed been a big trend in recent years, in large part because of shifting beauty standards and body ideals. Great post about that here by

Meredith Sell

of

Women's Barbell Club

:

The 🍑 obsession is just another way aesthetics dominate women’s fitness culture

But there are so many reasons to train your glutes beyond the way your bum looks! (And of course, aesthetic responses to exercise have a lot to do with genetics, so your visual results really may vary — yet another reason to focus more on function IMO!) Strong glutes are great for your back and support your posture. They can also take pressure off your knees by helping your femurs move in an optimal pattern for your kneecaps. And they give your lower body much more power overall — my favorite thing about having strong glutes is that walking up steep hills feels so much easier.

Anyway! A fun one today. You’ll need a set of light weights, a set of medium-to-heavy weights, a mat, and — if you have one handy — a little towel or cushion for your knees. Evergreen reminder that you are fully welcome and encouraged to skip the warmup, skip the cooldown, and/or only do one or two rounds of the circuit instead of all three. You’re also very welcome to pause the video anytime you need a longer break than I’m giving you. It’s your time!

Enjoy.