Move of the Month: Glute Bridge Variations
by GRP Runner Jess Scheriff
If I had a dollar for every time a coach or physical therapist has requested that I work on my glute strength, I’d have thousands of dollars. And if there is anything I’ve learnt from all that pestering it is that maintaining glute and core strength is essential for avoiding injury, feeling balanced and optimizing proper running form.
As the largest muscle group in the body, the gluteal muscles are capable of producing tons of power. In fact, they are one of the most important muscle groups for generating power and optimizing speed as a runner. The glutes are also responsible for holding your pelvis steady and keeping your legs, hips and torso aligned. They are essential for many of the major movement patterns we engage in while running and so, when they become weak or imbalanced, most of those movement patterns will be disturbed. These disturbances, if prolonged, could contribute to running related pains in the hips, knees and back.
Glute bridges, although not the most glamorous of strength exercises, are a great way to work both your glutes and core, helping you to become a faster and more stable runner. Here are a few simple, yet highly effective glute bridge variations to throw into your strength routine:
Bodyweight glute bridge
How to: Lie on your back with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Keep your arms by your side, palms pressing into the floor. Lift your hips up to the ceiling while squeezing your glutes and engaging your lower abs. Hold for a 1-3 seconds, slowly lower your hips and repeat.
Banded glute bridge
How to: Like the bodyweight glute bridge, start on your back with feet firmly planted on the floor, arms at your side and palms pressed into the floor. Place a resistance band around your knees while performing the bridge. Try your best to keep your knees over your feet without letting them cave inwards (you may feel like you’re pushing outward with your knees, which should engage your glutes).
Single-leg glute bridge
How to: Still on your back with feet firmly planted on the floor, and arms down by your sides. Bend your right knee and lift your right leg up towards the ceiling while keeping both knees aligned. Engage your glutes, driving through your left heel. Repeat this process on the left side. Single leg work helps to strengthen each side independently so that your stronger side doesn’t take over for the weaker one.
By incorporating more glute strength into your pre-run warmup or post-run cooldown, you can help optimize proper running form, increase stability, and reduce the chance of injury. I try to incorporate glute bridges into my core routine at least three times a week.