12 Glute Exercises For A Longer Life And Better Ageing

Your butt might say more about your projected longevity than you think. At least, that’s according to adjunct professor of physical therapy at Touro University and physical therapist, Theresa Marko, who said our glutes are key for living independently as we age.

“Do you want to get off the subway? Do you want to get off the toilet?” she asked the New York Times.

If so, she suggested, it’s time to strengthen your posterior.

The professor’s not alone. One study showed that glute exercises strengthened the hips of postmenopausal women, who are at greater risk of hip fracture.

Another found that glute atrophy and size were linked to things like ageing, lifestyle, frailty, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes risk.

Stronger glutes have also been linked to a lower risk of falling and better cognitive function among older people, while doctors warn that a weak bum – nicknamed “dead butt syndrome” – can “grow into some serious health issues that affect your ability to move”.

You probably know the term “glutes” refers to some area around the backside.

But it’s actually a group of muscles, which include, from biggest to smallest:

• Gluteus maximus,
• Gluteus medius,
• Gluteus minimus.

They help us to stand up, walk, stay balanced, sit down, stand up, lift our legs, support our weight, run, jump, and hold the bones of our hips together (phew).

Generally, the gluteus maximus, which is the biggest muscle in our body, helps to push us forward, and the gluteus medius and minimus move our thighs.

If you want to climb the stairs, get out of your seat, reduce your risk of falling, and keep general sarcopenia at bay, working them out is a great idea.

It might feel like walking and running, both of which are obviously leg-centric, are the obvious answers here. And it is true that they definitely beat sitting, too much of which is disastrous for your glutes.

But some runners get dead butt syndrome, because though the activity is great for the heart, it doesn’t always build much muscle.

In general, strength training is great for ageing bodies (in fact, scratch the “ageing” part: we begin to lose muscle mass starting about 30). It has been linked to up to four years of extra life, better bone health, a reduced risk of heart attack, and maybe even lower dementia risk.

That’s because strength training, especially when you increase the weights as you go along (progressive overload), can strengthen and build muscle. And you should use them on your bottom, too.

• Hip thrusts,
• Clamshells,
• Reverse lunges,
• Bulgarian split squats,
• Back squats,
• Deadlifts,
• Hip abduction machines,
• Step-ups,
• Donkey kicks,
• Glute bridges,
• Glute kickbacks.