Are you one of the many individuals who have been advised to incorporate glute bridge exercises into your routine to alleviate lower back or hip pain? If so, you’re not alone. I’m Dr. Jared Wadsworth and today I’ll guide you through the proper execution of this exercise to help stabilize your lower back effectively and strengthen your core.
Before diving into glute bridges, it’s crucial to ensure that you have the correct form down. Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent. Position your feet a bit closer to you. This setup is key for initiating movement in the lower back, which is why I often introduce pelvic tilting exercises beforehand.
Pelvic Tilting Exercise
In the same position as before (on your back with your knees bent), focus on tilting your pelvis until your lower back makes contact with the ground, then return to an arched-back position. Concentrate on the motion originating from your pelvis, moving it back and forth to engage the core muscles effectively.
Glute Bridges
Now, on to the glute bridges themselves. Start by flattening your back against the floor before lifting your hips, ensuring your back remains pressed down throughout the movement. Maintain a straight line from your knees to your shoulders, emphasizing glute activation throughout.
If you find yourself primarily engaging your lower back muscles or hamstrings rather than your glutes, readjust by tilting your pelvis to flatten your back, engaging your core, and keeping your knees and shoulders aligned.
By incorporating glute bridges into your routine, you can strengthen your glutes, ultimately helping to stabilize the lower back and alleviate pain. Additionally, glute bridges do a good job of strengthening your core stabilizer muscles. Strong core muscles help with overall stability, strength, and balance. We all want that!
You can see proper form in action on my YouTube video and workout with us.