Strong glutes—we all want them. Whether you’re a powerlifter looking to improve your hip abduction for better, deeper squats, a mom looking to improve her hip strength, or you’re a Pilates enthusiast who wants to work the peach, strong glutes have always been super important for performance. However, strong glutes and hips go beyond pure athleticism—a strong glute and hip complex is correlated with less back pain, less pelvic pain, looser hamstrings, less tight hip flexors, and improved skills like sprinting and cutting. Basically, if you want speed and power, you need strong glutes. Enter our brand-new product we’re super excited about: TRX® Glute Bands.
MEET THE TRX® GLUTE BAND
We saw a need and we delivered. Our TRX® Strength Bands are great for shoulder workouts, upper body moves, and all-around full body workouts; and our TRX® Exercise Bands are great for isolated hip work and rotator cuff targeting; but our new TRX® Glute Bands are specifically designed for maximum glute strengthening in a comfortable design made with everyone’s needs in mind.
- Build up glute and hip strength to improve posture, pelvic stability, and low back pain.
- Perfect for multiple moves, from squats to glute bridges to kickbacks.
- Soft fabric won’t bunch on leggings or tug hair when next to skin.
- 3 levels of resistance (light, medium, heavy) to best challenge you as you get stronger.
- Adjustable sliders offer even more customization.
So how do you use them? We’ll give you some ideas:
MOVE 1: DROP IT LIKE A SQUAT
Seems simple enough only it’s not–once you loop the Glute Band of your choice around your knees, expect an intense challenge as you resist the resistance band with every rep.
WHAT IT DOES
- Crazy gluteus medius challenge (translation: side glute)
- Forces you to think about pushing your knees out during squats
- Improves muscular endurance thanks to that awesome resistance
CHALLENGE
- Perform tempo squats of 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down with a 2 second pause at the bottom. You’re welcome.
- Try 2 variations of a pulse squat: 1) hold your bottom squat then do mini squat pulses up and down, about an inch. Control the movement and try not to bounce. Then follow up with this burner, 2) hold your bottom squat and pulse your knees in and out. Mega ouch.
WITH YOUR TRX STRAPS
Have a TRX® Suspension Trainer™? Good, put it to use.
- Get deeper into your squat by holding onto the straps
- Turn your squat into a jump squat by holding onto the straps—it’ll give you more control so you can focus on pushing against the Glute Bands as you jump
MOVE 2: DO THE MONSTER WALK
Also called “crab walks,” this move has been popularized by many a TikTok and IG influencer, but it’s always a mainstay in physical therapy. Why? It not only strengthens your glute complex (glute maximus, glute medius, glute minimus) and your hip external rotators (the piriformis.
the gemellus superior/inferior, the obturator internus/externus, the quadratus femoris, and yes, even the psoas major), it also works on the co-contraction of these muscles together as a unit. The result? Better control, coordination, and stability (especially for your pelvis, which is super important for anyone from athletes to new moms).
WHAT IT DOES
- Excellent coordination and control challenge
- Improves pelvic stability and power thanks to stronger hips and glutes
- Improves overall endurance (it’s a crab walk, not a cake walk).
CHALLENGE
- Without letting your hips move too much (keep them even), walk 15 steps to the left, 15 steps forward, 15 steps to the right, then 15 steps backwards.
- Hold a quarter squat then tap your right leg out as if you were going to walk to the right, but keep your left foot planted. Keep tapping your right foot out and back until you can’t perform any more reps. Repeat on the other side.
WITH YOUR TRX STRAPS
- Turn your Crab Walks into Curtsey Lunges by holding onto your straps. Trust us—the resistance takes these to a whole new level.
MOVE 3: GET UP IN THAT GLUTE BRIDGE (OR HIP THRUST)
One of the most effective glute moves ever, glute bridges mostly target your glute maximus, but they’re also amazing at establishing lumbo-pelvic control and stability (translation: your core, spine, and hips work together and not against each other, which makes you stronger, more resilient, and less prone to tightness—feel free to geek out here). The standard glute bridge is an excellent go-to, just loop the Glute Band around your knees, lie on your back, maintain a pelvic tuck, and squeeze your glute up until you form a straight line from shoulder to knee. If you need a challenge, look below.
WHAT IT DOES
- Seriously effective glute targeting exercise.
- Improves pelvic control
- Great for helping to resolve lower back issues.
CHALLENGE
- Try single-leg glute bridges, single-leg glute bridge holds, and glute bridge marches
- Try a frog-legged variation—bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees press out against the Glute Band. Perform glute bridges, mini pulses up and down at the top, and mini pulses with your knees pushing out and back in.
WITH YOUR TRX STRAPS
- This is a mega challenge not for the faint of heart—try a Hamstring Curl or Glute Bridge with your feet in the foot cradles while wearing the Glute Bands. We apologize in advance.
MOVE 4: THE CLASSIC SIDE-LYING LEG LIFT
A mainstay for a reason, you’ll see this move in pilates classes, prescribed in physical therapist’s offices, and added as an “activation drill” warmup before hitting up a more intensive class. The setup is simple—loop the Glute Band above your knees then lie on your side (prop up on your elbow for support), and lift your top leg up against resistance. Keep a tight core and don’t let your back round too much.
WHAT IT DOES
- Seriously targets the glute medius (and other external hip rotators)
- A go-to for hip strength and control
- Great for helping to resolve lower back and hip issues.CHALLENGE
- Play around with angles here—leg straight in line with your leg, leg forward at an angle, or leg directly in front of you at 90-degrees. Each angle targets a different part of your side glute for all-around strength.
The beauty of hip and glute strength is it goes beyond having a more rounded backside—when your entire hip and glute complex is strong and more resilient, it helps offload any stress on other muscles that tend to pick up the slack, like your back (and even your hip flexors).
OH, AND DON’T FORGET…
Want to use your new TRX® Glute Bands with a TRX® Suspension Trainer? If you don’t already have the HOME2 (best for those new to fitness) or the PRO4 (best if you need something more advanced), shop them now. And, of course, behind every Suspension Trainer workout is the anchor that hangs it up—find the one for your training space here.
