This Exercise Is a Trainer’s ‘Absolute Favorite Way To Activate the Lower Body’
What makes a glute bridge so stellar at activating the lower body? "It's opening up your hips, squeezing the core, and really building tension in the center glutes," O'Carroll explains.
In this week's episode of Trainer of the Month Club, she begins the 18-minute lower body workout with glute bridges, which "allow you to continue to feel your center glutes and stop getting into your hips, your quads, whatever it is, throughout the rest of the sequence."
As with any exercise, form is key to reaping the benefits and preventing injury. O'Carroll thoroughly breaks down how to do a glute bridge properly in the video. Here's how to do it:
1. Lie down on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground. Your feet should be hip-distance apart, and your arms should be slightly diagonal away from your body with your palms on the floor.
2. Lift your hips until you have a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Squeeze your glutes at the top. "I want you to think about actually squeezing your butt cheeks as hard as you possibly can," says O'Carroll.
3. Release as you lower your hips back down. Your butt should be hovering over the ground.
4. Lift your hips again to start another rep.
If you've been following along with O'Carroll's workouts this month, you shouldn't be surprised to see slow, controlled movements that build tension with every rep. But this week's workout also has a little something extra—bursts of cardio mixed in with those slower movements. Press play on the video to see her glute bridge tips in action and get the full workout.
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