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Short on time? Train your biggest muscles with this time-saving workout for maximum returns
It can be difficult to find time to work out, but it isn’t impossible.
If you can find 30 minutes, this workout by coach Harriet Harper will strengthen and tone your glutes with just a set of dumbbells and a resistance band.
These large muscles, found in your backside, are responsible for keeping your pelvis stable and helping you walk, run and jump.
Keeping them strong can help you avoid falls and reduce your risk of injuries. Here’s how to target them with just four moves.
Harriet Harper is a British fitness and strength coach and the founder of the HHF method app, a popular training app in the UK.
1. Banded lateral kicks
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10
“If you are at the gym, these can be easily done on a cable machine, but from home, just grab a resistance band,” says Harper. “Make sure you hold onto something, as stability is key.”
How to do it
- Stand with a wall on your left hand side and loop the resistance band around your shins or just above the knee.
- Place your hand on the wall for support, brace your core and balance on your left leg.
- Gently raise your right leg to the side, using your glutes to initiate the movement.
- Pause for a second at the widest part of the kick, then lower your leg and repeat.
2. Single-leg dumbbell hip thrust
(Image credit: Harriet Harper)
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each leg
“A brilliant exercise for the glutes, and tough even with bodyweight,” says Harper. “Try to choose a dumbbell weight that challenges you.”
How to do it
- Sit on the floor with your back against a bench or couch. You want the raised surface to sit just below your shoulder blades.
- With your legs bent and feet in front of you, hold a dumbbell against your right thigh.
- Keeping your pelvis level, thrust your hips up, so they’re in line with your shoulders. As you do this, lift your left leg into the air while keeping it bent at the knee. Ensure you reach lockout (full hip joint extension) at the top, but don’t overextend.
- Pause, then lower and repeat.
3. Dumbbell Romanian dead lift (RDL):
(Image credit: Harriet Harper)
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-10
“An RDL is a hip hinge movement with a slight bend to the knee to minimize hamstring recruitment and instead focus on the glute muscles,” says Harper. “We want to maintain a neutral spine, so no looking at yourself in the mirror!”
How to do it
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a pair of dumbbells either at the front or the side of your legs.
- Keep your core engaged as you hinge at the hips, pushing your butt back and lowering the dumbbells to just below the knee. Think about moving the dumbbells in a straight line down, feeling a stretch in your glutes as you move.
- For extra muscle engagement, imagine you have oranges underneath your armpits that you are trying to squeeze to recruit your lats (back muscles).
4. Bulgarian split squat
(Image credit: Harriet Harper)
Sets: 2 Reps: 6-8 each side
“This is a unilateral exercise, so you are working one leg at a time, and your rear foot is going to be elevated on a bench,” says Harper.
How to do it
- Stand in front of a bench or chair and take a step forward, then place your right foot behind you on the raised surface, so you’re standing on your left foot.
- Keeping your left shin vertical, bend your knees and push your butt back to lower your body, so you’re squatting over your left leg.
- Push back up to the starting position. If you lack stability, hold onto something to stabilize yourself.
