Great Glute Exercises You’ve Never Tried: Swiss Ball Bridge With Band Abduction
I get asked about training the glutes more than anything else. We all know the classic exercises and have done them over and over. Deadlifts, Squats, Lunges and so on.
But if we solely rely on these same moves throughout the year, we get mentally and physically burnt out. Our body’s positive adaptation to exercise simply can’t happen effectively if we keep doing the same thing over and over.
Over the next four weeks, join me as I introduce you to some less typical glute exercises that I’ve used to help some of the best athletes in the world tone and enhance the function of their glutes. These weekly exercises can be done for activation before a workout, or for overload to build strength and size. We’ve previously covered Mini Band Jumps, Side-Banded Split Squats and Stork With Hip Abduction. This week, Swiss Ball Bridge with Band Abduction.
How to Perform Swiss Ball Bridge With Band Abduction
This is one of my all-time favorite glute burners. Every NFL athlete I’ve ever worked with has done this exercise. You see a lot of people doing the classic “thruster” exercise where a bar is placed over the hips and you go up and down from a bridge position with your shoulder blades on a bench. This modification is far more user-friendly, as the setup is very fast, it does not require heavy weight, and it substitutes straight hip extension and flexion with hip abduction.
Place a medium or heavy mini band around your legs just below the kneecap. With a light weight over the hips (in the above video we’re using 40 pounds), roll down into a bridge, making sure the abs stay tight and avoiding any excessive arch in the back. Once in the bridge, hold that position and rotate the knees in and out without letting the back arch. Perform three sets of 12 reps.
Derek Samuel is a licensed physical therapist and owner of Derek Samuel MPT. He’s trained multiple Heisman Trophy winners, NFL and MLB MVPs, NFL All-Pros and NCAA All-Americans. This article is the fourth in a four-part series on glute exercises. If you enjoyed it, follow him on Instagram.
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Great Glute Exercises You’ve Never Tried: Swiss Ball Bridge With Band Abduction
I get asked about training the glutes more than anything else. We all know the classic exercises and have done them over and over. Deadlifts, Squats, Lunges and so on.
But if we solely rely on these same moves throughout the year, we get mentally and physically burnt out. Our body’s positive adaptation to exercise simply can’t happen effectively if we keep doing the same thing over and over.
Over the next four weeks, join me as I introduce you to some less typical glute exercises that I’ve used to help some of the best athletes in the world tone and enhance the function of their glutes. These weekly exercises can be done for activation before a workout, or for overload to build strength and size. We’ve previously covered Mini Band Jumps, Side-Banded Split Squats and Stork With Hip Abduction. This week, Swiss Ball Bridge with Band Abduction.
How to Perform Swiss Ball Bridge With Band Abduction
This is one of my all-time favorite glute burners. Every NFL athlete I’ve ever worked with has done this exercise. You see a lot of people doing the classic “thruster” exercise where a bar is placed over the hips and you go up and down from a bridge position with your shoulder blades on a bench. This modification is far more user-friendly, as the setup is very fast, it does not require heavy weight, and it substitutes straight hip extension and flexion with hip abduction.
Place a medium or heavy mini band around your legs just below the kneecap. With a light weight over the hips (in the above video we’re using 40 pounds), roll down into a bridge, making sure the abs stay tight and avoiding any excessive arch in the back. Once in the bridge, hold that position and rotate the knees in and out without letting the back arch. Perform three sets of 12 reps.
Derek Samuel is a licensed physical therapist and owner of Derek Samuel MPT. He’s trained multiple Heisman Trophy winners, NFL and MLB MVPs, NFL All-Pros and NCAA All-Americans. This article is the fourth in a four-part series on glute exercises. If you enjoyed it, follow him on Instagram.
READ MORE: