I spend far too long every day sitting at my desk writing, so long, in fact, that my backside often goes numb. It’s not good to spend as long as I do in front of my screen. But I have tried to help matters by investing in a stand-up/sit-down desk and setting my phone timer for 60 minutes to remind me to get up and walk around.
If you spend most of your day parked in a chair, on Zoom calls, answering emails, driving the kids or grandkids somewhere, you’ll know the feeling. There’s even a name for it, dead butt syndrome, I kid you not. I’m deadly serious.
I’m not silly enough to go chasing my 20-year-old body. I’d love it back, who wouldn’t, but I’m being honest about what’s realistic at this stage of life and how much time I actually have between work and everything else. What I want is a shape I feel good about in shorts this summer and hips that don’t ache after a long drive, so it’s time to do something about it.
Why Your Glutes Quit on You in the First Place
The gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle in your body, and it’s designed to power you up hills, out of chairs, and through every step you take. When you sit on it for 8, 10, or even 12 hours a day, the nerve signals that fire it up start to go quiet.Â
The hip flexors on the front of your body shorten, the glutes on the back lengthen and weaken, and your lower back and hamstrings end up doing work they were never meant to do.
This is the part where most of us in our 50s and 60s start to feel it. A nagging lower back and knees that complain when going upstairs.
Hormones change things. After menopause, building and keeping muscle gets harder, and, unfortunately, fat tends to settle in places it didn’t before. A review in the Journal of Mid-Life Health on resistance training in postmenopausal women found regular strength work improved muscle mass, bone density, and body composition. So the work is worth it. We just have to be smarter about how we do it.
9 Exercises to Wake Up a Dead Butt and Tone Your Glutes
I do these moves three or four mornings a week before my first cup of coffee. Most days it takes me 15 to 20 minutes.Â
A few things that have made the difference for me. Slow down, squeeze the glute at the top of every rep like you’re trying to crack a walnut, and quality over quantity, always. If you can do 30 reps without feeling anything, you’re moving too fast or not engaging the right muscle.
You’ll need a mat, a pair of mini resistance bands, which cost around ten bucks, and a pair of dumbbells in the 8 to 15 pound range is plenty to start.Â
The Two Wake-Up Moves I Do First Every Time
These come first because if your glutes are asleep, asking them to do squats straight off the bat is like asking someone who’s just woken up to solve a crossword. They can’t, so other muscles take over.
Glute bridges
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart, heels close enough to your backside that you can just touch them with your fingertips.
Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Squeeze hard at the top, hold for two seconds, and lower with control.
Do three sets of 12 to 15. I do these on my mat before I even think about anything harder, and I feel a real difference in how my hips move for the rest of the day.
Clamshells
Lie on your side, knees bent at about 90 degrees, stacked on top of each other, feet together. Keeping your feet touching, open your top knee like a clamshell. Don’t let your hips rock backward; that’s the cheat your body wants to do.
Three sets of 15 each side. Add a mini band around your thighs once you get the hang of it.
Five Moves That Actually Shape and Lift
Once your glutes are switched on, this is where the toning happens. None of these needs equipment beyond dumbbells or a band, and all of them can be done in your living room.
Goblet squats
Hold a single dumbbell vertically against your chest, like a goblet, with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes turned out slightly.
Sit back and down as if you’re aiming for a low stool, keeping your chest up and your weight in your heels.
Push through the floor to stand, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Three sets of 10 to 12. The dumbbell at your chest actually improves your form, not worse, which is why I prefer these to a back squat at our age.
Romanian deadlifts
A dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, knees soft, not locked. Push your hips back as if you’re trying to close a drawer behind you with your backside, lowering the weights along the front of your legs until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
Stand back up by driving your hips forward and squeezing your glutes. Three sets of 10.
Reverse lunges
Step one foot back, lower your back knee toward the floor, then push through your front heel to come back up. The reverse direction is much kinder on the knees than a forward lunge.
Three sets of 10 each side. Hold a dumbbell in each hand once you can do them clean.
Step-ups
Find a sturdy step, a low bench, or the second stair if you don’t have anything else. Step up with one foot, drive through the heel, bring the other foot up, then step back down with control.
Don’t push off the bottom foot; make the working leg do the work. Three sets of 10 each side.
Hip thrusts
Sit on the floor with your upper back against the edge of a couch or a sturdy chair, a dumbbell across your hips (use a folded towel under it for comfort).
Plant your feet, drive through your heels, and lift your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Squeeze your backside hard at the top. Three sets of 10. This one is the king of glute moves.
Two Side-Glute Finishers
The side of the glute, the gluteus medius, is the muscle that gives you that rounded shape from the back rather than the dropped, straight-down look. It’s also the muscle that keeps your knees tracking properly and your lower back happy.
Side-lying leg lifts with a band
Lie on your side, mini band just above your knees or around your ankles for more challenge, legs stacked. Lift the top leg straight up to about 45 degrees, keeping your toe pointed slightly down and forward, not up.
The toe position matters; it targets the side glute rather than the hip flexor. Three sets of 15 each side.
Fire hydrants
On all fours, mini band around your thighs, lift one knee out to the side, keeping the bend in your knee, like a dog at a fire hydrant (sorry, but the name says it all).
Don’t let your hips rotate; keep them square to the floor. Three sets of 12 each side.