Revitalize Your Glutes: 4 Standing Exercises to Boost Strength Quickly After 55

Strong glutes are essential for running, lifting, and handling daily activities effectively.

Heads up, fitness fans: It’s time to elevate your glute routine. Dedicating a workout day solely to your glutes is crucial because they play a key role in stabilizing your spine and pelvis, while also helping to alleviate pain in your knees, hips, and back. Sound like a good idea? We thought so. It’s important to prevent “dead butt syndrome,” a condition that can arise when your glutes become weak due to inactivity, poor posture, or prolonged sitting. To help you get started on strengthening those muscles, we consulted an expert in the field.

Terry Tateossian, the Founder and Certified Lifestyle Medicine Coach at THOR – The House of Rose, specializes in women’s health and weight loss for those over 40. Drawing from her extensive training, she offers four standing exercises that can rejuvenate glute strength more effectively than gym machines for those over 55.

“While gym machines are excellent for targeting specific muscles and providing stability, they don’t always mimic real-life movements,” explains Tateossian. “Machines often restrict you to a certain range of motion, which is necessary for some workouts, but they also limit the need for balance and stabilization. On the other hand, standing exercises engage the glutes in a more functional, weight-bearing manner, enhancing overall strength, stability, and confidence.”

“Gym machines are great when looking to target and grow specific muscles in the body or when stability is necessary. But they don’t always translate to real-life function,” Tateossian says. “Machines are designed to lock you into a fixed range of motion, which may be required for some exercises. They also reduce the need to stabilize and balance. In contrast, standing exercises train the glutes in a weight-bearing and more functional pattern. And that helps restore strength, stability, and confidence overall.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Now, let’s dive into the exercises. It’s important to incorporate these into your routine, because strength is lost in the gluteal area after 55 because of age-related muscle loss.

Romanian Deadlifts

“This exercise is phenomenal for building the posterior chain and also super functional. Think of picking up grocery bags, grandchildren, etc.,” Tateossian says.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Bend your knees slightly and hold the weights in front of your thighs.
3. Press your hips back as you lower the dumbbells down your leg to about 1 inch below the knees. Maintain a straight back as you do so.
4. Squeeze your glutes to return to the start position.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, sticking with a tempo 3010 and resting for 60 seconds between sets.

Squats

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart on the floor.
2. Extend your arms in front of you or place your hands on your hips.
3. Bend at the knees and hips as you lower into a squat.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
5. Press through your heels to rise back up to standing.
6. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, sticking with a tempo 3010 and resting for 60 seconds between sets.

Step-Ups

“This exercise is great for unilateral training and brings balance to the left vs. right side,” Tateossian says. “Use any height or whatever feels comfortable and increase as you progress.”

1. Begin by standing tall, facing a step.
2. Place your left foot firmly onto the surface, keeping your core engaged and chest tall.
3. Press through your left heel to lift your body until your left leg is straight and you’re standing on the surface.
4. Use control to lower back to the start position.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps on each side, sticking with a 3010 tempo and resting for 30 seconds between sets.

Lateral Banded Walks

1. Begin by placing a resistance band around your ankles or thighs.
2. Slightly bend your knees and step sideways, keeping your movement controlled.
3. Perform 3 to 4 sets of 20 to 30 steps in total, sticking with a 2010 tempo and resting for 60 seconds between sets.