One of the most important jobs your glutes do is leg abduction (i.e., moving your legs out to the sides). This glute activation exercise ensures you prime your butt muscles for that action, which comes in handy if you're doing an activity with side-to-side movements, like tennis or badminton.
- Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Lift your right knee and foot to just hover off the floor with your foot flexed. This is your starting position.
- Keeping your right knee bent at a 90-degree angle, slowly raise your leg out to the side until it is parallel to the ground, or as high as is comfortable. Avoid tilting your hips to the side.
- With control, lower your right leg to the starting position.
- That's one rep.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chaunté Vaughn