5 Dead Butt Syndrome Exercises to Strengthen Your Glutes
Key takeaways:
Gluteal amnesia, or dead butt syndrome, occurs when prolonged sitting or inactivity causes weak or inactive glute muscles.
Dead butt syndrome may cause muscle imbalances and lower back, hip, or leg pain.
Taking active breaks to reduce sitting time and doing targeted glute exercises can help.
Prolonged sitting has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions. But did you know that it can also lead to dead butt syndrome?
This “syndrome,” also called gluteal amnesia, isn’t a clinical condition. Rather, dead butt syndrome occurs when the glute muscles of your buttocks become weak from prolonged sitting or inactivity. Weak glutes can cause hip, leg, and lower back pain. They can also cause muscle imbalances and difficulty with balance and stability.
A sedentary lifestyle is most often to blame. So, being more active and doing targeted exercises can help. Learn five dead butt syndrome exercises, plus other useful tips to prevent this issue.
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What are the best glute-strengthening exercises for dead butt syndrome?
First, it helps to understand what the gluteal muscles do. The glutes are a group of three muscles that make up the buttocks. These hip muscles are essential for functional mobility. They provide power and stability to help you:
Maintain balance
Walk or run
Perform athletic activities
Inactivity weakens the glutes, making it hard for them to support movement. Weak glutes can cause poor balance, stiff hips, and slower walking speed. As a result, everyday movements — like standing up or climbing stairs — may become more difficult.
Weak glutes don’t activate properly, meaning they don’t contract the way they should. When this happens, other muscle groups may overwork to compensate. In the case of your glutes, your hamstrings or erector spinae in the lower back have to step up to fill in. This can lead to muscle pain in these areas. And it can increase the risk of spine and lower-body injuries.
Targeted exercises are key to correcting gluteal amnesia. The best dead butt syndrome exercises activate and strengthen the glutes so they can support your movements.
1. Glute bridges
The glute bridge is one of the best exercises to “wake up” your glute muscles. This strengthening exercise helps improve the mind-body connection so you can use your glutes effectively.
Step 1: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart.
Step 2: Engage your core by squeezing your abdominal muscles and pressing your lower back into the floor.
Step 3: Lift your hips toward the ceiling without arching your back.
Step 4: Keep your hips lifted so there’s a straight line from your hips to your knees. Squeeze your buttocks together at the top of the movement to fully engage your glutes.
Step 5: Relax your glutes and slowly lower your hips down toward the floor.
Step 6: Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Too much sitting can tighten your glutes. Try these stretches for tight glutes.
It can also cause a host of other health problems. Get research-backed tips to reduce the health risks of sitting all day.
Glute bridge vs. hip thrust: Find out which glute-strengthening exercise is better.
2. Hip thrusts
A hip thrust is an advanced form of a glute bridge. This exercise variation increases the range of motion in the hips by elevating your upper back. Weight can also be added to make hip thrusts more challenging.
Step 1: Sit on the floor with your upper back against an exercise bench or box. Bend your knees and keep your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor.
Step 2: Contract your abdominals to engage your core.
Step 3: Push your back into the bench and your feet into the floor as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. Don’t arch your back.
Step 4: Keep your hips extended so there’s a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Pause and squeeze your buttocks together at the top of the movement to engage your glutes fully.
Step 5: Relax your glutes and slowly lower your hips down toward the floor.
Step 6: Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps.
3. Reverse lunges
Reverse lunges target the glutes in multiple ways. They test your balance and engage your glutes as you stand up from a half-kneeling position. Reverse lunges also isolate one side of the body at a time, which can help you build even strength on both sides.
Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. You can hold onto a sturdy railing or counter for extra support. You can also keep your arms at your sides, or put them on your hips.
Step 2: Step one leg back, directly behind you.
Step 3: Bend both knees, slowly lowering your back knee toward the floor. Make sure your back knee stays aligned with your hip. Keep your front knee aligned above your ankle.
Step 4: Let your back knee hover just above the floor. You can also gently tap your knee on the floor slowly and with control. You don’t want to fall on your knee.
Step 5: Push through your back leg to return to standing and step your foot forward.
Step 6: Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
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4. Side-lying leg lifts
Side-lying leg lifts target the outer glutes. These muscles stabilize the hips and keep the pelvis aligned.
Step 1: Lie on your side with your legs extended. Your hips, knees, and feet should be stacked on top of each other.
Step 2: Extend your lower arm on the floor. Or bend your arm and rest your head in your hand. For extra support, place your top hand on the floor in front of you.
Step 3: Contract your abdominal muscles to engage your core. Slowly lift your top leg toward the ceiling. Keep your leg straight and toes pointing forward. Don’t rotate your hip inward or outward.
Step 4: Slowly lower your leg down to the starting position.
Step 5: Repeat 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
5. Clamshells
A clamshell is a lower-body move that mimics a clamshell opening and closing. This exercise targets the glutes and smaller hip muscles. These muscles work together with the outer glutes to stabilize the pelvis.
Step 1: Lie on your side with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Your hips, knees, and feet should be stacked on top of each other, with your hips facing forward.
Step 2: Squeeze your abdominal muscles to engage your core. Slowly lift your top knee. Keep your feet and ankles together, and don’t let your hips or body rotate back.
Step 3: Keep your top knee lifted and hold for 5 seconds.
Step 4: Slowly lower your knee back to the starting position.
Step 5: Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
Can you prevent dead butt syndrome?
Yes, increasing daily physical activity can help you avoid dead butt syndrome. Try these tips to keep your glutes active and strong:
Take active breaks. Break up your time sitting with regular activity breaks to keep your muscles active. Try to get up and walk around for 5 minutes every half hour.
Add glute exercises to your routine. Glute exercises build strength and improve the mind-body connection to keep your muscles functioning properly. Strong glutes are critical for everyday movements and exercises.
Stretch regularly. Sitting too long can make the hamstring and lower back muscles tight. When these muscles are too tight, the glutes become overstretched and can’t function properly. Keeping your muscles strong and flexible helps your body stay aligned, which may prevent problems like dead butt syndrome. Practice static and dynamic stretches for major muscle groups like the glutes and hip flexors.
Check your posture. Maintaining good posture keeps your joints aligned, allowing your muscles to work properly. While sitting, keep your spine neutral so that your lower back and pelvis are aligned. Aim to keep your shoulders relaxed, your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, and your feet flat on the floor.
The bottom line
While dead butt syndrome isn’t a clinical condition, it is a musculoskeletal problem. It refers to weak or inactive glutes, and it may cause muscle imbalances or pain. Practice glute-strengthening exercises to fix dead butt syndrome. Limiting your seated time, stretching, and maintaining proper posture can also keep your muscles active and healthy.
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References
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Elevated glute bridge.
Brazil, A., et al. (2021). A comprehensive biomechanical analysis of the barbell hip thrust. PLoS One.
Buckthorpe, M., et al. (2019). Assessing and treating gluteus maximus weakness – a clinical commentary. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.
Duran, A., et al. (2023). Breaking up prolonged sitting to improve cardiometabolic risk: dose–response analysis of a randomized crossover trial. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Gasibat, Q., et al. (2023). Decoding hip muscle activation: A comparative electromyographic analysis of turn-out bent knee pulse and single-leg banded glute bridge exercises in healthy female subjects. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education.
Goller, M., et al. (2024). How to activate the glutes best? Peak muscle activity of acceleration-specific pre-activation and traditional strength training exercises. European Journal of Applied Physiology.
Khaiyat, O. A., et al. (2018). Electromyographic activity of selected trunk, core, and thigh muscles in commonly used exercises for ACL rehabilitation. Journal of Physical Therapy Science.
Park, J. H., et al. (2020). Sedentary lifestyle: Overview of updated evidence of potential health risks. Korean Journal of Family Medicine.
PureGym. (2018). How to reverse lunge [video]. YouTube.
