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Marching Glutes
[S27] a glute strengthening exercise
Marching Glutes are an extension to Glute Bridges. They work your glute (ie your bum) muscles, as well as your core and your calves for a pretty good all-round workout. They’re great for improving stability as well as strength.
How do I do it?
Start lying on your back, arms down by your sides, knees bent and feet flat on the floor slightly away from your bum. Next lift up, sending your hips high to the sky. You’re aiming for a flat line from your chest to your hips, with a flat back. Hold this position and then slowly lift your right leg off of the floor, back towards your check until it’s at 90 degrees to your body. Slowly lower your right leg back to the floor to the Hip Bridge position. Then do the same with your left leg. On returning to the hip bridge position, slowly lower on back to the floor. Repeat.
How will this help my riding?
You use your glutes alot when riding. They’re responsible for a lot of your stability as well as your leg positioning and the force you can use when you put your leg on. Strengthening these will be of use to most riders, but especially those who tend to lose balance or struggle putting their leg in the correct position with enough strength, especially in the lateral work. The Marching Glute will target each side of your glutes individually, which will really show up if you are weaker on one side than the other.
What does this exercise target?
Marching Glutes (as the name suggests) target your glute muscles. They’re great because unlike other glute exercises that also incorporate different muscle groups, such as hamstrings, core, back and quads, the effort is really focused on your glutes. By raising one leg, you're really targeting the muscles of the supporting leg, which is a great way of strengthening a weaker side as you'll not be able to overcompensate with the sronger side.
What should I be careful of?
Watch out for hyperextending (hollowing) your back - so don’t raise your hips too high. Ideally your hips should be slightly lower than your knees at the top of the exercise. Be sure to push your weight through your heels and not your toes so that you’re using your glutes and not your quads or hamstrings. Be sure to keep your form (i.e. your flat-backed positioning) throughout the exercise, even when you’ve got one leg off the floor.
Before starting any new exercise or training regime, we advise you to consult a physician, doctor, physiotherapist or other expert. The plans and exercises presented here and on the BLACKDOG Equestrian App are for guidance only and they do not offer advice on which you should rely. The App and the Services have not been developed to meet your individual requirements.