Gluteals
and misc. floor exercises

Plie' leg press

Place the feet wide with the toes pointed away from each other.  Push your knees apart from each other as you lower the sled, keeping the knees traveling at the same angle as the feet. Dancers would call this foot placement second position. Squeeze the glutes at the top of each repetition.  Press on your heels, not your toes. This focuses on the gluteals and removes emphasis from the quadriceps.

Leg press high and wide

Place the feet wider than shoulder width and place the feet high on the surface, insuring that the angle of the legs never exceeds 90 degrees, even at the bottom of the movement.  Generally, the higher the feet, the more hamstring and gluteals will be used. Press on your heels, not your toes. This targets the hamstring/gluteal connection.

Leg press high and narrow

Place the feet next to each other and place the feet high on the surface, insuring that the angle of the legs never exceeds 90 degrees, even at the bottom of the movement. Squeeze the glutes at the top of each repetition.  Press on your heels, not your toes.  This focuses on the outer gluteals and some lateral quadriceps.

Tip:

Whenever performing pressing (or any) exercises, never relax any part of your body.  Tension is required for you to be able to lift the weight back up.  At the very bottom of leg press or squats, keep the glutes squeezed as tight as possible and do not attempt to rest at the bottom half of the position.  I like to say that you are always pushing against the weight, even on the way down. You are just pushing less to allow the weight to lower.

Single leg press (not pictured)

To begin the exercise, you simply place your back firmly against the angles support, keeping your rear tucked well back and firmly against the seat. After warming up with no weight begin by loading the appropriate weight resistance and extend your leg until it almost locks out. (Some people begin by using both legs to extend the weight to begin the exercise and then removing the non-working leg.) Allow your leg to come back until your upper and lower leg forms a 90-degree angle. Then push the weight back until it is again almost locked out.

Plie' Hack squat

Just a substitute for other plie' movements.

Kneeling abductor

Kneeling feather kick

The beginning position is with the working leg extended and with the foot cocked to a point that places in in line with the head. You then raise it to about a 45-degree angle with the foot elevated above the head. The two exercises above are normally supersetted.

Kneeling back kick

Standing cable gluteal extensions

Upper hip

Also called the "outie" machine.  Sit down and push the legs out as far as you can, pressing outwards against the thigh pads.  Keep a smooth, rapid, controlled tempo.

Using the same bench as for back extensions, hang down and round your back.  Tilt the pelvis forward and squeeze the glutes as hard as you can.  Do not raise your whole body to an upright position.  Perform only the part of the repetition that contracts the glutes.

Kneeling side kick

Kneel on the floor, hold one leg out at a 90 degree angle from the other, and extend the leg straight behind you.  Perform all the reps with the leg held out, never letting it below parallel to the floor.  This looks like a karate side kick.  Substitutable for Abductor.

Plie' squat machine

Using the squat thrust apparatus, perform squats in a plie' position, keeping your back straight. Squeeze the glutes at the top of each repetition. Try to get your thighs parallel with the surface you are standing on at the bottom of the movement.   This exercise can also be performed on the smith machine.

Reverse hyperextensions

(shown with medicine ball for added resistance)

Step ups

Standing hip machine extensions

Glute Isolator

Just push the foot against the plate until the leg is almost straight.  Go slow and do not use momentum to do the reps.

Cable gluteal extensions