3 yoga poses to get your glutes in gear
Power up your posterior with three poses that improve posture, power and performance
If your glutes are napping while you’re logging miles, it’s time to wake them up. Strong, activated glutes help stabilize your hips, reduce strain on your knees and keep you injury-free when the miles stack up, all while powering up your stride. Yoga isn’t just for soothing sore, tired muscles; it can also be a sneaky-good tool for strength and activation. Here are three glute-firing yoga poses that every runner should add to their routine.
Locust with cactus arms
This variation of locust pose targets the glutes without letting the low back take over—it strengthens the glute max and spinal extensors, countering the effects of slouchy sitting and poor running posture.
How to do it:
Lie face down, legs extended, arms bent at 90 degrees like a cactus.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your chest, arms and legs off the mat.
Keep your neck long and avoid crunching your lower back.
Hold for five breaths, rest, repeat three times.
Modification: Keep feet on the floor and only lift the chest and arms.
Chair pose with heel lift
This spicy version of chair pose adds balance and glute activation all in one. It fires up both glute medius and minimus—key players in hip stability and single-leg strength.
How to do it:
From standing, bend your knees and sink into a squat, keeping your weight in your heels.
Lift both heels off the floor slowly.
Keep knees together and arms reaching forward.
Hold for five to eight breaths.
Modification: Lift one heel at a time, or hold onto a wall for balance.
Lunge twist with glute squeeze
This pose is a runner’s dream: rotation, balance and glute power rolled into one move. It teaches you to engage your glutes while moving—a skill that transfers straight to your stride.
How to do it:
Step into a high lunge with the right foot forward.
Bring palms together at heart centre and twist to the right, hooking left elbow outside the right knee.
Actively press through the front heel and squeeze the back glute.
Hold for five breaths, then switch sides.
Modification: Drop the back knee to the floor and use a block under your back hand for stability.
You don’t need to add hours on your yoga mat to your already time-crunched routine—add one of these poses to your cool-down session, or squeeze one into your day when you have a few spare moments.
