Military Muscle: 2 exercises that’ll toughen your glutes - Marine Corps Off Duty | health, fitness, gear, gadgets, sports, travel - Marine Corps Times

Military Muscle: 2 exercises that’ll toughen your glutes

This week, we focus on exercises that target the glutes using a physio ball or TRX bodyweight trainer.

Hamstring curls with physio ball You’ll feel these in the top part of the hamstrings as well as your glute muscles. Do 10 reps.

• Lie down on your back, arms straight out to the sides, with your lower legs resting on top of a physio ball. There will be a slight bend in your knees.

• Raise your hips up into a bridge while pressing down on the physio ball with your legs, forming a fairly straight line from your chest to your feet. Remember to squeeze your glutes together as you rise into the bridge.

• Now the hard part: Draw the ball toward your glutes with your feet while continuing to raise your hips farther off the floor. At the end, you still should be able to see a fairly straight line from chest to knees. If that line looks more like an “L,” you haven’t raised your hips high enough.

This move puts a lot of pressure on the glutes. Have a partner coach you through this part of the exercise.

• Progression targets the core. Bring your arms along the side of your body or lay them across your chest. You can substitute the TRX foot loops for the physio ball.

Wall squats with physio ball The key to engaging and working the glute muscles in this exercise is to get to at least a 90-degree position with the trunk and quads. Do 15 to 20 reps, the last five at a quicker tempo.

• Rest a physio ball between a wall and the middle to lower part of your back.

• Place your feet just wider than shoulder width and about 2 feet in front of you. This will cause you to lean back into the physio ball.

• Execute the squat slowly and under control. You’ll know that your feet are at the proper forward distance if your knees line up with your toes when your trunk and quads are at 90 degrees. If they go over, then your feet aren’t far enough forward.

• Explode slightly back into the up position.

• Progression is to do another set with your feet closer than shoulder width, then a third set with your feet together.

Get TUF I’d like to take this opportunity to spread the word about the Tactical Underway Fitness program aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.

Vinson’s fit boss, Bret Pelfrey, developed the special-event workouts and high-intensity training regimen.

Pelfrey is a certified CrossFit Level 1 trainer as well as a personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise.

Write to him for details on his program at brett.pelfrey@cvn70.navy.mil.

Bob Thomas is director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla. Email him at jomof14@cox.net.