10 Abs And Glutes Workout Moves I Actually Program For Real

Tasha Boyd14.08.2026

Abs and glutes get paired together so often in fitness content that people assume it's a marketing trick, but there's a real reason: your core and glutes work as one unit to keep your spine stable every time you walk, lift, or twist to grab something off a shelf. I've cued most of these ten moves in my Tuesday and Thursday rec-center classes, where the room usually has a knee replacement, a marathoner, and someone six weeks postpartum on the same floor. So every move here comes with three ways in — because a workout only works if you can actually do it.

Extended Kneeling Reach (The Warm-Up Nobody Skips Twice)

Two women in a mirrored studio performing a kneeling forward reach warm-up before an abs and glutes workout

This one isn't glamorous, and that's the point. Before I ask a class to do a single crunch or bridge, I want hips and lower backs warmed through a full range, and this kneeling forward reach does exactly that — lengthening the lats and lower back while gently loading the hips into flexion, which is the position most ab-and-glute work asks you to move out of repeatedly.

Supported version: keep hips resting back toward your heels the whole time, forearms down if wrists are cranky.
Standard version: reach hips slightly forward of heels, walk hands out until you feel a gentle stretch through the sides.
Harder version: add a slow reach-and-hold to one side, then the other, opening the ribcage further.

The cue I give more than any other here: breathe into your low back, not your chest. If you feel it in your shoulders instead, you've walked your hands out too far.

Bird Dog Crunch

If I could only keep one move on this whole list, it'd be this one. The bird dog crunch trains your core to resist rotation while your glutes learn to fire independently on each side — which is precisely what happens every time you climb stairs or carry a laundry basket on one hip.

From a tabletop position, extend one leg back and reach the opposite arm forward, then curl elbow to knee underneath your body before extending back out.

Supported: keep the moving leg's toes lightly tapping the floor for balance.
Standard: full extension, controlled tempo, no rushing the crunch phase.
Harder: pause for two full seconds at full extension before each rep.

The feel you're after is a flat back — not sagging, not rounded. If your hips are rocking side to side, you're moving faster than your core can control, which is the single most common thing I correct in this move.

High Plank Hold

Close-up of a toned core holding a high plank, a key stability move in any abs and glutes workout

A plank isn't a test of how long you can grit your teeth — it's a rehearsal for keeping your spine neutral under load, which carries directly into how safely you lift groceries, kids, or a barbell. The muscles doing the real work here are your deep abdominals and your glutes, which should be actively squeezed, not along for the ride.

The plank that actually builds strength is the boring-looking one — hips level, ribs down, glutes on. The Instagram-shaky plank where hips are sagging toward the floor is training your lower back to compensate, not your core to hold.

Three ways to build it:

Supported: forearms down, knees down, hold 15-20 seconds.
Standard: full plank on toes, forearms or hands, hold 20-40 seconds.
Harder: lift one foot a few inches off the floor for 3-5 seconds at a time, alternating sides.

Set a timer instead of counting in your head — everyone's internal clock speeds up around second fifteen.

Straight-Leg Kickback

This is an isolation move, and I say that with zero apology — sometimes you need to work one muscle group without your quads or lower back sneaking in to help. The straight-leg kickback keeps your glute doing the entire job of extending your hip against gravity.

From tabletop, extend one leg straight back at hip height, foot flexed, then lift a few inches higher without letting your low back arch to compensate.

Supported: smaller range of motion, hips stay square, no back extension.
Standard: full extension at hip height, small controlled pulse upward.
Harder: add an ankle weight or loop a resistance band around the working foot, anchored under your standing knee.

Andre tried this one in the garage once and immediately arched his back like a startled cat to get the leg higher — which told me his glute had already checked out and his lumbar spine had taken over. Keep the range honest, even if it looks smaller.

Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is the move I'd hand to anyone as their first-ever glute exercise, and I'd still program it for my most advanced clients — it just scales that well. Lying on your back, feet flat, you press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, squeezing your glutes hard at the top.

Three levels

Supported: smaller range, hold at the top for 2 seconds, feet slightly wider for stability.
Standard: full bridge, 2-second squeeze at the top, controlled lower.
Harder: single-leg bridge, or add a pause plus a small pulse at full height.

The most common mistake I've corrected in over a decade of classes: people push through their toes instead of their heels, which shifts the work into the quads. Drive through your heels like you're trying to push the floor away, and you'll feel your glutes take over almost instantly.

Lateral Band Walk

This is the move I reach for when someone's knees cave inward during squats — a pattern I've seen in beginner and advanced clients alike. Looping a resistance band around your ankles and stepping sideways forces your outer glutes (the gluteus medius, specifically) to keep your knees tracking over your toes instead of collapsing in.

Supported: no band, just practice the sideways stepping pattern with a slight knee bend.
Standard: light band at the ankles, small deliberate steps, knees bent, chest up.
Harder: heavier band, or move the loop up to just above the knees for a shorter, harder range.

Ten steps one direction, ten back — that's genuinely enough. I've replaced my own band four times over the years, and every single time it was because I kept it too loose to feel any resistance, which defeats the whole point. If you can't feel tension at the start position, size down.

Bicycle Crunch

Bicycle crunches get a bad reputation for neck strain, and that's almost always a cue problem, not a move problem. Lying on your back, hands lightly behind your head, you rotate to bring opposite elbow toward opposite knee while the other leg extends long — training the obliques to twist your torso against resistance.

Supported: keep the extended leg bent and hovering low instead of fully straight, smaller rotation.
Standard: full extension of the opposite leg, controlled rotation, no yanking the neck.
Harder: slow the tempo to a 3-second count per side, which removes momentum entirely.

The cue that fixes almost everyone: your hands are a pillow, not a lever. If you're pulling your head forward with your hands, your neck is doing the work your obliques should be doing. Let your rib cage rotate, and your elbow will find your knee without any help from your arms.

Barbell Hip Thrust

This is where glute training gets serious about load, and it's genuinely one of the best exercises for building hip-extension strength — the exact strength you use to stand up from a low chair or push a stalled car. Upper back braced against a bench, feet planted, you drive your hips up until your body is a straight line from shoulders to knees, barbell resting across your hips.

Scaling it:

Supported: bodyweight or a light dumbbell across the hips, focus purely on the top squeeze.
Standard: moderate barbell load, controlled tempo, full lockout each rep.
Harder: add load progressively over weeks, never by more than what you can control for a full set.

A padded barbell or a folded mat across your hips isn't optional comfort — it's necessary. And if you feel this in your lower back instead of your glutes, that's a form issue worth working out with a trainer in person before you add more weight.

Side Plank with Reach-Through

Woman holding a side plank with an arm reach overhead, an oblique challenge from an abs and glutes workout

I love this one for exactly the reason some people avoid it: it exposes weaknesses on your less-dominant side fast. Balanced on one hand or forearm with your body in a straight diagonal line, you thread your top arm underneath your torso, then reverse and reach it straight overhead — training your obliques through rotation while your hips stay stacked and stable.

Supported: bottom knee bent and resting on the mat for a stable base.
Standard: legs stacked and straight, full arm reach and thread.
Harder: lift the top leg a few inches for the whole set, challenging balance further.

The hips are the tell here. If your top hip drops toward the floor as you thread your arm through, that's your obliques losing the fight — slow down or drop to the supported version rather than pushing through a collapsing hip.

Goblet Squat

I close almost every abs-and-glutes session with a compound move, and the goblet squat is my favorite for it — holding a single dumbbell close to your chest forces an upright torso, which cues your core to brace the whole time your glutes and quads do the heavy lifting on the way up.

Supported: hold onto a sturdy chair or counter, squat to a comfortable depth.
Standard: dumbbell held at chest height, squat until thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
Harder: heavier dumbbell, or add a 2-second pause at the bottom of every rep.

Feet slightly wider than hips, toes turned out a touch, weight through your whole foot rather than just your toes. This is the move I most often see rushed — slow the descent down, and the glutes get far more of the work than a fast, bouncy rep ever gives them.

None of these ten moves is exotic, and that's on purpose — the ones that actually get repeated are the ones people can do in their living room on a Tuesday without overthinking it. Start with whichever three feel most doable this week, and build the rest in as they stop feeling new.

Hi! I'm Tasha

Hi, I'm Tasha! Certified personal trainer and twelve-year community rec center instructor — the room where a 68-year-old and a college athlete…

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Your Questions, Answered

How often should I do an abs and glutes workout like this?

Two to three non-consecutive days a week is plenty for most people, with rest days built in between so the muscles actually recover and get stronger. More isn't automatically better here.

Can I do all ten of these moves in one session?

You can, but you don't have to. I'd rather someone do five moves consistently for a month than all ten once and burn out. Pick a handful, rotate weekly, and build from there.

I feel these more in my lower back than my glutes — is that normal?

It usually means a form adjustment is needed, most often hips or ribs out of position. If it persists or comes with pain, that's a question for a physical therapist, not something to push through.

Do I need a gym for this list?

No — only the barbell hip thrust really needs gym equipment. Everything else works with just a mat, and a resistance band if you want to add the band walk.