Why midlife men should train their glutes — the five best exercises
This neglect comes at a cost. Underactive glutes can lead to a range of issues including lower back pain, poor posture, reduced mobility and diminished athletic performance. As we get older, maintaining strength and stability in the hips becomes increasingly important — not just for sport, but for day-to-day function.
Strong glutes support the pelvis, reduce the risk of lower back problems and are fundamental to running, sprinting, lifting and staying injury-free. They are, quite literally, the powerhouse of the lower body.
With that in mind, I've created a targeted glute workout designed specifically for men who want to build strength, maintain athleticism and stay mobile as they age. If you are new to strength training, start with lighter weights and 8-12 repetitions (or as many as you can manage) and build up to 3-4 sets. Do this circuit two to three times a week and it will develop your glute power while strengthening the entire posterior chain. And yes, as a bonus, it will help you look a little sharper in a pair of swim shorts this summer too.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand in a split stance with your right foot back and left foot forward, hip-width apart. Hinge forwards from your hips and keeping your arms straight, allow the weights to run along the length of your thighs and halfway down your shins. Keeping your back straight, push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to the starting position. Repeat for 60 seconds and then switch sides for another 60 seconds.
• Five upper back exercises to improve your posture
Start on the floor with your knees bent and feet on the ground, hip-width apart, resting your shoulder blades against a secured bench or step and holding a dumbbell in the crease of your hips. Engage your core and lift your right leg, holding it off the ground while driving through your left heel and squeezing your glutes to push your pelvis up until your torso is parallel with the ground. Avoid pushing with your lower back. Gently lower your leg to bring your pelvis back down, without touching the ground. Repeat for 60 seconds and then switch sides for another 60 seconds.
• My ultimate shoulder workout
Stand in front of the step or bench with your feet hip width apart and hands by your sides, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Engage your core and place your right foot on the box, then squeeze your glutes and drive through this foot to push your body up, bringing your left foot on to the platform. Repeat for 60 seconds and then switch sides for another 60 seconds.
• How to start weight training in midlife
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, take a step forward with your left leg, bending your knees until your right knee almost touches the ground behind you. Engage your glutes and push back up through your left heel to standing, stepping your right leg forward straight into the next rep. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell in both hands so it's hanging vertically, resting against your chest. Squat down, as if sitting into a chair, until your hips are lower than your knees. Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Text therapy: study finds couples who use emojis in text messages feel closer
The secret to a good relationship may be staring smartphone users in the face. A new study published in the journal Plos One found that using emojis in text messages makes people feel closer and more satisfied in their personal lives. Researchers at the University of Texas spoke to 260 people aged between 23 and 67 and asked them to read 15 text message exchanges that varied only in the presence or absence of emojis. Participants were instructed to imagine themselves as the sender of each message while focusing on the recipient's replies to evaluate responsiveness, likability, closeness and relationship satisfaction. The study revealed that people who send emojis combined with text are seen to be more responsive in their relationships than people who send text alone. It also found emojis serve as nonverbal cues that signal attentiveness and emotional engagement. Luke McGregor, 42, and Amy Thunig-McGregor, 37, say being able to use emojis helps their family communicate better. Luke said he wasn't a regular emoji sender at the start of their relationship and had to learn to start incorporating them into text messages to Amy. 'I traditionally didn't use emojis that much but when I first got [together] with Amy, I noticed them using them a lot, so there was a vulnerability or a hurdle I had to get over to start using them myself,' McGregor said. 'I wanted Amy to know that they were loved, and so to become a regular sender of emojis to Amy in order to communicate affection was at least initially a big deal for me.' Amy said emojis were a good tool to enhance their communication. 'We're both autistic as well for context … it helps us really be clear with tone and intention in a way that isn't possible with just written text,' they said. Senior lecturer in psychology at Central Queensland University Dr Raquel Peel, who was not involved in the study, said sending emojis can be a creative alternative when people are unable to see their partner face to face. 'I don't think we can replace face-to-face interactions because we are talking about intimate partnerships and relationships, but we have to be realistic that this isn't always possible,' Peel said. 'So if you can't meet face to face with your partner for whatever reason staying connected is important. 'Using emojis is then an effective alternative.' Her advice was to not underestimate the value of communication in a relationship and to always try and stay connected to your partner in whatever way you communicate. 'One thing that people also forget when I'm talking to them about relationships is the value of humour and having a bit of fun,' Peel said. 'So if emojis can serve a purpose that way, which we know they can, it adds to the element of fun and connection through humour and that is really important.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Full scale of Joshua Brown's alleged sex offending is laid bare as new details emerge - as male workers are banned from changing nappies
The number of childcare centres in Victoria where alleged paedophile Joshua Brown was employed is set to grow in the following week. The 26-year-old has been charged with more than 70 child sex offences including the sexual penetration of a child and producing child abuse material. He is also charged with recklessly contaminate goods to cause alarm or anxiety, which is understood to refer to the alleged contamination of food with bodily fluids. It was revealed on Friday that there is a new, full list of times and places where Brown worked which is due to be released in the coming days, The Age reported. The latest blow comes as families were rocked on Tuesday by an urgent warning from the Victorian Department of Health and Victoria Police for parents of 1,200 children to have them tested for infectious diseases. It has since been suggested the advised tests were for gonorrhea and chlamydia. It was later suggested parents also have their children tested for syphilis. Brown's is accused of abusing eight children between the ages of two-months-old and five-years-old at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre Point Cook, where he worked between October 2021 and February 2024. Authorities said the Melbourne childcare worker also worked at more than a dozen other centres across the city between 2017 and 2025. Affinity Education, the national childcare company which employed Brown in at least nine of its centres, provided The Age with a letter from chief executive Tim Hickey. 'The individual was employed as a permanent part-time educator in August 2024 for a newly built centre which opened in November,' he said. 'During that period, they worked or trained across other centres in the network or where the support was needed. 'While this is a common operational practice in the sector, we are now reviewing how these movements are managed through a stronger child safety lens.' Meanwhile provider Inspire Early Learning Journey sent a letter to parents on Friday announcing it had adjusted policies about what male staff would be allowed to do. Chief curriculum and quality officer Eleinna Anderson said they will not be changing nappies or carrying out 'toileting duties', the Herald Sun reported. She maintained they will still play a 'vital role' and help with activities, classroom preparation and cleaning. The provider's staff must refrain from unnecessary physical contact with children including kissing. If offering emotional supporter, they need the child's consent to hug them or hold their hands. The national provider Affinity Education addressed Brown's work at nine of their centres, explaining why he worked at multiple locations in a letter to parents (pictured) Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed on Friday that at least 30 families have already approached a high-profile law firm in Victoria to seek compensation over the alleged actions of Brown while their children were under his care. Arnold Thomas and Becker Lawyers have confirmed they were contacted by a string of families about potential legal action. Some parents have already approached the media to discuss the horror their families have been through. A Werribee father who spoke out on Thursday, described how his seven-year-old daughter begged medical staff to stop as they administered an STI test. 'My daughter was saying "Daddy, this is really hurting me, make the lady stop",' he told the Herald Sun. 'You could visibly see the pathologist was upset, the receptionists were upset, the doctor was upset. Because they're all parents. It's affected everyone.' All the parents involved have to wait an unknown amount of time to discover whether their children have any STIs. 'It's every bit as bad as you think it's going to be. Every time my phone rings… I get anxiety, every time it rings. It's constantly attached to my hand as we're waiting for that phone call,' he said. Health authorities had to contact more than 2,600 families after Brown was taken into custody in mid-May, where he remains. His Point Cook home was raided by police shortly after an investigation was launched earlier that same month. Police have said he was not known to them before his arrest and he had a valid Working With Children Check, which has since been cancelled. He will next appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on September 15. Police discovered evidence of the alleged horrific offending by the childcare worker while investigating 36-year-old Michael Simon Wilson. Wilson, from Hoppers Crossing, was charged with 45 child sex offences on Wednesday, including bestiality, rape and possession of child abuse material, according to court documents. It is understood Brown and Wilson are known to each other, but Wilson's charges are not linked to any childcare centre and involve different alleged victims.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Teen hospitalized after lightning strikes family sheltering under umbrella on Florida beach
A 17-year-old girl is in the hospital after lightning struck her and her family on a Florida beach just outside St. Petersburg. The family of three was struck by lightning while sitting under an umbrella at St. Pete Beach on Independence Day, local outlet Bay News 9 reports. The St. Pete Beach Fire Department responded to a call about the incident just after noon local time. The teen was taken to Tampa General Hospital. She was transported as a 'trauma alert,' which means she may have sustained life-threatening injuries. The girl was with two adults. First responders treated them at the scene, and they refused additional medical treatment, according to Bay News 9. Kyree Mejias told 10 Tampa Bay he witnessed the lightning strike while at St. Pete Beach with his family. 'It was so close to us, we could see the flash,' Mejias said. 'It was more or less just us trying to take care of the tent and all of that, he added. 'As soon as we felt the vibration and the shock, everybody just let go.' The Independent has contacted the St. Pete Beach Fire Department for more information. Florida is known as the country's ' lightning strike capital.' The state sees an average of 1.2 million strikes per year and has more lightning strikes per square mile than any other state. Lightning strikes about 25 million times each year in the U.S., killing around 20 people annually. Just weeks ago, . He is expected to make a full recovery. "I can see, but I can't talk. I can't move,' the teen recounted to CBS News New York. 'So I'm just kind of locked in my body for a second until I get into the ambulance and I feel everyone trying to shake me.' "Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened,' he added.
