Glute stretch guide: 8 glute stretches to do after training

A good glute stretch takes about a minute, feels great after a long run or a heavy lower-body day, and does exactly one thing well: it helps your hips feel less tight for a while. It won't make your glutes stronger, it won't stop you getting sore, and it isn't a substitute for training them. Do it because it feels good and helps you move. That's reason enough.

Below are eight glute stretch exercises, grouped by the part of the glutes they aim at: glute max stretches, glute med and glute min stretches, and the deep glute stretches most people mean when they say their hips are tight. You'll get clear instructions, hold times, and when to do them so they don't get in the way of your training. Whether you plan your week yourself or use a coach that fits training around real life, the stretches are the same.

What a glute stretch actually does

Here's the evidence, without the folklore.

Stretching improves range of motion, briefly. A systematic review found all forms of stretching improved range of motion, with the improvements typically lasting less than 30 minutes (Behm et al., 2016). A single session doesn't make your hips permanently looser.

Much of the change is in how the stretch feels. A review of muscle extensibility concluded that most gains after a single session, and after 3- to 8-week stretching programs, are due to modified sensation rather than the muscle actually getting longer (Weppler and Magnusson, 2010). In plain English: you get more comfortable at the end of the range. That's still useful.

It doesn't do much for soreness. A Cochrane review found that stretching before, after, or before and after exercise did not produce clinically important reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness in healthy adults (Herbert, de Noronha and Kamper, 2011).

It isn't injury insurance. The 2016 review found static stretching had no clear effect on all-cause or overuse injuries (Behm et al., 2016). So stretches are an add-on to a strength plan for women, not the plan itself.

If tight-feeling glutes are bothering you, getting them stronger matters more than getting them longer. The glute exercises that do that are hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, split squats and step-ups, loaded progressively for months. Stretching is the cool-down, not the main event.

How long to hold a glute stretch

Coaching practice and the evidence line up reasonably well here:

• ›Hold each stretch 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat two or three times per side. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a total of 60 seconds per flexibility exercise, at least two days a week, to maintain range of motion (Garber et al., 2011).
• ›Stretch to mild tension, not pain. If it's sharp, pinching or burning, back off.
• ›Breathe slowly. Holding your breath tends to make you tense up, which is the opposite of the point.
• ›Save long holds for after training. Static stretches of 60 seconds or more per muscle group produced larger performance decreases than shorter holds when done right before activity (Behm et al., 2016). Before running or lifting, move dynamically instead.

Glute max stretches

The gluteus maximus is the big muscle that extends your hip. These stretches take the hip into flexion, which is where it gets lengthened.

1. Supine knee-to-chest

The simplest glute stretch there is.

1. ›Lie on your back, legs straight or one knee bent with the foot on the floor.
2. ›Pull one knee toward your chest with both hands wrapped around your shin or behind your thigh.
3. ›Keep your lower back and the other leg relaxed on the floor.
4. ›Hold 20 to 30 seconds, then switch.

For more stretch, pull the knee slightly toward the opposite shoulder rather than straight up.

2. Figure-4 stretch (lying)

The classic glute max stretch, and the one most people should start with.

1. ›Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet on the floor.
2. ›Cross your right ankle over your left knee, so your legs make a "4".
3. ›Reach through the gap and grab behind your left thigh. Pull it gently toward your chest.
4. ›Keep your right knee pointing out to the side. You should feel it in the right glute.
5. ›Hold, then switch.

If you can't reach your thigh comfortably, loop a towel around it, or keep your left foot on a wall.

3. Seated figure-4

The desk-friendly version.

1. ›Sit tall on a chair, feet flat.
2. ›Cross your right ankle over your left knee.
3. ›Keep your back straight and hinge forward from the hips until you feel the stretch in your right glute.
4. ›Hold, then switch.

Good for long workdays, travel days, or between sets on a lower-body day if your hips feel stiff.

Deep glute stretches

When people say they want a deep glute stretch, they usually mean one that reaches the smaller hip rotator muscles underneath the gluteus maximus. These stretches combine hip flexion with rotation.

4. Pigeon stretch

The most popular deep glute stretch, and the one most often done badly.

1. ›Start on hands and knees.
2. ›Bring your right knee forward toward your right hand and let your right shin angle across your body. Your right foot ends up somewhere in front of your left hip.
3. ›Slide your left leg straight back, top of the foot on the floor.
4. ›Keep your hips square to the floor. Prop your right hip on a cushion or folded towel if it doesn't reach the ground.
5. ›Stay upright on your hands, or walk your hands forward and lower your chest for more stretch.
6. ›Hold, then switch.

Your front shin doesn't need to be parallel to the front of the mat. If your knee complains, bring the foot closer to your hips, or swap for the lying figure-4, which targets the same area with less load on the knee.

5. 90/90 hold

The 90/90 position doubles as a hip rotation drill and a stretch.

1. ›Sit on the floor with your right leg in front, knee bent at 90 degrees, shin across your body.
2. ›Put your left leg out to the side, knee also bent at 90 degrees, shin pointing behind you.
3. ›Sit tall, then hinge forward over your front shin, chest leading, back straight.
4. ›Hold, then rotate both knees to the other side and repeat.

Runners will recognize the movement: 90/90 hip switches are a standard warm-up drill. Done slowly with a hold, it becomes a stretch.

Glute med stretches (and the glute min)

The gluteus medius sits on the side of the hip and moves your leg out to the side. The gluteus minimus lies underneath it and does a similar job. There's no way to stretch the glute min on its own, so a glute min stretch is really a glute med stretch: these positions bring the leg across the body, which lengthens both.

6. Cross-body knee pull

1. ›Lie on your back, legs straight.
2. ›Bend your right knee and pull it across your body toward your left shoulder with your left hand.
3. ›Keep both shoulders on the floor.
4. ›Hold, then switch.

You'll feel this more on the outside of the hip than the figure-4.

7. Seated twist

1. ›Sit on the floor with both legs straight.
2. ›Bend your right knee and cross your right foot over your left leg, foot flat beside your left knee.
3. ›Hug your right knee with your left arm and pull it across your body, sitting tall.
4. ›Rotate gently to look over your right shoulder.
5. ›Hold, then switch.

8. Standing cross-over stretch

The one to use when the floor is wet, cold or full of other people's sweat.

1. ›Stand next to a wall for balance, right side closest to it.
2. ›Cross your right leg behind your left.
3. ›Push your right hip out toward the wall and lean your upper body slightly the other way.
4. ›You should feel a stretch along the outside of the right hip.
5. ›Hold, then switch.

A 10-minute glute stretch routine

After a lower-body session or a long run, this covers every area in under ten minutes. Do two rounds, which gets each stretch to about 60 seconds per side.

Short on time? One round of whichever feels tightest beats skipping it. On a rest day, three rounds make a decent low-key session.

When to stretch your glutes

After training. This is where static glute stretches belong. Ten easy minutes of cool-down, then the routine above if you like it.

On rest days. A slow 10-minute session is a fine way to move without adding fatigue.

Before running or lifting: go dynamic. Static holds before training aren't the best choice, especially long ones before fast or heavy work. Swap them for dynamic moves that take the glutes through range:

• ›Leg swings, front to back and side to side, 10 each leg.
• ›Walking knee hugs, pulling one knee to your chest each step.
• ›Hip circles, standing on one leg, 10 each direction.
• ›Glute bridges, 10 reps to get the glutes working before you load them.

Then do your warm-up sets. Warm-up sets are mobility with a purpose.

Strengthen as well as stretch

A glute that feels tight is often a glute that's being asked to do more than it's ready for. Stretching can take the edge off. Strength work is what raises the ceiling.

A few places to start:

• ›For the upper glutes and side of the hip, abductions and hip extension variations do the job. The upper glute shelf exercises that work are mostly side-lying abductions, cable abductions and hip thrusts, not a special secret move.
• ›For the side glutes runners rely on, glute medius and minimus exercises like side-lying hip abduction, clamshells and lateral band walks train the muscles that hold your pelvis level on one leg.
• ›For each side on its own, the single-leg bridge is a quick test of whether one glute is doing all the work. The 1 leg glute bridge explained step by step makes a good warm-up as well as a main exercise.
• ›For the back of the leg, the glute ham raise is a hard hamstring-and-glute exercise, with Nordic curls or stability-ball leg curls as alternatives if your gym doesn't have the machine.

Program those two or three times a week, progress the load, and keep the stretches as the cool-down.

When to see a professional

Stretching is for tightness, not pain. If you have pain in your buttock that's sharp, spreads down your leg, comes with numbness or tingling, or gets worse with stretching, stop and see a doctor or physiotherapist. The same goes for anything that changes how you walk or run. A professional can assess it. A stretch can't.

How exrsz handles mobility and glute work

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, with glute strength work balanced against your running in one plan, so heavy lower-body days don't land the day before your hard runs. It adapts each week to how you actually trained and reshuffles missed sessions. The figure-4 at the end is still on you.

FAQ

What is the best glute stretch?

For most people, the lying figure-4 stretch. It targets the glute max and the deep hip rotators, it's easy to control, and it's gentler on the knees than the pigeon stretch.

How long should you hold a glute stretch?

About 20 to 30 seconds, repeated two or three times per side. The ACSM recommends a total of 60 seconds per flexibility exercise, at least two days a week (Garber et al., 2011).

How do you stretch the glute med?

Bring the leg across your body: the cross-body knee pull, the seated twist and the standing cross-over stretch all lengthen the glute med and the glute min underneath it.

Should I stretch my glutes before or after a workout?

After, for static holds. A systematic review found static stretches of 60 seconds or more before activity reduced performance more than shorter holds, while dynamic stretching gave small improvements (Behm et al., 2016).

Does stretching your glutes help with soreness?

Not much. A Cochrane review found stretching before or after exercise did not produce clinically important reductions in muscle soreness in healthy adults (Herbert, de Noronha and Kamper, 2011).