Personal trainer reveals why the glute workouts you see on Instagram ‘won’t do sh*t’

When it comes to working out, Americans are obsessed with getting a better backside.

Tutorials for getting ’rounder’ and more toned glutes have taken over social media, with searches on TikTok totaling more than 130 million views. 

However, fitness experts have revealed that many of these exercises are probably a waste of time. 

Katie Neeson, a personal trainer in Los Angeles, posted a TikTok video last month that showed her kneeling on the ground while moving and clenching her backside while holding a small pair of dumbbells. 

‘Stop doing s**t like this to grow your glutes. It’s not doing s**t,’ said Neeson in the video, which has more than 3.6 million views. 

Ms Neeson, who has almost 60,000 TikTok followers, also showed herself walking on a stairmaster and kicking one leg behind her at a time – noting that this also won’t  tone your glutes. 

Social media searches for glute workouts have exploded in recent years, as Americans are obsessed with toning their backsides

Instead of thrusting from behind, Ms Neeson told her followers that ‘you need to be focused on some form of hip thrust, meaning thrusting those cheeks together.’ 

In the video, Ms Neeson sat down on the floor and leaned her back against a weight bench. From there, she lifted her hips slightly above the ground and placed a barbell over her lap, thrusting forward repeatedly.

‘You need to be doing thrusts and you need to add some freaking weight on this bar and focus on getting stronger over time,’ she said. 

If you’re just starting out, limit the amount of weight you have on the bar in order to get used to the move and reduce the risk of injury. Then, as your body gets used to it over a few weeks, add on a bit more weight each time. 

Ms Neeson also recommended deadlifts, which is when you hinge your hips backward and bend your knees to lower your body and pick up a barbell or kettlebell. 

‘It does target your glutes a lot more,’ she said. 

Ms Neeson told her 58,000 followers to focus on hip thrusts and gradually increase weight over time

The trainer also recommended squats and deadlifts, as well as single-leg movements

Additionally, Ms Neeson suggested doing squats while holding the barbell behind your head. 

‘You want to include some form of squat,’ she said, noting that these can be either high-bar or low-bar squats. 

In a high-bar squat, the bar rests just over your shoulders, whereas a low-bar squat requires it to be closer to your shoulder blades. 

Ms Neeson’s last recommendation was to include moves that focus on one leg at a time. ‘We want to be doing some form of single-leg movement,’ she said. 

These include lunges, single-leg squats, and single-leg deadlifts. 

‘Ladies, give it a try,’ she said.