Why the Toe Tap Glute Activation Exercise Has Become the Move Trainers Use for Bigger, Stronger Glutes

As more and more people get to grips with working their glutes, popular exercises like the hip thrust and cable kickback are becoming a common practice. But if you want to maximize those glute gains, firing up this muscle with a challenging toe drill can make all the difference. Luckily, the Boston Barbell fitness center recently demonstrated the exercise with bodybuilder and certified personal trainer, for those looking to master this move, Aliza Berquist.

Building lean body mass requires you to activate and then deplete the muscle toward a state of hypotrophy, and this move does just that, explained the Chris Martin, head trainer at Boston Barbell in North Billerica, Massachusetts. “If there’s one good way to tighten someone’s glutes, it’s to have them stand on one leg,” Martin wrote alongside his informative Instagram video.

Step by Step: How to Correctly Perform the Toe Tap Glute Drill

To get started with this glute warm-up:

1. Stellage with your hips back,
2. Take the weight of one legwhich keeps the other firmly planted. Try to keep the floating leg completely off the ground and tap your toe on the ground to the side.
3. Return the foot to the starting positionand then tap again, but this time extend your leg and try to tap the floor at a 45-degree angle behind you.
4. Repeat this process by tapping to the side, and then behind you.

“Every time you tap, we’re not really trying to put a lot of weight on that (leg),” the coach explained as Berquist struggled with her balance. “We’re just giving it a reference point.”

Repeat this cycle 8 to 12 times before switching to the other leg. “What I like about this exercise is that there isn’t a lot of technique involved,” Martin said. “This is a little bit idiot-proof. You get into a good position and it’s about whether or not you can just stay in it, right.”

Although the movement is easy to master, it is a lot more difficult to perform. “As soon as you stand on one leg, every stabilizing muscle around the pelvis has to fire like crazy,” said Martin, who went on to explain that the twisted position not only stretches the glutes, but also works them immensely as you try to stabilize the free leg.

Why This Bodyweight Exercise Can Cause True Buttock Hypertrophy

“We use this exercise early in the session to ease the glutes and increase awareness before lifting,” Martin explains. “But don’t get it twisted. If you stay disciplined in these positions and take it close to true failure, real hypertrophy is on the table. Slow reps. Complete control. Melt the glutes.”

As Berquist tried to keep her free leg off the floor, she was faced with a body that wanted to wobble during her workout. “Basically muscle failure,” the coach noted. “No weight, what did I tell you.”

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