Session 1: Glute Wake-Up | Glutes & Hips Growth Blueprint

Session 1 · Activate

Glute Wake-Up

✦ Weeks 1-2: Activate ⏱ 20 min All levels
Program progressSession 1 of 18

Today’s session: 6 moves

Illustration of Pelvic Tilts Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Pelvic Tilts

10 reps

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Arms rest by your sides. Inhale and allow a small natural arch in your lower back. Exhale and gently tilt your pelvis so your lower back presses into the mat. Feel your glutes engage during the tilt. Hold for 2 seconds at the top of the tilt. Inhale and release back to neutral. Move slowly and rhythmically. Think of your pelvis as a bowl of water: tip it gently so the water spills toward your belly button. Each tilt should feel like a soft wave through your pelvis.

Illustration of Glute Bridge with 5-Second Hold Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Glute Bridge with 5-Second Hold

10 reps

From the same position, exhale and peel your hips off the mat, pressing through your heels. Tempo: 2 counts up, 5 second hold at the top, 3 counts down. At the top, squeeze your glutes as firmly as you can. Imagine cracking a walnut between your glutes. Your weight should be in your heels, not your toes. If you feel this in your lower back, tuck your pelvis slightly more at the top. Lower your spine back down one vertebra at a time on the inhale.

Illustration of Clamshell Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Clamshell

12 each side

Lie on your side with your knees bent at 45 degrees, feet together, and hips stacked. Band optional (above knees if using). Exhale and open your top knee toward the ceiling, keeping your feet glued together. Tempo: 2 counts open, 2 second hold, 3 counts close. Your hips must stay completely still. If your top hip rolls backward, you have gone too high. Reduce the range and focus on feeling the contraction deep in your outer hip, not the front of your thigh.

Illustration of Bird Dog Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Bird Dog

8 each side

Start on all fours with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Exhale and extend your right arm forward and left leg back simultaneously. Focus on squeezing the glute of the extended leg. Hold for 3 seconds at full extension, keeping your hips level. Inhale and return with control. Alternate sides. Imagine balancing a cup of tea on your lower back. If it would spill, you are moving too quickly or twisting your pelvis.

Illustration of Standing Kickback Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Standing Kickback

10 each side

Hold a wall or chair for balance. Stand tall with your core engaged. Exhale and extend one leg behind you with control. No swinging. Squeeze the glute firmly at the top of the movement. Hold for 2 seconds. Inhale and return slowly. The range of motion is small, roughly 15 to 20 degrees behind your body. If you are arching your lower back, you are going too far. Keep your torso upright and let the glute do all the work.

Illustration of Supine Butterfly Stretch Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Supine Butterfly Stretch

60 sec hold

Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall open to the sides. Place your hands on your lower belly or let your arms rest by your sides. Breathe deeply and let gravity gently open your inner thighs and hips. Do not force your knees down. Each exhale allows a little more release. This is your cool-down, so let your body soften completely.

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Pink Pilates Tip

After each exercise, pause and ask yourself: did I feel my glutes or my quads working? Awareness comes first. You cannot change what you cannot feel. Today is about learning to listen to your body.

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