Game-Changing Tips to Activate Your Glutes for Your Next Hike

Your glutes are the powerhouse of your body, but are you actually using them when you hike?

I can’t tell you how many times I hear hikers say, “My quads are on fire!” or “My calves are killing me!” after a long day on the trail… but when I ask if they felt their glutes, they say no.

Soreness doesn’t always equal effectiveness, but missing out on your glutes means you’re leaving the biggest muscle group in your body on the bench. And that’s a problem, because your glutes do a lot more than just look good in hiking shorts.

Why Your Glutes Matter on the Trail

Your glutes:

• Extend your hips (think: powering up those climbs).

• Externally rotate your femurs (helping your knees track properly).

• Abduct your legs (move them away from your body).

• Stabilize your IT band (keeping your knees happy).

If you’re not using your glutes, you end up relying on smaller muscles that tire out quickly, leaving you with sore knees, cranky hips, and tired calves long before the summit.

The Big Toe Trick

Here’s my favourite cue to “wake up” your glutes before a workout or a hike.

1. Stand (or sit) with your feet flat on the floor.

2. Press your big toe straight down into the ground (no scrunching, keep it long and flat).

3. Keep pressing while you gently “corkscrew” your feet, so your knees turn slightly outward.

Try putting your hand on your glutes as you do this, you’ll actually feel them fire!

That’s because the glutes are connected into your posterior kinetic chain (a fancy way of saying your big toe is connected all the way up through your backside).

My Go-To Glute Warm-Up Before Hiking

Once you’ve got your glutes activated, here’s a simple warm-up I do before every hike:

1. Wall Presses – Stand about 2.5 steps from a wall with one leg bent against it. Press into the wall while driving your big toe into the ground. Keep hips level. Do 10 reps.

2. Hip Dips – In the same position, let your hip drop slightly, then use your glutes to lift it back to level. Do 10 reps (you’ll really feel this in your standing side!)

3. Hip Hinges – Hinge forward from your hips, then come back up while pressing into the wall behind you. Do 10 reps.

   
   

If I’m going for a run, I’ll finish with a few light hops. But for hiking, I stop after these three moves.

Build Strong Glutes Over Time

Waking up your glutes before you hike is game-changing, but the real magic comes from building stronger glutes in the gym. Exercises like squats, thrusters, step-ups, and banded walks are all great, but only if you’re actually using your glutes during them (that big toe trick will help!).

And if you need a place to start, check out our free 8-Week Hiking Program. It’s designed to help you train specifically for hiking!

Use your glutes, protect your knees, and enjoy stronger, more confident hikes.

Have a WILDR week and we’ll see you on the trails!