Pop quiz: What’s the largest muscle in your body? If you said gluteus maximus, you are correct. However, the glutes can often take a backseat to other muscle groups. Literally.
Think about how much time you spend sitting every day, whether at a desk, in the car, or on the couch. All that sitting makes your glutes weak, which can throw off your posture, cause lower back pain, and even lead to knee problems.
While training glutes has grown in popularity for aesthetic reasons, strong glutes do more than help you look better in leggings. They keep you balanced, protect your back, and give you the power to walk, run, and move with ease.
If you’re looking to strengthen and tone your glutes, water exercise offers unique benefits compared to land-based workouts. Water exercise combines low impact with natural resistance, helping you engage muscles effectively without putting strain on your joints.
An H2X Fitness Swim Spa can become a key part of your fitness routine, giving you a comfortable, safe, and effective way to strengthen your glutes and improve your overall health.
Water workouts for glute strength
Many glute-strengthening programs include variations of hip thrusts, squats, lunges, and deadlifts. However, these gym exercises can often focus on increasing the size of the glutes rather than maintaining balanced strength, stability, and functional movement.
And for people with joint issues, injuries, or mobility challenges, these workouts can put too much strain on the knees, hips, and lower back.
Water exercises build glute strength with a focus on shaping and toning. Taking your workout to the swim spa or other body of water offers additional benefits.
Low impact, high resistance
Water’s buoyancy minimizes pressure on your joints, allowing you to perform exercises with less strain, even if you experience joint pain or stiffness on land. This makes it an ideal option for those with arthritis, injuries, or mobility challenges.
At the same time, water provides consistent resistance in all directions, engaging your muscles throughout the entire range of motion. This 360-degree resistance ensures that even small, controlled movements become more challenging, promoting both strength and endurance.
Reduced fatigue and injury risk
When you work out on land, fatigue can sneak in and throw off your form, which raises the risk of injury — especially with exercises like squats or lunges. In the water, though, your body gets extra support from buoyancy, so it’s easier to stay in proper alignment, even when you start to feel tired. Plus, water’s natural resistance encourages slower, more controlled movements, helping you get an effective workout without the added strain on your joints.
Accessible for all fitness levels
Water workouts are perfect for everyone, whether you’re just starting your fitness journey, coming back after an injury, or already an experienced athlete. If you’re easing back into movement, the water’s buoyancy supports your joints, making it easier to move without discomfort.
If your goal is to build strength and endurance, you can easily increase the intensity. You have plenty of options to make your workout more challenging: adjust your speed, range of motion, or add resistance tools like water dumbbells, bands, or swim fins. These tools create more drag in the water, forcing your muscles to work harder while still being gentle on your body.
7 water exercises for glute strength
Building strong glutes isn’t just about appearance; it’s about improving how you move, feel, and function every day. Strong glutes enhance posture, balance, and stability, reducing the risk of falls and injuries in daily life.
Water-based exercises offer a low-impact way to strengthen your muscles, making them a smart choice for people of all fitness levels. Below are seven effective exercises to help you build glute strength and improve overall fitness in your swim spa.
1. Water squats
Water adds resistance to the classic squat, making it more challenging while minimizing stress on your joints.
How to do it:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in the swim side of the swim spa.
Lower your body into a squat, pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
Press through your heels to return to standing.
Why it works: The water challenges your glutes more than land-based squats while buoyancy protects your knees and back. For extra intensity, try jump squats in waist-deep water.
H2X Swim Spas are available in two depths: standard and deep. The deep models, such as the popular Trainer 15D, feature a water depth of approximately 51 inches. This added depth is ideal for water exercise, providing ample space for a variety of movements and allowing you to fully engage in your workouts without feeling restricted.
2. Glute kickbacks
This exercise helps to isolate your glute muscles while engaging your core. In addition to improving strength, the movement helps to improve your overall stability and balance.
How to do it:
– Hold onto the side of the swim spa or a stability bar for support.
– Slowly extend one leg behind you, squeezing your glutes.
– Return the leg to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Tip: Add ankle weights designed for water workouts to increase resistance.
3. Underwater step-ups
Step-ups effectively mimic stair climbing, making them an effective exercise for strengthening the glutes. This movement engages not just the gluteal muscles, but also the quads, hamstrings, and calves, promoting overall lower body strength and stability.
How to do it:
– Stand in waist-deep water in front of the steps or seat of your swim spa.
– Place one foot on the step and press through your heel to lift your body.
– Step back down and switch legs.
Why it works: This exercise targets your glutes without the stress on your knees that comes with land-based stair climbing.
4. Side lunges
Side lunges effectively target the glutes and hip muscles while also enhancing overall mobility and strength. This exercise requires lateral movement, which engages the gluteus medius and minimus, crucial for stabilizing the hips and pelvis.
How to do it:
– Stand with your feet hip-width apart in waist-deep water.
– Take a wide step to one side, lowering into a lunge.
– Push through your heel to return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Tip: Keep your core engaged and maintain good posture throughout the movement. If you struggle with balance, you can hold onto the side of the swim spa as you do the side lunges.
5. High heel walking
This water exercise strengthens the glutes while also improving hamstring flexibility. Maintaining good hamstring flexibility is crucial for building glute strength because tight hamstrings can limit your range of motion and affect your overall movement patterns.
How to do it:
– Walk forward in waist-deep water, lifting each heel toward your buttocks.
– Keep your thighs vertical and alternate legs with each step.
– For extra resistance, use ankle fins.
Why it works: The water adds resistance, making every step more effective for glute activation.
6. Resisted hip abduction
This movement strengthens both the outer and inner glutes, which is super important for keeping your hips stable. While many exercises tend to focus on the gluteus maximus (the big muscle everyone talks about), it’s just as important to train the other glute muscles, like the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. When you strengthen these muscles, you boost your hip stability, improve your balance, and help your body stay aligned when you are exercising or even just taking the stairs.
How to do it:
– Hold a water dumbbell or exercise ball under the water.
– Stand upright and lift one leg out to the side (abduction).
– Bring the leg back to center and repeat on the other side.
Tip: Keep your core tight to maintain balance and maximize the workout.
7. Kicking drills
Swimming is a full-body exercise that engages your arms, core, and legs while improving cardiovascular fitness and flexibility. When you want to build your glute strength, it can be worthwhile to incorporate swimming and kicking drills into your routine.
How to do it:
– Use swim fins to increase resistance.
– Focus on slow, controlled kicks, engaging your glutes with each movement.
– Try kicking while holding onto the swim spa’s side or using a kickboard.
Why it works: Kicking drills strengthen the glutes while also working your legs and core, making it a great full-body exercise. You can also skip the swimming part of the exercise and focus on the kick. Hold a kickboard or the stainless steel bar near the swim jets and kick. Just remember to kick from your hips, as this will maximize the engagement of your glutes and ensure you’re getting the most out of each movement.
The best place for water workouts
For those looking to strengthen their glutes, water exercise is an excellent option, especially if you have chronic pain or limited mobility. The water provides a soothing environment that makes exercise more comfortable and convenient. However, barriers such as a busy work schedule and limited access to a pool can make it hard to stay active.
An H2X Swim Spa can help you reach your fitness goals. This pool-spa allows you to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of aquatic exercise right at home, eliminating the need to travel to a gym or class. You can work out year-round, no matter the weather, ensuring you can focus on building glute strength whenever it fits into your schedule.
The adjustable temperature controls let you set the water to a comfortable range, perfect for enhancing your workout experience. The continuous swim current is ideal for a variety of exercises targeting the glutes, such as squats, lunges, and kickbacks. As you get stronger, you can adjust the pace of the swim current for more of a challenge.
Additionally, H2X Swim Spas offer the benefits of a hot tub. With strategically placed hydrotherapy jets, you can enjoy a relaxing massage that targets tension in your glutes, hips, and lower back. This dual functionality not only helps you strengthen your glutes but also promotes recovery and relaxation after your workout, making it easier to stay consistent with your fitness routine.
Create your own backyard oasis
Do you want to be able to swim, exercise, and relax at home? Having an H2X Fitness Swim Spa by Master Spas allows you to swim on your schedule while adding a fun factor to your backyard. Click here to find out more about the benefits of hydrotherapy and relaxing in a swim spa. Or, contact your local Master Spas retailer to learn more about swim spa ownership. Wondering how much a swim spa costs? Request a quote here.