Build core strength and develop muscle in your glutes with this 20-minute workout

This routine engages your glutes and core muscles to develop key strength in your mid and lower body

Woman doing a glute bridge on the floor
(Image credit: Getty)

The gluteus medius, or your glutes as you may refer to them as, is the biggest muscle group in the body. Meanwhile your core provides balance, strength and stability so it's safe to say these are two areas you'll want to build and maintain strength in. This short workout will teach you how to target both muscle groups in one session.

This is a no-equipment routine with the option there to add one of the best resistance bands to the glute section of the workout if you do want to. Training with bands can help further your strength gains as they add an additional layer of resistance to an exercise, this often requires the engagement of more muscles in order to stabilize the body.

You may be juggling resistance bands v weights, trying to decide which gets better results. Helpfully, they both can lead to muscle growth, but resistance bands are more accessible as they are suitable for beginners to use, good for injury prevention, and more affordable.

Personal trainer Heather Roberston, will lead you through the full routine so watch her for how to perform each exercise with correct form. You will perform each exercise for 30 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest and repeat for two rounds.

Watch Heather Robertson's 20-Minute Core and Glute Routine

If you've used any of the best workouts for abs before then you will recognize many of the exercises involved in the first half of this workout. You will perform toe touches, side bridges, plank kicks, crunches, and mountain climbers as you engage your core and build definition in your abdominal muscles.

If you train your abs regularly you may find some moves less demanding on your core but can fix this by increasing your reps, adding in some weight, or challenging your core strength with one of the best ab rollers as part of your training.

Don't use up all your stamina though, you'll want to keep some fuel for the glute section of this Heather Robertson routine. She uses exercises like side steps, squat pulses and abductions, kick ups, and glute bridges to isolate and work the glute muscles thoroughly in a short period of time.

The two muscle groups being targeted in this routine do have a reputation for being more superficial muscular areas of the body to grow and tone. However, the stronger these muscles are, the easier other exercise becomes and so will everyday tasks such as getting out of the car or carrying heavy loads.

Plus, this workout also helps to burn fat. Any HIIT workout for fat loss requires your body to use up energy from fat instead of carbs making the process of fat loss more efficient. So this workout is ideal for those looking to develop strength and lean muscle in big muscle groups as well as slim down.

Jessica Downey

Jessica is an experienced fitness writer with a passion for running. Her career in journalism began in local news and she holds a Masters in journalism. Jessica has previously written for Runners World, penning news and features on fitness, sportswear and nutrition. 


When she isn't writing up news and features for Fit&Well covering topics ranging from muscle building, to yoga, to female health and so on, she will be outdoors somewhere, testing out the latest fitness equipment and accessories to help others find top products for their own fitness journeys. Her testing pairs up nicely with her love for running. She recently branched out to running 10Ks and is trying to improve her time before moving on to larger races. Jessica also enjoys building on her strength in the gym and is a believer in health and wellness beginning in the kitchen. She shares all of this on her running Instagram account @jessrunshere which she uses for accountability and for connecting with like-minded fitness lovers.