Rebuilding glute strength postpartum isn’t just about doing more squats or feeling the burn in a banded workout. It requires intentional movement and smart programming.

Here are 3 common mistakes I see and exactly how to fix them so you can build strong, functional glutes that support your postpartum recovery and strength goals.

1. Your Programming Isn’t Hitting All Angles of the Glutes

Not all glute exercises are created equal and many postpartum workouts unintentionally fall short by focusing too much on one movement pattern.

I often see programs that include 3 or 4 squat-based variations in a single session: goblet squats, sumo squats, heels-elevated squats, banded squats… While each has subtle differences, they’re all training the glutes (and quads) in a very similar way — mostly in the vertical plane, with the glutes in a shortened or mid-range position.

The problem? You’re overloading the same fibers repeatedly, without enough variation to stimulate true growth or function. Especially postpartum — when your body is relearning how to load, stabilize, and recruit muscles effectively — diversity in movement is essential.

To rebuild glute strength and shape in a way that supports your whole system, your training needs to intentionally target the glutes from multiple angles and ranges. That includes:

• Long muscle length movements: (e.g RDLs and split squats) — which challenge the glutes to lengthen under load and are particularly effective for building strength and muscle hypertrophy.

• Short muscle length movements (e.g hip thrusts and glute bridges) — where the glutes are contracting in a shortened position, reinforcing peak activation.

• Hip abduction work — ( standing cable abduction, clamshells, side steps) — which targets glute med and glute min, crucial for pelvic stability, single-leg control, and injury prevention.

Each of these movement types stimulates different fibers (glute max, med, and min), making your training more complete and effective especially if your goal is strength, performance, or aesthetic changes.

And it’s not just about what you do — it’s how you do it. Poor movement quality, lack of core integration, or relying on momentum can turn a glute-focused exercise into a quad or low back dominant one. This is especially true postpartum, where altered posture, weakened core coordination, or compensatory habits can change how load is distributed.

If you want to feel your glutes working and see the results of that work, it starts with smarter programming, better movement mechanics, and intentionally training across the full range.

To summarize:

• Include a variety of glute movements that target different ranges and planes.
• Don’t skip hip abduction — it helps with pelvic stability and single-leg strength.
• Focus on form, control, and range, not just reps or speed.
• Consider exercise selection: less is often better!

2. You’re Not Training With Enough Intensity

One of the most common reasons glute progress stalls postpartum? Training that’s too light, too easy, or too focused on chasing the “burn.”

High rep banded sets, circuits, and feel-good pump work can play a role but they’re not enough on their own to drive real strength or muscle growth. Especially after birth, when you’re rebuilding tissue resilience, neuromuscular coordination, and structural support, your body needs more than sensation — it needs stimulus.

That’s where progressive overload comes in:
Gradually challenging your muscles with heavier loads, better movement quality, and more demand over time. This is the foundation of long-term strength and hypertrophy and the principle most often missing in postpartum glute training.

Now, to be clear: this doesn’t mean you need to max out every session or push to failure constantly. Especially in early recovery, you need to respect your current capacity. But you do need to get close enough to fatigue within your working sets that the glutes are actually being challenged.

What does that look like in practice?

• You’re training within 1–3 reps of failure — not just stopping when it starts to burn.
• You’re using loads that actually make your final reps hard (without sacrificing form).
• You’re tracking your lifts week to week and intentionally progressing over time.

You also want to structure your sessions based on how your body adapts:

• Heavier, lower-rep compound movements demand more from your nervous system. So place those early in your workout, when you’re freshest.
• Mid-range rep work (8–12) is great for building both strength and muscle.
• Higher-rep isolation sets (12–15+) can be effective but shouldn’t be the only thing you’re doing.

Here’s how that breakdown might look in a postpartum strength session:

• Compound Strength Work: 3–6 reps x 3–4 sets (e.g., squats, trap bar deadlifts, hip thrusts)

• Accessory Lifts: 6–10 reps x 2–4 sets (e.g., Bulgarian split squats, single-leg RDLs)

• Isolation Work: 10–15+ reps x 2–3 sets (e.g., clamshells, cable kickbacks, banded abduction)

And don’t forget frequency: Research supports training glutes 2–3 times per week for best results. More than that may compromise recovery. Less than that might not be enough stimulus — especially if you’re working with limited volume per session.

To summarize:
✔️ Train your glutes 2–3x/week with intention
✔️ Use rep ranges that match the purpose of the movement
✔️ Choose loads that challenge you (without pain or breakdown)
✔️ Progress over time — through weight, reps, tempo, or range

This is how you shift from just doing the work to actually seeing results.

---

3. You’re Clenching Your Glutes All Day (Without Realizing It)

Chronic glute clenching is a common — and often subconscious — habit postpartum. Whether it’s from years of tucking your pelvis, instability after birth, or trying to “protect” your core, this constant gripping can actually hold you back from building strong, functional glutes.

While strong glutes are essential for posture, pelvic stability, and movement, excessive tension in these muscles can lead to:

• Low back or SI joint discomfort
• Hip tightness and poor mobility
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Reduced strength and glute activation

Clenching your glutes all day isn’t the same as training them. True strength comes from moving through a full range of motion, not from holding tension at rest.

Why It Happens:

Chronic clenching often stems from:

• Core, hip, or pelvic instability
• Poor alignment (like constant posterior pelvic tilt)
• Habitual postures (e.g., carrying a baby on one hip)
• Lower back or pelvic discomfort
• Compensation patterns from pregnancy and postpartum changes

What to Do Instead:

Create space in the back of your hips
When glutes stay clenched, it limits femur movement and compresses the sacrum, restricting glute max lengthening. This can lead to overuse of deep hip rotators and even sciatic symptoms. Focus on hip mobility drills that move the femur back in the socket and restore posterior hip space.

Release tension in the glutes + pelvic floor
Overactive glutes and a hypertonic pelvic floor often show up together. Use breathwork, pelvic tilts, and supported mobility positions to down-train excessive tone before strength work.

Restore hip rotation
Good hip function requires both internal and external rotation. Limited rotation = limited glute output. Add movements that train both ranges to free up deep hip muscles and improve activation.

Strengthen the proximal hamstrings
Weak proximal hamstrings can pull your pelvis out of position, reinforcing glute clenching. Strengthening this area supports better pelvic alignment and reduces pressure in the posterior hip, especially helpful for deep butt pain or sciatica-like symptoms.

By letting go of unnecessary tension and retraining how your glutes move (not just squeeze) you’ll unlock better strength, more efficient movement, and improved pelvic health postpartum.

Final Thoughts

Postpartum glute training isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter. Ditch the endless clenching, rethink your exercise selection, and train with intention and intensity.

Strong glutes are more than a muscle group. They’re foundational for posture, hip and pelvic stability, and returning to high impact or strength based activities postpartum.

Whether you’re newly postpartum or months into your recovery, it’s never too late to build a stronger, more resilient body.

Want a done-for-you plan that actually grows your glutes?

Grow Your Glutes is a 12-week strength program built for intermediate to advanced lifters who want real, lasting results — not just band burnouts or random lower body days. You’ll train glutes with intention across all movement patterns, apply progressive overload, and build full-body strength in the process.

Choose from barbell or dumbbell tracks based on your equipment and goals.

Included in the Lift with Emily membership
7-day free trial available

Join now and start building stronger glutes today