Work to give those glutes a mean workout.
Think about your workout routine for a minute and see if you can think of all the muscle groups you work. We know you hit your legs, back, and chest. Of course you attack those biceps and triceps for those bulging arms and that core for those six-pack abs. But do you target your glutes? Sure, if you perform a squat, or most leg exercise for that matter, you are hitting your glutes, but think if you are really giving them the attention they deserve. Even the most massive of us need to work our glutes for what they do for our overall physical health and performance and that cannot be overlooked. Frog pumps are a great exercise that allow you to focus on your glutes to really perfect a strong and toned behind.
Strong glutes matter and too often do we tend to overlook the importance of what these muscles can do for us. Posture and injury prevention are huge, especially for those of us who lift big weight. We want to get the most out of our training and performance and looking to those exercises that enhance our stability and muscular support will pay off big time in the long run. But for those of us focusing on sport specific movements, our glutes allow us to speed up, slow down, and change direction effectively and efficiently and for those us looking to be the best at whatever our respective sport is, why not give ourselves the edge we deserve most.
Let’s check out frog pumps and see what this exercise is all about. From what they are, to the muscle worked, and the benefits that come with them, you will surely want to give these a try. Fairly simple to learn yet highly effective in gains, it is no wonder why people are turning to these to get the most out of their training routine.
What Are Frog Pumps?
Frog pumps are very similar in nature to a glute bridge, only your legs are set in a different position. What this does is allow you to work those glute muscles a bit differently than before which is great for challenging those muscles to grow. For those who struggle to activate their glutes during other glute focused or leg exercises, frog pumps will give you that advantage and allow you to thrive, building up a better base for strength training (1). A solid bodyweight exercise, frog pumps will work for higher volume with a lower load to add definition and support without putting you in a vulnerable position.
Muscles Worked
Frog pumps are fairly close to a glute isolation exercise. While other muscles are required to allow you to be in that position and perform the movement, this exercise really does a nice job of targeting the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, while also targeting the smallest butt muscle in the gluteus minimus.
Benefits Of Frog Pumps
The benefits of frog pumps are hard to ignore and absolutely cannot be overlooked, especially when it comes to a working on toning and strengthening of your glutes. Benefits of frog pumps include:
- Glute activation: This exercise offers a great way to activate your glutes to provide for support and increased growth (2).
- Great bodyweight exercise: No equipment needed and you can perform this anywhere while only dealing with form and how to properly maximize the effects of a great bodyweight exercise.
- Simple to learn: Similar to the glute bridge, this exercise is fairly simple to learn and execute, allowing for easy gains.
- Hip mobility: Works to strengthen the hips to help with overall hip mobility and less pain in this vital area of the body (3).
How To Perform Them
Here are the steps for performing frog pumps:
- Laying on your back, put the soles of your feet together and slide them close to your butt.
- Engage your core and press your low back into the floor to allow for the most support possible.
- Drive the edges of your feet into the floor while keeping your upper body tucked down and really squeeze your glutes as you push your hips forward.
- Give a good squeeze and slight pause at the top to allow for maximum activation.
- Gently lower to the floor and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Frog Pumps Tips & Advice
When it comes to performing frog pumps, it is vital to keep your core engaged to alleviate any pain that may come onto your low back. This provides added support and stability throughout the whole movement to ensure it is done properly. Also, keeping your glutes engaged the whole time will allow for better activation and that much desired growth you want most out of a good exercise.
If you want to perform this as a bodyweight exercise, it is an effective way to get a workout without any equipment. But for those looking for more load, you can use resistance bands or a dumbbell. If you are using a dumbbell, hold the weight on either end and rest it on your hips. For bands, wrap them just under your knee to create some tension that will require more load and effort to drive through.
As a good exercise for glute training, anyone looking to enhance stability and support should perform frog pumps. Also, for those looking to tone and strengthen their glutes, this is an effective exercise in doing so.
Wrap Up
Our glutes tend to be an overlooked muscle group and working them as effectively as possible can really work wonders for our stability and support. If you are looking for a great variation to the glute bridge, and an exercise that is simple yet effective in targeting your glutes, then look to frog pumps to make this happen. Use weight if you would like for that added load and really give yourself the best chance at growth. You won’t be disappointed with how the results of performing frog pumps turn out.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Neto, Walter K.; Soares, Enrico G.; Vieira, Thais L.; Aguiar, Rodolfo; et al. (2020). “Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review”. (source)
- Distefano, Lindsay J.; Blackburn, J. T.; Marshall, Stephen W.; Padua, Darin A. (2009). “Gluteal muscle activation during common therapeutic exercises”. (source)
- Hrysomallis, Con (2009). “Hip Adductors’ Strength, Flexibility, and Injury Risk”. (source)