As more and more people get to grips with working their glutes, popular exercise like the hip thrust and cable kickbacks are becoming common practice. But if you want to maximize those glute gains, firing up this muscle with a challenging toe tap drill could make all the difference. Fortunately, for those who want to master this move, the Boston Barbell fitness center recently demonstrated the drill with bodybuilder and certified personal trainer, Aliza Berquist.
Building lean mass requires you to activate and then exhaust the muscle towards a state of hypotrophy, and this move does just that, explained the Chris Martin, who is the head coach at Boston Barbell in North Billerica, MA. “If there’s one sure fire way to turn someone’s glutes on, it’s getting them standing on one leg,” wrote Martin alongside his informative Instagram reel.
Step-by-Step: How to Perform the Toe Tap Glute Drill Correctly
To get started with this glute warmup:
- Stand with your hips back,
- Take the weight from one leg, leaving the other firmly planted. Try and keep the floating leg off the ground completely and tap your toe on the floor out to the side of you.
- Return the foot to its starting position, and then tap again but this time you’ll be extending the leg out and trying to tap the floor at 45 degrees behind you.
- Repeat this process of tapping to the side, and then behind you.
“Each time you tap, we’re not really trying to put much weight on that (leg),” explained the coach as Berquist battled with her balance. “We’re just giving it a point of reference.”
Repeat this cycle 8 to 12 times before swapping to the other leg. “What I like about this drill is there’s not a ton of technique,” said Martin. “This is kind of idiot proof. You get in a good position and it’s about whether or not you can just stay in it, right.”
While the move is simple to master, it’s a lot tricker to execute. “As soon as you get on one leg, every stabilizing muscle around the pelvis has to fire like crazy,” commented Martin, who further explained that the rotated position not only stretches the glutes, but works them massively as you try to stabilize the free leg.
Why This Bodyweight Drill Can Trigger Real Glute Hypertrophy
“We use this drill early in the session to light up the glutes and build awareness before heavy lifts,” explained Martin. “But don’t get it twisted. If you stay disciplined in these positions and push it close to true failure, there’s real hypertrophy on the table. Slow reps. Full control. Let the glutes melt.”
Indeed, as Berquist attempted to keep her free leg off the floor, she had to contend with a body that wanted to wobble as she worked out. “Actual muscular failure,” observed the coach. “No weight, what did I tell you.”
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