11 best bodyweight posterior chain exercises you can do at home

Let’s face it – we all crave a well-toned, robust physique. But what if I told you that the secret to achieving this lies in the muscles you can’t see in the mirror? Yes, we’re talking about the posterior chain – the powerhouse of your body. This group of muscles on the backside of your body, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, play a critical role in almost every movement you make.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the world of posterior chain exercises. We’ll explore why they are essential, how to activate these muscles, and provide you with some of the most effective exercises to strengthen your backside.

Understanding the Posterior Chain

The posterior chain refers to a group of muscles located on the backside of your body, including the glutes, hamstrings, calves, erector spinae (the little muscles surrounding the spine), and the lower and upper back muscles. These muscles are the workhorses of your body, powering your ability to climb stairs, squat, or even lift heavy objects from the floor.

However, our sedentary lifestyle often leads to these muscles becoming weak. For instance, if you’re sitting all day, your glutes and hamstrings become lengthened and weak, leaving your spine unsupported. This lack of support can lead to low back pain and poor posture, with your shoulders rounding forward.

The solution? Activating or “waking up” your posterior chain through targeted exercises.

Activating the Posterior Chain

If you’re not used to using your posterior chain muscles, especially your glutes, they might feel like they’re asleep. Your body compensates for this by overworking the muscles on the front side of your body, such as the quadriceps. This overcompensation can lead to injuries during workouts as the front side of your body takes on loads meant for the glutes.

Therefore, it’s crucial to retrain your posterior chain to function optimally. How do we do this? By performing exercises that specifically target the backside of your body, focusing on squeezing the glutes and hamstrings. Regularly performing these exercises will get your posterior muscles used to being “used first,” reducing their reliance on the front side of the body for support.

Incorporating these exercises into your workout routine not only activates your glutes but also improves your posture and balance, preventing knee and back injuries during workouts^1^.

The Top 11 Posterior Chain Exercises

Now that we understand the importance of a strong posterior chain, let’s get down to business. Here are the 15 best posterior chain exercises you can do to tighten and strengthen your backside, relieve lower back pain, and also build a better posture.

Remember to begin with a 5 to 10-minute dynamic warm-up consisting of leg swings, bodyweight squats, and lunges, and light stretching.

1. Supermans

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Main Muscles Worked: Lower back, glutes

Supermans are excellent for strengthening the lower back and engaging the glutes, helping correct rounded posture caused by excessive sitting.

  • Start by lying face down on the floor. On your next exhale, raise your arms and legs off the floor simultaneously.
  • Focus on squeezing your glutes and lower back as you hold for 2-3 seconds.
  • Lower and repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

Variations: To mix it up, try raising one arm and one opposite leg at a time, alternating for 10 to 15 reps on each side.

2. Bird Dogs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Main Muscles Worked: Lower back, glutes

Bird dogs are excellent for activating the glutes and low back, while also strengthening the stability muscles surrounding your core.

  • Begin on all fours on your mat, hand directly beneath your shoulders and knees hip-width apart, under your hips.
  • Extend your right leg behind you while simultaneously extending your left arm out in front of you. Focus on squeezing your glutes as you hold for 2-3 seconds.
  • Lower and repeat, alternating sides, for 10 to 15 reps.

Variations: If you have difficulty balancing, try lifting only one leg or one arm at a time for 10 to 15 reps.

3. Sumo Squats

Level of Difficulty: BeginnerMain Muscles Worked: Inner thighs, glutes, quadriceps

Sumo squats target the muscles around the inner thighs and glutes, helping you target your lower backside.

  • Start by positioning your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward at a 45-degree angle.
  • Lower into a squat, focusing on keeping your weight in your heels and squeezing your glutes and inner thighs.
  • Once you reach parallel, push back to standing and repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

4. Back Extensions

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Main Muscles Worked: Upper back, lower back, shoulders

Back extensions are great for strengthening the muscles along the spine and shoulders, which can help improve your posture and even ease back pain.

  • Begin lying facedown on your mat.
  • You can either extend your arms in front of you or keep them at your sides as you lift your upper torso and hands off the floor.
  • Keep your gaze down and neck relaxed.
  • Hold for 2 seconds, then lower. Repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

5. Glute Bridge

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Main Muscles Worked: Glutes, core

Glute bridges are one of the best exercises for activating the glutes and engaging the entire posterior chain.

  • Begin lying on your back on the floor, feet hip-width apart and arms by your sides.
  • Pressing through your heels, lift your hips toward the ceiling. Focus on squeezing your glutes at the top.
  • Hold for 1 to 2 seconds, then lower your hips until they’re just off the ground, and repeat.
  • Aim for 10 to 15 reps.

Variations: You can make glute bridges more challenging by doing them on one leg or adding a band. To perform a more advanced version, come into your bridge position and extend one leg skyward, performing your thrusts on the opposite leg.

6. Donkey Calf Raises

Level of Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced

Main Muscles Worked: Calves

This exercise might look a little strange but it’s adaptable to most fitness levels and can hit all areas of your calves as well as improve ankle stability.

Strong calves can help with balance and add power to any forward movement, such as climbing stairs and sprints.

  • Set up low blocks or weight plates (about 2 inches high) to use as risers, parallel to a weight bench.
  • Stand on the risers so that your heels are hanging off them.
  • Hinge forward from your hips, so your trunk is parallel to the floor, with your elbows on a bench.
  • Lift and lower your heels. Play with how fast you do this movement – going slower can build more strength and size, while a faster tempo can work on explosiveness and power.
  • Repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

For more intensity, try this one with one foot or use a weight belt with a plate hooked to it.

7. Stability Ball Triple Threat

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate

Main Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, core

The stability ball triple threat combines three powerful posterior exercises into one, so no muscle in your backside is left untouched. You should perform these exercises in a continuous flow, with no pause between.

  • Begin lying on your back on the floor, legs extended, with your feet propped on top of your stability ball.
  • For the first exercise, keep your legs extended and push your hips skyward by engaging your lower back and glutes (similar to a bridge), keeping your knees straight. Perform 8 reps.
  • For the next exercise, keep your feet planted on top of the ball, but this time bend your knees and roll in the ball toward your glutes. Roll it back out and repeat, keeping your hips lifted. Perform 8 reps.
  • For the final exercise, bend your knees and keep your heels planted on the ball. Thrust your hips skyward to perform a glute bridge on the ball. Engage your glutes and core to keep your balance. Lift and lower for 8 reps.

8. Reverse Lunges

Level of Difficulty: Beginner – Intermediate

Main Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, core, quadriceps

Reverse lunges help activate and strengthen your glutes and hamstrings, while also engaging your core to balance.

  • Begin standing tall, feet hip-width apart.
  • Extend your right leg back behind you and come into a lunge on your left leg. Make sure your left knee stays behind your toes.
  • Lower until your thigh is parallel to the ground, then push back to standing through your left heel, engaging your glutes.
  • Repeat, alternating legs, for 10 to 15 reps on each leg.

Variations: You can also hold dumbbells for an additional challenge.

9. Back Rows

Level of Difficulty: Beginner – Intermediate

Main Muscles Worked: Upper and lower back, shoulders

Back rows strengthen the muscles of your upper and lower back, and also your shoulders. Use a challenging dumbbell weight for these, but don’t go so heavy that you can’t pull through the full range of motion.

  • Begin standing tall, feet hip-width apart, holding your dumbbells at your sides.
  • Hinge forward slightly at your hips and, with your palms facing down behind you, row your dumbbells back. Focus on pinching your shoulder blades together.
  • Slowly lower and repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

Variations: You can also try rowing with your palms facing up to engage more of the lower back.

10. Romanian Deadlifts

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate

Main Muscles Worked: Glutes, lower back, core, hamstrings

Romanian deadlifts target the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back as you pull a weight up from the ground. They are also excellent for building core strength and stability.

  • Begin standing tall, feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells in front of you.
  • Bending your knees just slightly, hinge forward at your hips as you lower your weight toward the ground. Keep a slight “pinch” between your shoulder blades to help stop your back from rounding, and really focus on engaging your core and glutes. Keep your chin tucked slightly so your neck remains in neutral position.
  • Keep your weight close to your legs.
  • Stop before you touch the ground and push through your heels to come to standing.
  • Repeat for 10 to 15 reps.

11. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate

Main Muscles Worked: Glutes, lower back, core, hamstrings

Single-leg Romanian deadlifts add some intensity to the regular Romanian deadlift by increasing your core engagement and working the stabilizer muscles of your core to improve balance.

  • Begin standing tall, feet hip-width apart.
  • Bending your knees just slightly, hinge forward at your hips as you lower your body toward the ground.
  • Extend one leg behind you as you lower. Keep your chest forward and your spine straight, focusing on engaging your glutes. Keep your weight close to your leg.
  • Stop before you touch the ground and push through your heel to come to standing.
  • Repeat for 10 to 15 reps on each leg.

Conclusion

Having a strong posterior chain is extremely important for enhancing your overall body strength, improving balance, and preventing injuries. To make the most out of your workout routine, it’s essential to include these top exercises for developing your posterior chain. Just remember to focus on maintaining proper form and gradually increasing the intensity to avoid any potential injuries and achieve optimal results. Wishing you a successful lifting journey!

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naem

Bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical science and extensive experience working in the health and dietary supplement industries

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