Maybe the most underestimated muscle in the athlete’s body is the most important one: gluteus, also known as glute, butt or booty. Gluteus is one of the biggest consisting of gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. Its function is a hip extension, hyperextension, abduction and external rotation. It assists with sprinting, jumping, twisting and changing directions, which are the movements that a tennis player needs.

The hip hyperextends naturally in walking, running, sprinting and lunging, and also during hip flexor stretches. Long and functional hip flexors are absolutely crucial for gluteus to work most efficiently, because tight hip flexors prohibit the hips from hyperextending.

Glute exercises with straight legs also activate hamstrings. To maximize the glute involvement, perform exercises with legs bent, which keeps the hamstrings in a shortened state and stops them from assisting the gluteus.

Squats and lunges are great exercises for the entire lower body, but the glutes don’t work maximally. They share the workload with the hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. To fully activate your glutes, perform the simple, yet extremely efficient glute bridge.

Before executing any glute exercises, always stretch the hip flexors. Shortened hip flexors don’t allow for maximum range of motion and the hyperextension of your hips. Hold the hip flexor stretch for 60 seconds. Get deeper into the stretch as time goes on and you are able to relax more. Do 2 sets of stretches before you start doing the glute bridge.

Glute Bridge

Lie down on your back, bend your knees and place your arms palms down by the sides of your body. Put pressure on your heels and trust your hips high up into the air by contracting your glutes. Keep the top contraction for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Perform 4 sets of 20 controlled repetitions.

One-leg Glute Bridge

When the two-legged version of glute bridge gets easy, you can increase the difficulty either by adding extra weight on your hips, or by lifting one leg. Lift the left leg off the ground and bring the knee close to your chest and keep it there during the entire movement. Pushing from the right heel, trust your hips as high up as possible. Keep the top contraction for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Perform 15 to 20 repetitions, then switch sides. Do 4 sets.

When you develop strong glutes, you will experience fewer problems with your lower back, knees and ankles. Your movement on the court will be smooth and fast, and your tennis game will improve significantly. And the booty will look just great!