While I was sporty from a young age, I didn’t properly get into weight training until I went to university. I was slim and fit, but I suffered a serious case of the underactive pancake butt. Fortunately my knees were young and nimble enough that I got away with no major side effects bar unsightly saggy jeans. Now over a decade of fitness industry experience later (and a fair few personal and client knee and back niggles or strength plateaus since corrected with frequent targeted glute work), I can wax lyrical about the many reasons to train glutes. I think each of these six are far more pertinent than the #belfie.

Pre-hab your knees

The link between weak glutes and dodgy knees is irrefutable. Most people make their first foray into fitness in a pair of running shoes, vowing to break up their long days at a desk and evening sofa habits with a few sprightly runs. I praise any effort to increase your activity levels, but I’ve lost count of how many cardio fiends have come to me for help getting fit after their knees took a knocking, and nine times out of 10 it comes down to weak glutes. I mean, when you’re sat on them for 90% of the day, what do you expect?

The glutes – specifically the gluteus medius that runs diagonally across the hip – help to draw the knee out over the ankle for a nice straight stride. Undertrain your glute meds and the knees have a nasty habit of pronating inwards, which can inflame the tendons around the knee, tighten the IT band and set off a series of muscular imbalances that take careful, frequent strength training to set straight.

What’s better than rehab? Prehab gets my vote every time. With results including improved mobility, a faster and more powerful stride and more enjoyable endurance training, targeting the glutes from the outset means you’re less likely to kneed (see what I did there?) serious intervention down the line.

Support your lower back

If the glutes are important in supporting your knees, they’re even more essential when it comes to the pretty minimalist musculature that sits directly above them: the lumbar spine. Aside from the quadratus lumborum (QL), which is technically a deep abdominal muscle, the lower spine relies on the interaction of the glutes and the core to remain comfortably agile. If the glutes become weak, the natural curve of the lower back becomes exaggerated and lordosis commonly occurs, which can cause you to lean back excessively and put undue strain on an already sensitive part of your spine.

Lordosis is most common in overweight and pregnant people, and as I’m currently 18 weeks into my own pregnancy, you can bet I’m training a lot of glutes. This is my go-to warm-up sequence ahead of any serious squatting or deadlifting, but if you’re just starting out it’s a great workout all on it’s own. Aim for 15 reps of each exercise, working through one side of the body at a time before repeating from the top on the other side (I’ve done just 5 to fit it into one short video).

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Squat & lunge more effectively

Speaking of squatting, deadlifting, lunging etc, once you start weightlifting you’ll naturally want to see your lifts get stronger and your weights get heavier. There’s nothing more satisfying than achieving a new PB on the squat rack, and nothing as effective at supercharging your metabolism and transforming your body shape. But without firing your glutes effectively, you can take too much of the work into your quads, and this limits how much load you can safely lift. If you have a case of lazy glutes, proper warm-ups and dedicated glute workouts are the best way to start reconnecting with your best asset. Ice Cube must have been hitting the gym a lot in the late 90s because You Can Do It makes the perfect theme tune to any good weights session.

Improve your plank

I’ve briefly touched on the connection between the core and the glutes, but something I see too often is a lower half that refuses to pull its weight during plank. As I like to say in classes, a plank is just as much about strong legs as it is about a strong core and upper body. If you’re not properly lifting your quads and squeezing your butt, your lower back is most likely hollowing towards the floor and your plank could be doing more damage than it is good. It’s also amazing how often a plank that seems to be on its last legs suddenly gets stronger and longer when you remind someone to squeeze their butt. I love to incorporate bird dogs (especially with a band) to warm up ahead of planks as it reinforces this precious interaction – if either navel or butt fail to engage, you’re going to wobble in that two-point extension.

Sprint faster

Even if weightlifting doesn’t become your bread and butter and you remain a cardio fiend, there is still plenty of reason to match the reps you put in with the miles you clock up. Aside from revisiting my first point of knee injury prehab, stronger glutes will give you more force up hills and encourage your hamstrings to support your quads, keeping your muscles fresher for longer and dramatically extending your point of fatigue (or ‘hitting the wall’). Swap just one endurance session for some serious strength training and you’ll feel the benefits almost instantly.

Create curves your momma didn’t give you

Aesthetic, yes. But if filling out your clothes better means you feel like a rockstar in your favourite jeans, then you could say a beautiful butt paves the way for confidence that’s more than skin deep. Especially when you can appreciate the hard (but satisfying) work that goes into all that swagger!

Has one or more of these reasons to train glutes inspired you? You can learn how to perform the major lifts and increase your repertoire of glute exercises by joining one of my Thursday night weightlifting classes or Saturday Bootcamps at the Windmill. Fit Brit Collective classes will run until October before I take a break to focus my attention on private clients ahead of taking maternity leave.

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As the copywriter at Sweaty Betty, I recently wrote a blog post about how Victoria’s Secret models are paving the way for a new ideal that favours fitness over slimness on the runway. And as being fit becomes more fashionable, fitness fashion is also becoming increasingly innovative and respected.

When I first started training seriously, about 10 years ago, I would save my worn out old tees and summer shorts for my gym sessions. These days I can’t imagine being so slapdash about dressing to work out. I now have a dedicated gym drawer in which I carefully separate my full-length leggings from my capris and shorts, fitted vests from looser layers and yoga bras from high-impact bras.

My trainer collection is also pretty healthy. Classic black Nike Lunars with ample support for running. Colourful Flyknits for a lightweight gym trainer that’s fun and easy to wear. Understated ASICS with just a touch of colour so they don’t look garish on my commute to work. And two everyday options between Pumas and Converse.

But outfit building for the gym is not simply an exercise in vanity. Since working for Sweaty Betty, I increasingly appreciate the importance of choosing the right fabrics for different disciplines – those mesh-panelled run tights are going to feel itchy and uncomfortable in yoga class, while the thicker opaque fabric of yoga leggings are too insulating for your typical cardio session. Plus, having different outfits for different workouts helps focus your mind on your training goals for the day; and looking amazing is wonderful motivation at any time.

I wanted to share with you some of my current season favourites from different brands, along with some of the thinking that goes behind my shopping decisions when I want to refresh my workout wardrobe. You’ll notice a fair number of Sweaty Betty pieces, and this is because I know the products inside out and can genuinely vouch for their quality. But I’ve also incorporated a number of other popular brands to show how you can build practical and beautiful workout looks under every budget and wherever you are in the world.

Best for standout studio style

For studio workouts like dance, yoga and Pilates, my go-to look is printed leggings with a colour pop bra beneath a sheer t-shirt. Studio workouts are usually really sociable and I always feel upbeat wearing a bold print. It’s also important to be able to move freely and to see your body’s movements, so I find a sheer relaxed-fit tee is a great compromise between comfort and perfect alignment. And when I need extra grip for barre or reformer workouts, I complete the look with these playful Toe Sox. 

Best for all-day wear

My favourite weekend activity entails taking a class with a friend, then rewarding ourselves with a really nice brunch. I’ve finally mastered the art of dressing for both the studio and the street, and the solution is black leggings with knitted layers. Sweaty Betty’s Level Leggings are hands down the best black leggings I’ve ever worn – super comfortable and sweat-wicking so they don’t feel sticky after a workout, and more flattering than my favourite blue jeans. I’ll wear a simple vest like this one from H&M, with a complementary low or high impact sports bra. Finally, I throw on a more luxurious post-workout cover-up like this Ballet Beautiful Wrap Top. Then I march for my meal in beautiful trainers – New Balance are on the rise since their US collaboration with Kate Spade. 

Best for discreetly covering up

Whether you’re feeling bloated, under the weather (or, perhaps, a tad hungover), the right styling gives you a little extra coverage without giving the game away. My favourite trick is harem pants over printed leggings, and an A-line top that just skims the waistband (this gorgeous one from Blake Lively’s brand Live the Process is ultra forgiving; it does have a built-in bra but I recommend getting extra support from this strappy padded bra by London-based Striders Edge). The double-layered approach to the bottom half feels really cosy and looks just daring enough to be deliberate, and an A-line vest is still a little feminine and sexy but ideal for concealing the midsection.

Best for showing off

Now for the polar opposite. When I’m feeling particularly confident (and all my plank variations have paid off), I always find it fun to show a hint of midriff with a really stylish crop top. I spotted this block marl design by Live the Process on Net-A-Porter and immediately added it to my wishlist. Generally, when I’m baring more skin, I strip back the colours to keep the look understated. These Lexie Sport shorts with the metallic panels would be the dream – especially with this silver Onzie bra to cement the theme. However, there’s always room for a little bit of colour on my feet – these US-only Flyknit Zoom Agility Trainers are calling out to me. 

Best for workout motivation

When buying new workout clothes, I try to strike a balance between feeling really amazing and also recognising that workout clothes are for sweating in. This pretty top from GapFit is affordable and sensible, so I won’t mind accumulating sweat patches. In fact, the die hard inside me can’t wait to turn it from light to dark grey with a killer HIIT session.

For the performance factor, compression leggings that boost circulation and also sculpt the legs into beautifully toned limbs are a no-brainer. I love these ones from Sweaty Betty for their subtle pop of blue! It’s also an absolute priority to feel supported by your bra. Racerbacks are a safe option because they give great support and don’t detract from your range of motion. This discreetly printed one by Body Science is designed in Australia, so I also like the idea of imagining Sydney Harbour while I train. And last but not least, these do-it-all triathlon-inspired ASICS are brighter than the sun, so you really have no choice but to wake up and work out.