The Best Glute Exercises For You!

Chelmsford Physio • March 29, 2023

What to consider, to get best ‘bang for your buck’!

Collings et al (2023) looked at Gluteal Muscle Forces during Hip-Focused Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Exercises. This is an EMG-informed musculoskeletal modelling study of gluteal forces in range of exercise.


This study aimed to compare and rank gluteal muscle forces in eight hip focused exercises performed with and without external resistance and describe the underlying fibre lengths, velocities, and muscle activations.

This can be very helpful, when it comes to exercise selection. By choosing the most specific exercise and getting the dosage of that exercise correct, you will get the most effective improvement in symptoms/performance.


This information ties in nicely, with our blog on Greater Trochanter Pain

https://www.chelmsfordphysio.co.uk/greater-trochanter-pain-syndrome and with the recent Instagram post of lateral hip pain and Glute strength exercises.


The one obvious exercise that is missing for this study is the Step Up. When it comes to Glute activation and strength, it's hard to beat the Step Up. This can be a fantastic exercise, used at the right stage in the right way. It is often added as a stage 2 or stage 3 progression exercise, once there is a good strength base.



In a comprehensive systematic literature review by Krause Neto et al (2020)


The results of this systematic review have shown that Glute Max activation varied among the exercises investigated. In general, the step-up exercise and its variations present the highest levels of Glute Max activation. Therefore hard to beat when it comes to working those Glutes, specifically Glut Max.


In a study by Stemmons-Mercer et al (2009) this was a comparison of Gluteus Medius Muscle (EMG) Activity During Forward and Lateral Step-up Exercises in Older Adults.


The purpose of this study was to examine the (EMG) amplitude of the Glute Med muscles bilaterally during forward and lateral step-up exercises.


They concluded that the lateral step-up exercises are associated with greater Glute Med muscle activity than forward step-up exercises.


If you are struggling with hip pain, or would like help with Glute related exercises, please get in touch today and get some advice from an expert who can help!


Chelmsford Physio

hello@chelmsfordphysio.co.uk

01245 895410

Riverside Leisure Centre, Victoria Rd, Chelmsford CM1 1FG

How Athletes Adapt Their Training to Cope with High Temperatures: The Science of Heat Acclimatisation

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
Athletes competing in hot and humid environments face significant physiological challenges that can impair performance and increase the risk of heat-related illness. From marathon runners in tropical climates to footballers playing summer tournaments, the ability to tolerate and perform in high temperatures is a critical component of elite sport. As a result, many athletes use structured heat acclimatisation strategies to prepare their bodies for environmental stress.  What Is Heat Acclimatisation? Heat acclimatisation refers to a series of physiological adaptations that occur when an athlete is repeatedly exposed to hot conditions during training. These adaptations typically develop over 7–14 days and help the body improve its ability to regulate temperature, maintain performance, and reduce cardiovascular strain during exercise in the heat. Common methods include: ● Training in hot environments (natural or artificial heat chambers) ● Passive heat exposure (saunas or hot water immersion post-training) ● Adjusting clothing to increase thermal load during sessions ● Gradual exposure to increased environmental temperatures The goal is to safely stress the thermoregulatory system so the body becomes more efficient at dissipating heat.

Why Footballers & Athletes Use Ice Baths: The Science Behind Cold Water Immersion

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion (CWI), have become a common recovery strategy among elite athletes, particularly footballers. From Premier League changing rooms to Olympic training camps, many professionals immerse themselves in cold water after intense matches and training sessions. While the sight of players sitting in freezing water may seem extreme, there is growing scientific evidence explaining why this recovery method is so widely used. What Is an Ice Bath? An ice bath typically involves immersing the body (or lower limbs) in water between 10–15°C for 10–15 minutes shortly after exercise. The aim is to promote recovery by reducing muscle soreness, inflammation and fatigue, allowing athletes to perform consistently during periods of heavy training or competition. Why Do Footballers Use Ice Baths? Football is a physically demanding sport involving repeated sprinting, jumping, tackling, rapid changes of direction and high-impact collisions. These actions create microscopic muscle damage and trigger an inflammatory response. Cold water immersion is commonly used because it may help: ● Reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) ● Minimise post-exercise swelling ● Decrease perceptions of fatigue ● Improve recovery between matches ● Maintain performance during congested fixture schedules For professional footballers playing two or three matches per week, rapid recovery is often as important as training itself. 

The Physio’s World Cup Playbook: Most Common Injuries at FIFA World Cup 2026 (and What to Do About Them)

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
The FIFA World Cup is a unique tournament environment: elite athletes compressed into a short, high-stakes schedule, with repeated sprinting, sudden acceleration/deceleration, frequent collisions, and often limited time for full tissue recovery. It’s not surprising that the injury pattern in football tends to cluster around the lower limb—particularly the hamstrings, groin/hip-adductors, knee, and ankle. Across football research more broadly, these are repeatedly identified as the most common locations and/or injury mechanisms, even if the exact percentages differ by competition and injury-reporting method. Below is a physio-focused overview of the most common injury “types/regions” you should expect to see at World Cup 2026, along with practical assessment and management themes. 1) Muscle strains—especially hamstrings (HSI)  Why they happen in tournaments: Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are strongly associated with high-speed running and the physical demands of sprinting mechanics. In injury surveillance and football epidemiology, hamstring injuries consistently appear among the most common soft-tissue problems, with meaningful recurrence risk. What a physio will look for: - History: onset during acceleration/sprinting, feeling of “pull,” bruising (sometimes). - CNS/tissue considerations: prior injury, training load spikes, inadequate sprint exposure progression. - Clinical exam: focal tenderness, resisted muscle testing, and functional tests aligned to your local protocols (e.g., pain-free activation and lengthening tolerance). Rehabilitation themes: - Restore capacity for high-speed eccentric/concentric demands (not just range of motion). - Use progressive loading and functional return-to-play criteria to address reinjury risk—because football research highlights that the hamstring is one of the most frequently reinjured regions.