Glute Stretches: An Effective Way to Enhance Flexibility

What Are Glute Stretches?

Glute stretches are movements that lengthen the muscles of your buttocks, including the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus and the small piriformis deep beneath them. You hold a position that pulls on those muscles for 30 seconds or more. Done regularly, they can improve how far your hips move and ease the feeling of tightness.

They're one of the most common stretches for glutes among people who sit a lot, run or train legs. They're also easy to overrate, which is why the sections below say what the evidence supports and what it doesn't.

Are Your Glutes Really Tight? Glutes vs. Hip Flexors vs. Piriformis

"Tight hips" can mean several different things. This table is a rough guide to what you might be feeling and which stretch fits. It's not a diagnosis.

A note on posture: an expert consensus panel in 2025 found that stretching alone does not produce relevant postural changes, while strengthening the weak side of the chain does. If your tightness comes with weak glutes, pairing stretches with strengthening such as glute bridges makes more sense than stretching alone.

Which Glute Stretch Fits You?

If you're deciding between glute stretches, start with where you are and how much space you have.

9 Best Glute Stretches (Step by Step)

Hold each stretch for about 30 seconds per side, at a firm but comfortable tension. You should feel pulling in the buttock or outer hip, not sharp pain in the knee or back. Breathe slowly, and relax the muscle instead of tensing against the stretch. The numbers match the table above.

1. Lying Figure-4 Stretch

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the buttock of the crossed leg

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
2. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, just above the knee. Flex your right foot.
3. Thread your hands behind your left thigh and draw it gently toward your chest until you feel a stretch in your right buttock.
4. Keep your head and shoulders relaxed. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: keep your bottom foot on the floor and press the crossed knee away gently with your hand. Harder: pull your thigh closer to your chest.

2. Seated Figure-4 Stretch (Chair)

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the buttock of the crossed leg

1. Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with both feet flat.
2. Cross your right ankle over your left knee and flex your foot.
3. Keep your back long and hinge forward from your hips until you feel the stretch in your right buttock.
4. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: stay more upright. Harder: lean farther forward and press the crossed knee down gently.

3. Knee-to-Opposite-Shoulder Stretch

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the outer buttock

1. Lie on your back. Bend your right knee and hold it with both hands.
2. Draw the knee diagonally toward your left shoulder until you feel a stretch in your right glute.
3. Keep your other leg relaxed and your lower back resting on the floor.

Easier: keep the other knee bent with the foot on the floor. Harder: extend the other leg flat on the floor and pull the knee farther across.

4. Standing Glute Stretch

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the buttock of the crossed leg

1. Stand near a wall or counter you can hold for balance.
2. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, just above the knee, to make a figure-4 shape.
3. Bend your standing knee and sit your hips back as if lowering into a chair until you feel the stretch in your right buttock.
4. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: stand with your back close to a wall and hold on firmly. Harder: sit back and down a little deeper.

5. Seated Glute Stretch (Floor)

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the buttock and outer hip of the bent leg

1. Sit on the floor with both legs straight.
2. Bend your right knee and cross your right foot over your left thigh, planting it flat on the floor outside your left knee.
3. Hug your right knee gently toward your chest with your left arm, and sit tall.
4. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: sit on a folded towel or cushion. Harder: bring the knee closer to your opposite shoulder.

6. Half Pigeon

Hold: 30 to 60 seconds per side · Feel it: the front leg's buttock and outer hip

1. Start on your hands and knees.
2. Slide your right knee forward behind your right wrist and angle your shin across the mat. Extend your left leg straight behind you.
3. Lower your hips toward the floor, keeping them as level as you can. Stay upright, or fold forward over your front leg.
4. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: place a folded towel under your right hip and bring your front heel closer to your body, or do the lying figure-4 instead. Harder: bring your shin more parallel to the front of the mat and fold forward. If you feel it in your knee, back out of the position.

7. 90/90 Hip Stretch

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the front leg's glute and deep hip rotators

1. Sit on the floor with your right leg bent in front of you and your left leg bent out to the side, both knees at about 90 degrees.
2. Keep both sit bones as close to the floor as you can.
3. Lean your torso gently forward over your front shin.
4. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: sit on a cushion and keep your hands on the floor behind you. Harder: fold farther forward.

8. Standing Cross-Leg Side Stretch

Hold: 30 seconds per side · Feel it: the outer hip and upper glute of the back leg

1. Stand tall and cross your right leg behind your left, feet close together.
2. Shift your right hip out to the right as you lean your torso to the left.
3. Reach your right arm overhead if it's comfortable.
4. Hold, then switch sides.

Easier: hold a wall for balance. Harder: reach farther overhead.

9. Deep Squat Hold

Hold: 30 seconds · Feel it: the buttocks, inner thighs and hips

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips and your toes turned out a little.
2. Lower into a deep squat, keeping your chest lifted.
3. Press your elbows lightly against your inner knees to open the hips.

Easier: hold a door frame or sturdy pole, or place a rolled towel under your heels. Harder: hold longer. Skip this one if it bothers your knees or ankles.

How Long and How Often Should You Stretch Your Glutes?

The research gives a range, not a single number. Here's how it translates:

A few more things from the evidence. A meta-analysis of 77 studies found no clear link between the amount of stretching per week and the size of the gains, so there's no single magic dose. A pair of meta-analyses found no clear difference between high-intensity and low-intensity stretching, so there's no need to push into pain. Full-range strength training can improve range of motion too, so a stretching routine isn't your only option. Strength work like glute kickbacks can sit alongside it.

Glute Stretches Before or After a Workout?

Before a workout: use dynamic movement, such as leg swings, walking lunges and glute bridges. Short static holds inside a dynamic warm-up don't cause the strength and power dips that long holds do. A 2016 systematic review found that static stretching held for 60 seconds or more per muscle reduced performance more than shorter holds, and that dynamic stretching gave small improvements. If you want glute stretches before a workout, keep each one under about 30 seconds and follow them with active warm-up moves. A walking lunge is a good example.

After a workout: glute stretches after a workout are fine if you like them, and it's a good moment for longer holds because performance no longer matters for that session. Just don't count on them to speed recovery. That's the next section.

Do Stretches for Sore Glutes Actually Work?

It's the most common reason people search for them, and the evidence is not encouraging. A Cochrane review of 12 randomized trials found that stretching before, after, or before and after exercise did not produce clinically important reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in healthy adults. Post-exercise stretching lowered soreness the next day by about one point on a 100-point scale. One large trial found a four-point difference in peak soreness over a week, which the reviewers did not consider meaningful. A 2021 meta-analysis found no effect of post-exercise stretching on soreness at 24, 48 or 72 hours.

The 2025 expert panel went further and did not recommend stretching as a post-exercise recovery routine, while noting that confidence in the evidence is low and that stretching may still feel good. If it feels good, there's no evidence it harms recovery, so doing it is a matter of personal preference. Just don't expect it to make soreness go away faster.

DOMS typically starts within a day of unfamiliar exercise and peaks at around 48 hours. If your glutes are sore after a new workout, that soreness usually fades on its own. See a healthcare provider if pain is sharp, one-sided or getting worse.

Ready-to-Run Hip and Glute Stretch Routines (2 and 8 Minutes)

2-minute desk reset

8-minute post-workout routine

Do the four stretches below on both sides (30 seconds per side), then repeat the whole sequence once.

If you'd like to build these into a weekly plan next to your lifting, MyFitnessCoach has workout plans you can add them to.

Troubleshooting: Why You Can't Feel It (or Feel It in the Wrong Place)

When to See a Doctor or Physical Therapist

Stretching is low risk for most people, but talk to a healthcare provider if you have:

• Numbness, tingling or pain that travels down your leg
• Redness or swelling in the area, fever or unusual fatigue
• Severe muscle weakness
• Tightness or pain that persists for weeks despite regular stretching
• A past hip, back or leg injury or surgery

The Bottom Line

Glute stretches work best when you match the stretch to your situation, hold each for about 30 to 60 seconds per side, and repeat them regularly for a couple of weeks. They improve how far your hips move. They won't speed recovery from soreness or fix posture by themselves, so pair them with strength work for the glutes.

Start with the 2-minute desk reset or the 8-minute routine, and pick one stretch from the list that fits where you are today. For a lower-back-friendly strength companion, see our guide to the back extension workout, and for a combined routine, our hamstring and glute stretches page.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a hip, back or leg condition or persistent pain, consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting new stretches.