How and Why to Do Glute Exercises in Bed
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How to Do Glute Exercises in Bed

How to Do Glute Exercises in Bed
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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Exercising your glutes might not be the first activity that comes to mind when you think of your bed, but it is possible to give your butt a workout while lying down on your mattress — whether it’s because you’re too comfy to make it out to the gym or because your doctor has prescribed a hearty dose of bed rest.

With a little know-how, you can strengthen your muscles, improve your flexibility, and keep your blood flowing, all without compromising your rest and recovery.

You can do these four glute-focused exercises whenever you want to give your glutes a boost. But be sure to check with your doctor before attempting any exercise if you’re on bed rest due to a recent illness, injury, or surgery.

Static Glute Hold

This glute exercise, sometimes also called a gluteal squeeze, can teach you how to engage your butt muscles, even while the rest of your body is not moving.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Lie on your back and stretch your legs out straight. Keep your arms at your sides.
  2. Keeping your lower back flat against the bed, tense your glute muscles and hold for five seconds. Then, relax your glutes.
  3. Perform this exercise for a total of 10 reps, and do it three times per day.

Hip Abduction and Adduction

This exercise fires up your quadriceps and hip flexors, plus gives some action to your glutes, while you lie comfortably on your bed.

 It can help improve flexibility and strengthen the muscles on both the inside and outside of your legs.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Lie on your back and stretch your legs out straight. Keep your arms at your sides.
  2. Keeping both legs straight and your toes flexed (pointed toward the ceiling), move your left leg out to the side as far as you can without straining.
  3. Then, return to the starting position and repeat with your right leg.
  4. Perform this exercise three times per day, working your way up to 10 reps on each leg.

Hip Bridge

Sometimes also called a glute bridge, this exercise works all of your butt muscles as well as your lower back and core.

 It can also ease pressure on your butt after you’ve been lying flat on your mattress for a while.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the bed, with your heels as close to your butt as is comfortable. Keep your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.
  2. Push into your palms and upper back. Lift your hips off the mattress, squeezing your glutes while lifting.
  3. Hold for a second, then slowly lower your hips back down to the bed.
  4. Perform this exercise three times per day, doing 8 to 12 reps each time.

Side-Lying Leg Raise

This exercise, sometimes also called a hip abduction because it targets similar muscles as the earlier hip abduction and adduction exercise, helps strengthen your hips and improve flexibility in your lower body.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Lie on your side, with your hips stacked on top of each other. You can bend the knee of your bottom leg to provide extra support and stability.
  2. Lift your top leg slowly to a 45-degree angle. Keep your knee straight but flexible, and avoid turning your leg as you raise it.
  3. Hold for five seconds.
  4. Slowly lower your top leg to return to the starting position. Relax your leg for two seconds.
  5. Repeat the exercise several times, then switch legs. Perform this exercise three times per day, at least 10 reps each time.

Benefits of Bed Exercises

While exercising in bed may not be able to replace your daily workout routine, it can be an option when you want to move your body but need to rest and recover from an illness, injury, or surgery.

Exercise in bed can have many benefits, including:

  • Improving muscle strength
  • Enhancing flexibility
  • Supporting bone health
  • Improving circulation and preventing blood clots
  • Boosting your mental health
In a small study involving people recovering from abdominal surgery, bed exercises supported the participants’ ability to get up and move around earlier in their recovery, and resulted in lower levels of self-reported anxiety and pain.

Just be sure to talk with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. They can also advise you on safe ways to exercise in your bed, which is a less stable surface than the ground.

A few tips to keep in mind include:

  • Use a firm and supportive mattress: Soft or saggy beds can make it harder to maintain balance and proper alignment.
  • Support your back and neck: For seated or semi-reclined exercises, you can use pillows to prop yourself up, especially if you have back or neck issues.
  • Engage your core: Stabilizing your body helps reduce strain on your spine and improves your control.
  • Avoid jerky motions: Slow, smooth movements reduce the risk of muscle strain or injury.
  • Consider your footwear: If you’ll be standing to get in and out of bed before or after these exercises, you may want to wear nonslip socks, especially if you’re recovering from an injury or surgery. This may help prevent falls during the transition from standing to lying down.

The Takeaway

  • While exercising in bed may not replace your everyday workouts, it can be an option when you need to rest and recover per your doctor’s orders.
  • Butt exercises to try in bed include the static glute hold, hip abduction and adduction, hip bridge, and side-lying leg raise.
  • These glute exercises can help strengthen the muscles in your lower body, keep your blood flowing, and improve your mental health, among other benefits.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Bed Exercise. National Health Service. March 20, 2025.
  2. Bed Exercises to Prevent Blood Clots. American Blood Clot Association. November 30, 2024.
  3. Bed Exercises and Stretches. National Health Service. July 2024.
  4. Neumann DA. Kinesiology of the Hip: A Focus on Muscular Actions. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. February 1, 2010.
  5. How to Exercise Your Glutes (and Why They Need Your Attention). Cleveland Clinic. March 17, 2025.
  6. Alaia MJ. Hip Conditioning Program. OrthoInfo. May 2023.
  7. Yaban ZS et al. The Effect of Bed Exercises Following Major Abdominal Surgery on Early Ambulation, Mobilization, Pain and Anxiety: A Randomized‐Controlled Trial. International Wound Journal. October 2023.
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