Bridging good for building gluts?

[KiwiDPT]

In my opinion we really need to know if there is a specific gluteal muscle you are trying to isolate or just "the glut's" in general. EMG studies show that the single leg dead lift (shown here YouTube - Single leg deadlift) has the highest maximal voluntary contraction. Prone SLR is ok and I use it with people with very weak hip extensors as a form of AAROM as with a straight leg the hamstrings also assist. A better way is prone with the knee flexed. This places the hamstrings in active insufficiency minimizing there contribuiton, thus isolating the gluts. Another modification I do is to have the pt bend over a table with feet on the floor. This allows an increase of ROM extension from ~90 of hip flex to 10-20 degrees of ext (or whatever is available to the pt). (almost like a donkey kick).

[Canuck Physio]

Wouldn't full squats activate quads more than gluts?

The glutes and hamstrings are recruited most when the weight is in the back and on the heels, while quads are recruited moreso when the weight is the ball of the feet and forward of the shoulders (front squat).

The Single Leg Squat is great if the person has balance, however, overall progression is limited. It is a great dynamic activity. A full squat on a leg press isolating the glutes with progressive overload would 'build' the glutes as per the goals suggested by the original post

Bridging builds strength, and is great for muscular activation, but beyond that most people will not develop enough overload to sufficiently increase size of this musculature.

[KiwiDPT]

I agree that single leg squat requires balance, just today I had a pt with balance deficits and gluteal weakness perform this activity stabilizing herself with the ipsilateral arm while picking a small cone off the floor. This can be progressed to using dumbbells as/or if balance improves. I also agree that leg press is great for building the glutes being on a physio forum my natural tendency is to think of the pt's we treat and always think of function. Sitting in a 200kg machine with our backs supported in not a functional exercise.

[Canuck Physio]

I agree that single leg squat requires balance, just today I had a pt with balance deficits and gluteal weakness perform this activity stabilizing herself with the ipsilateral arm while picking a small cone off the floor. This can be progressed to using dumbbells as/or if balance improves. I also agree that leg press is great for building the glutes being on a physio forum my natural tendency is to think of the pt's we treat and always think of function. Sitting in a 200kg machine with our backs supported in not a functional exercise.

If you examine the initial posting:

"just general fitness/exercise for building up the gluts. "

the answer is sufficient.

[Fyzzio]

Exactly!
Can we please agree that the topic here is strength training?

For neurological clients, overloading 1RM with one set of 5-8 contractions has been shown to be most efficient for strength training. Don't know what research for musculoskeletal strentgh training says.
How you do that for which of the gluts is up to which level the client is at.
The first comment related to an apparently already quite fit person, so bridging won't cut it.

Bridging is nothing else but a functional exercise to aid bed transfers and mobility. And yes, we do use it for functional purposes and building up postural control, but it is absolutely unreliable for strength building, as you can quite easily compensate for any weakness. Good luck if you believe you can "see" and correct this in a client.
I prefer sidelying or prone myself and have copied some of the Pilates style exercises.

Cheers,
Fyzzio

[KiwiDPT]

If you examine the initial posting:

"just general fitness/exercise for building up the gluts. "

the answer is sufficient.

Yes are correct. Good for you, but single squat still has the highest activation of the gluteals.

[KiwiDPT]

This is a place with the purpose of sharing information and opinions. The idea is to get others take on a subject. The comment that an answer is sufficient is fine but not the sole purpose of this forum. This is a physio forum, not a personal training forum. I expect intelligent opinions, and debate based upon evidence and experience. I also stated that I had looked at it as I would a patient thus a functional exercise, not that it was the sole and sufficient answer to the question.