As an avid supporter for #girlswholift, I feel obligated to assure that you ladies are doing everything in the most effective and efficient manner because the more fit girls there are, the higher chances of dating one I have (haha.. I’m kidding). In Today’s lesson, we will be learning about the body part most women obsess about, the glutes.
I will give you my top exercises to help you achieve that firm Georgia peach. And at the same time, help you avoid common mistakes that both fitness professionals and gym junkies commit.
Walk into any commercial gym, scan the area for females and what do you see? You’ll find about two-thirds doing some kind of kick while on all fours. You’re kinda uncomfortable staring in their direction because making eye contact with a person doing donkey kicks (an actual title of an exercise) is just awkward.
You certainly don’t want to feel like some kind of perv. What’s even more awkward is that those exercises aren’t even the best for building glutes. It’s like trying to put nails into plywood with a pile of limestone rocks. Good luck building that foundation. Instead, opt for something that’s much more efficient. Exercises that will not only build your glutes but add some conditioning to your legs and burn tons of calories in the process.
Parallel Squat
Going parallel or slightly below parallel in squat recruits a massive amount of large muscles such as the quadriceps (front of the thigh), the hamstrings (back of the thigh) and the glutes (aka what Nemo touched in Finding Nemo). The key is to lower the weight slowly, pause at the bottom to eliminate any momentum, and stand up to the point before the knees lockout and begin your descent again.
This keeps the movement continuous and maintains constant tension on the muscles which allows for a greater rate of muscular growth. Not only that, but the amount of calories burned is insane. Just to put in perspective, I average around 1200 burned calories during a lower body session. If you’re crazy like me, trying doing 5-second pauses at the bottom before coming up for around 3 sets of 10 reps.
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Reverse Hyper
Don’t freak out if you’ve never heard of this exercise. Many people don’t know about it either. The reverse hyper is a great exercise for the glutes in that it isolates the glutes (much like bicep curls do to the bicep) and uses the weight of your leg as resistance. To perform this, you need a stability ball.
Lay with your stomach on the ball. Keeping your torso and head parallel to the floor. Arms outstretched in a pushup position to keep you sturdy. Now keep both legs straight and raise until your glutes become insanely tight, hold and slowly bring down. Again, the goal is to execute a continuous and controlled movement to maximize growth. It might take some getting used to at first. Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 rep
Hip Thrusts
This exercise is the perfect illustration of what movement pattern the glutes are intended to do. The glutes, at their shortest position (which is when they are contracted), help you thrust your pelvis. Now imagine adding resistance to that motion and you have a powerful booty builder. First, you want to get a bar you can curl at least 5 times. Find an empty bench and place your head and upper back on it.
Keep your hips lower than your knees. Now place the bar across the hips to begin the exercise. Thrust the pelvis as high as you can and hold for a second or two at the point you feel the glutes really tighten. Slowly lower the bar and repeat. Your goal is constant tension and hard, powerful contractions. Aim for 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.
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Sprints
A bit unconventional and heavily underused. Sprints not only improve your conditioning but have glute activation levels of over 120%. If you want to get evolutionary, the reason the glutes are so large is to allow the human species to run. A defense mechanism men use to run away from angry women, guard dogs, and responsibilities. Aim for 2 sets of 4-6 sprints after a workout around 2-3 times a week.
Now take that knowledge to the gym and get to work. If you want, feel free to follow me (INSTAGRAM) and keep me posted on your progress.
Remember to comment, like, share and ask any questions if you need help.
Thanks for reading.
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