The Bum Deal…
I was asked to write about the true meaning of glute training (bottom building) and I’m glad because girls are becoming hopelessly hooked on the idea of having a big, floating pair of buttocks! I think the reason girls have gone in this extreme direction (apart from pop culture) is because it’s a relief from the prior pressure of having to keep it tiny, like it was back in the day you wanted to ride a real
My Little Pony…
There are certain ages and ethnicities which make you more prone to a more prominent bottom. But don’t despair if you’re not naturally perky of buttock. If you do the right exercise, you can absolutely enhance YOUR shape and size! Just remind yourself of who you are and go make the best of what you’ve got. It’s the best use of your time.
How to get YOUR perfect bottom:
1. Within your leg sessions (squats, deadlifts – stiff and Romanian, presses, extensions, curls) try to include a few exercises that isolate the glutes, such as deep squats, glute bridges and lunges (Side too). See below…
2. You must stress the muscles for them to grow and progressive overload is how you do this. Every 6 weeks ish, try increasing your weights be they dumbbells or barbells. (Master bodyweight first!)
3. Don’t over-train them (twice per week is enough). Overtraining probably means you’re neglecting other body parts and personally speaking, I want my entire body to impress (me first and foremost). Plus, overtraining can lead to little to no gains in size or strength (and in severe cases, muscle loss), so it’s totally inefficient to obsess, basically.
4. Glutes need to be stretched out as much as any other muscles because tight glutes can affect hip mobility and poor hip mobility can invite a whole host of problems and imbalances throughout the body. You’ll never be able to squat or thrust your maximum if you’re all bunched up. Google for some ‘Glute Stretches’ and I massively recommend getting a foam roller too. There’s plenty of instruction online on how to f’roll.
5. Add single leg exercises to the mix to ensure both glutes are getting equal attention which means overall increased total strength, which means growth. See my last blog for ideas.
And finally…
6. Fulfil their destiny! The true meaning of exercise is to keep you fit and well, independently upright for as long as possible. The true purpose of glute training is to enhance your running, your jumping, your squatting and your lifting – human function stuff. So include sprints into your overall glute training (sprints won’t erode your hard earned muscle as much as LSD(Long Slow Duration), include plyometric testing (see how high… how many…) so you can have tangible proof that whether you can or can’t double up your derrière like a shelf, they are better than they were.
