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Gluteus to the Maximus Base Training Build a Bigger Butt NOW! By Nick Nilsson
Prior to beginning any exercise program, you must consult with your physician. You must also consult your physician before increasing the intensity of your training. The information in this book is intended for healthy individuals. Any application of the recommended material in this book is at the sole risk of the reader, and at the reader’s discretion. Responsibility of any injuries or other adverse effects resulting from the application of any of the information provided within this book is expressly disclaimed. Price World Publishing www.PriceWorldPublishing.com Copyright © 2012 by Nick Nilsson All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission. eISBN: 9781619840850
Contents From the Author Important!! Your Four-Step Plan For Building a Bigger Butt Nutrition Stretching Exercises Programs and Workouts Other Glute-Building Topics Nutrition – Eating to Build a Bigger Butt The Basics of Nutrition Eating Tips and Recommendations Pre, Peri and Post-Workout Nutrition FAQ’s and Troubleshooting Weight Training for Beginners Repetition Speed Repetition Style Repetition Ranges
When to End the Set When to increase the Weight About Muscle Soreness What To Do When Your Thighs Take Over From Your Glutes Strategy #1 – Pre-Exhaust Training Strategy #2 – Body Positioning and Mental Tricks Strategy #3 - Changing How You STAND How to Adapt Your Training Programs Why Glutes Stay Small and What You Can Do About It Women and Weights How to KEEP Your Butt When You’re Losing Fat The Anatomy of the Glute Muscles Are You Doing Low Intensity Endurance-Based Cardio Training For Fat Loss? Self Motivation How to Work Your Glutes When You’ve Got Bad Knees Warming Up Measuring Your Glute-Building Progress
How to Work Specific Aspects of Your Glutes Stretching for a Bigger Butt Supplements to Help Build a Bigger Butt Multivitamins Protein “Greens” Supplements Fish Oil/Essential Fatty Acids Creatine Monohydrate Glutamine Other Vitamins and Minerals Pre and Post Workout Supplements Glute Exercise Index Programs and Workouts Glute Workout Index About the Programs How to Use These Programs How to Adapt Your Training Programs 10 Minute Workouts for Home – Beginner Level 20 Minute Workouts for Home – Beginner Level 10 Minute Workouts for the Gym – Beginner Level
20 Minute Workouts for Home – Beginner Level 10 Minute Workouts for Home – Intermediate Level 20 Minute Workouts for Home – Intermediate Level 10 Minute Workouts for the Gym – Intermediate Level 20 Minute Workouts for Home – Intermediate Level 10 Minute Workouts for Home – Advanced Level 20 Minute Workouts for Home – Advanced Level 10 Minute Workouts for the Gym – Advanced Level 20 Minute Workouts for Home – Advanced Level
From the Author First off, congratulations! You’ve taken your first step towards building larger, firmer, rounder glutes by getting this book. You’re going to be THRILLED with the results you get from it. So I’ll give it to you straight, right from the start... building a bigger butt comes down to building muscle. Muscle is what will give your butt the shape you want. Everybody has got muscle and everybody can build muscle. It’s just a matter of finding out what works for YOU. In this book, I’m going to show exactly how to grow your rear end with a targeted plan. I will leave no stone unturned and, by the time you’re done, you will know
everything it takes to build the butt you’re looking for!
Nick Nilsson
IMPORTANT!! I want to make one thing perfectly clear before I tell you about this plan: what you put into it is exactly what you’ll get out of it. If you work at this plan with dedication and enthusiasm, I guarantee you will be very happy with the results. If you are a beginning trainer and not used to physical exertion, START LIGHT and work your way up in weight gradually. Your body needs time to adapt to the new stresses you are putting on it. If you jump straight in and work too hard at the programs, you are going to experience a great deal of muscle soreness (you don’t want to have to walk around with a pillow strapped to your backside!). After that initiation period is up, however, that’s the time to really dig in and work at it!! Any exercise program contains an element of risk. The exercises in the book may not be familiar to you and, even though every attempt has been made to ensure safe instruction, how and if you decide to execute the exercises is ultimately your responsibility.
“Your Four-Step Plan For Building a Bigger Butt Your targeted plan is a four-pronged attack:
exercises, stretching, nutrition and programs. Taken separately, these four facets are good. Put together in a strategic program, these four items will build a butt on even the most stubborn of backsides.
How to Use This Book: I recommend reading through each section in order...get yourself familiar with the exercises so you know what they are and how they’re done and what level you’re comfortable with. Next, read through the stretching section to see why you HAVE to stretch the glutes if you want the best results possible and have a look at the various stretches I’ve listed for you. After that, check out the nutrition section for ideas on how to support your glute growth through proper eating, and then look at the programs and workouts,
where you’ll be putting it all together. In the introduction to each section, I will give you a more detailed rundown of how to use that section to maximize your glutebuilding results.
Exercises In this book you will get 56 of the most effective, glute-targeted exercises you’ll ever use. These exercises focus on different aspects of the glute building process. Some exercises focus on maximum resistance for building the glute muscles, some focus on stretching the glutes, and some focus on shaping the glutes. I’ve got exercises that focus on the lower glutes, the upper glutes, the side glutes (gluteus medius and minimus muscles), hamstrings where they tie into the glutes and even several core/abdominal exercises you can use that will tighten up your abs to make your
glutes LOOK bigger immediately! Each exercise has its place in a complete glutetraining routine. These exercises are the tools in your toolbox that we’ll use to kick-start the butt-building process.
Stretching This is one of the most important keys to building a bigger butt that is missing from most glute training programs. You can train your glutes til you’re blue in the face but if you don’t STRETCH properly to give the glute muscles room to grow (more on this in the Stretching section), you will NOT get the results you’re capable of. In this section, I will go into great detail as to WHY you need to stretch, how it helps you to build a bigger butt and how to stretch for maximum glutebuilding effect. Targeted stretching is going to be incorporated into
every single workout that you do.
Nutrition Eating to feed your glute growth is critical to your success. If you don’t provide your body with the building blocks for growth, then all your hard work on your exercises and stretching may be wasted! Your butt will WANT to grow but it won’t be ABLE to unless you feed it well! You may be thinking that eating is what got you in trouble in the first place but, in truth, eating will be one of the keys to your success. I’ll tell you what foods to eat and when you need to eat them.
Programs and Workouts Everyone is different. Some people are complete beginners while others are advanced weight trainers. Some people just want to focus totally on their backside while others want to incorporate specialized glute training as part of a more comprehensive program. This book addresses the needs of every type of trainer and every level of commitment. In the Programs section you will find many
complete butt-building programs for the beginner to advanced trainer, from minimal time requirements to more intensive programs. Choose the program that is most appropriate for your training ability and time availability. And feel free to try every single program in this book! Variety is one of the most effective ways to make continuous progress and you’ll never know what works best for you until you test it!
Other Glute-Building Topics There is more to an effective glute-building plan than just exercises, programs and nutrition. There are plenty of tricks, tweaks and techniques that will magnify your results and help you get more out of everything you’re doing in this book. In this section you will find a number of topics that will help you make the most of this book to build the best glutes you possibly can! These topics include basic weight training information for the novice trainer why glutes stay small what to do when your thighs take over the exercises how to keep your butt when you’re losing fat working specific aspects and areas of the glutes how to adapt the sample programs and
workouts for yourself glute anatomy building the glutes when you’ve got bad knees how to measure progress FAQ and troubleshooting
Nutrition - Eating to Build a Bigger Butt Nutrition plays an extremely important role in building up your butt. What you eat not only fuels your workouts but provides your body with the raw materials necessary for increasing muscle mass. When it comes right down to it, you can work your butt as hard as you want but if you don’t support that training
with proper nutrition, you won’t achieve the results you’re capable of. Rather than outline a detailed, meal-by-meal nutrition plan here, I am going to make suggestions and recommendations regarding your nutrition. The reason for this is simple: I don’t know anything about you. I don’t know what you like, what you don’t like, what you’re allergic to, what foods you
have access to, or anything like that. Any nutrition plan I gave you would be so far from being personalized as to be almost useless in the real world.
I’ve always found that the best way to get results with nutrition is to teach people how to do it themselves, adapting it to their own particular needs, preferences and lifestyle. You’ll learn some of the basics about nutrition and how to apply this information to your own eating habits. Along with your daily nutrition, post-workout nutrition is an extremely important part of building up your muscle mass. What you eat after your workout is going
to have the greatest effect on your results. I am also going to talk about supplements that may be useful to you in your quest to build a larger butt. Supplements are not a necessity, but they can definitely help.
The Basics of Nutrition Most people already have a general idea of what constitutes good nutrition. Here is a quick review of some of the basics. There are three major nutrients (known as macronutrients) that are required by the body: protein, carbohydrates and fats.
Protein It is the body’s main structural nutrient. Your muscles and organs are made up, in large part, of protein. Protein is also important in many of the body’s systems, primarily the immune system. Protein can also be used by the body for energy
but this process is not very efficient. Protein yields 4 kcal (this stands for kilocalories. This term is used interchangeably with the regular term “calorie” per gram.
Protein Sources Fish Milk Beans Cheese Soy
Beef Eggs Cottage cheese Chicken
Carbohydrates These are commonly known as “carbs.” The carbohydrate is the your body’s preferred energy nutrient. Carbs are divided into Simple and Complex groups. Simple carbs are basically sugar while complex carbs, also known as starches are long strings of simple carbs. Because the carbs are
attached in a chain, they are broken down over a longer period of time, providing a steadier stream of energy than simple carbs. The entire process of carb
metabolism is beyond the scope of this book but, that being said, you should know that carbs are important for giving your body the energy to exercise. They are also important for providing energy to fuel the muscle building process (this is very important for butt-building purposes). Carbs yield 4 kcal per gram.
Simple Carbohydrate Foods
Complex Carbohydrate Foods
Sugar Honey Corn syrup Fruits
Rice Cereal grains Potatoes Legumes Pasta Vegetables
Fats Fat is the primary storage molecule of your body. This is not news to most people! Fat can also be used for energy, though it is used secondary to carbohydrates in most cases. Though fats are often thought to be bad for you, not all fats are bad for you. In fact, there are some fats that are very good for you, e.g. fish oil.
Saturated fats normally fall into the "bad" category, while unsaturated fats usually are placed in the "good" category. Fats can be found in a wide variety of foods, including butter, meat, eggs, dairy, oil, vegetables, grains, etc. One gram of fat yields 9 kilocalories.
Saturated Fats
Unsaturated Fats
Dairy Animal Fats Palm Oil Coconut Oil
Flax Oil Soybean Oil Fish Oil Sunflower Oil
Vitamins, Minerals, Water and Fiber Vitamins and minerals are known as micronutrients. They are found in much smaller quantities in the body but are extremely important. Micronutrients are essential for practically every metabolic process in
the body. They can also be structural (e.g. calcium), making up parts of your body’s tissues including bones, organs, muscles and more. Vitamins are categorized as fat soluble (can be dissolved in fat) or water soluble (can be dissolved in water). The four fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. The rest are water soluble.
Vitamins
Minerals
A (including the carotenes) C D E K B1,2,3,5,6,12 Biotin Folate
Boron Calcium Chromium Copper Iodine Iron Manganese Magnesium Sodium Potassium
Zinc
Water: Water is not often thought of as a nutrient but it is essential to all bodily functions and processes. Without water you would die. It is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day. The amount of water you need will depend on your body size, bodyfat percentage, activity level, and climate among other factors.
Fiber: Fiber is an essential part of your diet. It is an indigestible component of many natural-state carbohydrate foods such as grains. Fiber helps to move food through your digestive system as well as keeping you regular and helping you feel full after eating.
Eating Tips and Recommendations 1. Keep it simple: The most important thing you need to know about nutrition is that you don’t need to know everything about nutrition in order to eat well. You now know what protein, carbohydrates and fats are, what function they perform in your body and what foods are good sources of them. You can use this knowledge to make intelligent food choices every time you sit down for a meal (not to mention the times you don’t have time to sit down for a meal!). Improving your nutrition is not about going on a diet, losing weight quickly then putting it back on again when you go back to your "normal" eating patterns. It is about slowly adapting your lifestyle to effect a permanent change in your eating habits.
2. How to measure your intake: The easiest way to measure food is to divide it into portions. A portion is approximately the size of the palm of your hand. Many people count calories all day long without understanding that the food they eat is not standardized according to charts in a book. All calorie measures in a book are simply averages. Each meal you eat in a day should consist of one portion of a protein food and two
portions of a carbohydrate food. Fat will find it’s way into a meal anyway and is not counted. Feel free to add in healthy fats such as flax oil and olive oil occasionally. Vegetables are free foods - you can eat as much as you want.
That’s it. 3. Focus your eating on natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
While I know it’s not always possible to get fresh fruit and veggies and other unprocessed foods everywhere you go, your body will always respond best when you feed it foods that are not altered through processing. Your body has evolved over thousands and thousands of years to process foods in their natural state - it’s only relatively recently that processed foods have appeared on the scene. Your body has the digestive mechanisms for efficiently processing foods in their natural state. When you add in the fats, salt, sugar, additives, etc., your body starts having a hard time digesting and coping. Think of it like trying to put regular gas into a vehicle that runs on diesel. It may run, but it’s not going to be very efficient with the fuel and it could cause problems down the road (no pun intended!) your glutes more efficiently.
4. Make healthy choices: Most people already know how to eat healthy but either don’t have time to prepare healthy foods or aren’t willing to decrease consumption of
not-so-healthy food items. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up the foods you love forever. Moderation is the key to satisfaction with your eating habits. Have that chocolate ice cream - just don’t have it every day. Use it as an occasional reward for eating properly or exercising consistently. The moment you vow to yourself that you can never eat any "naughty" foods again is the moment you doom yourself to failure. The key is to make healthy choices the majority of the time.
5. Reduce junk food and empty calories in your diet while increasing unprocessed, natural-state foods: This simple thing is the easiest thing in the world to do until you actually try and do it. Processed foods are easy to prepare and taste
good. They are also, unfortunately, generally high in fat and sugar and contain few, if any, vitamins, minerals or fiber. Natural foods may take a little longer to prepare but, you may be surprised to find out, taste just as good, if not better, than heavily processed foods. Unprocessed foods retain far more of their nutritional value than processed foods.
6. Do not change your diet all at once: The more gradually you change your diet, the more likely you are to maintain your healthy eating patterns throughout your life. Switching from fried cheese sticks to carrot sticks overnight is too much of a shock for most people to take mentally. Slowly phase out certain foods that you know you shouldn’t be eating and include more healthy selections to replace them. If you can start with changing only one meal a day, you
are on your way to success. All it takes is for you to build on every small success and you can completely change your eating patterns painlessly and easily.
7. Get plenty of good quality, lean protein sources in your diet When you’re training, your body has a much greater need for protein. During weight training and endurance training especially, your body is constantly breaking down muscle tissue. Protein is required to rebuild it. By regularly feeding your body good protein sources, you’ll be able to hold onto and build muscle mass easier. Good sources of lean protein include meats (look for leaner cuts like sirloin), poultry, eggs (while not lean, eggs will not shoot up your cholesterol as many worry), fish, low-fat dairy, soybeans, and various legumes (beans). As far as how much protein your body needs, this will
vary according to how much you weigh and your activity level. A level of around 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight is a good guideline (we don’t count total bodyweight because fat is not metabolically active and doesn’t require protein to sustain it).
8. Start with protein: If you are able to, I would recommend including a high-protein food, such as eggs or a small protein drink, as one of the first things you do to start your day. Your metabolism is at it’s slowest at the time immediately after waking and getting some food into your body as quickly as possible should be a priority. You will find it will help jump-start your metabolism for the rest of the day. The added bonus of eating protein right away is that you’ll find you’ll be more alert in the morning. When protein digests, one of the effects it has is to help boost the levels of excitatory chemicals in your brain, which in turn makes you more
alert. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, tend to boost the levels of relaxing chemicals in the brain, which can slow you down.
9. Taper your caloric intake: If you can, taper your caloric intake throughout the day. Breakfast should be your largest meal of the day, with all other meals gradually decreasing in size from there. Contrary to popular practice, dinner should actually be one of your smallest meals. The reason for this is simple: your body doesn’t need as many calories later in the day. You’ve been eating during the day and have accumulated enough calories to fuel your body. Calories eaten later in the day or at night will have a much greater chance of being stored as fat.
10. Don’t be afraid of “good” fats
Fats can be extremely beneficial, even when you’re trying to lose weight! Fats are important in a tremendous variety of bodily processes including hormone production, immunity, joint and organ protection, and even burning bodyfat. Without the "good" fats, your body will not function as well as it could. "Good" fats include sources such as fish, nuts, flax oil, borage oil, and olive oil (there are many other good sources as well). Increasing your intake of these good fats can help keep you feeling good and burning your own bodyfat more efficiently. Your total fat intake should be around 30% of your daily calories. A good way to go about getting this is to try and keep your focus primarily on low-fat foods while purposefully adding the "good" fats into your diet (like eating a few almonds every day or taking fish oil or flax oil capsules).
Pre, Peri and PostWorkout Nutrition Pre-Workout Nutrition How you perform in your training sessions is going to be determined a fair bit by what you eat in the time leading up to it. In general, if you’re plenty of protein and good quality calories, you’ll perform just fine. How about RIGHT BEFORE your glute training sessions, though? What should you eat (or should you eat at all?) before you train in order to perform at your best during the workout and get the most from your glute training? A study done on this question has shown that taking in a combination of simple carbs and protein in a ratio of approximately 5 to 1 (carbs to essential amino acids) immediately before exercise can shift the body from catabolism (muscle breakdown) during a workout to anabolism (muscle-building). The study was done using a fairly small dose - 35
grams of sucrose and 6 grams of essential amino acids (aminos that your body must take in because it can’t manufacture them itself - 6 g works out to about 10 grams of a "complete" protein source like whey) and the results actually showed a greater positive effect on muscle anabolism than the same formula taken AFTER training.
So this means pre-workout nutrition is definitely important stuff and can help you get BETTER results in your glute training! What I would recommend would be a half scoop of vanilla whey protein (which is generally about 20 grams of protein, so a half scoop would be 10 grams) mixed with about 35 grams of a sugary drink mix like Tang. There are supplements specifically designed for pre-workout but, to be honest, a lot of them are just filled with extra stuff you don’t need that hasn’t been proven to do anything for muscle
growth (e.g. Nitric Oxide). Ironically enough, taking in TOO MUCH protein in preand post workout shakes can set you back by reducing insulin secretion. So don’t overload on protein either before or after it’s the insulin release along with the presence of a decent amount of protein that will do the trick for you.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids can be an excellent choice for your pre-and post workout supplementation, especially Leucine. Research has also shown that just taking BCAA’s gives you comparable muscle-building effects to complete proteins. And if you’re not wanting to use supplements, even something as simple as a glass of chocolate milk will get the job done (as long as you’re not lactose intolerant!). Now here’s the "commonsense" part of the information...if you find you do better when you don’t take in anything before training, no problem. It’s not going to totally make or break your results if you don’t
take in a pre-workout supplement! Yes, it CAN give you a muscle-building boost, but if you can’t do it, don’t worry about it!
Peri-Workout Nutrition Peri-workout nutrition, in this case, means what you take in DURING your workout. Sipping a similar drink to what you took in pre-workout can continue to help fuel the muscles while training. Personally, I prefer to just drink water while training. If you’re taking in a pre-workout supplement, you’ll pretty much have your bases well covered so I don’t feel the need to recommend taking in something during training.
Immediate Post-Workout Nutrition When you exercise, your body burns fats and carbohydrates for energy and breaks down your muscle tissue. Immediately after a workout, the body has an enhanced ability to utilize nutrients such as glucose and protein in order to rebuild and recover from your exercise.
What this essentially means is that your body is turbocharged and ready to grow! This period of power lasts for approximately four hours after a workout, hence the name "Four-Hour Window of
Opportunity." Taking in nutrients immediately after exercise helps you to recover faster and feel better after a workout. This can help you to not only gain muscle faster, but also keep your metabolism fueled so that you lose fat at a faster rate too! But what happens if you don’t eat immediately following a workout? Let me put it this way: it’s definitely a situation you want to avoid. First, your body starts breaking down muscle tissue in undamaged areas of your body in order to get raw materials to help repair the areas you just worked. Over time, this will result in a loss of muscle from your whole body and definitely WON’T help you build your glutes in any way, shape or form. Stress hormones in the body (primarily a hormone called cortisol) speed this process along. The stress hormones are produced because working out is a stress on the body - it’s a totally natural but results-
stopping reaction. How do you control the effects of cortisol? You eat as soon as you can. But what do you eat after a workout to maximize your results? Both protein and carbohydrates are important for fast recovery.
* Protein Immediately following a workout (within a few minutes of completion) take in some protein. The easiest and best way to do this is in the form of a protein powder (whey is an excellent choice and is digested quickly), though a food source such as milk will do if you don’t have any supplement options. Taking protein gives your body something to rebuild with instead of tearing down its own muscle tissue for raw materials. Try to get at least 20 to 40 grams of protein in as soon as you can after you’re done (the amount depends on your bodyweight - the lower end if you’re lighter, the higher end if you’re heavier).
* Carbohydrates Take in about 40 to 80 grams of simple
carbohydrates to help the body refuel (depending on bodyweight). Your body is most efficient at rebuilding its carbohydrate stores immediately after a workout. It’s important to take advantage of this period. Right after a workout is one of the few times where simple carbs (sugary, quick to digest carbs) are actually very useful. The simple carbs will help your body to make use of the other nutrients you are putting in by raising insulin levels in the body. The insulin helps to shuttle these nutrients into the muscle cells. Simple carb intake should be about double your protein intake post-workout. It’s a pretty straightforward two to one ratio of carbs to protein to maximize insulin response and amino acid uptake into the muscle cells.
* Fats It is important to minimize your fat intake following your workouts. Post-workout fat intake has been shown decrease circulating Growth Hormone levels to HALF. Naturally, this is not something we want to happen. That being said, a small dose of healthy fats, such as flax oil, can have positive effects on recovery.
Post-Workout Meal About one hour after your workout, take in a high quality source of protein (like fish, lean meat, chicken, etc.) and a good supply of carbohydrates such as rice, other grains, potatoes, cereals, etc. At this time, the body has settled down from the stress of the workout and is looking to rebuild. If you’re looking to get as much from your glute workouts as you possibly can, you can see that postworkout nutrition is critical. By supplying an ample amount of raw materials right after you’re done, you will be preventing the body from breaking itself down in order to recover. This means more butt-building results from the effort you put into your workouts!
FAQ’s and Troubleshooting Got any questions or problems? This is the section to look at. I’ve got a list of frequently asked questions as well as advice on how to fix things when you run into problems or plateaus.
Q.
I’m a total beginner...how do I use this book and get started?
Since you’re completely new to training, your first step is to learn HOW to perform resistance A. training and what it’s all about. Go to the Weight Training For Beginners section and read through that to learn the terms and basics of training. Once you’ve got a good idea of the basics of training, go to the Beginner Exercises section and have a look through all the exercises in there. This will give you an idea of what exercises you’re going to be doing in the programs.
When you’ve finished checking out the exercises, go to the Stretching section to see the stretches you’ll be doing along with your glute training. Stretching the glutes between sets is what’s going to help give your muscles room to grow. Next, I would suggest going to the section on Nutrition Basics to get an idea of how what you’re eating will play a role in your results. The Nutrition Tips section will also give you some excellent information that you can put to work right away to help with your glute building. Finally, go to the Programs area and look for the section for Beginners. These are the programs you’ll be picking from to start your glute-building. I would suggest starting with either the 10 minute at-home or 10 minute at-gym program so that you ease yourself into glute training gently. Then all you need to do is start training and seeing the results!
Q. How do I work on specific areas of my butt?
The exercises in the book cover EVERY aspect of the glutes. And some exercises naturally target different areas and aspects of the glutes. A. I’ve got a full section devoted to this topic: How
to Work Specific Aspects Of Your Glutes. This section will tell you exactly which exercises work on which areas of the butt.
Q.
Can I build a big butt training at home with no equipment?
You can absolutely build a bigger butt than A. you’ve got right now training at home with no equipment! You can ALWAYS improve on what you’ve got with good training. That being said, adding some simple equipment like Dumbbells to your home exercise routine is going to help open a LOT more possibilities to your training. Muscles grow when they worked with resistance and having the ability to add resistance is going to be very helpful for building larger glutes. Even
something as simple as filling up a couple of milk jugs with water or sand and using those for resistance will be good. You can also fill a backpack with heavy objects like books or rocks and wear that for extra resistance. You don’t necessarily need "real" weights to add resistance and get better results.
How do I work these glute programs in with Q. my other training? I want to work the rest of my body as well. There are a number of ways to incorporate these programs in with your other training. That being A. said, if your focus is building the glutes, make sure these glute training programs take priority over your other training. You’ll get MUCH better results that way! First, they can very easily be substituted in for whatever leg training your regular program has you doing. The best glute-building exercises generally work your legs quite well, too, and you can just do one of these programs instead of your regular leg workout.
Second, you can use a Daily Specialization program (where you work the glutes with one set of of one exercise, twice a day every day). This program works quite well in addition to whatever other training you’re doing. Finally, the best way to go is to focus on training the glutes with one of these programs then arranging the rest of your workouts around THAT. For example, if you’re doing a 20 minute glute training program 3 times a week, do the glute training first, then work your upper body AFTER the glute training in those workouts. Another option is to do your glute/leg training by itself on their own training day then do all your upper body training on the other training days, e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday train glutes and on Tuesday and Thursday work your upper body.
Q.
Once I’ve hit my size goal for my butt, do I have to keep training as much? The nice thing about muscle is that it’s much easier to maintain it at a certain size than it is to
A. build it more. Once you’ve hit your goal for your
glutes, then you can scale back one or twice a week training with just a few sets and exercises to keep that size. It IS a case of it "use it or lose it" though...you can’t just completely stop training the glutes and expect them to stay larger. It’ll be important to keep up with some level of maintenance training in order to keep what you’ve earned.
Q.
Are there any specific foods or supplements I can eat or take that will help build my butt? There aren’t any specific foods that go right to
A. your butt...anybody that claims there are is just making it up to try and sell you something. The ONLY thing that would work are protein-rich foods (like meat, chicken, eggs, fish, etc.) that will support the muscle growth that you’re getting from the training you’re doing. There are no foods or supplements that will directly give you a bigger butt, especially without effort.
Q.
Can I use more than one program at a time
Q.
to get even faster results? In very specific circumstances, yes. There are
A. programs you can do at the same to get even faster results. Any of the 10 or 20 minute programs will work well when combined with the Daily Specialization programs. The daily program is done for just one set twice a day every day, so it doesn’t make big inroads into your ability to recover and grow from the regular programs you’re doing. That being said, if you’re a beginner, DO NOT do this. It’s going to be too much workload all at once. You’re going to get results from just the regular programs and adding in too much could set you back and even STOP your results. The only time I recommend combining programs is if you’re an intermediate to advanced trainer and you know what you’re doing in terms of nutrition. You have to give your body good nutritional support to recover from this doubledup training.
Q.
Do my glutes need to be sore in order to get results?
Muscle soreness is NOT necessary in order to A. build a bigger butt. Soreness is often an indicator but it’s not something you absolutely HAVE to feel in order to build muscle. And honestly, training with the specific goal to get sore is not productive. All it means is that it’s going to take you longer to recover and it’ll prevent you from training your glutes as frequently, and the more often you can train them (and recover from that training), the better the results you’ll get. So basically, don’t worry if you don’t get sore every time you work your butt. Soreness doesn’t equal progress!
Q.
Will running or other long-duration cardio training hurt my glute-building results?
To be honest, yes. When you’re trying to build A. muscle, long-duration training is the direct opposite stimulus and will work against your
efforts. Long-distance running especially is counterproductive as the impact of every step causes muscle damage. This muscle damage will break down the glute and contribute to them being small. To maintain your cardio conditioning, I would HIGHLY recommend switching over to HighIntensity Interval Training. It can actually HELP your glute-building efforts and won’t actively work against you like the long distance training will.
Q.
Should I do my interval training before or after the resistance training for my glutes? I would recommend doing it after. Do the
A. resistance training first, while you’ve got the most energy to put into it. If you’re doing cardio for fat loss, it’ll be more effective when done after the weight training anyway, because your body will already be in fatburning mode and will be more efficient at using fat for energy. It’s a win-win.
That being said, if you have a strong personal preference to doing cardio first, and you still have plenty to put into your glute training, it’s not wrong to do it that way either.
How long should I stick with each workout? Q. I know muscles take time to adapt but I like variety in my training, too. It is true that the muscles do need time to adapt...when you’re using the the programs, A. many of the exercise do repeat and you’ll also be using the same basic movement patterns (e.g. squatting, lunging, etc.) in different variations, which gives you the same effect. What you can do, is pick out a workout that appeals to you the most and use that one most frequently, alternating in other workouts as you go. For example, if workout #4 is your favorite do this: Day 1 - #4 Day 3 - #2
Day 5 - #4 Next week Day 1 - #5 Day 3 - #4 Day 5 - #1 So basically, you’re doing that workout more frequently but still getting good variety in the training.
Weight Training For Beginners What Are Sets and Reps? Reps The basic unit of the workout is the repetition or rep for short. This is simply one complete cycle of the exercise. It consists of up, change of direction, and down (though not necessarily in that order - some exercises start with a down phase then an up phase, e.g. squats).
Sets A set is a series of repetitions done one after another. If you do 8 reps and stop, you just did 1 set of 8 reps.
Sets and reps are often listed together as 1 x 8, using the previous example. If a workout program calls for 3 x 12, you would do 3 sets of 12 reps.
Workout A workout consists of a group of sets and exercises. An example would be 3 x 12 bench press then 3 x 8 leg press then 3 x 12 of bicep curls. That is the basic structure of a workout. We will now go in-depth on the repetition, the basic building block of the workout.
Repetition Speed Repetition speed is a factor that is often overlooked. It is very important to be aware of repetition speed and use it to your advantage. As a beginning trainer, you should strive to do your reps in the medium tempo between fast and slow. This means the phases of the reps should take between 2 to 4 seconds (the negative or down phase is generally longer). You are basically moving the weight through the range of motion fairly quickly but not so quickly as to be using momentum to move the weight.
How to tell if your speed is right:
Note: Lifting too fast may be a result of using too little weight while lifting too slow may be a result of using too much weight. Adjust the weight you are using accordingly.
Repetition Style
Breathing: Breathing during a set should be as natural as possible. Generally speaking, you should exhale on the positive phase and inhale on the negative phase, e.g. on the squat, breathe out when you push up and breathe in as you lower. In many exercises, it is not advisable to hold
your breath (trying to exhale without allowing any air to be expelled). This is called the Valsalva
maneuver. While it does increase the stability of your body by increasing pressure in your abdominal area, it causes large increases in blood pressure and can make you pass out. It is often done when very heavy weights or extreme effort is involved. Do not hold your breath during a set, especially as a beginning trainer. There are more advanced exercises where it can be useful but it’s best to stay away from it when starting out.
Repetition Ranges There are specific rep ranges that will target different results. These ranges should only be used as a general guideline. Your personal goals will indicate which rep ranges you should use.
These definitions are not written in stone. You can increase your muscle mass by doing reps in the one to three range (it will take longer) and you will probably get somewhat stronger when doing reps in the 13+ range (not as strong as if you were doing lower reps). This is simply a guide to show what training effects are generally associated with what rep ranges. The programs in this book will tell you what rep ranges to train with.
When To End The Set For No Results: End the set well short of any serious effort or sweating. Go through the motions without concentrating on your form or the muscle you are trying to work. Always stop your set when you reach a certain number of reps regardless of whether you worked the muscle or not.
For Best Results: Do repetitions until you are near to the point where you cannot do any more. Stopping just short of this point without pushing to absolute failure will give you the best results because you won’t push your body so hard that it is slower to recover. Work to increase your effort and intensity as you build up your strength and conditioning.
Counting Reps: Some trainers have a tendency to count reps to the detriment of their workout, focusing only on getting to that number and not on actually working the muscle. Motion does not equal results. It is not necessarily wrong to count reps - just wrong to live by the counting. If you have a tendency to do this, try having someone count the reps for you to take the focus away from the numbers and put it on your muscle where it belongs. If you are listed as doing 10 reps in your program but can do more, do more. On the next set, increase the weight you are using.
Rep numbers are a just guideline, not a target. Do not view them as written in stone.
When To Increase The Weight There will come a time when the weight you usually use becomes too light. This is what we’re looking for as it means you’re getting stronger and building those glutes! That’s where progressive resistance comes in. This simply means that as you get stronger, you must increase the resistance on the muscle (overload) in order to keep getting stronger. This is the foundation of weight training, which is often called progressive resistance training. Here is an example.
1. Say you can squat 50 pounds for 8 reps. As you get stronger, you are able to squat that 50 pounds for 12 reps without resorting to sloppy form. 2. Increase the weight by five pounds. You may only be able to get 6 reps. 3. Work back up to 12 reps then increase the weight again. In a nutshell, if you can do it this time, try a little more next time, be it weight or reps. You don’t get anywhere by using the same weights on the same exercises for the same reps day in and day out. There will be times, however, when you are unable to increase weight or reps for a period of time. This is called a plateau and it happens to everybody. The simple solution to a plateau is to change what you are doing. The body adapts to
whatever you give it. To force it to adapt, you must change the what you do to it periodically.
About Muscle Soreness If you are a beginning trainer, you are going to experience muscle soreness (you may even experience it as an advanced trainer with some of these glute exercises). It is not a cause for alarm! Muscle soreness essentially means that there has been damage to the muscle fibers. Now your body must go through the process of rebuilding those muscle fibers bigger and stronger than they were before. This normally takes a few days, depending on how severe the damage was. When you are first starting out in your training, DO NOT push yourself to muscular failure! Take the first 2 to 3 weeks to learn the movements otherwise you will experience so much muscle soreness that you’ll have to take extra time off to recover. You always want to keep at least a rep or two in your tank. It’s going to get you better results in the long run and make your glute training more enjoyable.
What To Do When Your Thighs Take Over From Your Glutes Here’s the scenario...you’ve got the best glute training program picked out...your nutrition is perfect, eating the right stuff at the right times...you know what exercises to do and exactly how to do them. There’s only one problem...your THIGHS always take over no matter what glute exercise you do! You squat and you get big quads. You do lunges and your hamstrings get sore but your glutes don’t get a thing. Sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone! It’s one of THE biggest problems people run into when trying to build a bigger butt. And if you push things and push things without fixing the root of the problem (glute activation), you’re going to end up with big thighs and a small butt, which is NOT what you’re looking for! So let’s fix it...
Strategy #1 - Pre-Exhaust Training When it comes to glute training, you’ve got two basic options when it comes to exercises... isolation and compound. Isolation exercises generally involve movement in a single joint...for the glutes, this means movement primarily at the hips (extension, which is bringing the thigh backwards). Isolation exercises allow you to FEEL the glute muscles working because the movement is occurring only where the glute can perform it. The only hitch is, isolation exercises aren’t great for BUILDING the glutes. That’s where compound exercises come in...exercises like squats, lunges, split squats, stepups, etc. and variations of these. Compound exercises involve movement at several joints...in the case of the glutes, the hip, knee, lower back and ankles. Compound exercises are much better for building the glutes but because there are more muscles involved,
there is more opportunity for those other muscles (the thighs) to take over the movement and leave the glutes out in the cold.
That’s where Pre-Exhaust Training comes in... Pre-Exhaust Training is a sneaky way to get the best of BOTH worlds. You’re going to start with an isolation exercise (like Glute Push-Ups, for example) to activate the glutes and "pre-exhaust" them, so that they’re already fatigued when you go directly to the compound exercise (like Dumbbell Split Squats). When you do the compound exercise, because your glutes are fatigued, they’re going to be the weak link of the exercise and are going to be worked HARD even if the thighs are trying to take over the movement! Do as many reps of this exercise as it takes to reach muscular fatigue (it could be 8, 15 or even more, depending on the resistance and your strength). The real muscle-building work gets done on the second exercise. When you’ve completed your set, immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY - no rest periods here) move into the compound exercise for the glutes.
You’re basically tricking your body into working the glutes even when it doesn’t want to. This type of training is VERY effective for giving stubborn glutes a kick in the butt... (couldn’t resist that). I’ve included Pre-Exhaust programs for all training levels in the book and if you have trouble feeling your glutes doing the work, DEFINITELY give these programs a try.
Strategy #2 - Body Positioning and Mental Tricks I’ve got a number of tips and tricks you can try for getting those glutes to activate - try them one at a time so you know which one is doing the trick for you (or not doing the trick for you!).
1. Consciously squeeze your glutes HARD while doing your exercises Are you sitting in a chair? Clench your glutes as hard as you can. Feel the squeeze? This is what you need to strive for while doing glute exercises.
When you do a lunge, squeeze the glute hard while you’re pushing up. This will help to activate the glute muscle. It’s all about getting your mind into the muscle and forcing it to contract rather than just going through the motions of an exercise. By concentrating on squeezing the glutes hard during your sets, you’ll be activating the muscle fibers of the glutes and making them WORK.
2. Push With Your Heels This is a trick of the feet...the transmission of force and tension from your foot through your leg and glute can be altered by where you put the tension on your foot. If you push with the balls of your feet (the forefoot area), more tension will be placed on the frontal thigh (the quadriceps). If you focus on pushing more with your heels, more tension will go through the back of the thighs and to your glutes. By pushing with your heels, you can take FULL advantage of this. For example, when you’re doing lunges, try to raise the toes of your front foot off the ground. This removes tension from the front and focuses more on the heel. This will, in turn, send more tension to the glutes, making them work harder.
You can even force the issue by setting ONLY your heel down and pushing like that!
3. Visualize "Sitting Back" This idea is similar to the concept of pushing with your heels above. When you "sit back," more tension will be sent through the back of the thighs and the glutes. If you lean forward (the opposite of the "sitting back”, you will tend to throw more tension on the quadriceps (the front of the thighs). We can use both the lunge as an example of this. When doing the lunge, don’t let your torso angle forward while you’re performing the movement. This will throw more tension on the quads. Visualize yourself "sitting back" into the movement. Your body won’t let you lean back far enough to fall over but this "lean-back" will put more tension on the glutes immediately. This is something you can try at home right now and feel the difference right away. A trick I like to use to force people into the proper position is to do lunges or split squats in front of a railing or bar set to about hip height. Stand about a foot or two away from the railing THEN do the lunge. If you lean forward, the railing hits you in the chest and forces you to sit back. If you don’t have a railing, just
picture one in front of you when you do split squats and lunges.
4. Crack a Nut Between Your Cheeks When you’re doing exercises with your feet set out wide (like Sumo Stance Deadlifts, for example), try to imagine you’ve got a walnut between your cheeks and you’re trying to crack it open by squeezing them together. It may sound a bit nuts (pun intended), but it’s a VERY effective way to visualize the exact action we want to get from wide-stance exercises.
5. Stick Your Butt Out Here’s the thing...we live in a society where it’s generally not polite to stick your butt out. So in everyday life and movement, you get used to NOT sticking your butt out and tucking it in under your pelvis. This becomes automatic and it’s KILLING your chances of building a bigger butt. By tucking your butt under your hips, you’re basically deactivating your glutes. Your thighs take over because they HAVE to in order to provide the day-today movements we all do. And this can tend to lead to
back problems as the muscles that support the spine alter their movement patterns to make up for the issues with the glutes. So essentially, all of life’s problems can be solved by sticking your butt out... What I want you to do, next time you do ANY glute exercise, is consciously stick your butt out and arch your lower back as much as you can. It’s harder to do at the bottom of an exercise because of the angle of your thighs at the hip, but ABSOLUTELY do this as you come up towards the top. You’re going to notice the difference on the first rep.
6. Practice Activating Your Glutes This is something you’re going to want to do when nobody is around... :) but it’s an important assignment and can really help you develop the neural pathways for activating the glutes effectively when training. When you’re sitting in a chair, I want you try and raise yourself up as high as you can by ONLY clenching your glutes. Take your feet off the floor so your thighs have absolutely NOTHING to do and hold yourself up on your clenched glutes for at least 5 seconds, squeezing them the whole time. Repeat this for 5
reps. Once you’ve got that down, you’re doing to do it one glute at a time, alternating left and right, squeezing for 3 to 5 seconds on each side. Do this 5 times on each side. Next set your feet out wide to the sides with your knees out as wide as possible and set just your heels on the floor. Now raise yourself up on clenched glutes and try and crack that nut between your cheeks. Push down on your heels to force the issue. Again, squeeze hard for 5 seconds and do this 5 times. Finally, set your feet together on the floor right in front of your chair with your knees splayed out to the sides and the soles of your feet pressed together (imagine like you’re trying to "clap" your feet together like you’re clapping your hands). Your pinky toes and outside edges of your feet will be on the ground for this one. Now clench the glutes and try and use them to push yourself high up again. As you’re doing this, try to push your knees OUT and DOWN at the same time you’re squeezing. This is going to activate the gluteus medius and minimus muscles that develop the side aspect of the glutes.
And now you see why it’s better to do this when nobody is around...
7. Make a Footprint Whenever you’re doing a glute exercise, I want you to imagine as though you’re making as BIG of a footprint as possible onto either the floor, wall or ceiling (depending on what exercise you’re doing). If you’re doing a split squat, try and push your foot down as hard as you can, as though you’re trying push your foot through the floor. If you’re doing a cable glute extension, visualize a wall behind you that you’re trying to make a footprint on. This type of active pushing is what the glutes are all about. The thighs extend the knee joint but the HIPS are where the real power is. By trying to really push your feet against and through the floor (or wall or ceiling) hard, you activate the main function of the glutes, which is hip extension and it minimize thigh involvement.
Strategy #3 - Changing How You STAND
So how can your posture and how you STAND possibly impact this big muscle and how it works and grows? Well, I’ll tell you! First, you’ll need to do an easy visual test on yourself in the mirror. This is going to help determine if your posture is causing your glutes to shrink up and not respond well to training. Go to a long mirror and stand beside it so that your side is towards it (you’re not facing it right now). Don’t look in the mirror yet. Now stand like you’re waiting for a bus or you’re in line at the movies - "normally." Make sure you’re standing on both feet with your weight evenly distributed (not on one foot or the other). Relax and don’t try and do anything differently than you do in everyday life (if you try and fix yourself now, you’ll mess up the test). NOW keeping that exact same body position, turn JUST YOUR HEAD and look in the mirror. We’re going to look at where your hips are in relation to where your shoulders are. Ideally, you want your hips to be in a direct up-and-
down line with your shoulders so you’re standing up straight. But what we’ll often see (especially in the cases of those who have trouble building their glutes and feeling them working when training glute exercises) is that the hips are FORWARD of the shoulders and the butt is kind of "tucked" under the hips.
So instead of a vertical line like this: | The body forms a forward angle kind of like this: < When the hips shift forward like this, the glutes are taken almost completely out of the postural chain they become relaxed and little work is required of them. The immediate problem with THIS is that the glutes then get weaker and smaller. But the REAL problem (and the one that affects your glute-building) are the STRUCTURAL changes that take place in your body in the long term. Over the course of YEARS of this "hips-forward" posture, your body will strengthen OTHER muscles and tendons to take over the loads and functions that
the glutes were supposed to be in charge of. It can also lead to back pain and overstretching of the abdominals, which makes your stomach LOOK bigger than it actually is! Eventually, these structural changes in your body will carry over to walking and exercising! Your body will not properly recruit the glute muscles when it comes time to do squatting and lunging movements even if it LOOKS like you’re doing them correctly. The thighs will tend to take over the movement to compensate for the reduction in glute function. The body, quite simply, isn’t USED to using the glutes anymore and has a hard time activating them.
This means even when you do direct exercises to work the glutes, your body is unable to properly USE the glutes to perform the exercises! And when you walk, instead of using the glutes to actively PUSH yourself forward with each step, you’ll have a short stride and a more "shuffling" gait (this happens because your leg isn’t coming back far enough behind you). You’re using your hip flexors (the muscles on the front
of your hips) to bring your leg forward with each step but you’re using GRAVITY and momentum (in a way, you’re almost falling forward with each step) to keep moving, NOT pushing with your glutes!
SO HOW DO WE FIX IT? Well, the first BIG step is to be mindful of your posture and how you stand. It’s going to be strange at first you’re going to forget yourself and have to constantly be your own "posture police" to keep yourself straight and upright. You might have even to recruit friends and family members to "keep you honest" and remind you when your hips start drifting forward. We’re basically going to be looking to reverse YEARS of "glute-reducing" posture here, so it’s something that will take time. The upside is, you will most likely start feeling more confident and looking better almost immediately when you make the effort to stand up straight! The extra work your glutes are going to get simply by doing what they’re supposed to should start helping you increase glute size and firmness rapidly as well. Abdominal exercises can also help here, by tightening up abs that have gotten overstretched from
this "hips-forward" posture. Keeping your abs tight and "in" will help you keep your hips back and in the right position. Finally, when you’re walking, you should focus on actively PUSHING yourself forward with the glutes with each step you take. You’ll end up taking longer strides and getting places sooner, which is not a bad thing either. Bottom line (no pun intended!), we have to RETRAIN your body to use the glutes properly. Now I know it’s not a quick fix but it IS an effective fix and can be done with relatively little effort. Because once your body starts learning how to use the glutes again, you’ll have a MUCH easier time developing the glutes that you’re looking for! Changing how you stand won’t give you a bigger butt overnight but it WILL set the stage so that the work you ARE doing to improve your glutes will be more effective!
Conclusion:
These three major strategies (and the tips and tricks included in them) are going to have a HUGE impact on how your glutes look and they’re going to make all the training you do in this book exponentially more effective! If you have a hard time feeling your glutes and your thighs take over the exercises you’re doing, put these techniques to work NOW. You’re going to see a difference FAST.
How to Adapt Your Training Programs Having preset workouts and programs is great but the real power of the program comes in when you have the knowledge to adapt the program yourself. You know yourself better than anyone else. You know what works for you and what doesn’t. So why follow a program that isn’t tailored to your exact needs? The workouts in the book are sample workouts. They are not set in stone. They are meant to be guidelines and are essentially springboards for you to craft your own workouts with. I can’t see you or know what you need so it is up to you to determine what works for you. Don’t worry! It’s not that hard! The main thing to
remember is this: change should be the only constant in your program. Your body will adapt to whatever stress you put on it. If you give it the same stress constantly, it will have no reason to adapt. Be creative in how you go at adapting these programs. Nothing you do is necessarily wrong. Some crazy idea you have may just lead you to finding something that works better for you! I know this for a fact because I do this every single time I train. If you do come up with some amazing, be sure to let me know. I love hearing about how people adapt my programs into something new!
Here is a short list of a few of the things you can change in the sample workouts: 1. The number of reps you do If the program calls for 12 to 15 reps, try doing sets in the 5-7 rep range. The body responds differently to different rep ranges. Lower rep ranges build strength,
moderate rep ranges build muscle, higher rep ranges build endurance (these are generalizations, of course). Rep ranges can go from one extreme to the other, e.g. 3 to 5 reps all the way 100+ reps. Every range has it’s value and a simple change like this can be very effective. Some exercises lend themselves better to certain rep ranges. For instance, glute push-ups are more appropriate for high reps because you can’t use much resistance. Bench step one legged squats, on the other hand, lend themselves to lower reps because of the greater resistance.
2. The number of sets you do Increase or decrease the number of sets you are doing for an exercise/bodypart. You may find that your body responds better to more sets. You may find that you get your best results with fewer sets.
3. Change your training split/workout frequency You may find that you get better results with 4 sessions per week at 10 minutes per session rather than 3. You may find you do better with only 2 per week at 20 minutes per session. You may even want to do two 20 minute sessions and one 10 minute session. You can mix and match however you like!
4. Increase or decrease your rest time Shorter rest times are more demanding and more intense. Longer rest times will help with recovery in between sets and maximize your strength. The rest times that you use can vary anywhere from 20 seconds all the way up to about 3 minutes. Rest time will often depend on the exercise you are doing. Squats involve more muscles and use more weight, therefore they generally require a longer rest period than an exercise such as glute push-ups. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, however. I have gotten great results from doing sets of squats with only 30 seconds rest between sets. Sure it’s hard but the results are there!
5. Change your exercises Learn some new exercises. This is one of the most popular methods of changing things. You can change exercises on a daily or weekly basis continually as you train. If you’ve gone through all the beginner exercises and want more, start using the intermediate ones. When you’ve used those, learn a few of the advanced ones. Keep mixing them all into your workouts for variety.
Take the sample workouts in this book and trade out exercises that maybe work better for you than the ones that are listed.
6. Increase or decrease your workout time If you’ve been getting good results with 10 minute sessions but your gains have slowed down, move to the 20 minute sessions. If you’ve been doing 20 minute sessions for awhile, why not try 10 minutes? To really shake things up, you may even wish to try a 40 minute session once in a while!
7. Incorporate intensity techniques You’ll notice, as you go through the programs, that there are techniques such as supersetting, preexhaust, post-exhuast, etc. Mix these techniques into your workouts from time to time for an added intensity boost.
When it comes right down to it, the sky’s the limit. When you do something different and it works for you, write it down so you know exactly what to do again. As you go along, you’ll build up a collection of great workouts that work great for you!
Why Glutes Stay Small and What You Can Do About It The answer to the question of why butts stay small is as old as time itself. Well, not really, but it is always good to know why something is happening when you are looking for a way to change it. There are quite a number of reasons why butts stay small. Unfortunately, there are some things you can’t really do anything about but for the majority of the reasons, there is plenty you can do. The most important thing for you to realize is that there is hope for everybody!! There is not one single person out there who won’t see results when these reasons are properly addressed.
1. Genetics This is the major reason and, coincidentally, the major excuse for rear ends staying small.
Your genetic blueprint determines what color hair and eyes you will have, what size your feet are, and, most important for our purposes, how much muscle you start with on your backside. I say "start with" because everyone, whether they want to believe me or not, has the potential to gain muscle. Granted, some people have a lot more potential than others but the fact remains.
What can you do about it? Unfortunately, nothing. You would have to go back in time and pick new parents and that just isn’t going to happen (yet...;). What you can do, however, is train.
2. Inactivity If you do nothing for increasing your butt size except sit on it, it will only grow larger in the wrong way. Targeted exercise is the absolute best way to shape and build your glute muscles.
What can you do about it? Get off that butt and put it to work! The exercises and
programs in this book are going to do the trick for you.
3. Improper Exercise The glute muscles are just like any other muscle in the body. With proper training, they will grow. However, with improper training, it is more likely that nothing will happen. This single point has probably caused more people to give up on building a bigger butt than anything else I’ve encountered. Someone once came up to me and said "My butt just won’t grow. I’ve tried everything." "What have you tried?" I asked. "Well, I did one set of lunges every other day, holding onto a pair of soup cans. Then I tried some step-ups a couple of times. The only time my glutes got sore is when I sat on my Thighmaster by mistake."
What can you do about it? Learn proper exercises and proper exercise technique. By reading this book, you are taking a HUGE step in the right direction.
4. Poor or inadequate nutrition
You can’t build a log cabin out of matchsticks, nor can you build a big, muscular rear end out of carrot sticks or French fries. You must supply your body with proper nutrition in adequate amounts to support muscle growth.
What can you do about it? Learn about proper nutrition for supporting muscle growth.
5. Insufficient training intensity or resistance For many people, it is not the exercise technique or the nutrition that is the problem. It is lack of training intensity or insufficient resistance. Your body wants to be lazy. It wants to do as little as possible. If you give it the same training stimulus every time, e.g. lunges with 2 pound Dumbbells, it is going stay exactly as it is. You must give it a reason to improve and that means
increasing intensity and resistance.
What can you do about it? Don’t be afraid of weights! Ladies, touching a Dumbbell will not turn you into a man. I promise you. All it will do is help you to quickly transform your physique into the physique of your dreams!
6. Tight Muscle Pillowcases What the heck am I talking about? What I am talking about is what is called "fascia." Fascia is the "pillowcase" or sheath of connective tissue that surrounds each of your muscles like a, well...a pillowcase. It is what holds your muscles in place on your body, keeping them from flopping around when they contract or when they are relaxed. Without fascia, you couldn’t move. The problem with fascia is that it can also restrict muscle growth. Because fascia is so tough, it’s hard to force it to expand to allow the muscles room to grow. To illustrate this, say we take a large pillowcase and put a pillow in it that is moderately-sized and fits in
snugly. The pillowcase is full and appears to be as big as it can be. This is like the normal condition of untrained muscles. Now we stuff a larger pillow into the same pillowcase. The pillowcase is tighter and may be slightly larger but that pillow inside is straining at the seams because the tough pillowcase/fascia has remained exactly the same size as it always was. Imagine if you could make that pillowcase out of a material that could expand with a little help. You could give that large pillow inside more room to grow. Where an ordinary pillowcase doesn’t, the fascia surrounding your muscles has this potential to expand.
What can you do about it? Stretch your fascia. With properly timed stretching, as explained in the stretching chapter, you can actually slowly-but-steadily expand your fascia, giving your glute muscles room to grow. And the best part is, this stretching is permanent. Once you’ve expanded the fascia, it won’t go back to it’s original size, it’ll stay exactly as it is at it’s largest size.
Women and Weights The main thing I want you to take away from this topic is the following: women do not need to be afraid of
weights! Contrary to popular belief, the simple act of touching a Dumbbell or barbell will not instantly endow you with large, masculine muscles. Unless you are extremely genetically gifted or chemically-assisted, this simply will not happen. What will happen is that your body will get leaner, your muscles will build up, tighten up and get stronger, and you will feel more confident and better about yourself! The bottom line is, women simply do not have the hormonal equipment (i.e. testosterone) that will allow them to build massive muscles. What this means from a physiological standpoint is that your body chemistry won’t let you build large, masculine muscles so don’t even worry about it! I always say, I WISH I could gain muscle as fast as most women worry that they WILL when they touch a weight.
If you are a woman and you want to make serious
progress in building up not only your glutes but shaping and sculpting your whole body, weights are your answer. And I am not talking about 2-pound neoprene Dumbbells either. While small Dumbbells like these are appropriate for total beginners or rehabilitation work, their usefulness becomes very limited very rapidly. In order to continue making progress, you will need to challenge your muscles with heavier weights. When it comes right down to it, this book is a book about building muscle, or more accurately, building a specific muscle.
Set aside your preconceptions about what will happen if you lift weights with intensity because I will tell you right now: if you don’t work at these exercises with intensity, you will not make the kind of progress you are capable of. You may not even make any progress at all. But what I will also tell you is that if you do work at these programs and exercises with the intensity I know you’re capable of and challenge yourself with heavier weights, I can virtually GUARANTEE you
will make some amazing progress and develop the rear end of your dreams!!
How To KEEP Your Butt When You’re Losing Fat Fat loss... it can be your butt’s greatest friend and greatest enemy at the very same time! Friend: when you lose fat around your waist, it will immediately make your butt LOOK bigger, even if it doesn’t actually GET bigger. This is a very good thing, however... Enemy: when you lose fat from your butt, it will make your butt SMALLER, especially if you haven’t got very much muscle mass on your glutes! THIS is the problem a lot of people run into with the glutes. When they’re carrying extra bodyfat, they have a butt because they’ve been storing fat in the butt area. When this fat starts coming off, the lack of muscle mass in the glutes really shows up. Another issue is when people focus on endurancebased cardio training for fat-loss (like the treadmill or jogging, etc.). Endurance-based training not only
doesn’t build the glute muscles, it can actively cause your body to want to REDUCE the glute muscles. Here’s the thing...when you’re jogging, it’s a stress on your body, causing it to burn calories. And what’s your body’s best way to reduce the stress? Drop bodymass somehow. MUSCLE is easier to drop than fat and your body will get rid of it so it doesn’t have to carry so much weight around when doing this long-duration exercise and your glutes are a big muscle and therefore a big target. Couple this with losing the fat from your butt and many people’s trouble activating the glute muscles in the first place, it’s no wonder so many butts disappear with fat loss! All is not lost, though! Not only can you KEEP your butt while you’re losing fat, you can actually BUILD your butt at the same time. As your waist gets smaller and you actively build the glutes up bigger with proper training, they’re going to look even LARGER than if you just worked on building them without the fat loss. And now you’re going to learn my tricks for doing it...
Method #1 - Integration This is the easiest way to start. Whatever leg training is included in your current fat-loss program, directly substitute one of the glute training programs from this book. The majority of the best glute-building exercises also work the legs very effectively, so you won’t be losing out on anything there, but the focus on the glutes is going to give you that preferential butt work that you need to keep your butt there while you lose fat.
Method #2 - Prioritization This goes hand-in-hand with Method #1. The idea here is to prioritize your glute training FIRST in whatever fat-loss training you’re currently doing. It might mean shuffling around the exercise order in your workouts, but make sure and always work your glutes FIRST. When you’re losing fat, you’re in a caloric deficit...this means you’ll less energy available for training and that means whatever you work first is what you’re going to be able to put the most energy into. And that means GLUTES. So prioritize your glutes, substituting specific glute
training for leg training and doing it first in your fat-loss workouts.
Method #3 - Daily Specialization Training You’ll find versions of this Daily Specialization program in the book for every training level. Essentially, you’re going to be picking one glutespecific exercise and working it for one set done twice a day, EVERY day...and I do mean EVERY day...for as many reps as you can get. You’ll take no days off on this one. By training your glutes in this fashion, you’re not demanding a lot of them in each single workout you do but you ARE demanding more of them more frequently. Your body responds to this stimulus by preferentially building the glute muscles, even when it might be decreasing muscle mass in other places of your body. You’re basically teaching your body that in order to survive, it needs to build the glute muscles, since that’s what is being most frequently demanded of it. It works like a charm and will actually even HELP your fat-loss efforts by giving your metabolism an extra boost twice a day.
Method #4 - Incorporation What you’re going to do here is force your glutes to do more overall work by doing extra glute training inserted in between every upper body exercise you do. For example, if you’ve just finished working your chest with bench press and you’re about to move to pull downs for your back, do a single set of a glute exercise, THEN move onto the pull downs. Do this every time you switch from one upper body exercise to the next. One single set for a glute exercise won’t take long and won’t dramatically extend your workout but it will, overall, increase the workload your glutes are getting. Don’t do it between lower-body exercises, though, because glute exercises already work the lower body!
Method #5 - Starting It Off This is another way of prioritizing the glutes. At the beginning of EVERY training session you do, choose whatever glute exercise works best for you and do one single set with moderate weight for as many reps as you can get.
Again, we want to give your body the idea that glutes are a priority and it needs to build them to cope with the specific demands being placed on them.
Method #6 - Eat ’Em When You Earn ’Em In this case I’m talking about carbohydrates and some basic nutrient manipulation designed to boost the muscle-building effects of your glute training. This technique won’t work for all fat-loss nutrition plans as some of them require you eat in a very specific pattern, but if you’re doing just a general reducedcalorie diet, it’ll work just fine. First, follow your fat-loss nutrition plan as you normally would. Then, you’re going to eat more carbs AFTER you earn them with glute training. This increase in calories will help fuel muscle growth. Fat-loss training requires a caloric deficit overall in order to be successful - you have to burn more calories than you’re taking in in order to lose fat. The problem is, your body needs MORE calories to build muscle (which is what we’re trying to do with building a bigger butt).
So by tying your increased food intake to immediately AFTER you’ve earned it with your glute training, you’re going to preferentially get more nutrients and more muscle growth to your glutes specifically while still maintaining that overall reduced calorie intake so you keep up with the fat loss.
The Bottom Line: As you’ve probably gathered from these tricks, the BEST way to keep your butt while losing fat is to actually WORK it! It’s going to be a case of use it or lose it and we definitely want to use and NOT lose it. So put the programs and exercises in this book to work and watch that butt GROW while you pull that extra fat off!
The Anatomy of the Glute Muscles Although it is not necessary to know the anatomy of the glutes in order to grow a bigger butt, it is always useful to learn the basics where things are, what they are called and how they work. It will help you to understand how and why the exercises work.
The Gluteus Maximus The Gluteus Maximus is one of the largest and strongest muscles in the body. Everyone knows where this one is located! The Gluteus Maximus
originates along the pelvic (hip) bone crests and attaches to the rear of the femur (the large bone of the thigh). The primary function of the Gluteus Maximus is hip extension (moving the thigh towards the rear). When you walk and propel your body forward, bringing the thigh backwards, this is (hopefully!) using the gluteus maximus muscles. The Iliotibial Band, located along the outside of the thigh, is made only of connective tissue. This band serves to transfer the force of abduction (moving the leg away from the centerline of the body) from the abducting muscles to the leg.
The Gluteus Medius and Minimus The Gluteus Medius and Minimus are smaller muscles which lie directly underneath the Gluteus Maximus. These are the lesser known glute muscles and are only developed with side/lateral-based movements. A good example of this is the side lunge, where squat down directly to the side on one leg, then push back up from that side squat position.
The Gluteus Medius and Minimus originate in the same spot as the Maximus (on the pelvic/hip bone crests) but attach to the SIDE of the femur rather than the rear of the femur where the Gluteus Maximus attaches. Attaching on the side of the femur means that these two muscles serve to abduct or move the thigh away from the centerline of the body.
Are You Doing Low Intensity Endurance-Based Cardio Training For Fat Loss? Stop! You may be sabotaging your glute development! How can this possibly be? Everywhere you look, it’s always said that long-duration, low-intensity training is best for fat loss. All high-intensity work does is burn carbohydrates, right?
Wrong. After reading this information, I guarantee you’ll develop a new respect for high-intensity cardio training for fat loss (and for building your glutes!). Low-intensity exercise is defined as working at a heart rate of about 60% to 65% of your maximum heart rate (which is equal to 220 - your age =
maximum heart rate, thus if you are 20 years old, 220 - 20 = 200 max HR). High-intensity exercise is defined as working at about 75 to 85% or more of your maximum heart rate. Using the previous example for maximum heart rate (max HR=200), working at 60% of your max HR would be 120 beats per minute and 80% of that would be 160 beats per minute.
There are several reasons low-intensity exercise is normally recommended for fat loss. 1. It’s easy - In many cases people who are trying to lose fat don’t always feel energetic enough to do hard training due to the caloric deficit (a.k.a. diet) that they are on. In these cases, just sticking to an exercise program can be hard enough, never mind making the exercise itself challenging.
2. It’s low risk - A personal trainer generally can’t go wrong by recommending low-intensity exercise to clients. Even the most out of shape person can usually do low-intensity cardio training safely. While this is certainly appropriate advice for novice trainers, it does not necessarily apply to the more experienced trainer when it comes to effective training.
3. It burns a higher percentage of calories from fat - this is very true: exercising at a lower intensity does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat than high-intensity exercise. But, as I will explain, this does not necessarily mean you’re going to burn more fat. Let’s crunch some numbers to show you exactly what I mean when I say high-intensity exercise burns more fat. Low-intensity training burns about 50% fat for energy while high-intensity training burns about 40% fat for energy. This is not a huge difference. Say, for example, walking for 20 minutes burns 100 calories. Then 50% of 100 calories is 50 fat-calories burned. Now say 10 minutes of interval training at a high intensity burns 160 calories. Well, 40% of 160 calories is 64 fat-calories burned. By doing the high-intensity work, you’ve just burned 14 more fat calories in half the time. Starting to sound good? There’s more...
--Low-intensity exercise only burns calories while you are actually exercising. That means the moment you stop exercising, your caloric expenditure goes back down to nearly baseline levels. Within minutes, you’re not burning many more calories than if you hadn’t done anything at all. High-intensity exercise, on the other hand, continues to boost your metabolism long after you’re done (often up to 24 hours after, depending on the length and intensity of the training session). This means you’re continuing to burn many more calories all day long! ---
Low-intensity exercise does nothing to build or support muscle mass. Maintaining muscle mass is critical to an effective fat-loss strategy as muscle burns fat just sitting there. Want to keep your metabolism working to burn fat? Do whatever you can to build or keep your muscle tissue. In fact, excessive low intensity cardio exercise can actually lead to decreased muscle mass. The muscle gets broken down from the exercise but doesn’t get a stimulus to rebuild itself bigger and stronger, therefore
it stays small. When you do endurance training, your body doesn’t want to haul around any extra weight and MUSCLE is easiest to get rid of, which is NOT going to help you build your glutes! High-intensity exercise, on the other hand, has the potential to increase muscle mass. Compare the body of a top sprinter to a top marathon runner. The sprinter carries far more muscle mass. You won’t get big bulky muscles from high intensity training but you will get shapely and more defined muscles! This is exactly what we are looking for in our glute training. So if you’re serious about building a bigger butt, it’s time to DROP the long-distance cardio training, especially running (the impact from running causes more muscle damage to the glutes, making it easier for your body to just reduce the glute muscle size). ---
How To Do High Intensity Interval Training Now that you’ve seen how effective high intensity
training can be for fat loss, how is it done? The absolute easiest way to start this type of training is to get on a cardio machine at the gym and select the interval training program. As you’ll see, you’ll start off with a fairly light warm-up cycle, then quickly jump up to a high intensity level for a short burst. You will then drop back down to a low level for a period of time, then back up to a high level again, repeated several times and finishing with an appropriate cooldown period. The repetition of these intervals is the nuts and bolts of high intensity interval training. You can also do it manually by adjusting your intensity level up and down over short periods of time. For example, do 30 seconds at high power then 30 seconds at low power. Repeat. It’s very simple and
very effective. High-intensity training can be applied to any form of cardiovascular exercise. Anything from walking/sprinting to swimming to bike riding will work perfectly. I would recommend doing this type of training 2 to 3 times per week for best results. Though the examples I will go through below use time as a measure for intervals, you can also very easily use distance as your guide. For example, you can sprint between two telephone poles then walk to the next one. You can sprint the length of a football field then walk the width. You can even run up a flight of stairs then walk back down. The variations you can do are truly endless! Here are a number of different types of interval training you can use:
1. Aerobic Interval Training Aerobic Interval Training is very beneficial for rapidly improving your aerobic conditioning as well as burning fat. It will even help you build up your endurance faster than long-duration cardio! It is also a very good introductory format for starting interval training. If you are new to interval training, I highly
recommend beginning with Aerobic Intervals. This type of interval training involves relatively long work periods and shorter rest periods. Work periods are generally 2 to 5 minutes long in this type of training. The idea is not to take it easy for that work time but to work at a speed that challenges you to be able to make it to the end of that work interval. Your 2 minute interval pace is, therefore, going to be significantly faster than your 5 minute interval pace. The rest interval for this type of training is between 30 seconds to a minute. Naturally, the shorter the rest period, the tougher the training will be. Too much rest will allow your body to recover too much, lessening the overall training effect of the exercise. Here are some examples of a number of different intervals you can use in your training:
Work
Rest
2 min. 5 min. 3 min. 2 min. 5 min.
30 sec. 1 min. 45 sec. 1 min. 30 sec.
When using these intervals, you can choose to stick to the same time intervals (e.g. do 2 minutes hard and 30 seconds slow for the duration of the workout) or mix it up with different time intervals as you go through your session. This type of training can generally be done for about 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Maximal High-Intensity Intervals This type of interval training is VERY high intensity and is VERY effective for fat loss and cardio training. You essentially push yourself to the maximum on every single work interval you do! This type of training is extremely effective when training for sports that require all-out repeated efforts, such as football, soccer, hockey, etc. If you want to get faster and recover faster, this is the type of training for you. This type of training sends very powerful signals to the body and the metabolism. In addition to dramatically ratcheting up the body’s metabolism, maximal-effort training also causes large amounts of Growth Hormone, one of your body’s primary fat burning hormones (the Fountain of Youth Hormone, as it’s sometimes referred to) to be released into the bloodstream. This two-pronged effect is very powerful
for fat-burning. Maximal Intervals are much shorter than Aerobic Intervals. Generally, the longest you’ll be able to perform a maximal effort is around 30 seconds so all the work intervals are 30 seconds or less. Rest periods can be short or long, depending how good of shape a person is in and/or how much they want to recover in-between intervals. Shorter rest periods make the work intervals more challenging but the speed of the work will also drop quickly after a few intervals. Longer rest periods will allow the body to recover a little more, allowing faster speeds on more intervals. Rest periods should always be at least as long as the work periods. This is to allow enough recovery to be able to perform well on the next work period. Here are some examples of Maximal work and rest intervals you can use in your training. As I mentioned above, you can stick with one time period through the whole session, or vary your intervals you go through the workout.
Work
Rest
30 sec.
30 sec.
30 sec. 20 sec. 10 sec. 30 sec.
1 min. 1 min. 30 sec. 2 min.
Since Maximal Intervals are so challenging, a person should not expect or try to be able to jump right in at a high level for a large number of intervals. It is very important to build yourself up gradually. Start by performing five Maximal Intervals the first two sessions you do the training. The next two sessions, do six Maximal Intervals. Continue adding intervals in this step-up fashion until you are doing intervals for a maximum of 15 minutes straight. The exact number of intervals you do in a session will depend on the times you’re using in your work and rest intervals. Because Maximal Intervals are so challenging, you may find yourself getting too fatigued to perform at a fast pace as you get towards the end. When this happens, try doing Reverse Pyramid intervals. Instead of keeping your work interval the same, reduce it by 5 seconds every couple of intervals. Here’s a sample of how to do it:
Interval 1 - 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 2 - 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 3 - 25 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 4 - 25 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 5 - 20 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 6 - 20 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 7 - 15 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest. Interval 7 - 15 seconds hard, 30 seconds rest.
3. Sub-Maximal High Intensity Intervals Sub-Maximal intervals are excellent for burning fat and for building up your cardiovascular conditioning. This type of training will do each of these fat better than continuous-tempo, lower-intensity training. This type of interval training is very similar in concept and execution to the Maximal interval style. The difference is, instead of pushing yourself as hard as you can on each work interval, you work at a pace that is somewhat below your max. This allows you to do more total work intervals during the session while still keeping your intensity levels high. Most Interval programs on cardio machines follow this principle. The resistance/speed is increased to a higher level for a set period of time then reduced for a
set period of time. The level is not so high that you must put your maximum effort into each work interval, but it is at a level you could not keep up for long periods. This type of training is also very effective for fat loss and increasing the metabolism. Intervals in this style can be longer, since you’re not working at maximum speed, but not much longer. Work periods of 30 seconds to a minute and rest periods of 30 seconds to a minute work well for it. Here are some sample intervals you can use in your training:
Work
Rest
30 sec. 30 sec. 1 min. 1 min. 45 sec.
30 sec. 1 min. 1 min. 30 sec. 45 sec.
This type of training can be done for about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the intensity level of the work.
4. Near-Maximal Aerobic Intervals
This is a unique form of interval training that I’ve been working with that basically combines Aerobic Interval Training with Maximal Interval Training to allow you to work at near-peak levels for long periods of time. This has the benefit of burning a tremendous amount of calories for longer periods of work time than is possible with normal intervals. The work intervals themselves are short but the rest periods are much shorter! Instead of pushing yourself to the max on every interval, you work at a pace somewhat short of your max. This type of training allows you to perform near your max for longer periods of time. It is a very challenging and unique form of interval training. Here’s how it works: Start with a work interval of 20 seconds and a rest interval of 5 seconds. Your pace should be one that you would only be able to keep up steady for about 1 to 2 minutes before having to stop. Do that pace for 20 seconds then go very slow for 5 seconds. Jump right back in and do that same pace for another 20 seconds then very slow for 5 seconds. Keep this cycle repeating for a designated period of time, e.g. 5 minutes, 10 minutes or 15 minutes.
Here are some sample intervals you can use with this training style:
Work
Rest
20 sec. 25 sec. 30 sec. 15 sec. 40 sec.
5 sec. 5 sec. 10 sec. 7 sec. 10 sec.
This type of training works very well with cardio machines that allow you to switch resistance instantly or very quickly (stationary bikes, stair machines or elliptical trainers often allow this). Machines that must cycle slowly through their speeds as they change do not work well for this (treadmills fall into this category). It can also be done with running then walking, cycling then pedaling slowly, or even swimming hard then stroking lazily. You’ll find it very challenging to be having to constantly restart your momentum from almost scratch on every interval! Please note: it’s very important that you don’t stop completely when you take your short rest period.
Keep yourself moving during this time even if you’re just moving very slowly!
5. Fartlek Training No discussion of Interval Training would be complete with a reference to Fartlek Training. Translated from Swedish, "Fartlek" literally means "speed play." What is it? It’s simple - Fartlek training is every type of interval rolled into one workout! You can start by jogging for 5 minutes then walk for 30 seconds then sprint for 30 seconds then walk again then run fast for 2 minutes and so on. The idea is to train at a wide variety of speeds, distances and times in order to hit the widest variety of training parameters. This type of training is an excellent way to keep your cardio interesting. You never have to do the same thing twice! This workout can last anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes, depending on the intensity at which you are working. ---
Remember, what you get out of exercise is directly proportional to what you put in.
Work at high-intensity training for awhile and see just how much better your fat-loss (and butt-building) efforts go. If you’ve been doing a lot of low-intensity cardio for a long time, you may find that your glutes will immediately start responding to your weight training like never before!
Self Motivation Sometimes you may have a difficult time motivating yourself to exercise. Building a bigger butt is going to take persistence, though, and whatever you can do to keep your motivation strong will help! Here are some tips to help you get going and keep going:
Make a contract with yourself write down your goals and write down what you’re doing now to achieve those goals. Look at that piece of paper whenever you find yourself losing motivation. Take a picture of yourself before starting this program as you are right now and place it
somewhere that you will see it regularly (many people find putting it on the fridge to be helpful). Reward yourself with something you enjoy after completing your workout. It’s best to stay away from food rewards as those tend to undermine the effectiveness of the workout if done regularly. Tell trusted people about your goals. That way you’ll not only be holding yourself accountable but other people will know what you’re trying to accomplish as well. The expectations of others can be powerful motivation. The reason I say "trusted" people is that building a bigger butt is not probably something you want to advertise to the general public :). Make sure you’re confident that the people you trust with this goal are SUPPORTIVE and aren’t the type to just immediately try and bring you down and give you reasons why you can’t do something. Make it fun. Do programs and exercises you enjoy. People who dislike exercise tend to view it as a necessary evil; something they must do
in order to look good and feel healthy. If you can get into the mindset that you really like to exercise and look forward to it then you’ve made a big step towards effective selfmotivation. Discredit your negative self-talk. One thing that I like to do that sounds kind of crazy but works is this: when the little negative voice in your head tells you that you shouldn’t or don’t have to exercise, imagine it sounding like Donald Duck or Porky Pig. That little negative voice will lose all it’s credibility! Then think of how good you’ll feel when you’re done!
How to Work Your Glutes When You’ve Got Bad Knees Having bad knees doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams of getting bigger, better glutes! I will be honest with you, though... it’s going to make it tougher. It just means we have to get more creative. The reason it’s going to be tougher is because, generally speaking, the best glute-building exercises involve deep bending of the knees, using exercises like one-leg bench squats or lunges with your front leg elevated.
If you’ve got bad knees, a lot of these exercises are going to be unavailable to you. So basically, the approach you’re going to have to take with your glute building is to test out exercises and see which ones you’re able to do without pain in your knees. I’m going to give you a list of the exercises included in this book that I’ve found to be easiest on the knees...try these and see which ones
work for YOU. And PLEASE, don’t try and push through and do exercises that are painful. You really do need to let pain be your guide here. If it hurts, don’t do it. You’re not going to get a bigger butt in a wheelchair or on crutches. If you have a specific injury you’re working around, I would absolutely recommend you also check with your doctor to make sure, first, that you’re cleared to exercise, and second, that the exercises you’re going to try and safe for you to do. That all being said, there are plenty of options to work with here.
Knee-Friendly Exercises Here is a list of the exercises I consider reasonably knee-friendly. Some are isolation exercises. Some involve a degree of knee bending and should be attempted with no weight to test and see how they feel. As I mentioned above, when training with a knee issue, you’ll need to take responsibility for your training and be sure and use appropriate exercises and get doctor approval.
Isolation Exercises Glute Push-Ups Glute Extensions on Leg Extension Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions Barbell Glute Extensions
Cable Glute Extensions Barbell End Donkey Kickbacks Rotary Hip Machine Barbell Glute Extensions on Bench
Compound Exercises Dumbbell Split Squats Incline Dumbbell Lunges Sideways Treadmill Step-Back Lunges Walking Bar Gripping Split Sumo Deadlifts Squats Toes-Up Sumo Stiff-Legged Deadlifts Deadlifts Sumo Stiff-Legged Deadlifts Your next step, once you’ve tested these exercises for
safety and know which ones you can do, is to plug them into the programs in the book. Look at the exercises listed in the programs and determine if they’re an Isolation Exercise or a Compound Exercise. Then you can directly substitute an exercise you CAN do for an exercise you CAN’T and have full access to all the training styles I talk about in the book. Training the glutes with bum knees isn’t going to always be easy but it IS definitely doable and there are plenty of options available for you to work with. Just remember, always err on the side of caution and let pain be your guide.
Warming Up There are a variety of ways to warm up, ranging from an extended cardio session to almost none at all. Each has its drawbacks and merits. Do whichever one you feel comfortable with or gives you the best results. You want to be sure that the warm-up you’re doing prepares you for the workout you’re about to do in order to prevent injury and be stronger during the workout. I’ve listed two basic types of warm-ups for you here.
1. Full Warm-Ups This usually involves doing some low-intensity cardio work for five to ten minutes until you break a sweat. It gets blood flowing and prepares the body for work to come. Some light stretching follows this then a few light sets of whatever exercises are going to be done. If you feel you need this much warm-up, go ahead.
Keep in mind, however, not to do too much or will affect your energy levels for the actual workout. This type of warm up is particularly appropriate for novice, injured, or older trainers, though anyone can use it. It can be simple things like walking around, some bodyweight squatting, stair stepping, cardio machines, then a few glute and lowerbody specific exercises to get the joints warmed up.
2. Light Set Warm-Ups This prepares the specific muscle group for the work sets. Don’t do too much here or your work sets will suffer. These light sets are often done before each new exercise, particularly if you are moving on to a different bodypart. If you are doing a different exercise for the same bodypart, a warm-up for that exercise is usually not necessary, though some people like to do a few quick, light reps to get a feel for the movement.
Your first exercise will require a bit more thorough warm-up, though, especially if you’re training with a heavy exercise like deadlifts. In that case, you’ll want to do a few sets, increasing the weight on each successive set until you approach your working weight. DO NOT push hard on any of these warm-up sets!
Measuring Your GluteBuilding Progress There are many tools you can use to keep track of your progress. Which one or ones you use largely depends on your personal goals. Some are more appropriate and useful than others.
The Mirror The mirror can give you a visual impression of how you’ve gained on your glutes but it’s tough to really track accurate over long periods of time as you’ll generally see small changes on a short-term basis. It is not a very accurate measure, being extremely subjective. Different mirror, different lighting, distance, etc., all are factors in how you look in the mirror. And if you look in the mirror and your butt looks bigger... well, you know you’re doing something right!!
The Tape Measure The tape measure can tell you exactly where you’re bigger or smaller or the same. It also gives you a sense of proportions. When measuring the glutes, be sure you’re measuring at the peak of the glutes and the tape is held horizontal to the ground. You want to be very sure you’re measuring at the same spot each time. You can measure either with your glutes flexed (clenched) or unflexed - just make sure you always do it that way.
Clothing This is the easiest measurement of all to do as you do it every single day. If your clothes are fitting better and getting tighter in the back end :) and you look better in them then you are definitely making progress. The best feedback of all is when you have to buy new pants to accommodate your growing backside...
The Log Book This is a written record of workouts and other things related to your working out. This includes, but is not limited to, sets, reps, exercises, rest periods, poundages used, tempo, personal bests, diet, supplementation, subjective feelings, etc. It allows you to look back and see what worked and what didn’t without having to rely on memory These can be very useful for tracking your progress and attaining your glutebuilding goals.
What to Do If a Program Isn’t Working For You... An important thing to remember with your glute training is that if you do fail, fail quickly. This means if one of these programs isn’t working and you don’t see any results after you give it a fair chance (3 to 4 weeks), move on to something else. Too many people plug away at a program that is not giving them results in hopes that it will
someday magically work. It won’t. Fail and move on. There are plenty
of other programs in the book for you to try and not every approach is going to work equally well for every person!
How to Work Specific Aspects Of Your Glutes Beyond just having a small butt in general, you may also find you have a specific aspect of the glutes you want to work on...maybe you want more in the upper area of the glutes. . .maybe your lower glutes need more "lift" to them. It could be you want more width to the glutes (i.e. wider hips). I’ve put together lists of which exercises will tend to target which aspect of the glutes below here but in general, exercises that involve deep knee bending and/or putting a big stretch on the glutes will target the lower aspect of the glutes. Exercises that focus on the peak contracted position of the glutes with thigh behind you as much as possible will hit the top aspect of the glutes and exercises that move to the sides will hit the side aspect of the glutes. Each exercise is going to still work the glutes as a whole...they’ll just tend to focus more on specific aspects of the glutes a bit more than others. And this list isn’t exhaustive...it’s meant to give you an idea of
which type of exercises work which aspect of the glutes.
Lower Glutes - Stretch-Focused Exercises Goblet Lunges Dumbbell Split Squats
Lunges Step-Back Lunges Two Bench Split Squats One-Leg Bench Squats One-Leg Bench Toes-Up Sumo Dumbbell Squats Deadlifts Wide Stance Front Wide Stance ToesSquats Up Squats
Upper Glutes - Contraction-Focused Exercises Cable Glute Extensions Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions Barbell Glute Extensions
Glute Push-Ups Barbell End Donkey Kickbacks Barbell Glute Extensions on Bench
Side Glutes and Hips - Lateral-Focused Exercises Goblet Side-to-Sides Over-and-Back Bench
Goblet Side-to-Sides Sideways Treadmill Walking Leaning One-Leg Squats Sideways Barbell End Lunges
Step-Ups Goblet Side Lunges Side Lunges Wide Stance Toes-Up Squats
Now that you have this information, if you’ve got specific areas of the glutes you want to work on, you can focus your efforts on those exercises that target that aspect of the glutes! I’ve got programs in the book that do target specific areas, but feel free to make your own combinations based on these programs and the exercises that you find work best for YOU.
Stretching For a Bigger Butt Stretching is an extremely important but often overlooked aspect of building the glutes. As explained in the "Why Butts Stay Small and What You Can Do About It" section, the fascia (connective tissue) surrounding the muscle can hold back the development (and size) of the muscle. Stretching is the key to expanding this fascia and, therefore, giving the glutes room to grow.
How to Stretch Though there are three major types of stretching, only one type is really useful for our purposes. The three types are Static Stretching, Ballistic Stretching, and PNF Stretching. We will be focusing entirely on Static Stretching as this is the type of stretching that is most useful for expanding your fascia (ballistic stretching involves fast movements while PNF Stretching requires a
partner to assist). The first step is to assume the stretch position as instructed in the stretch description. Sink into the stretch until you reach the furthest point into the stretch that you can go. You should feel some level of discomfort but it shouldn’t be a sharp, painful sensation. Now, hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. Do not bounce!! You should feel a strong pulling sensation in the target muscle but not so much that you feel as though you might tear the muscle or get injured. After 20 to 30 seconds of steady stretching, slowly ease up on the stretch then relax the muscle. You can even shake it out a little if you like. If it was a single-limb stretch, repeat with the other limb.
WHEN to Stretch There is one particular time that stretching is most effective for expanding the fascia and that is when the muscle is pumped up full of blood. How does the muscle get pumped up full of blood? Through exercise. For example, say you have a favorite pair of jeans that you’ve just pulled out of the dryer. You put them on and they are pretty snug so you would like a little more
room in them. So what do you do if you want to increase the room in them quickly? You don’t pull on the material with your hands to try and loosen them up, you put them on and squat down. When you stand up again, your jeans are magically a little looser than they were just moments ago. What does this example have to do with expanding your fascia? In this example, your jeans are the fascia and your legs are the muscle inside the fascia. Putting your jeans on is equivalent to filling up your muscle with blood. Squatting down with your jeans on is equivalent to stretching while your muscle is filled up with blood. It expands the connective tissue, giving you more room for the muscle to grow. Fascia, of course, is very tough because it’s basically what keeps your muscles from flopping around in your body. It doesn’t expand much even under these conditions. However, each time you do this exercise/stretch combination, you expand the fascia just a tiny little bit. This tiny little bit may not be much each single time but the total effect, with consistent work, can be huge!
To sum it up, do a glute exercise to pump the muscle full of blood then stretch it out to expand
the fascia. This is not to say that stretching at other times is a waste of time. Stretching is never a waste of time. For the purpose of increasing glute size, however, stretching immediately after a good set of a glute exercise is by far the most effective time.
Stretching Index In this index, I’ve included my favorite glute stretches (the first 6) along with other lower body stretches (the other 6) that can be useful for the rest of the lower body and back. Give all these stretches a try, especially the glute stretches and find out which ones give you the best feel. Lying Cross-Leg Glute Stretch Deep Lunge Stretch Lying Side Glute Stretch Seated Hurdlers Stretch Adductor/Groin Stretch Hip Flexor and Quadriceps Stretch
Seated Cross-Leg Stretch Dancer Stretch Pigeon Stretch Standing Leg-On-Bench Hamstring Stretch Seated Lower Back Stretch Seated Hamstring and Glute Stretch
Cross-Legged Stretch Lay flat on your back with one leg crossed over the knee of the other one. To begin the stretch, move the leg that is on the bottom up towards your head. This can be done with leg power alone or by pulling the leg up with your hand behind your knee. This will push against the glute of the leg that is across the top, stretching it out. Another trick I like to use to push the glute stretch even further is to push down on the crossed knee to rotate the hip even more, which stretches the glute even more.
Using a towel for help To get better leverage on the leg, you can loop a towel around the back of your bottom leg. Pull up on the towel with both hands to get a stronger stretch on the glute.
The Standing Version
Hold onto something solid at about waist level in front of you. Cross one leg over the top of the other thigh. Now slowly squat down, holding on tight for balance. This is very similar to the previous lying version, however instead of pulling with your hands, you are using your bodyweight to push down.
Cross-Over Stretch Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you together. Bend one leg and cross it over the other leg. Now take the opposing arm and place it on the outside of the crossed leg, e.g. if your left leg is crossed over, place the elbow of your right arm on the outside of it. It will look like you are twisting, however, DO NOT twist. Push down against your leg with your arm that is crossed over as though trying to force the leg further across your body.
Deep Lunge Stretch Stand a few feet away from a chair or bench. Step forward and set one foot on top of the chair or bench. Now lean your body forward as though lunging. Try to push your torso as far forward as possible to get the most stretch on the glutes as possible. Keep most of the pressure on your heel when doing this stretch. This will help to keep the focus on the glutes and upper hamstring area. To get the greatest stretch possible, shift your torso over a little as you move forward so your thigh doesn’t get in the way of your upper body.
The Deep Lunge stretch is also useful when done on the floor, though the range of motion and the stretch isn’t as great.
Dancer Stretch This stretch is a favorite of dancers, hence the name. First, start by sitting on the ground with one leg bent and laying flat on the ground. Now rotate your body and cross the other leg over that knee that’s on the ground. Bring your torso down to stretch the glute. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds then repeat on the other side.
Lying Side Glute Stretch This stretch is done lying on your back on the floor. Set your arms out to the sides and bend your right leg. Next, bring that right knee over and across your body, as though trying to touch it to the floor on the other side, all while trying to keep your upper back flat on the floor. Keeping your upper back on the floor is what brings out the stretch in the glute when you bring your leg around and over. Use your left hand to push down on the right knee to get more stretch on the glute. Then switch to the other side and repeat.
Pigeon Stretch This one is actually a yoga pose, also called the "Pigeon Pose". Start by kneeling on one knee with your other leg stretched out behind you. Now rotate your front leg so that your shin comes across in front of you and you are resting on the side of your thigh. Use your hands to support your body and hold the stretch. Ideally, you want your other leg fairly straight out behind you. This one targets the glute of the front leg and the hip flexors of the back leg.
Hurdlers Stretch Sit on a flat bench with one leg stretched straight out in front of you and the other one down on the floor angled back. Lean forward, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings, glute and lower back. For an extra stretch, keep an arch in your lower back. Another good technique is to pull your toes back as though trying to point them towards your face. This will increase the stretch on the hamstrings. This is a stretch that hits the hamstrings and glutes in a similar fashion. Lay flat on your back on the floor and loop a towel
around your ankle. Keeping your knee somewhat bent but stiff, use the towel to pull your leg up towards your head. The towel gives you better leverage on your leg.
Hamstring Bench Stretch Stand in front of a bench or chair and set one foot on top of it. Bend forward at the waist. You should feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings. Keeping an arch in your lower back will increase the stretch on your hamstrings. Pulling your toes back towards your head will increase the stretch on the calves.
Changing foot position As an alternative, you may wish to place your foot flat on the bench or chair rather than angled up with only your heel on (as in the previous picture). This will change the stretch slightly, reducing the
amount of stretch placed on the calves.
Adductor and Hamstring Stretch Set your feet as wide to the side as you can. Bend forward at the waist and set your hands on the floor if you can. You may also wish to do this stretch in front of a bench or other solid object so you can hold onto it. This will also help you to get back up out of the stretch! While doing the stretch, try to keep your quadriceps (the muscles on the fronts of your thighs) as relaxed as possible.
Lower Back Stretch Sit on a chair or bench. Lean forward and grab your ankles. Pull your torso down into your knees. This stretch can also be done with your knees apart so that you can pull your torso down further.
Hip Flexor and Quad Stretch Get in the bottom of a lunge position. You way wish to hold onto something for balance with this one. Shift your front leg forward a little so that your rear thigh is angled back. This stretch the hip flexors and quadriceps.
Getting Into Position Here is a good technique for getting into position for this stretch: Start in the top position of a lunge. Place your feet a little further apart than normal. Lower yourself down slowly into the bottom position. Near the bottom, you should notice that your front shin is angled slightly back. This is what you want because at this point, you
are going to move your body forward, stretching out your back leg behind you. Be sure you DO NOT allow your knee to go further forward past your toes. This is why your front shin should be angled slightly back - so you can move into that final position safely.
Using a Bench or Chair This variation is similar to above only you will have your back leg up on a bench. Just like in a lunge, be sure your knee doesn’t go forward past your
toes. The more your sit down into this stretch the greater the effect on your quadriceps. If you lean your upper body back, you will put a greater stretch on your hip flexors. This type of stretch is far better than the stretch where you grab your ankle behind your body and pull your heel up to your butt. That one is dangerous for your knees.
Seated Glute and Hamstring Stretch Start by sitting flat on the floor with one leg straight out and one knee bent. Simply lean forward and try and touch the toes of your straight leg. You can also stretch forward directly out in front of yourself. You can also stretch over top of your bent leg. For an even greater stretch, try to keep an arch in your lower back. This may limit your range of motion if you are not so flexible, however.
Supplements to Help Build a Bigger Butt Supplements can absolutely help you build a bigger butt...they’re NOT necessary but the can help. Here’s the thing, though...
You don’t need anything fancy and you WON’T see any exotic herbs or any other supplements that claim to specifically increase the butt...there are NO supplements that’ll do that. Supplements should not be viewed as an alternative to good nutrition. What you eat on a regular basis and how you train are far more important that any supplements you could be taking. The supplements in this section are recommended because they help support muscle growth (glute growth!) and overall health. NONE of these supplements will directly cause you to get a bigger butt. Please note, I am not a nutritionist or doctor and you should always consult with your health professional before adding any supplements into your diet. This page is presented for informational purposes only. My supplement recommendations are all very safe for the general healthy population but I don’t know your exact situation. Here’s the list: Multivitamins Protein "Greens" Supplements Fish Oil/EFA’s Creatine Monohydrate
Glutamine Other Vitamins and Minerals Pre and Post-Workout Supplements
1. Multivitamins First on the list are multivitamins. Food simply does not have enough nutrients in it these days to allow even the healthiest eater to get optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals, even when eating regular meals and even when eating a surplus of calories. Think of a multivitamin as an insurance policy. It helps to protect you from any deficiencies you could get and not even know about that could be stopping or slowing down your muscle growth and limiting your energy and strength levels. Don’t take generic, low-quality multivitamins. You may as well be swallowing little rocks for all the nutrients you will get out of them. Most vitamins (including popular brand names) that come in tablet form are so compressed that they can’t be broken down even by stomach acid.
When To Take It: A multivitamin should be taken EVERY day. If your multivitamin serving calls for multiple doses, you can separate them over the course of the day for optimum absorption, e.g. morning and evening.
2. Protein Protein is the building block of muscle tissue.
Without enough protein, your body won’t have the raw materials to recover and build that butt bigger! Protein is readily available in food, true, but protein-
containing foods are not always the most convenient to prepare or eat. When was the last time you packed some scrambled eggs into your backpack for a snack?
When To Take Protein: Protein can and should be taken during every day while training to build the glutes. It’s not so critical on non-training days, since protein turnover will be lower, but it can definitely help with overall growth and recovery. Here is a list of the when, why and how of effective protein supplementation, ranked in order of importance.
1. Immediately After A Workout If you only take protein once per day, this is the absolute best time to take it. Immediately after you finish your workouts (for glutes or any other bodyparts), your body needs raw materials to rebuild and recover with. If you don’t supply the raw materials through eating, your body will break down muscle from elsewhere in your body in order to rebuild the damaged areas. This is very counterproductive as you can well imagine. By taking in some protein (20 to 40 grams or so, depending on bodyweight) within minutes after exercise, you provide your body with the raw materials it needs to recover and build the glutes without breaking down it’s own muscle tissue.
2. Immediately Before A Workout Right before you train, taking in a small amount of protein can help turn in-workout catabolism into anabolism. A small 10 gram dose of protein along with a 20 gram dose of sugar can promote better growth and recovery - it’s well worth taking. You can read more on how to take protein before and after workouts in the Pre, Peri and Post-Workout Nutrition
section.
3. First Thing In The Morning Immediately upon waking, or as soon after that as you can manage, take a scoop of protein powder. Your body has just been through an 8+ hour fast and is hungry for nutrients. Feed your body! Protein powder is more quickly assimilated than solid food and gets into your muscles faster. This protein shot gives your metabolism a boost, which can help with fat loss. Be sure to follow it with a good breakfast, of course.
4. Last Thing At Night Prepare your body for the long overnight fast by giving it a little something to work with. A good combination for this purpose is to mix a scoop of whey protein in with a small glass of milk. Whey is what’s known as a "fast" protein, meaning that it’s digested quickly, while milk protein (casein) is what’s known as a "slow" protein, meaning it’s digested relatively slowly. At night, you want your protein to be metabolized slowly so that your body gets a more even supply over the course of the night. By mixing "fast" and "slow" proteins, you get the benefits of the higher-quality whey with the slower digestion time of the milk.
5. In Between Meals A quick protein shake can be a great snack in between meals. It helps keep your body supplied with protein all day long. This is especially useful if you tend to have long periods of time in-between meals. It could mean the difference between losing muscle and building or keeping muscle!
6. With Meals Taking a protein supplement with meals is a handy way to increase the protein content of a meal. This is
perfect for when you make a meal that is somewhat low in protein.
3. "Greens" Supplements The reality is that probably 99% of us don’t get enough veggies in our diets. So unless you’re getting 6 servings of fruits and veggies per day, greens products should make up the difference. Like a multivitamin, these helps supply the nutrients the your body isn’t getting in the food that you’re eating. These "greens" products contain powdered concentrates of a huge variety of healthy fruits, vegetables and other plants, giving you a nice spectrum of a variety of nutrients. You can pick up "greens" supplements at most health food stores. Greens+ is an excellent brand. I’ve also used Barley Green in the past, with excellent results and stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods will have their own store brands as well.
When To Take It: A "greens" supplement can be taken every day. It’s nutritional insurance that can really make a difference in your results and your health.
4. Fish Oil/Essential Fatty Acids Essential Fatty Acids are so-named because it’s essential to get some in your diet. Without them, health and body composition will suffer. Unfortunately the typical North American diet is low in Linoleic Acid (an omega 6 fat) and in Alpha Linolenic Acid (an omega 3 fat); therefore we typically have to seek additional supplementation. Here’s the other thing...even if the EFA content of the diet SEEMS fine, the all-important ratio of omega 3
fats to omega 6 fats is often wrong, with far too much omega 6 and far too few omega 3s. While the omega 3 fat Alpha Linolenic Acid is important in the diet, the downstream metabolic products of ALA (DHA and EPA) are powerful fats responsible for things like: increased metabolic rate, improved fat burning, increased carbohydrate storage in muscle, better glucose and insulin tolerance, reduced blood lipids, reduced risk of platelet aggregation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. To get your DHA and EPA, you’ve gotta go with fish oil or krill oil. There are lots of fish oils and krill oils on the market to choose from and manufacturers make it confusing to decide which is best. Quality makes a HUGE difference with fish oil and krill oil, though, so I definitely don’t recommend the cheap Sam’s Club bulk bin types of fish oil. EFA’s are EXCELLENT anti-inflammatories and with the hard glute training you’re doing on this program, that can make a BIG difference in how you feel after your workout sessions. This is a highly recommended supplement.
When To Take It: You can take EFA’s every day. This is a supplement that is constantly useful. I like to recommend people "load up" on fish oil supplements, taking about 6 to 10 grams a day for the first week, in order to saturate their body with the EFA’s. After that, you can back to half or less of that for a maintenance dose, in order to maintain levels in your body.
5. Creatine Monohydrate Creatine Monohydrate is an excellent muscle-building supplement. It is completely safe to use for both
men and women. There are many scientific studies documenting its safety and effectiveness. It is a natural substance found primarily in red meat. Using creatine can cause a rapid weight gain of approximately 3 to 10 pounds during the loading phase, depending on the amount of muscle and water you are carrying right now. The bigger you are, the more weight you will gain. This weight is primarily in the form of more water in your muscles. Creatine builds strength by increasing the amount of fuel available for muscle contractions. By increasing your available fuel, your body is able to lift more weight and do more reps. This, in turn, allows you to build muscle.
When To Take It: Creatine users typically load up for a period of 5 days then drop down to a maintenance dose to keep high levels in the muscles. I recommend staying on this maintenance dose for about 4 to 6 weeks, then coming off creatine for at least 2 to 3 weeks. Take 5 grams of creatine four times a day for the first 5 days of the program then scale back to a single 5 gram dose for the rest of the days, taken before or after training. On non-training days, take your creatine any time in between meals. When loading, I like to take a dose first thing in the morning, an hour before training and immediately after training. The final does is taken any time in between meals.
If you don’t wish to load creatine and want to avoid the water weight gain... You can also just take a single 5 g serving every day. After about 30 days, your muscles will achieve the same level of creatine as if you loaded only without the water weight gain all at once.
I personally take regular, plain creatine monohydrate. I get excellent results with the no-frills version. There are a number of supplements on the market that claim to take creatine supplementation to the next level. My suggestion is to try regular creatine the first time through so you have a basis to compare to. Then try the fancier stuff. If you find you get enough results to justify the higher cost, go for it!
6. Glutamine Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid in the body but it is also the most abundant amino acid in the body. Around 50% of your free amino acid pool (how much protein is circulating around in your bloodstream and the rest of your body at any one time) consists of glutamine. Taking extra glutamine has a variety of beneficial effects on your body. A dosage of 2 grams on an empty stomach has been shown to increase the level of circulating Growth Hormone in the body. This is good because Growth Hormone promotes muscle growth and fat loss. Another effect is that the body does not have to break down other amino acids to make glutamine. Glutamine is a popular amino in the body and if glutamine levels are low, the body will break down muscle protein to synthesize it. The extra glutamine you take in supplement form helps support muscle growth if taken in doses of 5 grams or more at a time (this large amount is necessary to get enough past the digestive system to be of value - the gut sucks up glutamine like a sponge). Other effects of glutamine include immune system boosting, improved recovery, cell volumization and enhancement of glycogen
replenishment. The best times to take glutamine are first thing in the morning, right after a workout and right before sleep. Dosages can vary from 2 grams (minimum) to about 10 to 15 grams or more. The larger doses should be used immediately after a workout to promote anabolism and minimize catabolism (muscle breakdown).
When To Take It: Glutamine should be taken after every workout. It will help your body recover quickly from the hard training you are putting yourself through. Also, glutamine works in a similar fashion to creatine by carrying water into the muscle cells as it gets absorbed. This cell volumizing effect dramatically enhances muscle cell growth. A side benefit to taking plenty of glutamine is the positive effects it has on strengthening the immune systems. Your body will be pushed with these programs and this will tend to reduce immune system functioning. Glutamine can help keep you from getting sick during this time. Very effective! Glutamine is easiest to take in powder form. Capsules are available but you need to take so many of them to get a decent effect, it’s not really worth it. Regular glutamine powder should work perfectly.
7. Other Vitamins and Minerals I’ll tell you right now, there is nothing glamorous about
taking minerals and vitamins. You will NEVER see a full-page ad in a magazine for these :) But simple, basic nutrients like minerals and vitamins are very important for EVERYBODY who trains with weights. I’m going to give you a few of the major ones you need to be aware of and be sure you’re getting enough of. A full discussion of all the major minerals and vitamins you need is well beyond on the scope of this book but the ones I’m going to mention can make a BIG difference in your training and FAST. You can get pretty much any of these things at any health food store or GNC (General Nutrition Center)...even local drugstores and grocery stores. I prefer to buy online and eliminate the middleman. It keeps prices down quite a lot.
1. Calcium Calcium makes up the majority of the mineral weight in your body (your bones). It’s VERY important to take supplemental calcium - your body simply doesn’t absorb it well from most foods. You may drink a lot of milk, but not much of that calcium is actually getting absorbed by your body. Ideally, you should take in about 1000 mg to 1500 mg of calcium per day. This will support bone health and a host of other processes that calcium is required for (including blood clotting, nerve function and muscle contraction). Without enough calcium, you will be compromising your long-term health. If you don’t provide enough in your diet, your body will PULL IT OUT OF YOUR BONES to get it. Calcium excretion is actually INCREASED when you’re eating a high-protein diet, making it doubly important for those looking to increase muscle mass
to get plenty of calcium. Vitamin D is required for optimal calcium absorption, so look for that in any calcium supplements you purchase. Be sure that you don’t go above 2000 mg per day in calcium supplementation. Also, calcium intake should be be balanced with magnesium intake (I’ll talk more on this below). The ratio should be 2 to 1 calcium to magnesium, which would be 1000 mg calcium to 500 mg magnesium. The best sources (in terms of absorbability) of supplemental calcium are calcium citrate and calcium citrate malate. Coral calcium is also purported to be a highly absorbable form of calcium. Many calcium products also include magnesium in them.
2. Magnesium Magnesium is one THE most important minerals in the body. It is essential for a multitude of processes (more than 300!) yet is often missing completely from both food and supplementation regimens. While true magnesium deficiency is rare, you can benefit greatly from getting optimal levels of it. Magnesium is critical for cellular energy production as well as the structure of your body (bones especially) and the healing process. Bottom line, if you’re not getting enough magnesium, your strength will suffer. When you start getting optimal levels, you will probably notice a strength increase fairly rapidly! Magnesium intake should ideally be balanced with calcium intake (the 2 to 1 ratio I mentioned above). The range of 300 to 400 mg per day is considered a minimum intake for healthy adults (depending on bodyweight). You can take an additional 300 to 400 mg per day supplemental. The easiest way to tell if you’re taking too much supplemental magnesium? Let’s just say, larger doses of magnesium have a laxative effect...
The easiest way to go with magnesium is to just purchase it in a formula combined with Calcium. That way, you can just take one pill instead of doubling up. The citrate form of magnesium is one of the better absorbed versions.
3. Zinc Zinc is another critical mineral in the body that, like magnesium, is required for many of the chemical reactions and processes in your body. Zinc acts as a catalyst in many of these reactions. Zinc also plays a critical role in the structure of proteins and cell membranes as well as being important for immune system function and anabolic hormone production (e.g. testosterone). Most multivitamins have some level of zinc in them but you may benefit from taking a 25 mg to 50 mg zinc supplement on it’s own. DO NOT go above 150 mg per day for more than a few days. Zinc is one mineral where it is possible to get adverse reactions at a relatively low dose. More is NOT better in this case.
4. Vitamin C Vitamin C is another totally unglamorous supplement that can have tremendous effects on your training and health and is a MUST HAVE, in my opinion. The amount necessary to stave off deficiency is about 60 mg per day. The amount for optimal health and performance is MUCH greater than that, especially when you’re training your muscles hard.
Vitamin C is an essential component in the synthesis of collagen, which basically is what connective tissue is made of! Without enough Vitamin C, collagen formation will slow down. Personally, I take about 3,000 to 5,000 mg per day of it.
The good part about Vitamin C is that it’s water-soluble. This means excess levels are easily and quickly flushed out of the body. One of the other important functions of Vit. C is as an antioxidant. It’s very effective at quashing free radicals, which is a BIG concern when training hard. To prevent cell damage, antioxidant intake is vital. And then we can’t forgot the effects of Vit. C supplementation on cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone associated with stress and muscle breakdown. Three 1000 mg doses of Vitamin C during the day can decrease cortisol levels very effectively, which will help a LOT with building the glutes. Lastly, Vit. C taken before a workout (500 mg to
1000 mg) can actually help reduce muscle soreness.
8. Pre and Post Workout Supplements Pre-workout and post-workout supplementation can make a BIG difference in your recovery and your results. Good pre-workout nutrition can give your body a supply of nutrients to prevent the catabolic state that you normally get into during training. Post-workout nutrition helps with faster recovery. Ironically enough, research has demonstrated that the ratios of carbs to protein in pre and post-workout feedings should be the SAME for optimum results.
A Summary of How To Take All These Supplements Having all these supplements is one thing - taking all
of them properly is another! Here’s a quick guide to help you get it right.
Naturally, you don’t NEED to take ALL of these supplements to get results with the program. I would
at the very least suggest a good multivitamin and a protein supplement. These are the basics, in my opinion. Once you’ve got your basics taken care of, you can start try some of the other supplements to see how they work for you and add to your results. Bottom line, you’ll get better results from your training and nutrition if you focus your supplementation on SUPPORTING the process rather than on having supplements trying to BE the driving force behind your results. Supplements won’t lift that barbell for you. And lifting that barbell is what REALLY drives your results forward to build the glutes!
Glute Exercise Index Proper exercise technique can save you literally years of wasted time and frustration. By efficiently targeting your glute muscles, you will get greater results for the effort you put in. This means a bigger butt, faster! These exercises are divided into three main categories, divided by training level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I’ve also included a few abdominal/core training exercises as well...the tighter your midsection, the bigger your butt will look and the stronger you’ll be in your glute exercises! Many of the beginner exercises are done with just your bodyweight for resistance. The intermediate and advanced exercises incorporate greater added resistance and difficulty. This section contains only exercises. For instructions on how to incorporate these exercises into targeted glute training programs, visit the Program Index.
Beginner Exercises Bodyweight Squats
Lunges Cable Glute Extensions Dumbbell Deadlifts/Squats Step-Ups Glute Push-Ups Goblet Lunges Goblet Side-to-Sides Kneeling Dumbbell Incline Dumbbell Lunges Glute Extensions One Dumbbell Split Dumbbell Split Squats Squats Over and Back Step-Back Lunges Bench Step-Ups Squat Machine StepSideways Treadmill Backs Walking Glute Extensions on Leg Side Dumbbell Hip Extension Machine Abductions
Intermediate Exercises Walking Lunges One Leg Bench Squats
Barbell Squats
Side Lunges
Towel Step-Back Lunges/Squats Barbell End Donkey Kickbacks
Bar Gripping Split Squats Barbell Glute Extensions on the Floor Cross-Leg One-
Hack Lunges
Barbell Glute Extensions on a Bench
Cross-Leg OneDolly Lunges Legged Squats Incline Barbell Goblet Side Lunges Lunges One Arm Gripping Leg Press Glute Kickbacks Dumbbell Squats Step-Ups to Step Back Towel Pistols Lunges Leaning One-Legged Leaning OneSquats on a Cable Legged Squats Machine
Advanced Exercises Bench/Ball Bulgarian Split Squats One Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats Stiff Legged Deadlifts Two Bench Split Squats Deficit Incline Bench Lunges Sideways Barbell End Lunges Sumo Stiff-Legged Deadlifts Wide Stance ToesUp Barbell Squats
One Legged Squats Deadlifts Sumo Deadlifts Barbell Split Squats One Leg Bench Balancing Dumbbell Squats Wide Stance Front Squats Toes-Up Sumo Deadlifts Wide Stance Dumbbell Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Core Exercises Trunk Twists With a Twist Curl Squats Lower Ab Flattener Leg Raises
Bodyweight Squats The squat is one of the most basic movements for building the glutes. There are many variations to the squat. This version is done without any added weights to build a basic level of strength and get a feel for the squatting movement. If you are first starting out with Squats, do them holding onto something solid that won’t move like a railing or chair back (not a light chair with wheels). Don’t use any weight until you can do full range repetitions. Place your feet about shoulder width apart. Hold onto something in front of you for support if you need it. Keeping your torso vertical and a slight arch in your lower back, start the movement by bending the knees. Go only as far down as you feel comfortable when first starting out. If you can go down until your thighs are just below parallel, do so. This is the full range goal.
Using leg power, push yourself back up to the start position. Use your hands for balance only unless you absolutely need to pull yourself up. Contrary to some people’s belief, Squats done with proper form are not bad for your knees. They can, in fact, strengthen them. The pictures to the left demonstrate how to do the exercise without holding onto anything for support. Notice how her arms are held straight out in front at the bottom of the movement. This helps with balance at the bottom.
Dumbbell Squats This variation is known as the Dumbbell Squat. Hold one dumbbell in front of you and squat down. Be sure to keep looking straight forward and keep your lower back arched. Instead of a dumbbell, you can use nearly any form of resistance, including filled-up milk jugs or a bag filled with heavy objects.
Common Errors: 1. Leaning too far forward Always strive to maintain a reasonably vertical torso. This will take pressure off your lower back. Keep looking up during the exercise and maintain an arch in your lower back.
2. Bouncing out of the bottom Never bounce out of the bottom as this can damage your knees. The lower you get, the slower you should go.
3. Letting the knees bow in or out If your knees are not tracking straight during the exercise, there is potential for injury. There are ways to remedy these problems. The first is to squat in front of a mirror and look at your knees while you are doing
it. If your knees bow in, tie a towel or belt around your thighs when your legs are straight in the start position. Push outward against the towel to keep it there throughout the movement. If your knees bow in, the belt will drop. To fix the bowing out problem, squat with a soccer ball or volleyball between your knees (it doesn’t necessarily have to be a ball - it could be a bag of dirty laundry as long as the distance is right). Keep it pinned there. If your knees bow out, the ball drops.
Tricks: 1. Look up Look slightly up while doing squats. This will help keep your torso vertical. If you look down, your head will go forward. Your lower back area mimics your neck area. If your neck is flexed (as when looking down), your lumbar (lower back) area will try to flex (it should be extended in an arched position).
2. Stretch the calves If you find yourself leaning over too far forward when you are squatting, calf flexibility may be a problem. Work on that before each squat session and stretch when working calves. A good way to stretch your calf
is to stand on the edge of a stair with only the balls of your feet resting on it and let your heels drop down.
3. Adding resistance As you get stronger with squats, don’t use the support anymore. When you can do good, fullrange reps without the support, you can start using weight. For weight, use two duffel bags (evenly loaded) or two milk jugs or another form of resistance. Hold them at your sides and squat. You may also choose to use a backpack filled with heavy things such as books. Be aware that this will throw your center of gravity backwards and affect your balance. Squatting with weight calls for different balance than squatting without weight. Work your way into it slowly.
4. Plié/Frog squats Another good way to hit the glutes when doing the free squat is the Plié squat, also known as a Frog Squat. Set your feet out side to the sides with your toes angled fairly far out. Squat down as you normally would, squeezing your glutes hard.
Lunges The Lunge is one of the best glute-building exercises in existence. It is simple to do and can be done anytime, anyplace. It involves balance and coordination, which is very useful for sports as well as muscle development. The dumbbell version of the Lunge is the easiest to start with. You may be using other forms of resistance rather than dumbbells like two milk jugs or something. Hold two dumbbells in your hands by your sides (you can also do this exercise without any weight the first time you try it - in fact, I recommend it).
Step forward with one leg about 2 to 3 feet or so, with your heel down first...you’ll have to determine the step distance that feels comfortable to you. It should be a medium step... not way far out but not close in.
Once your front foot comes down, bend your knees and come down into what’s called the Lunge position. Your back knee should touch the ground to ensure you’re getting a full range of motion and keep your torso vertical as you come down. This will help keep tension on the glutes and less on the knees. Also, try to visualize "sitting back" as you’re coming down into the lunge position. This will also help keep the tension focused on the glutes.
Push up and back to a full standing position with both feet together and repeat with the other leg or do all the reps with one leg then switch.
There are several other variations of the basic lunge you can try. This next one has you stepping out to the side at an angle then lunging. This hits the gluteus medius and minimus (the smaller muscles on the sides of the butt). When you do this, make sure and keep your torso
facing forward as you step to the side. If you turn your torso to the same angle then you’re just doing a regular lunge but turning your body to do it.
Then step down to the other side.
The next version is a cross-over lunge. You’re going to step forward across your body and into the lunge position.
Finally, if you would like to get a bit more range of motion when doing Lunges, you can do these on a Step platform or other elevated surface (that’s solid and stable). The movement is exactly the same only you’ll be stepping forward onto that elevated surface. This
gives you a few inches more range of motion before your back knee touches the ground and stops you.
The Split Squat: You can also do a variation of this exercise without coming up to a full standing position each time - this
is called a Split Squat. Not only is this more efficient for keeping tension on the muscles, stepping forward can stress your knee if you step forward too heavily. Simply do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all your reps on the other leg.
Common Errors: 1. Leaning forward on the way down This can cause you to lose your balance and places unnecessary stress on your back. Always strive to keep your upper body vertical. Do lunges in a mirror or in front of a bar or table as indicated above and be sure to focus on sitting back during the descent.
2. Not placing the feet slightly apart Having your feet in a straight line invites balance problems. Keep them a little apart (separated horizontally so that they’re not directly in line with each other) to widen your base of support.
3. Dropping down too quickly Dropping quickly not only takes tension off the legs, it can create balance problems when you try to reverse direction. It can also
increase the stress on your knees.
4. Letting the forward knee drift too far forward Your front knee should not go far beyond the toes of your foot. A little is just fine but try not to go too far beyond it.
5. Hitting your back knee on the floor This takes the tension off the muscles, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise. Touching the ground with it is ok, just don’t bang it against the floor.
Tricks: 1. Separate your feet horizontally Don’t place both your feet in a straight line. Keep them horizontally separated by about six inches to keep your balance. Doing this increases your base of support and makes your body more stable. To get into technique.
position try this
Stand with both feet side-by-side. Now take a small step of about six inches to one side. This is horizontal separation. Step forward maintaining that horizontal
separation.
2. Blocking your upper body If you have a problem with your upper body drifting too far forward during the movement, use a bar or table to stop your forward progress. Put your front foot heel directly under the bar or table edge and a lunge in that position. The edge of the bar or table will prevent you from leaning forward by blocking your body–your stomach will run into it before you can lean forward.
3. Hang on When first starting Lunges, hang onto something solid to help your balance. Use no weight. Gradually work your way up to holding on with only one hand then hold a dumbbell while holding on with one hand then do freestanding. If you use only one dumbbell, alternate the side you hold it on to stress the muscles differently.
4. Flat shoes Wear flat-soled shoes when doing Lunges (such as tennis or other court shoes). This will help with your balance. With running shoes, you have half an inch or more of cushioning upon which to destabilize yourself.
Also, be aware if you perform lunges on thick carpet that this will greatly increase the instability of the exercise. A solid surface is your best bet.
Cable Glute Extensions The Cable Glute Extension focuses on getting a hard contraction in the glute muscles. It is an easy movement to learn and does not require great strength to get started. The cable glute extension is an good isolation (single joint) exercise. It allows you to get a good squeeze on your glute muscles at the top of the movement. This exercise is done using the low pulley machine and an ankle strap. Start by attaching an ankle strap onto your ankle. The metal loop should be on the front of your ankle because you’ll be exerting backwards force. If you have two ankle straps (recommended) put one on each leg. This makes things a lot more efficient because you then don’t have to constantly switch the one ankle strap from one leg to the other. If you do only have one ankle strap, get ready to do a lot of switching. Set the weight fairly light to start. Reach down and clip the hook onto the low pulley cable. Take a step back so that your leg is forward of your body. Now, keeping your leg stiff but slightly bent, extend your leg behind you using glute power. You should feel a strong squeezing in your glute as you push your leg behind your body.
Squeeze it hard for a moment or two then lower the weight slowly back to the start position. Don’t let the weight plates touch at the bottom and repeat the movement.
Abduction...Hitting the Gluteus Medius and Minimus The major function of the gluteus medius and minimus muscles is abduction. This means moving the leg away from the centerline of the body. Adduction is the act of bringing the leg in towards the centerline of the body (you can perform adduction with the cable setup as well). The leg harness and low pulley can be used to effectively work the abduction function of the glutes. With the leg harness attached to the low pulley, stand sideways to the machine.
If you have the harness attached to your right leg, stand with your left side towards the pulley. The cable should cross in front of your support leg. Take a step to the right to get tension on the cable. Let your right leg cross over in front of your right leg a little then move it back out towards the right as far as possible. Lower it slowly and repeat.
You can also perform this abduction exercise with the cable running behind your support leg. This will hit the glutes from a bit a different angle as you’ll need to be leaning forward a bit while doing it.
Also, you won’t be able to bring it up quite as high because of the less favorable leverage the glutes have in this position.
Common Errors: 1. Moving too quickly As with any movement that focuses on the contraction of the muscle, moving the weight too quickly can diffuse the tension you put on the muscle. This results in less effective work for the muscle. If you don’t squeeze the glutes on purpose with this exercise, you won’t get nearly as much out of it. You have probably noticed people doing this exercise by simply swinging their leg backwards and forwards very quickly and with little weight. This is just simply not effective and can place unnecessary stress on the lower back at the bottom of the movement.
Tricks: 1. Squeeze the glutes At the top of the movement, when you’ve brought your leg back as far you can, hold it there for a few seconds and squeeze hard. The best part of this exercise is the squeeze at the top. By holding that there for a few seconds, you’re glute will get a lot more work.
2. Bend over at the hips If you bend over at the hips while doing this exercise, you will increase the useful range of motion of the exercise and put a greater stretch on the glutes at the bottom of the movement. Be sure to keep your lower back arched and tight and that you bend over at the hips, not the waist. It is a small but important difference. Bending at the hips is what puts a greater stretch on your glutes because of how they attach to your hip bones. Imagine as though the pivot point for your bend is in the center of your glute muscles rather than in your waist.
3. Stand on a weight plate You will notice, if you do this exercise with your support leg on the floor, that your working foot keeps hitting the ground. To avoid this problem, set a 25 pound weight plate on the ground to stand on (flat side up). This will elevate your body a little, keeping your working leg off the ground. You can also use a Step riser or any other stable block.
Dumbbell Deadlifts/Squats The deadlift is a great exercise...the squat is a great exercise...this one is an exercise that goes equally by these two different names. I’ve seen it called a dumbbell deadlift and a dumbbell squat. And to be honest, it can be used in both cases with equal accuracy. It’s a VERY simple one to do and using dumbbells like this gives you a couple of advantages over barbell squats. 1. You can go all the way down without having to worry about the bar on your back. Since dumbbells are relatively small in size, you CAN go down far and get a big range of motion. 2. Because you’re using dumbbells, you’ll never get stuck under a bar so you can really push your legs HARD. Just set the dumbbells down when you’re toasted and you’re set. 3. Because you’re using dumbbells, the optimum position for the feet is going to be right beside each other...and I recommend placing your feet nice and close - maybe an inch or two apart, to keep your knees tracking properly. So without further ado, the dumbbell squat/deadlift call it a squeadlift (or don’t). Here’s the start position - dumbbells beside your feet
and on the floor. Get your butt down and keep an arch in your lower back. Look forward the whole time you do this to help keep that arched position.
Then stand up.
Repeat. That’s the exercise! To maximize the effect of this exercise on the glutes, try to focus on sitting back a bit and pushing with your heels. This will help fire up the glutes. Start with a moderate weight but don’t be shy to work up to some heavy dumbbells for this exercise.
Step-Ups The Step-Up can be done on anything ranging from stairs to chairs to benches or even boxes. Basically, anything that is solid, has a flat top and will hold your weight will work provided the height is reasonable (from six inches to around 2 feet). The lower the step, the easier the exercise will be, obviously. Start doing this exercise without any resistance. As you progress and get stronger, you can move to holding onto 2 dumbbells as you step up. Stand in front of your stepping box/bench.
Place one foot on top of it then step all the way up on top of it. Try to focus on pushing with your heel to activate the glutes more. As you step up, help with your bottom leg to push off the ground...this isn’t a one-legged squat and you want to use both legs to
accomplish the step up.
Place your other foot down on top of the box/bench when you come to the top (you can also keep it up in the air to keep tension on the working leg, but it’s not wrong to step completely up to keep your balance).
Now step back down and switch legs.
Adding Resistance: The step-up above was shown without holding weights. You can also hold a pair of dumbbells while doing the step-up exercise in order to increase resistance. The performance of the exercise is exactly the same, only now you’re heavier :)
Common Errors: 1. Pushing off too much with your bottom leg To make this exercise easier, it is tempting to strongly push off with your bottom leg. While you do need to
push off some with your bottom leg, pushing off too hard will decrease the amount of tension you place on your glutes. Your working leg is the one that is on the bench, not the one that is on the floor.
2. Using a platform that is too high or too low Optimal platform height depends greatly on your level of fitness. For some people, a six-inch high platform is the perfect place to start. Others may need something higher in order to benefit from the exercise. If you use a bench that is too high or too low, you may either not get much out of the exercise or it may be too difficult for you to do properly. The picture to the right demonstrates the start position using the cross rail of a power rack. The height is approximately 8 inches. Generally speaking, the higher you can step up to, the greater the effect it will have on the glutes - they thrive on a good stretch and greater range of motion.
Tricks: 1. Keep your push-off leg off the bench When you come to the top of the step-up, instead of placing your push-off foot on the bench, keep it up in the air. This will keep the tension on the working leg
more.
2. Keep your push-off leg off the bench If you get ambitious, you can try holding onto 2 dumbbells and climbing a flight of stairs. Try to focus on pushing up with your heels as you step up. Try climbing 2 stairs at a time as you get stronger.
3. Balance yourself If you have trouble doing this exercise freestanding, you can very easily place the bench beside a wall or other solid support object. Just place one hand on the object and use it to keep your balance. This will help you to get more out of the exercise if your balance is not the greatest. Also, it is useful for those who have good balance but get wobbly towards the end of a set.
Glute/Hip Extensions, a.k.a. Glute Push-Ups The Glute Push-Up is a very simple exercise to do. It is a good introduction to direct glute work and has the advantage of being a bodyweight exercise you can do anywhere you go! Lie down flat on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, placed fairly close to your glutes. You can have your arms at your sides or up beside your head. To execute, simply push your pelvis directly upwards towards the ceiling making your body straight from your knees to your shoulders. Squeeze your glutes hard then lower yourself back down. Don’t rest your glutes on the floor at the bottom. Lightly graze the floor then continue back up with the next rep.
Common Errors: 1. Moving too quickly or too forcefully
As with most glute movement, doing them too quickly will recruit other muscles or simply dissipate the tension in the glutes. This exercise is no exception. In fact, if you use any momentum with this exercise at all, you will probably hardly feel a thing. So make sure and use a controlled movement and squeeze the glutes hard on each rep.
2. Resting between reps Unless you absolutely need to, don’t rest your glutes on the floor between reps. This will remove the continuous tension that is critical to feeling this exercise. Keep that butt off the floor!
Tricks: 1. Push with your heels As you push your hips up, try to push more with your heels. You may even go so far as to have only your heels on the floor. Pushing with your heels helps to direct more tension through the glutes.
2. Set your knees out wide Before you start the exercise, splay your knees out wide to the sides. This changes the angle of pull on the glute muscles. It also increases the work done by the gluteus minimus and medius muscles. They are primarily abductors (muscle that move the thighs away from your body) and placing your knees out wide like this angles the
thighs so that there is an abduction component to the exercise rather than simply extension (bringing the thighs straight back).
3. Set your knees together Place your knees very close together at the start of the movement. This will also change the angle of pull on the glute muscles. It will also increase the activity of the adductor muscles of the inner thighs.
4. Alternate knees in and knees out This is an excellent method for keeping tension on the glutes. Do one rep with your knees in then do one rep with your knees out. Keep the legs moving through out the set. The real trick to getting this one burning is to only come down a few inches from the top. This is known as a partial movement. This will really keep tension on the glute muscles.
5. One leg at a time As you get stronger and more advanced with the exercise, you can try doing them one leg at a time. Set your one foot about even with the midline of your body so that you are balanced. Either cross the other leg over top of your working leg or hold it out straight (harder). Push yourself up as you normally would.
6. Weighted Glute PushUps When you find you need
more weight for this exercise, you can hold weight on top of your pelvis. This increased resistance can be in the form of a weight plate, a dumbbell, books, or pretty much anything that can be held in that position!
7. Exercise Ball Glute Push-Ups As alternative, you can also do Glute Push-Ups with your feet on an exercise ball. To do this, simply lie on the floor and place the soles of your feet directly on top of the ball. Do the Glute Push-Up movement in this position. The instability of the ball will dramatically increase the intensity of the exercise as you must not only do the movement but balance yourself on the ball as well.
Goblet Lunges and Step-Back Lunges The Lunge and it’s cousin the Step-Back Lunge are a couple of great lower body exercises...very simple to do and very effective. The lunge itself is a very basic human movement and it’s one you should definitely be training. This version of the lunge has you holding a single dumbbell in a "goblet" position...dumbbell held vertically at your chest with your hands underneath the top set of plates like you’re cradling a big goblet in your hands. This position makes the exercise more challenging by including more core and upper body musculature in the movement. Not only are you doing the lunge, but you’re supporting the dumbbell rather than letting it just hang. The beauty of the goblet lunge is that it literally FORCES you to sit back into the lunge. Sometimes there is a tendency for people to lean forward with this exercise...when you’re holding a dumbbell at your chest, if you lean forward, you fall over. When you’re holding it at your chest, you have to actively lean BACK to counterbalance the weight, making the exercise that much more effective for hitting the glutes and thighs and taking stress off the knees. The first step is to get the dumbbell in position on your chest. I generally just pick it up with hand then set it on
my thigh on end to get my hands under it, but feel free to experiment with your own methods.
Now, holding the dumbbell just under your chin, begin the lunge by stepping one leg forward.
Come all the way down until your knee touches the floor.
Then push back up to a standing position, then do the
same with the other leg. Step forward.
And come all the way down until your knee touches the floor.
When you’ve done your reps, set the dumbbell down on the floor and you’re done. So that’s the "regular" lunge. Here’s the step-back version. This one is actually easier on the knees if you do have knee issues because instead of stepping forward (which can put some pressure on the kneecap), you step backwards. So same position with the dumbbell and in a standing position.
Take a big step back and start to lower yourself down.
Come all the way down until you knee touches the ground.
Then push back up to a standing position.
Now do the same with the other leg.
Again, this goblet positioning helps force you to keep your torso upright, which can be extremely valuable,
especially for beginning trainers who are new to lunging (good for everybody to remember, though).
Goblet Side-to-Sides This exercise is very similar to a Side Lunge in that you’re moving in a lateral fashion, which hits not only the gluteus maximus muscles but the smaller gluteus medius and minimus muscles that give added width to the glute area. This version is easier than the Side Lunge because you’re not actually stepping out to the sides...you’re staying in that wide-leg position and just moving your upper body back and forth from side to side. This is easier on the knees and an easier exercise to start out with in working the lateral movement pattern. So start with your hands cradled under the plates of a dumbbell, as in the picture. It’s called a "goblet" position because how the dumbbell resembles a goblet being held under the plates. Set your feet out wide to the sides.
Now squat down to one side, bringing your torso over that leg.
Push yourself back up to almost standing then come down over the other leg. Your feet stay in the same position while you’re doing this.
Go back and forth like this for the set. You can also perform a variation of this exercise where you don’t come up to a standing position but stay down in the squat and move your torso horizontally from side to side. This keeps tension on the glutes and legs and makes the exercise more
challenging.
You can actually do both variations of this exercise in one set, starting with the up and down one then finishing with the horizontal-moving one. This is a great introduction to lateral movement and hitting those gluteus medius and minimus muscles to help develop the total glute area!
Incline Dumbbell Lunges The Lunge is a great exercise for working the thighs and glutes but it has one major problem. Every time you step forward with the dumbbells in your hands, some of the force of the weights and your body shifting forward goes into your front knee. It’s not so bad if you’re using lighter weights, but it can affect your knees even then. If you’re using heavy weights, this force increases quite a bit. The force of each step forward gives you potentially damaging stress without any additional benefits over a split squat type of movement. What this variation of the Dumbbell Lunge does for you is take the forward shearing force off the knee at the bottom and keeps it on the thighs and glutes, where it belongs. Because instead of stepping forward onto the flat ground, you’re going to plant your front foot on the face of a decline bench (it appears to be an incline when you’re doing the exercise, which is why I called it that) so that you get a direct push back instead of an angled push back. This difference means the force to the knee is GREATLY reduced. So basically, grab a couple of dumbbells and stand in front of a decline bench (I call this exercise an Incline Bench Lunge because even though bench is on a decline, your foot is on an incline). Make sure the
bench isn’t going to slide forward if you put any pressure on it. Set your front foot on the face of the bench, about halfway up, dumbbell or dumbbells hanging at your sides.
That’s your start position. Now move forward into the lunge position:
Because the bench is elevated, you can go nice and deep into the lunge position (more so than if your front foot was flat on the ground).
This allows you to really get down and work the glute on that side - the greater the stretch, the
greater the glutes will be involved. Push yourself back up to the start position, keeping your front foot on the bench still - it’s better for balance to keep the front foot on. Once you’ve done your reps on the one leg, switch to the other leg and do your reps.
When you do the next set, start with the leg you didn’t start with on the first set. This will help to keep things even in terms of strength. One thing to note, when you’re setting yourself up for the exercise, if you place your left foot on the bench, your right foot should be about 4 to 6 inches to the right of the centerline of the bench. Basically, don’t set your right foot directly in line behind the left - you need to keep some horizontal separation between the two feet so you don’t fall over.
Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions This exercise is essentially hip extension (which is bringing your leg up and backwards). The movement itself is similar to the Butt Blaster machine only you will be using a dumbbell for resistance instead and won’t be pushing with your foot on a plate. Kneel down on the ground or on a mat or carpet and set a dumbbell in the hook behind your knee.
Bring your upper body down forward, placing both your hands on the ground.
Keeping the dumbbell clenched firmly in place behind your knee by keeping your leg bent, raise your leg up and back, squeezing your glute hard.
Raise your thigh up as high as you can. Be sure you keep the dumbbell firmly gripped behind your knee by keeping your knee bent as much as you can and
locked into position. If you feel it start to slip, lower your thigh down immediately. Do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other leg.
To make this exercise a bit more comfortable, you can wrap a towel around the dumbbell handle or put it
on the back of your knee or wear long pants while training.
Common Errors: 1. Using momentum If you turn this exercise into a fast, pumping movement, you won’t get nearly as much out of it. You may even lose control of the dumbbell. As in most exercises, a controlled movement is always best. 2. Not pinching the dumbbell hard enough In order to keep the dumbbell from falling, you must pinch it fairly solidly behind your knee. You definitely don’t want the dumbbell slipping out as you bring it up. Keep your leg bent as much as possible. You will feel it slipping before it falls out so stay aware.
Tricks: 1. Adjusting your body angle You can change the stress you put on your glutes somewhat by changing the angle of your upper body. For instance, if you set your hands on a chair or table, your upper body will be more vertical. This will make the exercise somewhat easier.
You can also set your elbows on the floor to make your upper body decline more. This will increase the range of motion of the exercise.
2. Squeeze at the top The most useful part of this exercise is the contraction of the muscle at the top. Hold that position for a few seconds, squeeze hard, then lower slowly.
Dumbbell Split Squats My VERY favorite leg exercise for really hitting the glutes and thighs HARD is not a new exercise...it may not even seem to you to be all that great of an exercise at first glance. But when I tell you how to do it FOR REAL, you’re going to LOVE the results you get with it. The Dumbbell Split Squat looks almost exactly like an incomplete dumbbell lunge. In fact, you may have even done it before thinking it WAS a Dumbbell Lunge. The big difference is this...when you do a regular dumbbell lunge, you start in a standing position holding two dumbbells in your hands. You take a step forward with one leg then drop down into a lunge position. From there, you push yourself all the way back up to the standing position then repeat with the other leg (stepping forward then pushing all the way back up).
When you do a Dumbbell Split Squat, you START in the split position (which looks like the bottom of the lunge) and STAY there. You just move your body up and down, keeping your feet exactly where they are on the floor. No standing up, no stepping forward. This is a key difference. It takes away many of the balance problems you find with lunges...it also takes
away almost ALL of the knee stress that you might experience with lunges (when you step forward, your knee has to absorb all the momentum of not only your body but the weight of the dumbbells moving forward). When you plant your feet, you can keep your balance MUCH better. When you don’t step forward, your knees don’t take that stress from the forward momentum. The Dumbbell Split Squat is also ideal for home workout situations in that you only need a couple of dumbbells to get an AMAZING glute and leg workout.
How To Do Dumbbell Split Squats: First, pick two light to moderate weight dumbbells (go light the first time you do the exercise). You can work up in weight as you work with the exercise more, though. It’s important to learn the technique properly before moving on to more weight. Set the two dumbbells on the ground about 6 inches apart. Set your left foot in between but a little forward of the two dumbbells. Now set your right foot back about two feet or so and assume a lunge position, kneeling on your right knee. Your right foot should NOT be directly in line with your left foot. When you place your right foot down, set it a little out to the side. What this does is increase your base of support and make the exercise more stable and allowing you to generate more power. If you set your right foot directly in line with your left foot, you’ll be spending most of the exercise trying not to fall over.
Keep your abs and lower back tight and make sure you keep an arch in your lower back here. Lean forward and reach down and grasp the two dumbbells. Bring your torso back to vertical, picking up the dumbbells off the ground.
Now straighten your back and push yourself up with your left thigh. You’re now in the start position of the exercise.
Now come down in the lunge position (only without the lunging, since you’re already in the split leg position).
Then push back up to the top position. It’s important to keep your upper body VERTICAL as you do this exercise. DO NOT allow your body to lean forward as you do the exercise. Imagine it as a
straight up and down movement and that you’re sitting back as you do it. This visualization will help keep you from leaning forward. Also, to maximize work on the glutes, try to focus on pushing with your HEEL as you do the exercise. This will activate the glutes more effectively. If you push with the balls of your feet, the quads will get more work. Be sure you don’t utilize a forward and back, lunging type of movement, as may be the tendency if you’re used to doing regular lunges. This is very much an up and down type of movement. Perform your target number of reps with your left leg forward. Push yourself hard! If you have to bail out on the exercise, all you need to do is set the dumbbells on the ground at the bottom. At this point, you can either take a rest period or immediately switch to the other leg in front - I prefer to go right to the other leg in front with no break. Do as many reps as you can with the other leg now.
Note that you most likely will not get as many reps with the other leg... no matter which leg is in front, the rear leg is also doing a lot of work. So if you start with the left leg in front, the right leg is still doing work. When you switch legs, the right leg will already be tired from the previous set.
Because of this, it’s important to always switch which leg you start with on alternating sets. Start with your left foot forward on your first set, then on your next set, start with your right foot forward. This will ensure a balanced workload. This exercise allows you to basically "leave it on the floor." Because you can just set the dumbbells on the floor, you can push your glutes and legs to the point where they can hardly keep you standing.
One Dumbbell Split Squats The dumbbell split squat is one of my favorite leg exercises. You can push your legs to the maximum and never have to worry about re-racking the weights like you do with barbell leg exercises. In the two dumbbell version, you carry two dumbbells (makes good sense!). In this version, you have two choices - carry the dumbbell on the INSIDE of your working leg (e.g. right leg forward, hold the dumbbell in your LEFT hand) or carry the dumbbell OUTSIDE your working leg (hold the dumbbell in the right hand). Here’s what the versions look like:
Right leg forward - hold dumbbell in left hand.
Left leg forward - hold dumbbell in right hand.
Right leg forward - hold dumbbell in right hand.
Left leg forward - hold dumbbell in left hand.
The value of this exercise is twofold (always wanted to use that word in a sentence). First, you put more tension on either the inside or outside aspect of the glutes and thighs, depending on whether you’re holding the dumbbell on the inside or outside of the legs. Second, the uneven weight load puts torque on your core, which works to strengthen your core in a very practical fashion, i.e. picking up something up in an uneven load. VERY practical for sure. Third (and that makes it threefold, I guess), it really works your balance as well - even more so than the two dumbbell version and especially when you hold the dumbbell outside your thigh. This places it outside your center of balance and forces your body to really exert some pressure to keep your body upright and not tip over. This is a very valuable exercise! Start light with this one - I’m using an 85 lb dumbbell in the demo and that was ROUGH after a few sets.
Step Back Lunges The Step Back Lunge, also known as the Reverse Lunge is a simple variation of the basic lunge movement. This exercise can be done either with a pair of dumbbells or with a barbell. Practice the movement without weights until you are comfortable with it. Dumbbells are the next easiest version, while barbells are the hardest due to a greater balancing requirement. The movement itself is fairly straightforward. If you are familiar with regular lunges you should have no problem picking up this one. You’re just going to be stepping back instead of stepping forward. Start in a standing position.
Now, instead of stepping forward into the lunge position, step one foot backwards a few feet.
Drop down as you would a regular lunge then push off with your back leg back up to the original standing position.
Repeat this movement with your other leg, switching
back and forth between legs.
To add difficulty to this exercise, beyond simply adding more resistance, you can increase the range of motion by standing on a block or Step platform...really, anything solid that puts you further off the ground. The exercise is done exactly the same...you’ll just be able to come down further before your back knee hits the ground, stopping the movement. This puts a greater stretch on the glute, which is VERY important for maximum growth.
Stair Step-Back Lunges: Another option, if you don’t have platform or block to stand on is a stair...just your ordinary, everyday stairs at your house will work just fine. Stand with both feet on the bottom stair, making sure
you have room behind you to step back. Now step back and come down until your back knee touches the ground.
Come up then repeat on the other leg.
As you can see, it’s the same movement, only using a stair instead of a block. Very simple and very
effective!
Common Errors: 1. Stepping back too far or too close It will take some experimentation to get the feel for your own personal proper foot placement. Placing your back foot too close will make your balance a little harder and throw more of the work onto your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs). If you place your foot really close, you may even find that your front knee goes beyond the toes of your front foot. This can place stress on the knee and should be avoided. Stepping your back foot too far back will put more of the emphasis on the glutes but it will greatly decrease the effective range of motion of the exercise and make it harder to push yourself back up to the start position.
2. Dropping down too quickly Be sure to control the movement when you step back. Stepping back and dropping down too quickly not decreases the tension placed on the glutes but it can compromise your balance, causing you to fall over. You may also hit your back knee on the floor, diffusing the tension on the glute.
3. Leaning forward In this variation of the lunge, it is generally not as tempting to learn forward because you are shifting your bodyweight back rather than forward, as in the
regular lunge. However, if you do find yourself leaning forward, especially on the way back up, correct yourself and strive to keep your torso as vertical as possible. Leaning forward places unnecessary stress on the lower back.
Tricks: 1. Set your feet apart One of the main reasons people have problems balancing when doing lunges is that they place their feet too close together, horizontally speaking, e.g. they place one foot almost directly behind the other foot so that their feet are almost in a straight line. There should be about 6 inches of horizontal separation in your foot placement. This makes your base of support greater and your body more stable during the exercise.
2. Explode up from the bottom This is one exercise where an explosive push out of the bottom can be beneficial. The glutes are built for power and you can take advantage of that power. When you start the push to return back up to the top position, try to push off as explosively as possible. This type of rep is best done on the first set of this exercise, when your glutes are still somewhat fresh. Return to the more continuous-tension, non-explosive reps as you do successive sets.
Over-And-Back Bench Step-Ups This is a great variation of the Step-Up exercise that targets the lateral aspect of the glutes (medius and minimus) in addition to the full gluteus maximus muscle. Because you’re stepping up, over and across, you’re getting that valuable lateral movement that is missed with most squatting and lunging exercises that are done in a forward-to-backward plane. The glutes function in a variety of ways and should be trained in a variety of ways! For this one, you’ll just need a bench or a solid, stable chair...when you first do this one, use just your bodyweight. As you get stronger, you can hold a couple of dumbbells in your hands. Stand with your left side to the bench. Set your left foot over on the LEFT half of the bench, NOT the right half of the bench. You want to set it over on the left half because when you step up, your right foot is going to have to go on the right half of the bench... if your left foot is there, you won’t have room for it.
Step up so you’re standing on the bench with both feet. You can use the right leg to push off the ground to complete the step-up. It’s not done completely by the left leg. Using the right leg to help push off will allow you to use more weight, which means more glute stimulation.
Now step down to the left side of the bench, keeping your right foot on the bench. You CAN do this exercise keeping a foot on the bench at all times, or you can step down to the floor with both feet, if you want. It’s not going to make much difference to the effect on the glutes either way. I like to keep the foot on the bench because it makes the exercise go faster...if you step down, it’s not accomplishing anything for the glutes.
Push off and step back up on top of the bench.
Keep going back and forth over and back until you’ve completed your reps! One thing to focus on is when you’re stepping up, try to focus on pushing a lot with the heel of the foot that’s on the bench. There will be a lot of tendency to push as much as possible with the leg that’s on the floor because it has better leverage. The more you can fight that tendency and try and push with the leg on the bench, the more glute work you’ll get out of it. We’re doing this to hit the glutes not to practice the most efficient way to step onto a bench!
Squat Machine Glute StepBacks This exercise is a GREAT one for hitting the glutes hard. It’s like doing a one-legged squat...with weight...and with almost ALL the tension going right to the glutes because of how your body is being stabilized by the machine. For this one, you’ll need a squat machine or standing calf machine that allows for a good range of motion. Setup in the squat machine as you normally would but stand on one foot (you’ll need to use a lighter weight than you’d squat with, obviously).
Now, start squatting down on the one leg while bringing your other leg back and down. Try to focus the tension on the HEEL of your working leg. That’s going to send tension in the through the glutes.
Come down until your your knee is just about a 90 degree angle (don’t need to go too deep on this one).
At the bottom of the movement, you can tap your back foot on the ground and give a little push off. I find this doesn’t take tension off the glutes but DOES help take stress off the knee when you’re coming back up. Because it’s a machine exercise, there WILL be some stress in the knee joint - if you have bad knees, this probably isn’t a good exercise for you but you can certainly do a rep or two with an empty machine to see how it feels. Let pain and discomfort be your guide.
So after you’ve done one rep on one side and have come back up, switch feet and come down on the OTHER leg. Going back and forth will help you get more overall reps with heavier weight - the nonworking leg gets a bit of a break Give this exercise a try in your next leg/glute workout and, believe me, you WILL have a hard time sitting down the next day...
Sideways Treadmill Walking The treadmill can be used for many different techniques other than just straight ahead walking or running. Walking sideways is a great technique for quickly tightening up the inner and outer thighs and hips and the outer aspect of the glutes. In fact, it directly targets those areas! This can be done with the treadmill grade set flat but it’s best done on a bit of incline to give you greater resistance and faster results. Do the walking version first in order to get a feel for the exercise. Set the treadmill to a slow speed (like 1.5 or 2.0) and do it flat the first time you try it. Stand on the side of the treadmill, facing left. Grip the side rail in front of you and the front rail to your right. This will stabilize you in 2 planes and allow you to get yourself off the treads if you stumble. When facing left, step on first with your right foot, then immediately cross over it with your left foot to get started. Watch your feet and stay on the middle of the tread. Go for about a minute facing that way then step off, take a short rest, e.g. 30 seconds, then do a minute facing the other direction. Repeat this for 5 to 10 minutes. To use this technique to get a great stretch, exaggerate the length of your step and keep a very slow speed on the treadmill. You’ll get a strong outer thigh and glute stretch.
This technique hits the hip area very differently and very effectively.
Getting set on the treadmill - grip the front bar then grip the side rail
Don’t think of this one as a cardio exercise even though it’s done on a treadmill...it shouldn’t be done quickly. It should be done very deliberately and with a big stretch on the hip every time you cross your leg over. If you don’t have access to a treadmill, you can also do this exercise on a hill. Just do cross-over steps sideways up a hill, exaggerating the stretch when you take that cross-step over.
Glute Extensions on the Leg Extension Machine This is a nice glute exercise that is quite effective at isolating the glute muscles (you can never truly and fully isolate anything!). This type of exercise will help your body achieve better glute activation, which can help you not only get a better butt, but also improve your squatting and athletic performance. The glutes are extremely important for most sports and not everybody has learned how to properly activate them in activity. The exercise is a version of the Glute Push-Up.. .it’s an easy way to add resistance to the movement. You can also perform this exercise with a a barbell across the hips but if you don’t want to do that and you have a leg extension machine similar to the one in the demo (that has one padded arm attached only at one end), you can use THIS version instead.
Basically, you’re going to set the ankle pad a bit forward so that you can slide your body in between it and the front edge of the seat.
Then you’re going to get the ankle pad across your hip bones/lower abdominal area and your back against the seat with your feet a little out in front. Get yourself into a "seated" position.
Now, pushing from your glutes, push your hips towards the ceiling. This is a glute extension against the resistance of the leg extension machine.
This is a great way to do the glute extension exercise against resistance with minimal setup. It’s very effective, too! Just prepare to have people tell you you’re using the machine wrong, though :) Explain to them it’s a glute exercise and encourage them to try it themselves!
Side Dumbbell Hip Abductions For this one, we’re NOT going to be using any machines. This is a dumbbell exercise all the way. It’s easy to set up, though! All you need is a single dumbbell - start with a light to moderate-weight dumbbell to get an idea of how to do the exercise before you move up in weight. In standing position, hold the dumbbell in your left hand and hold onto something solid with your right. The left dumbbell should be resting on the side of your upper thigh.
Now just explode up with your left leg directly out to the side as high as possible and hold it there for a second or two! You should feel a strong squeeze in your outer hip area.
With this exercise, use a POWERFUL movement and don’t be afraid to start building up to heavier weights. This isn’t a "squeezytoney" type of exercise. We’re going for an explosive push up and out to the side. Perform your reps on one side then switch to the other side.
Walking Lunges The Walking Lunge is a challenging exercise. It not only works the glutes strongly but it also has great real-world value It helps to build balance and functional strength as well as muscle mass. You should be fairly confident with regular lunges before attempting this exercise. It does require good balance and strength. Practice this exercise without weights before trying it with resistance (either barbells or dumbbells). Though a barbell can be used for this exercise, dumbbells are much easier to balance with and can be set down much more readily. Also, dumbbells allow you to simply set the weights down on the floor rather than having to re-rack a bar (which can be tough after doing a hard set of this exercise!). It’s a pretty simple exercise to execute...you hold a pair of dumbbells and take a step forward, coming down into a lunge. Then, instead of coming up and BACK, you come up and FORWARD, so you’re coming up on your front foot. Now you take another step forward and do the same thing on the other leg. That’s where the walking comes from...you can cover some good distance with this one! So grab a pair of dumbbells - start fairly light the first time you do these so you get a gauge of what you can use. You should be comfortable with regular lunges
before using this exercise.
Take a step forward then come down into the lunge position.
Now step forward on that lead foot, bringing the other one and stepping forward with THAT one.
Repeat! Go for distance or for time.
In my enclosed area in my gym, I turn around and keep going a few times back and forth. You can also take this one outside and go for a longer distance (I do this out on the street or in a field sometimes).
After a few rounds of that, I start throwing in some BACKWARDS walking lunges. . . instead of stepping forward, you guessed it...do step back lunges and push yourself up and back. Hard to show that in still pics but I’ll give it a try.
Next is the lateral walking lunge...take a step wide and out to the side at a 45 degree angle with every step. This involves more of the adductors and abductors during the movement.
This is a great variations for athletes who move laterally a lot, i.e. sports like football, soccer, tennis...that kind of thing. It really develops lateral movement power, stability and strength. This side-to-side movement targets the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, which help add width to the glutes and hips.
Squats The squat is one of the most basic movements for building the glutes and legs. The Squat is called "The King of Exercises" for a very good reason. Squatting affects all the major muscle groups in the entire body, even though it primarily works the legs and glutes. Doing heavy squats is one of the most effective ways to build strength and muscle mass in the glutes. Set up the pins in a squat rack at a position a few inches below shoulder level. This allows you to get the bar on and off without catching it on the rack. Set the safety pins at the bottom just slightly lower than the lowest you go down in case you aren’t able to come out of the bottom of the squat. Rest the bar across the back of your shoulders like a yoke so it is supported across the trapezius muscle. It should be across the ridges of your scapulae. Find your own groove for this as everybody is different when it comes to bar placement. Step back from the pins. Hold the bar with a medium grip (not too close in but not so far apart that you compromise control of the bar) and make sure you grip the bar hard for stability.
Foot placement can vary according to the goal of the exercise. For our purposes for glutes, set your feet a bit outside shoulder width with your toes angled out about 30 degrees. Keeping your feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed ahead is thought to be better for overall thigh development and is the squat style employed by most bodybuilders.
Your feet are placed and you’re ready to squat. As you start the squat, lead it by sticking your butt back and out, NOT by bending the knees. By sitting back, you’re going to better activate the glutes during the squat exercise and your overall form will be better.
Look straight forward or a little up in order to keep your upper body more vertical. Go down until the tops of your thighs are parallel to the ground. You can go lower if you want but be sure not to bounce at the bottom.
Now come back up. Focus on pushing up from your heels until you are standing straight then go down for another rep. Be sure your knees are tracking straight up and down and that your knees are not bowing or splaying out during the movement. Here’s a side view of what the Barbell Squat looks like:
Common Errors: 1. Heels rise as you come down Keep your eyes up, chest up, lean back slightly. You may also need to work on calf flexibility.
2. Rounded back
This can occur if your lower back is the weak link in your squat. You must strengthen your lower back and strive to keep the arch in your lower back during the movement. Other tips you can try include lifting your toes up in your shoes as you squat down and gripping the bar closer to your shoulders.
3. Lack of depth Open your stance by turning your toes out up to 30 degrees (remember to keep your knees tracking straight over your toes).
4. Excessive leaning over If you find you lean forward excessively when you are squatting, you may have a problem with calf flexibility. To remedy this stretch your calves thoroughly or try squatting with your heels raised (use a wooden wedge or ten-pound plates on the floor). It is better to stretch, though, as squatting on blocks is not the best way to squat. Hold the stretches for three to five sets of 15 seconds using the standing calf raise or seated calf machines or any other good calf stretch. Work on improving your calf flexibility in the long-term as well, stretching them a lot when you work calves.
5. Using too much weight or not enough weight Using too much weight will limit your range of motion and force you to concentrate on not getting crushed
rather than doing the exercise properly. Not using enough weight can also be a problem. If you don’t have enough weight on your back, your heels may have a tendency to come up as there is not enough resistance to force them down.
6. Knees buckle in or splay out To remedy this, wrap a weight belt around your thighs and press out against the belt as you come up. If your knees buckle in then the belt will drop to the floor. If your legs tend to splay out, hold something, e.g. a volleyball, between your legs and keep it pinched there during the set.
7. Bouncing out of the bottom As in all exercises, this almost never a desirable habit. The change of direction should deliberate and smooth.
8. Leaning forward when racking the weight This can be a very dangerous position for your lower back. Walk forward over the racking pins far enough that all you have to do is drop straight down onto them, not lean forward and push the bar onto them. Imagine your spine as the Leaning Tower of Pisa with a dump-truck on top. Something is going to give.
9. Squatting with heels on a board While this is not necessarily an error, it is not the most
natural way to squat. Squatting with your heels raised tends to throw your knees over your feet. For some people, squatting with elevated heels is the only way they can do squats. Before you resort to this technique, work on stretching your calves and perfecting your form. Raising your heels will also tend to put more of the effect of the exercise onto the quads rather than the glutes, which is not what we’re looking for.
10. Using the Smith Machine for squats With this version you can place your feet farther forward and squat with your upper body vertical. This exercise places a great deal of stress on your knees and is not recommended. Pushing against the bar at an angle and up is not a natural movement for your knees. Stick with the free weight version.
Tricks: 1. Without a belt Try squatting without a belt. This will force you to use perfect form when squatting. Suck in your abs and hold them tight. You will find your form will improve if you work at it. Using a belt teaches your abs to push out in order to stabilize the spine, which can weaken your midsection and lower back in the long run. Freeing yourself from the weight belt will greatly improve your lower back and ab strength. At the start, suck in your gut, activating the transverse abdominus, giving you a natural weight belt. This will
increase intraabdominal pressure. A weight belt causes dysfunction of the transverse abdominus and can lead to injury. The belt inhibits the body’s ability to fire the muscle when needed.
2. Ditching the bar If you are free-squatting (not in a power rack) and you have to ditch the bar, quickly push it back and let it roll off your back, while stepping forward quickly. This is a last-ditch maneuver. Always use a spotter if you are doing free-squats with maximal weights. If you ever are free-squatting, I highly recommend staying well away from muscular failure so you never have to ditch the bar.
3. Wear boots Try wearing solid-heeled work boots when squatting. They give a natural heel elevation and allow the power from your legs to be transferred better than when wearing soft-heeled running shoes. You can lose power at the bottom when wearing soft shoes because the sole will squish in when you push. If you don’t have work boots, try squatting bare foot. You will not lose any power at the bottom that way. Going bare foot will also eliminate any heel elevation you may get from footwear. It will also force you to push with your heels. When you squat barefoot, set the racking collars a little lower to make up for the lack of soles. If neither is an option, use court shoes or very flat, thin-soled shoes. They have the most solid sole of any type of shoe.
4. The Manta Ray A plastic molded device called t he Manta Ray is an excellent tool for squatting. There is no pain from the bar. I’m a big fan of the Mantra Ray for doing squats comfortably.. .the bar shouldn’t be something that holds you bar. A towel wrapped around the bar or a foamy pad can also help ease the pain of the bar but be aware that these things can slip or roll.
Click here to learn more about the Manta Ray and to get one for yourself! 5. Stretch your calves If you find yourself leaning over too far during the movement, calf flexibility may be a problem. Work on that before each squat session and stretch when working calves.
6. Squeeze elbows behind back To help get the proper position at the bottom of the squat, try to squeeze your elbows together behind your back, arch and look up slightly. This will force your back into the proper position as well as giving your rear delts and back a good workout.
7. Keep the elbows pointed down Hold your hands on the bar fairly close in to your shoulders and keep your elbows pointed down the
entire time. If you hold the bar too wide, this will force your shoulders to rotate internally. Your elbows will start to point back which will cause the bar to rotate forward as you come down which will cause you to lean over excessively, increasing the pressure on L4 and L5 vertebrae of the lumbar area. Keeping your elbows pointed down activates your external rotators which will keep the bar from rolling forward.
8. Rotate the bar backwards If you feel yourself leaning over and pushing from the forefoot too much, use your hands to attempt to rotate the bar backwards. This will force the weight back over your heels, improving your balance and posture while working the glutes better and preventing injury.
9. Look up and forward Look slightly up and forward. If you look down, your head will go forward. Your lumbar area mimics your cervical area. If your neck is flexed (as when looking down), your lumber will try to flex (it should be extended in an arched position).
10. Heavier = slower Do this exercise slower the heavier the weight you use - a good way to blow a squat is by dropping quickly to the bottom. It is much harder to push yourself back out of the hole when you drop quickly
into it. The slower you can ease into the bottom position, the more chance you have of getting it back up.
One-Legged Bench Squats This exercise works the glute from almost the fullest stretch you can get on them. This position is very effective for building the glutes rapidly. This exercise is one of the absolute best glute-building exercises I have ever encountered. It combines an effective bodyweight movement with a great stretch at the bottom. This is an almost magical combination that can do wonders for your glutes in a very short period of time.
1. You will need a solid chair or bench for this exercise. This is to increase the useful range of motion of the exercise, which is important for maximizing it’s effects. You will also need to have something solid that you can grab onto. This can be a railing or a door frame or a pole, etc. Place the chair/bench immediately in front of this solid object.
2. Stand on the chair on one leg facing the solid object and hold onto it at about waist or abdomen level directly in front of you (after a few reps, you will get a feel for where to place your hands). Your heel should be close to the back edge of the chair.
3. Lower your body as far down as you can go into a one-legged squat. Your other leg will drop down below the level of the chair seat behind you. You should feel a great stretch in your glute. Make sure you continue to keep a firm grip on whatever you are holding on to.
4. Push yourself back up using your glute as much as possible. This is most easily accomplished by focusing on pushing with your heel. Also, you can stick your butt out while pushing back up to really maximize the effect. This simple idea of sticking your butt out as you come up is almost magical with how well it works.
5. Use your grip on the solid object only as much as is necessary to keep the movement going. If you pull too much with your arms, you will take tension off the glutes and legs and defeat the purpose of the exercise. Perform all your reps on one leg, then switch to the other leg.
Using a Towel: This version is performed almost exactly the same as above.. .the difference here is that instead of holding onto the solid object directly, you’ll be holding the ends of a towel. Why a towel? The benefit of using the towel is that it moves up and down with your body, giving you a more natural pivot point to grip onto while also removing some of your tendency to use your hands to pull yourself up. It also allows you to sit back more on the heel while doing the exercise, which helps activate the glutes more effectively.
Now the other leg.
Adding Resistance: You can also perform this exercise with added resistance, holding a dumbbell or other weighted object in one hand. To do this, hold a dumbbell in one hand and hold onto the solid object you’re working with at about stomach level.
Now lower yourself down into a deep squat. Don’t touch your other foot down at the bottom - keep it off the ground.
Push yourself back up. That’s the movement! Once you’ve done your reps on one side, switch to the other leg.
This version is performed exactly the same as the bodyweight version only, of course, you’re holding onto a dumbbell to get more resistance!
Common Errors: 1. Dropping down too quickly Do this movement slowly and under control. If you drop down too quickly, not only do you risk injury to the knee, you diffuse much of the tension that should be placed on the glute.
2. Do not bounce out of the bottom Pause at the bottom of the movement. Feel a good stretch on the glute then reverse the direction without bouncing. Bouncing out of the bottom could lead to knee injury. It also reduces the tension you are placing on the glutes.
3. Don’t pull yourself up too much with your arm Giving yourself too much assistance with your arm will diffuse the tension on your glute. Strive to use your arm to balance yourself rather than to pull yourself up as much as possible. Only use your arm to pull yourself up when you have to.
Tricks: 1. Stick your butt out
To focus the exercise more on your glutes rather than the thighs, stick your butt out as you push yourself up, especially once you pass the halfway point on the way up. This will help optimize the biomechanics of the exercise to focus on the glutes.
2. Adding resistance - methods You may find, after doing this exercise for awhile, that using only your bodyweight is not enough. When you get to this point, you have a few options for resistance. * If you are working out at home, try loading a backpack up with heavy books. Add books slowly, increasing as you get accustomed to the resistance. This allows you to add resistance while keeping both your hands available for balance and assistance. * Another option is to hold onto a dumbbell with one hand. You should be quite strong with this exercise before attempting this version. Also, you should be comfortable balancing yourself while using only one hand (practice this balancing before using extra weight). * If you go to a gym, you may have access to a calf raise machine or squat machine. If you do, slide a flat bench underneath the shoulder pads. Use a very light weight to start with until you get used to the movement. You will be standing on the bench with your shoulders under the pads just like you normally would have them during the calf raise or
squat movement. Because you are on a bench, your body will be higher and you will get resistance during the one-leg squat movement. You will also be able to balance yourself by holding onto the shoulder pads. The machine will do the balancing for you.
3. Pause at the bottom To maximize the stretch you put on the glutes, hold the stretch at the bottom of the movement for a 2 count. Hold it there until you totally diffuse all the elastic tension you’ve built up on the way down. This will increase the work that your glute must do to get yourself back up.
4. Pulling yourself up As you begin to tire, you can use your arm to pull yourself up as necessary. This allows you to keep going far longer than if you were working on leg power alone. You can use that pull to basically give yourself forced reps.
Hack Lunges The Hack Lunge hits the glutes and hamstrings very effectively. It is a variation on a common exercise that gives uncommon results. It also has an advantage over regular barbell lunges you can set the weight down on the floor when you’re done. There is no weight racking involved. This means you can push yourself hard without worrying about the barbell. This exercise is done using a barbell and done very similar to regular Barbell Lunges only you will hold the barbell between your legs instead of on your shoulders. To get into position for this one, simply step over a loaded barbell and get yourself into the usual lunge bottom position. The barbell will be directly under your body. Grasp with an overhand (palm facing back) grip.
Stand up with the barbell, keeping it against your back thigh as much as possible. Bring the barbell up until it gets squeezed by your thighs and you can’t go up any further.
Do all your reps on one side then switch to the other leg.
If you use a very heavy weight, go to the mixed grip (one hand facing forward, one hand facing back). This will help you to be able to grip the bar longer. This exercise has the advantage of forcing you to keep continuous tension on the muscles of the lower body. You can only go up as far as the bar will go, which is short of full leg lockout.
Side Lunges This is one of the few exercises that works the body in a side-to-side lateral movement. Moving from side-toside is especially important for all varieties of sports training. This variation of the Lunge builds the supporting and stabilizing muscles of the hip area as well as the thighs. Stand with a barbell across your shoulders like you are doing a regular Barbell Lunge or squat.
Step out wide to one side and squat down on that leg, keeping the other one straight out so that your weight is shifted over towards the bent leg.
As you lower yourself down in the squat, you can let your anchor foot roll onto its side (not keeping the sole of your foot down) or you can keep it flat on the floor, whichever you find more comfortable or effective. Squat down as far as you can and feel for the the stretch in the glute.
Push off explosively from the bottom position and stand up then step to the other side.
Another thing to be aware of is that if you are using heavy weight, don’t lunge quickly to the side as the movement creates a great deal of momentum that can be hard to stop. The knee doesn’t bend to the side. When you start moving up in weight, take a wide step out to the side and pause, then drop down. Make it a 2-part movement rather than a big step straight into the bottom position. As long as you control the momentum by doing the movement deliberately and under complete control, you will have no problems with this exercise.
With Dumbbells Side lunges can also be done with dumbbells. This version of the exercise is obviously much easier to get into position for and get set up, though the addition of holding dumbbells does make the positioning a bit more awkward.
Stand upright holding two dumbbells in your hands.
Take a wide step to the left and squat down on one leg, keeping your left leg out to the side (and fairly straight). One dumbbell should be held in front of your body and one dumbbell behind your body, so that they don’t bump into your legs.
Push back up explosively to the standing position.
Now take a bit step out to the right and come down into a "squat" on the right leg while keeping the left leg out.
Here’s a side view of the exercise.
The step to the left.
The step to the right.
That’s the exercise! Same basic idea as the barbell side lunge but with dumbbells. Either of these options is great for Side Lunges. You can also do another version called Goblet Side Lunges that set the dumbbell up near your chest, keeping it out of the way of your legs.
Towel Step-Back Lunge/ One-Leg Squats This is a nice bodyweight exercise that uses very simple equipment to get the job done.. .and that is a towel and a pole or post (or anything you can loop the towel around that is solid). By using a towel, you can keep your body in more upright position and adjust the movement to put MORE tension on the glutes than a regular step-back lunge because you can use your upper body to control the descent, keeping your back leg off the ground for longer during the movement. So first, loop the towel around the pole and set your left foot back about a foot away from it. Stand on one leg with your other leg bent 90 degrees.. .you’re going to hold it there while doing the movement.
Come down into the bottom position of the lunge. The key difference with this exercise over a regular stepback lunge is that you’re not setting your foot down back behind you then lowering yourself down into the lunge (which does take some tension off the glute as you do that).
With THIS exercise, you use the towel and your upper body to control and angle your descent and your other leg is already in that bottom lunge position. You’re just lowering it into position, not stepping back into it, which makes it more like a one-legged squat in that respect, which is why I included in the title of it.. .it looks like a step-back lunge but functions like a oneleg squat. You can do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other or you can alternate reps. Here’s the other leg.
For the next level, stand on a Step platform or other solid block and perform the movement. This will increase the range of motion and get more stretch onto the glutes.
Now we go to the next level above that and add resistance. Hold the towel ends with one hand and a dumbbell in the other.
Finally, I’ve got an even more unique way to add resistance to the exercise that’s going to put the weight further back on your back, forcing more
pressure onto the heel, which puts more tension on the glute. Kneel down and set a dumbbell in the crook of your knee.
Now you’re going to do the exercise as usual.
Then, you can add in the Step platform to increase the range of motion.
This is one of my favorite all-purpose glute exercises. Using the towel in this fashion really improves the effects on the glutes.
Bar Gripping Split Squats This exercise is going to test your one-leg strength by having you hold onto a bar (or other solid object) in front of you to move your body in a more optimal movement pattern for hitting the glutes. A straight up and down free squat uses a lot of quads. . .when you can sit back more, you involve the glutes and hamstrings more, making it more effective for our purposes. So start by finding something to hold onto - I’ve got a bar set on the safety rails of a squat rack at about upper chest height. I found that to be the best position to grab. Pick up a single dumbbell and hold it at your side while grabbing the bar. Stand on one leg.
Now lower yourself down into a split squat/lunge position. When you’re doing this one, move your upper body away from the bar a bit so you’re keeping that front shin vertical. Your grip on the bar is going to allow you sit and move backwards like this. A little trick you can use here.. .try and keep your back foot OFF the ground and touch your KNEE to the ground first. What this does is keep all the tension on that front leg glute and remove any assistance from the back leg. This makes it a lot harder and more effective for glute training.
When you come back up, pick your toes up on the bottom leg keeping only knee on the ground, then push up. Use your grip on the bar to assist if you need it. You can do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other, or you can alternate reps (easier to have two dumbbells ready to go for this so you don’t have to switch it to the other side each time).
The movement is exactly the same.
Now for some extra stretch on the glutes, you can do this exercise on a Step platform or other solid block or riser. This will hit the glutes even harder.
This is a very challenging glute exercise and very effective! Using your grip on the bar to help keep your body in the optimal movement pattern for targeting the glutes is a powerful concept that is used very effectively here.
Barbell-End Donkey Kickbacks The weighted Donkey Kickback is a good isolation exercise for the glutes. I have a dumbbell version of the Donkey exercise as well. This is the barbell version of the same exact movement. Using a barbell allows you to load the exercise more, without worrying about the dumbbell slipping out of the crook of your knee. Set one end of a dumbbell in the corner of either a couple of walls or a machine (it’s a good idea to wrap a towel around the end to keep it from scratching paint when you do the exercise). I’ve got a piece of equipment that locks the bar and allows a pivot. Load a plate onto the other end of the bar then wrap a towel around the end of the bar for padding.
Next, slide your leg under the bar and hook the end of it behind your knee, while on your hands and knees.
Now do the kickback movement, raising the barbell end up off the ground. Try to imagine you’re putting a footprint on the ceiling when doing this one. Squeeze the glute hard at the top for a few seconds then lower
the bar.
Do all your reps on one side then switch to the other side.
It’s easiest to get the bar into position with larger plates but definitely doable with smaller plates. You’ll just need to turn around and lift the bar end up then get your leg under it then get it into position.
This exercise is a nice peak contraction exercise for the glutes that requires very little equipment.
Barbell Glute Extensions Training your glutes goes beyond just what your butt looks like, even though this exercise is a GREAT one for developing glutes size and shape. The glutes are a CRITICAL muscle group for pretty much all athletic performance and most strength sports. Without strong glutes, you’re simply not going to perform as well as you could. THAT is where this exercise comes in. It goes beyond squats and lunges and directly targets ONLY the primary function of the glutes, which is hip extension. You’re going to reduce other muscle involvement and increase glute involvement tremendously, which is very useful if you have a hard time feeling your glutes work. The exercise is simple... it’s a Glute Push-Up done with a barbell across your hips for added resistance. And you can add a LOT of resistance as you build up strength with this exercise. First, load a barbell up on the floor - ideally, you’ll want to use at least the 45 lb weight plates on it because you’re going to have to get your legs under the bar. If you can’t use this much, then you’ll need a spotter to set the weight on you or figure out a way to get the bar up your legs and onto your hips. I definitely recommend using a barbell pad or a rolledup towel for cushioning.
Sit in the floor in front of the barbell with your feet under the bar.
Now shift yourself under the bar until it’s on your upper thighs/hips.
Now lay back flat on the floor. The bar should across your hip bones so it’s supported by your skeleton (that’s where the pad comes in handy).
Now, keeping your shoulders on the floor, push your hips towards the ceiling and squeeze the glutes.
Lower and repeat. That’s the exercise! Once you’ve got the setup, it’s very simple to do but VERY effective for directly training the glutes. Definitely feel free to work your way up in weight fairly quickly so you can learn your limits. The glutes are strong muscles.
Barbell Glute Extensions...Upper Body on a Bench This is another version of the Barbell Glute Extension.. .instead of having your shoulders on the floor, you’re going to have your upper body supported on a flat bench, allowing you to hit the glutes from a different angle and get a greater range of motion under tension. The Glute Extension exercise is an isolation exercise for the glutes that allows you to use a LOT of weight. Don’t be shy to push yourself with this version of the exercise. I highly recommend using a barbell pad for where the bar rests across your hips on this exercise to help cushion things. It’s especially important when you start getting into heavier weights. This one is done in the power rack with a flat bench set just outside it, parallel to the bar. The safety rails should be set at about the same height as the bench.
Step over the bar and sit down on the floor between the bar and the bench. Roll the bar towards your torso then get your upper back on the bench.
The bar should be across your hips, right where they bend.
Now push the hips up towards the ceiling. The bar across the hips provides direct resistance against the glutes. Keep your core TIGHT! It’s also supporting the weight.
Here’s an alternate view of the exercise from the bar. You’ll notice I’ve got a few more plates on the bar :) - a
total of 405 lbs. That’s what I’m talking about when I say don’t be shy to push yourself on this exercise. In this one, I’ve actually got TWO barbell pads on the bar for extra padding.
Push the hips up towards the ceiling.
This is a great exercise that while technically an isolation exercise, allows you to really hit the glutes with some substantial weight. It will take a bit of tinkering to get the setup right, but the results are worth it!
Cross-Leg One-Legged Squats This is a simple bodyweight exercise that gives your glutes a great stretch at the same as you’re working them. For this, you’ll need a towel and a solid object to wrap it around. Grab the ends of the towel then stand on one leg with the other crossed at the knee. Then squat down as low as you can go. As you squat down, you’ll feel a great stretch in the glute of the leg that’s crossed over.
You can alternate legs or do all your reps on one side then switch to the other (then just start with the other leg the next set to keep it even).
This exercise helps you do double-duty by getting that big stretch on the glute while doing a one-leg squat movement.
Dolly Lunges Now THIS is a great lower-body exercise, invented originally by the Dolly Lama.. .ok, maybe not. You’re basically going to be doing what amounts to a step-back lunges but instead of stepping back, your foot will be on a dolly and you’ll ROLL that leg back instead, so technically, it could be called a "rollback lunge." Obviously, for this one you’re going to need a dolly (though, to be honest, a skateboard will work just as well, if you’ve got one). I got mine at ACE Hardware for 20 bucks. It’s basically just a plant dolly (a dolly you roll houseplants around on). El cheapo, especially compared to equipment that’s designed for training (like the Ab Dolly, which is about 70 bucks). Get one of these - you won’t regret it - there is TONS of stuff you can do with it besides glute training (it works great for doing ab roll-outs).
Back to business... You can do this one with or without weight - I’m using a couple of dumbbells here. Stand beside the dolly
and put your left foot on top of it.
Now start sliding the dolly directly backwards.
Roll it as far back as you can and stretch your back leg as far back as you can. This gives you a great stretch on the hamstrings and glutes.
Now come up.. .when you come up, it’s going to be coming from not only your front leg but your BACK leg as well - some quads, some hip flexors. Do all your reps on one leg then switch.
The nice thing about using the dolly is that it really helps you keep your upper body vertical while performing the movement.. .which is useful for keeping the tension of the exercise where you want it. If you’ve got a dolly or a skateboard, give this a try. If you don’t have one, get one then give this a try.
Incline Barbell Lunges This is a variation of the Lunge exercise very similar in concept to the Incline Dumbbell Lunge. The main difference is.. .you guessed it! You’re using a barbell instead of dumbbells. So why do a whole different exercise if the incline dumbbell lunge is good? With the barbell, it present a different stimulus to the body in a couple of different ways. 1. It allows you to use heavier weight - instead of holding the dumbbells in your hands, you’re carrying the weight on your back. No grip issues. 2. It changes the balance of the exercise - because the weight is up on your back instead of being carried down low, it’s tougher to balance and is a more challenging exercise to perform. I prefer to do this exercise in a power rack because of the potential balance issues. If you’re not in a rack and you start to fall over, you’ve got nowhere to go with the barbell on your back. With the rack, you just drop down and set the weight on the rails and you’re good. So bring a decline bench over to the power rack and set it in the rack. You’ll be facing outwards towards the bench. If you’re going to be doing your left leg forward first, set the bench a little to the left of center in the rack. When you do the right leg, you’ll shift the bench a little over to the right. This helps with balance
in the rack so your body stays in the center while you’re doing the exercise. Do this exercise once with just the bar so you get a feel for it and where you need to set the safety rails and the bench. Basically, you’re going to set the bar on your shoulders, just like with a barbell lunge or squat, then step forward and place on foot on the face of the bench (about halfway up).
Now, you’ll lunge forward.
Then push back up, straightening your front leg. Simple as that! Notice in the pictures how the safety rails are set just below the bottom point of the range of the exercise. If I were to lose my balance at that point, all I would have to do is drop down a couple of inches and I’m safe. When you’re read to do the other leg, here’s the best way to go... set the bar back on the racks then move the bench over to the right a little.
When you perform this exercise, make sure your bench is NOT prone to sliding. When you step
forward, there is some forward-pushing force. If your bench slips, you slide forward with it. Another good reason to do this exercise in the rack! If you do need to brace your bench, lay a couple of 45 lb plates in front of the forward bench feet to keep it from moving.
Goblet Side Lunges The Side Lunge exercise works the gluteus medius and minimus muscles of the hip area directly.. .these muscles are responsible for adduction, which is bringing the leg away from the midline of the body and they contribute strongly to lateral movement. While you can do Side Lunges with dumbbells or a barbell, I prefer this style, holding the dumbbell under the plates like a big goblet. So stand with the dumbbell held under the plates and at your chest.
Take a big step out to the left.
Then squat down over that leg.
EXPLODE up back to the start position - you want this to be a powerful movement to get yourself back up.
Now take a big step to the other side.
And squat down over that leg.
The explode back up to the start position.
Here’s the side view of the exercise in action.
This is a great exercise for developing the side aspect of the glutes and maximizing your glute growth. Most programs don’t include much in the way of lateral movement yet it’s critically important for overall glute balance.
One Arm Gripping Dumbbell Squats This is a great way to get a HUGE range of motion on a squat exercise while keeping your torso in a very upright and neutral position. Most squat exercises have you freestanding, which means you have to compensate for the position of the weight by basically being less vertical, which puts tension onto the back and takes it off the glutes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be an obstacle for some people, especially if you want to get FULL range of motion and want to really focus more of the tension on the glutes. This version is a one dumbbell squat using the OTHER hand to grip on a bar. You can use this grip to spot yourself but primarily to brace your body, which will allow you to keep your torso more upright while doing DEEP squats. It’s a nice exercise that will let you hit your quads and glutes HARD. I’m using a 125 lb dumbbell and I’ve got the bar set on the rails of a power rack about 4 feet off the ground. You can see how even at the bottom of the movement, my torso is vertical and I’m sitting back. THAT is what this exercise does
for you. This sitting back is important for targeting the glutes.
Now just stand up. One note of caution, it is easy for the thighs to take over on this exercise so be VERY sure to sit back on your heels (throw your weight backwards - your grip on the bar will support you) and squeeze the glutes hard as you come out of the bottom.
Your torso stays vertical the whole time. I like to do half the reps on one side then immediately switch to the other for balanced effects on the core and legs. On the bottom of each rep, don’t take tension off the
legs but touch one end of the dumbbell down on the ground to make sure you’re getting full range of motion. Just keep that tension on and keep squeezing the glutes!
Being able to sit back like this is also going to help you keep your knees from going beyond your toes (if you’re worried about stuff like that - me, I’m not worried because the knee is designed to perform movements like that). And unless you have knee issues, deep squats are NOT bad for your knees, as many people worry about. Smith machine squats and leg extensions are MUCH worse for your knees.
For a GREATER Range of Motion: To add even more of a challenge to this exercise, you can increase the range of motion by standing on a Step platform or other solid, flat object. This gives you a few more inches before the dumbbell touches the ground and allows you to put even more of a stretch on the glutes at the bottom, while using your other hand to keep your hips in the right position. Raise the bar that you’re gripping on accordingly.
Then switch hands.
This variation gives you that extra few inches that can really add some serious intensity to the exercise.
Leg Press Glute Kickbacks, a.k.a. Butt Blasters If you’re interested in working the glutes directly, the Butt Blaster is a name you’ll probably recognize. It’s a type of machine that looks a lot like a backwards donkey kick. Now, squats and lunges (and variations of those) will generally be your best bet for really building the glutes. But there are times when those just don’t get the job done, and you need a few more tools in your toolbox to really get at the glutes and activate them, e.g. if you feel those exercises in your thighs more than your glutes. That’s when the Butt Blaster can come in very handy as it does focus on the glutes quite well. But what do you do if you don’t have a piece of equipment like this?
Well, you can use a leg press machine to mimic the Butt Blaster machine fairly well (I say fairly well, because it’s not a perfect crossover but still quite effective). Move the seat forward on the leg press as much as you can. Stand beside the seat facing away from the foot plate. Now you brace your shoulder against the seat and put your foot on the foot plate. Here’s what it looks like:
Now it’s a simple matter of pushing directly back!
There are some limitations of this version, though. When you’ve got the seat moved up, you may not be able to reach full extension of the leg behind you. That’s easy to fix, though. When you do your next set on that side, you just move the seat further away. You start at less of a stretch but you’re then able to reach full extension of the leg. Now, make sure you don’t set the weights down at the bottom of the movement. You want to keep tension on the glutes in that maximum stretch position - it’s the most effective point of the exercise
for glute building. The nice thing about this variation on the leg press is that you’re not limited in how much weight you can use. It’s very possible to max out the weight stack on the Butt Blaster machine if you’re really working hard on strengthening the glutes. Not on the leg press! So when you’re done with the one leg, go around to the other side and work the other glute.
So if you want to hit the glutes hard or have maxed out the Butt Blaster (or if you don’t have a Butt Blaster), give this one a shot!
Towel Pistols This is a variation of a one-legged squat exercise, done with a towel wrapped around a pole to help stabilize your body as you’re doing it and to allow to you work in a more effective for the glutes. The "Pistol" exercise is normally done freestanding.. .when done like that, it’s more of a quad exercise. When you use the towel in this fashion, you are better able to control the movement and focus it on the glutes. So for this, you’ll need a towel and a pole to loop it around. Grasp the ends of the towel and stand on on leg a few feet away (you’ll have to experiment with foot distance to get what works for you). Now squat ALL the way down, bring your other leg straight out in front.
Push yourself back and repeat. This one is actually going to require some upper body strength as well and a key note.. .as you push up, try and stick your butt out and get an arch in your back as soon as possible on the way up. That will help put more focus on the glutes. Once you’ve done your reps on one leg, switch to the other, or you can just alternate legs.
This is a challenging exercise that’s going to hit not only the glutes but the rest of your legs as well. And the beauty of it is, you can do it just about anywhere you throw a towel around.
Bench Step-Ups to Step Back Lunges This is a great lower body combo that will seriously mess up your walking ability.. .in a good way :) For this one, you’ll need a bench (or a Step platform) and some form of resistance - I’m using dumbbells but a sandbag across the shoulders works just fine as well (I’ve got pics of that, too). With this one, you’re combining two lower body exercises - first you’re going to do a step up onto the bench then when you step back down, you’ll immediately drop back into a step-back lunge. It’s a challenging exercise both from a strength and cardio perspective. So grab a couple of dumbbells and stand in front of the bench.
Set your left foot up on the bench.
Now step up onto the bench.
DO NOT set the other foot on the bench at the top you want to just stay on the left foot.
Now step your right foot back down onto the floor.
Now you’re going to put your LEFT foot back into the step-back lunge.
Come all the way back down until your knee is on or
near the ground then go all the way back up to setting your left leg on the bench. Then repeat!
Do your reps with your left leg on the bench then switch and lead with your right leg on the bench. You can do this on alternating sets (with rest period in between) or go straight to the right leg right after.
Same deal - different legs. I mentioned using a sandbag for resistance as well just heave it over your head and rest it across your shoulders.
That’s the exercise! It’s an excellent one for hitting pretty much your entire lower body in one exercise. Great time-saver, too.
Leaning One-Leg Squats/Step Back Lunges...a.k.a. Speedskater Squats I like to also call these "Speedskater Squats" because of the position your body is in when you squat down.. .and you probably know how large the glutes of a speedskater can get! Technically, the version of the exercise I’m going to show you with the towel wrapped around a solid post is a step-back lunge because you’ll touch your back leg to the ground. I’ve also got another version (that I show using the cable machine) that keeps that back leg OFF the ground to make the exercise harder. So first, loop your towel around the pole or other solid object and grasp the ends of it. Stand on one leg and lean away from the post.
Now drop down into a split squat position.
Then push yourself back up - that’s it! It’s a simple exercise and because you’re leaning to the side, this is going target the gluteus medius and minimus muscles and their lateral-movement function (a.k.a. abduction - moving the thigh away from the midline of
the body). So do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other leg.
You can very easily add resistance to this exercise by holding a dumbbell in your free hand. The execution is
exactly the same.
Then get even MORE stretch on the glute, set your foot up on a Step platform or other solid flat block and do the exercise. This means your back leg will have further to go before it hits the ground and stops the movement, increasing the stretch on the glutes at the bottom.
That’s the exercise! As you can see, this is a good one that you can perform pretty much anwhere. . .all you need is something solid to loop a towel around and a towel and you’ve got yourself an excellent lateral-tension exercise.
Leaning One-Leg Squats, a.k.a. Speedskater Squats I refer to these as "Speedskater Squats" because of the position your body is in when you squat down.. .and you probably know how large the glutes of a speedskater can get! This version uses the cable machine, but you can also use just about anything you can get a grip on. I have another version with a towel looped around a pole. I like this version with the cable because the handle is much easier to hold onto, allowing you to focus on performing the exercise rather than worrying about grip. If you have an adjustable-height pulley, set it about hip level and attach a single handle. Set the heaviest weight you can on the stack - you’re not lifting the weight, you’re using it as an anchor! Grip the handle and stand on one leg. Your leg should be underneath the handle with your body leaning away from the weight stack.
Now come down ALL the way.. .and when I say all the way, I mean it. Here’s the trick... keep your other leg OFF the ground. It’ll come close but don’t let it touch.. .we want to keep tension on the working leg.
Do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other.
Same deal - come down but don’t let that back leg touch the ground.
When you push yourself back up at an angle like this, it works the lateral aspect of the hips and glutes extremely well, in addition to the gluteus maximus.
Bench or Ball Bulgarian Split Squats The regular split squat is a mainstay of glute-building. By placing your back leg on either a bench or a Swiss ball, however, you greatly increase the balance required. You also decrease the help given by your back leg during the push off phase, increasing the stress on the glutes. This version of the dumbbell split squat will challenge your balance and increase muscle activation. I’ve got two different versions of it for you here.
On The Bench: Start by standing about two feet in front of a flat bench or chair. Bring one leg back and rest the top of your foot on the bench/chair.
Keeping your torso upright, lower yourself down into the lunge position as deep as you can go then push yourself back up.
Do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other leg.
As you can see in this last picture, you want to sink down into the stretch as much as you can.. .you should feel a good stretch on the hip flexors and quads of your back leg and a strong stretch on the glute of the front leg. Don’t be shy with that stretch at the bottom it’s the best part of the exercise for the glutes.
On The Ball: Performing this exercise on the ball is going to be a lot more challenging as balance is a BIG part of this one. The ball is obviously round and going to going move around on you while you’re doing the exercise. Hold two dumbbells in your hands by your sides. The ball should be a little bit behind you. Reach back with one leg and set the top of your foot on the ball.
When you are first starting out with this exercise I might actually recommend using only one dumbbell and holding onto something stable until you get a feel for it. Lower yourself down slowly and be prepared to fight for your balance.
It is important to note that your back leg should only be used for balance and not to rest much of your bodyweight on. If you rest your weight on it, it will dramatically increase the instability of the exercise and you’ll stand a much greater chance of losing your balance. So remember, use the back leg as a guide rather than a rest or pivot point.
Stay away from failure on this version of the exercise because balance is such an issue. The constant shifting around will work the smaller stabilizing muscles of the hips and legs and can really contribute to overall glute growth.
One-Legged Squats The One-Legged Squat has the advantage of being an exercise that is always available to you.. .all you need is your bodyweight! It’s an effective glute and leg workout. At first glance the One-Legged Squat sounds pretty simple: squat on one leg. This exercise is more complicated than it sounds, however. You can do this with just bodyweight or you can hold a dumbbell or two dumbbells for resistance and balance (I’ll show you that below). You may need to hold onto something stable when first starting out. In this case, hold onto only one dumbbell and grasp the solid object with the other hand. I recommend starting this exercise by holding onto a solid object for balance. Stand a couple of feet away from it and balance on one leg.
Squat down on that one leg, bringing your other free leg in behind you a bit. Come down until that other knee is almost on the ground - DO NOT let it touch the ground.
Come back up. You can do all your reps on one leg or you can alternate legs.
Here’s a side view of the exercise.
It LOOKS like my leg is on the ground in the pic below, but it’s just about an inch above :)
Once you’re comfortable with the stabilized version, you can try the freestanding version. It’s done exactly the same.. .you will have to lean forward a bit more in
order to keep balanced, though.
Use your arms for balance.
Keep looking directly forward as you come to the bottom. Feel the stretch in your glutes, hamstrings and quads. Go slowly to keep your
balance. ˜ This is a very functional exercise for any sport that uses the legs and requires dynamic leg stability. Your calves will get a lot of stabilization work with this one. The thicker the sole of your shoes, the more stabilizing work your calves are going to have to do. Doing the one-legged squat without shoes provides the most control and the best feel for the balance of the exercise.
Adding Resistance: You can add resistance to the One-Legged Squat by holding dumbbells in your hands as well. This is actually easier for keeping your balance and getting lower in the squat because you can bring the dumbbells out in front of you to counterbalance your body, like a tightrope walker.
Side view of the exercise... note how I’m bringing the dumbbells out in front as I’m coming down.
Common Errors:
1. Leaning too far forward This will unbalance you and cause you to tip forward. Balance is the major problem trainers have with this exercise. Work into it slowly by holding onto something when you start doing this exercise. As you get better with your balance, release your hold but be ready to grab if necessary.
2. Descending too quickly Dropping down to the bottom too quickly is a sure way to lose your balance. It will also reduce the tension you get in your muscles during the negative part of the movement and will decrease the amount weight you are able to use. You may also find if you drop down too quickly, that you have a hard time coming back up.
3. Using too much weight This exercise does not require heavy weight to be effective. Using dumbbells will actually help you maintain balance, just don’t use heavy dumbbells unless you are ready to squat down and not come back up. Using heavy weights like this is actually a good technique for doing negative-only, one-legged squats. Pick up heavy dumbbells, stand on one leg then lower yourself slowly down until your knee or the dumbbells touch the floor. Set the weights down, put both feet down then pick up the weights and stand up and do it again.
Tricks:
1. Freestanding vs. holding on Do these freestanding for greater balance work or hang onto something to work the muscle harder with more stability. When first starting the freestanding version, work your way into it by starting freestanding and holding on only when you need to. If you are using only one dumbbell, it is better for your balance to hold it on the same side as the working leg as a counterbalance to your bodyweight. If you hold it in the opposing hand you will have to lean really far over in order to keep your balance. Holding two dumbbells will make it easier to keep your balance.
2. Adjusting the ankle There is a spot near the bottom of the movement as you drop down where you will feel (due to tension in the ankle) that you can’t go any lower. At that point try to relax your tibialis anterior muscle (the muscle on the front of your shin). It will feel like you are readjusting the tension in your ankle. You should be able to drop a little lower down after you do this. ? This trick requires practice in order to be able to develop a feel for how to do it.
3. Bring the dumbbells up in front To maintain a better body position, bring the
dumbbells out and up in front of you like a front raise as you squat down. This will help counterbalance you, allowing you to stay more upright. Bring them together in front of you for better holding power (keep your elbows bent). Try to sit back somewhat and not let your knees drift forward over your toes.
One Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats If you’re familiar with the Dumbbell Split Squat exercise, basically it looks like a lunge only you don’t step yourself back up to the full standing position.. .you keep your legs in the lunge position and just move your body up and down in that position. It’s a great thigh and glute exercise. Now to Bulgarian-ize it, you just put your back leg up on a bench. And in this version, you’re going to do it with just one dumbbell instead of two.. .that’s the exercise! It sounds very simple.. .and it is.. .but the actual execution of it when you have a dumbbell in your hand is a bit more challenging... So now that I’ve given the whole exercise away, here’s the mechanics of it. First, get your yourself a flat bench and a single dumbbell. Set the dumbbell on the floor in front of the bench, set your back foot on the bench (the toe of your shoe should be about in the centerline of the bench). Once your feet are in position, reach down and grab the dumbbell. In the demo here, I’m holding the dumbbell in the same side hand as the leg forward (left hand, left leg forward). You can also perform this exercise holding the dumbbell in the opposing hand. That option is actually a bit easier for balancing.
Get yourself into the standing position, back leg on the bench, dumbbell hanging at your side.
Now come down into the lunge. When doing this one, you’ll find it’s tough to "sit back" during the movement. Because your back leg is up on the bench, your tendency will be to lean forward somewhat. Try and keep your body upright as much as you can, but don’t stress about it if you lean forward a bit. It’s natural.
Push yourself back up to the vertical position.
That’s it! Of course, balance is going to be an issue with this exercise.. .you should be comfortable doing split squats and lunges just on the floor before you think about throwing the bench into the mix. Once you’ve done your reps on one leg, switch and do the other leg.
One of the advantages of this version of the split squat over the floor version (aside from working your balance) is the fact that the back leg doesn’t help very much in the movement. When you’re on the floor, the back leg actually contributes a fair bit to pushing you up. When you’ on the bench, there’s not nearly as much help. This means when you switch to the other leg (your "non-working" leg, as it were), it’ll be fresher and you’ll be able to get almost as many reps as on the first leg. That rarely happens on the dumbbell split squat (when
you push yourself on it, at least). This is a GREAT exercise for athletes because it develops balance but also works each leg individually (not too many sports require you to push with both legs at the same time). Also, because you’re holding the dumbbell in one hand, there will be torque across the body, giving some great core work at the same time, especially as you get to heavier dumbbells. It’s tough one but a good one!
Dead lifts The Deadlift is one of the most powerful exercises you can do. It involves most of the muscle groups in your body, with a strong emphasis on the glutes. Also, because it allows you to use heavier weights, it produces more of an overall growth stimulus for your glutes. The Deadlift is one of my favorite exercises and, when done right, is extremely beneficial for your whole body! Step up to a loaded barbell. Place your feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart with does pointing directly forward and crouch down with the bar touching your shins. You want to keep the bar as close to your legs as possible while you’re doing the lift. Grasp the bar with either a palms-down grip (overhand) or a mixed grip (one hand palm-up, the other palm down) just outside your legs.
The amount of bend in your legs will vary depending on how long your legs and arms are.. .for me, it’s about 60 degree bend, as you can see in the pictures. Your lower back should have an arch in it (do not hunch over), core tight, your head should be up and your eyes should be looking straight forward or slightly up. Begin the movement by straightening your legs and "squeezing" the bar off the ground. You don’t want to try and pop the bar off the ground fast.. .try to imagine that it’s resting on something sticky on the floor and you have to peel it off. When you’re starting this pull, really focus on activating and squeezing the glutes to help get the weight off the floor.
Keep the bar close to your legs, basically dragging it up the front of your legs (it’s good to wear longer socks or sweatpants when deadlifting for this reason). Once the bar clears your knees, it’s time to straighten out and come to an upright position. Keep that arch in your lower back and keep that core tight.
This phase of the movement really engages the glutes, too. As you straighten up, focus on squeezing the glutes together like you’re trying to crack a nut.
Here are a few key points to remember as you’re deadlifting. Squeeze the bar off the floor - don’t try and pop it off the floor. Keep looking straight forward as you lift. It is not necessary to look way up nor is it a good idea to look down. Consciously lead with your head and shoulders to maintain a flat back. Keep off your toes.. .try to sit back as you’re doing the exercise to engage the strong muscles of the back of the body (the glutes, lower back and hamstrings).
When you try the deadlift for the first time, here’s how I would recommend you go about it.
Since you won’t be using much weight, if you lift the bar off the floor, it will be very to round your back over in an attempt to get low enough to the ground to lift it. Go to the squat rack and set the safety rails to a point about a foot off the ground. Set the bar on top of the rails. Practice the movement of the deadlift with the just the bar for a few reps to get the Now add some weight onto the bar, e.g. 10 or 25 pound plates. Do a few more reps to get the feel for how the exercise works with weight. Since the bar is resting on the rails which are set higher up, you won’t have to bend and you will learn better form (not to mention spare your back a lot of pain). As you gradually increase in weight, you can also set the rails a little lower. If and when you get to the point where you can use 45 pound plates in the deadlift, you no longer need to do them on the rails in the rack.
Common Errors: 1. Allowing the back to round over Always try to keep an arch in your lower back. It is natural for a little
rounding to occur after the bar has cleared your knees but if you do the entire exercise with a rounded back, you are going to get hurt.
2. Lifting unevenly If one side of the bar comes up higher or if the bar starts rotating as you are lifting, then you are lifting unevenly. To remedy this, make sure your grip is even on the bar. Using a mixed grip can cause rotation as you lift so be sure to pull up evenly.
3. Holding your breath too long Don’t hold your breath during the entire movement as that can increase blood pressure to dangerous levels. It is good to hold your breath for the first half of the movement until the bar clears your knees, then exhale through pursed lips as you lift the barbell off the round. It’s during this first phase that you need the increased core stability to protect your back.
4. Dropping the weight Don’t forget the negative portion of this movement. Don’t just drop the weight. Lower it under control. The negative is an extremely valuable part of the deadlift. You don’t have to lower it really slowly, just don’t drop it like a hot potato.
Tricks: 1. Falling backwards
Just before you start to lift the barbell, visualize letting your center of gravity fall backwards as though you were going to fall over backwards. As you fall backwards, start to lift. The momentum of your mass moving backwards will help get the weight started.
2. The mixed grip The mixed grip (one hand facing forward, one hand facing back) is better for a stronger grip as it prevents the bar from rolling. Alternate which hand grips which way to prevent strength and muscle imbalances. Be sure you grip evenly if you do use a mixed grip. If you find the weight swinging to one side excessively, adjust your grip spacing accordingly. The side it is rotating to is usually closer to the center of the bar though this could also depend on which way you are gripping. The bar usually has a tendency to rotate towards the hand that has a pronated grip (palms back).
3. Increasing the range of motion In order to improve power off the start, can deadlift while standing on a riser or a block. Another way is to train with smaller plates, e.g. instead of always using 45’s, use 35’s or even 25’s. Starting from a deeper squat is going put additional workload on the glutes.
4. Keeping the bar close to your shins If you have trouble keeping the bar close to your shins, stretch out your calves thoroughly as poor calf flexibility may cause this.
5. Wear pants or long socks Wear pants or pull your socks up so you don’t scrape up your shins while lifting. It is also a good idea to wear solid-soled shoes or boots while you are deadlifting. This prevents your force off the ground from being dissipated in soft shoe soles.
Stiff Legged Dead lifts The Stiff Legged Deadlift is an excellent movement for the glutes and the hamstrings. It attacks the hip extension function of the glutes from the other direction. Instead of moving your legs to extend your hips, you move your torso. This exercise targets the stretched range of motion of the hamstrings, which is not effectively hit when doing the standard Leg Curl. Your lower back contributes to this movement and you should be very careful not to place yourself in a position where you can damage it. Stand in front of a barbell. Bend over at the waist and grip the barbell with an overhand (pronated) grip. Your knees should be slightly bent but not locked, feet hip to shoulder width apart. Use very light weight when you start doing this exercise in order to ease your back into it and try to feel your hamstrings working. The first time you do this, if you are unable to use 45 lb plates, you can do this in the rack so you can start from the rails with the bar a bit off the ground, or can you can first regular deadlift the bar off the ground, come to the top, then lower the bar down for the stiff-legged deadlift. One of the biggest mistakes people make is rounding the lower back at the bottom and using small plates right off the bat can force you to do that, if you’re not flexible enough.
Lift your upper body, contracting your hamstrings, keeping the bar close to your legs and your knees stiff but slightly bent. Keep your head up and looking forward, shoulders back, chest out.
It is important not to let the bar move away from your legs, especially at the bottom as this increases the pressure on your lower back. The bar should move straight up and down your body should bend and your butt stick out to accommodate that vertical movement pattern. You should attempt to maintain an arch in your lower back throughout the entire exercise.
There is a temptation at the stretch position to round the back to increase the stretch. This does increase the stretch slightly but puts your lower back into a rounded position. Keeping your lower back arched will focus on the hams and glutes while rounding your back slightly will work your lower back. Inhale on the way down, hold at the bottom, then exhale on the way up, after you pass the most difficult portion of the up phase. You should actually hold your breath during the
down and the first part of the up phase in order to maintain proper spinal position and intraabdominal pressure to protect your back. When performing this exercise, I prefer to set the weight down on the ground at the bottom of each rep, like you would with a regular deadlift. This allows you to reset your back into the proper arched position at the bottom of each rep and also allows you to use more weight in the exercise, which will increase the effectiveness of the exercise. Sometimes, you’ll see people doing continuoustension reps, not setting the weight on the floor on each rep. This is not wrong but it does make it tougher to do. I also find it easier to make the mind-inmuscle connection setting the bar down on the floor, especially for the glutes and how they contribute to the exercise. To maximize the effects on the glutes, consciously squeeze them hard at the beginning of each rep and try to keep on squeezing them as you come up. When you get near the top of the movement, you’ll find it easier to mentally contract the glutes muscles because they’re getting closer to their peak contracted position.
Common Errors: 1. Lifting from a raised surface While this allows for a greater range of motion it is not
recommended. It can result in excessive rounding of the back and balance problems. In fact, in order to get the extra stretch from being on the bench, you MUST round the back. This is a dangerous position for the back to be in, especially with weight and it is not necessary. Getting a greater range of motion is more easily accomplished by using smaller plates. Increasing the stretch on the hamstrings using the "toes up" trick as detailed below is much better.
2. Bouncing out of the bottom This is extremely dangerous with this exercise due to the vulnerable position your lower back is in. The closer you get to the bottom, the slower you should go.
3. Rounding the back Never round the back with this exercise. Not only is the arched position safer for your back it is far more effective for putting a stretch on the hamstrings.
4. Looking down This will result in rounding of the back. The lumbar vertebrae tend to mimic the cervical vertebrae. If you look up and forward, your back will want to stay arched. If you look down, your back will want to round
over. Bottom line, try to look straight forward all the way up and down through the exercise.
Tricks: 1. Toes up This technique increases the stretch on the hamstrings without increasing the range of motion and does not put your back into a compromised position. Place two 25 pound plates (Olympic size) on the ground in front you so they are touching. Set your feet on the plates so that your heels are on the ground, your toes are in the air, and the edges of the plates are in the middle of your feet. The plates are there to dorsiflex your feet (raise toes). What this does is increase the stretch in the hamstrings by stretching the calves. If you have trouble feeling your hamstrings work on stiff-legged deadlifts, this trick will force them to work. If the 25 pound plates are too big, try 10’s. I also use high-density foam wedges for this, though those aren’t common in most gyms.
2. Stick your butt out
As you come down, stick your butt back and try to raise your toes up in your shoes. Put more pressure on your heels as well. You should feel as though you are trying to form a triangle with your arms, legs and torso at the bottom stretch position of this movement. Your arms will be vertical, your torso almost horizontal and your legs back at an angle. This is different than the conventional technique but is more effective. Never lose the arch in your back and keep your abs sucked in and tight.
3. Don’t fixate on one spot Don’t fix on one spot with your vision. This will make your head and neck move. Look straight ahead.
4. Increasing glute involvement To increase glute involvement in this exercise, tighten your glutes at the bottom of the exercise. Consciously clench them as you begin to pull the bar up again.
5. Paw the ground As you return down to the stretch position, imagine "pawing" the ground with your feet (like a bull getting ready to charge). This will give you a better connection to your hamstrings.
Sumo Deadlifts The Deadlift is one of the most powerful exercises you can do. It involves most of the muscle groups in your body, with a strong emphasis on the glutes. Also, because it allows you to use heavier weights, it produces more of a growth stimulus for your glutes. It uses more active muscle mass than any other exercise, including squats. The focus of the Deadlift is usually considered the lower back, however, it strongly works the gluteus maximus muscles as well. The Deadlift is extremely useful for building muscle mass and total body strength because of the great amount of muscle mass it uses. This version of the deadlift is called the "sumo" deadlift because of how your feet are positioned.. .wide to the sides like a Sumo wrestler. You’ll be gripping the bar inside your thighs rather than outside for this one. This position hits the adductor muscles a bit more and changes how the glutes are activated in the deadlift, which makes it a nice variation. It also allows you to stay a bit more upright in the torso, which can be easier on the lower back. Because the feet are out wide, you don’t have to pull around your knees quite as much.
How to Do It: Step up to a loaded barbell. Place your feet wide, almost near the barbell plates and squat down with
the bar touching your shins. You want to keep the bar as close to your legs as possible while you’re doing the lift. Grasp the bar with either a palms-down grip (overhand) or a mixed grip (one hand palm-up, the other palm down) inside your thighs and shoulderwidth apart.
Your lower back should have an arch in it (do not hunch over), your head should be up and your eyes should be looking straight forward or slightly up. Begin the movement by straightening your legs and "squeezing" the bar off the ground. You don’t want to try and pop the bar off the ground fast.. .try to imagine that it’s resting on something sticky on the floor and you have to peel it off. When you’re starting this pull, really focus on activating the glutes to help get the weight off the floor by squeezing them hard.
Keep the bar close to your legs, basically dragging it up the front of your legs (it’s good to wear longer socks or sweatpants when deadlifting for this reason). Once the bar clears your knees, it’s time to straighten out and come to an upright position. Keep that arch in your lower back and keep that core tight. This phase of the movement really engages the glutes, too. As you straighten up, focus on squeezing the glutes together like you’re trying to crack a nut.
Here’s the side view of the exercise.
Here are a few key points to remember as you’re deadlifting. Squeeze the bar off the floor - don’t try and pop it off the floor.
Keep looking straight forward as you lift. It is not necessary to look way up nor is it a good idea to look down. Consciously lead with your head and shoulders to maintain a flat back. Keep off your toes…try to sit back as you’re doing the exercise to engage the strong muscles of the back of the body (the glutes, lower back and hamstrings).
When you try the deadlift for the first time, here’s how I would recommend you go about it. Since you won’t be using much weight, if you lift the bar off the floor, it will be very to round your back over in an attempt to get low enough to the ground to lift it. Go to the squat rack and set the safety rails to a point about a foot off the ground. Set the bar on top of the rails. Practice the movement of the deadlift with the just the bar for a few reps to get the Now add some weight onto the bar, e.g. 10 or 25 pound plates. Do a few more reps to get the feel for how the exercise works with weight. Since the bar is resting on the rails which are set higher up, you won’t have to bend and you will learn better form (not to mention spare your back a lot of pain). As you gradually increase in weight, you can also set the rails a little lower.
If and when you get to the point where you can use 45 pound plates in the deadlift, you no longer need to do them on the rails in the rack.
Common Errors: 1. Allowing the back to round over Always try to keep an arch in your lower back. It is natural for a little rounding to occur after the bar has cleared your knees but if you do the entire exercise with a rounded back, you are going to get hurt.
2. Lifting unevenly If one side of the bar comes up higher or if the bar starts rotating as you are lifting, then you are lifting unevenly. To remedy this, make sure your grip is even on the bar. Using a mixed grip can cause rotation as you lift so be sure to pull up evenly. This is more likely to happen with the Sumo deadlift than the regular deadlift because your hands are closer together so keep an eye out for it.
3. Holding your breath Don’t hold your breath during the entire movement as that can increase blood pressure to dangerous levels. The first phase of the movement you should hold your breath.. .once the bar clears your knees then exhale through pursed lips.
4. Dropping the weight Don’t forget the negative portion of this movement. Don’t just drop the weight. Lower it under control. The negative is an extremely valuable part of the deadlift.
Tricks: 1. Falling backwards Just before you start to lift the barbell, let your center of gravity fall backwards as though you were going to fall over backwards. As you fall backwards, start to lift. The momentum of your mass moving backwards will help get the weight started.
2. The mixed grip The mixed grip (one hand facing forward, one hand facing back) is better for a stronger grip as it prevents the bar from rolling. Alternate which hand grips which way to prevent strength and muscle imbalances. Be sure you grip evenly if you do use a mixed grip.
If you find the weight swinging to one side excessively, adjust your grip spacing accordingly. The side it is rotating to is usually closer to the center of the bar though this could also depend on which way you are gripping. The bar usually has a tendency to rotate towards the hand that has a pronated grip (palms back).
3. Continuous style Try doing deadlifts continuous style. Do not allow the weight to touch the floor in between reps. This is difficult but is a very effective technique. It is also useful in gyms that will throw you out for dropping weights heavily on the floor. The most stressful part of the lift is when you reverse the direction of the barbell and lift it back up again. This is also the most vulnerable position for your lower back. Use perfect form for this technique.
4. Increasing the range of motion In order to improve power off the start, deadlift off a block. Another way is to train with smaller plates, e.g. instead of always using 45’s, use 35’s or even 25’s.
5. Starting slowly If you are just starting out with the deadlift and need to use smaller plates, try setting the bar in the rack or on
the bench so you don’t have to lean over excessively.
6. Keeping the bar close to your shins If you have trouble keeping the bar close to your shins, stretch out your calves thoroughly as poor calf flexibility may cause this.
7. Wear pants or long socks Wear pants or pull your socks up so you don’t scrape up your shins while lifting. It is also a good idea to wear solid-soled shoes or boots while you are deadlifting. This prevents your force off the ground from being dissipated in soft shoe soles.
Two Bench Split Squats One of the shortcomings of the regular lunge is that your range of motion is limited by your back knee hitting the ground. By standing on two benches, your knee will not hit the ground and you will be free to get a tremendous stretch on the glutes. This exercise allows you to lower yourself down further than with conventional lunges on the floor. With this exercise your back knee does not hit the ground, which limits your range of motion. The only real issue is with balance. Be sure you have good balance and are experienced with lunges and split squats before doing this exercise and that you have two SOLID benches or chairs to do this one on and that they’re on non-slip surfaces (for obvious reasons). * Set up two benches about two feet apart (you can experiment with distance to where you are most comfortable - it will vary from person to person) parallel to each other. Make sure they are stable. * If you have access to two Step platforms, this will work just as well. The idea is basically to elevate yourself off the ground so that your back knee doesn’t hit the floor. * Hold two dumbbells in your hands by your sides and stand on the back bench.
* Step forward with one foot onto the bench in front of you. * Make sure your entire foot is on the bench. This exercise is much more effective for the glutes when you push with your heel so your heel must be on the bench.
* Begin to lower yourself down slowly and under complete control. * Lower yourself down until you get a large stretch on the glutes. This will be further down than you can normally go on a lunge, simply because your back knee will not hit the ground and stop your range of motion.
* Pushing primarily with your heel, push yourself back up to the start position. * Do a full set of this exercise with one leg then switch and do a full set with the other leg. * Be careful getting into position after you’ve started doing this exercise. Your legs are bound to be a little wobbly!
Common Errors: 1. Leaning forward on the way down This can cause you to lose your balance and places unnecessary stress on your back. Always strive to keep your upper body vertical. Do lunges in a mirror so you can see what you are doing and be sure to focus on sitting back during the descent.
2. Dropping down too quickly Dropping quickly not only takes tension off the legs, it can create balance problems when you try to reverse direction. It can also increase the stress on your knees. You really don’t want to fall off the benches when doing this exercise.
Tricks: 1. Hang on When first starting Two Bench Lunges, hang onto something solid to help your balance. Place your benches inside a power rack or next to something solid that you can easily grab onto. Use no weight or hold onto one dumbbell only. As you get accustomed to the movement, try a set without holding any weight and see how do. Then progress to holding two dumbbells.
2. Flat shoes Wear flat-soled shoes when doing Lunges (such as tennis or other court shoes). This will help with your balance. With running shoes, you have half an inch or more of cushioning upon which to destabilize yourself.
3. Get a full stretch Since you are able to go further down without the ground getting in the way, be sure to fully exploit the stretch that is available to you. Drop down as far as you can and hold the bottom position for a few seconds before coming back up.
4. What do to if you don’t have two benches
If you only have one bench, this exercise can easily be improvised using another raised surface. For instance, instead of placing either of your legs on another bench, you can use stairs, a chair, Step platforms, etc. Pretty much anything that is solid that you can get another bench close to will work.
Barbell Split Squats This exercise is the barbell version of the Split Squat (hence the name). The reason I have this one in the Advanced section is that using a barbell for this is a bit more tricky in terms of balance and execution. You have to be comfortable with a barbell on your back in order to do the exercise and know how to balance and move with it. I won’t go into the full explanation of how the split squat exercise works the glutes as you should already be familiar with it before trying this exercise anyway. So first, get the rack set up to same setup as you would normally use for squats. Get the bar on your back, unrack it and step back.
Step your right leg back about 2 feet. Make sure you don’t step directly back from your lead foot - you
should have a little bit of horizontal separation so that you have a wider base of support to work with.
Now come down into the split squat.
Then come back up. It’s not a complicated exercise but that balance can
be a bit tricky with the bar on your back, so start light and be careful. DO NOT push to failure on this one with the bar on your back. Once you’ve done your reps on one leg, you can either stop the set and rest before hitting the other leg or go right into the other leg. If you go right into the other leg, you’ll get fewer reps with it, because the starting leg will be fatigued and that leg does provide some assistance in the movement. You can get around this unbalanced approach by just starting with different legs on each set. So put the other leg back and do the movement as before.
When you’re done, just rerack the bar. This one has the advantage over dumbbells in that you don’t have to worry about gripping the dumbbells. Also, having the bar on your back changes the feel of the exercise, too.
Deficit Incline Dumbbell Lunges The lunge is a great exercise for working the thighs and glutes but it has one major problem. Every time you step forward with the dumbbells in your hands, all the force of the weights and your body shifting forward goes right into your front knee. It’s not so bad if you’re using lighter weights, but it can affect your knees even then. If you’re using heavy weights, forget about it! The force of each step forward gives you potentially damaging stress without any additional benefits over a split squat type of movement. What this variation of the Dumbbell Lunge does for you is take the forward shearing force off the knee at the bottom and keeps it on the thighs and glutes, where it belongs. Because instead of stepping forward onto the flat ground, you’re going to plant your front foot on the face of a decline bench (it appears to be an incline when you’re doing the exercise, which is why I called it that) so that you get a direct push back instead of an angled push back. This difference means the force to the knee is GREATLY reduced. So basically, grab a couple of dumbbells and stand in front of a decline bench (I call this exercise an Incline Bench Lunge because even though bench is on a
decline, your foot is on an incline). Make sure the bench isn’t going to slide forward if you put any pressure on it. Set your front foot on the face of the bench, about halfway up, dumbbell hanging at your sides.
That’s your start position. Now move forward into the lunge position:
Because the bench is elevated, you can go nice and deep into the lunge position (more so than if your front foot was flat on the ground).
This allows you to really get down and work the glute on that side - the greater the stretch, the greater the glutes will be involved.
Push yourself back up to the start position, keeping your front foot on the bench still - it’s better for balance to keep the front foot on. Once you’ve done your reps on the one leg, switch to the other leg and do your reps.
When you do the next set, start with the leg you didn’t
start with on the first set. This will help to keep things even in terms of strength. One thing to note, when you’re setting yourself up for the exercise, if you place your left foot on the bench, your right foot should be about 4 to 6 inches to the right of the centerline of the bench. Basically, don’t set your right foot directly in line behind the left - you need to keep some horizontal separation between the two feet so you don’t fall over.
On-Bench One-Leg Dumbbell Bench Squats When you think leg and glute training, generally the first thing that pops into your head is probably "squats."
THIS version of the squat is going to add another dimension to your squat training by increasing the range of motion, having you do it one leg, AND challenging your balance. You may not be using as much weight, but you’ll be hitting the glutes legs in a very different way from normal squats. For this, you’ll need a flat bench and a couple of dumbbells - I’m just using a pair of 25 lb dumbbells here - you don’t need much weight at all when doing these. You’re going to make up for it with range of motion and the balance requirement (it’s the balancing on the bench on one foot that works the stabilizing muscles of the calves and hips extremely well). So grab your dumbbells and stand up on the bench. Now stand on one foot, holding the dumbbells to the side. Your other leg should be a little behind you.
Now squat down. Here’s the key.. .as you squat down, bring the dumbbells out in FRONT of you, counterbalancing your body so you can comfortably go WAY down.. .basically until your chest hits your thigh. DON’T set your other foot down on the ground unless you lose your balance (and that might happen the first few sets of this you do. If you do lose your balance or start to, just lightly touch or tap your other foot on the ground to regain it then keep going. It’s the constant tension on the working leg through a BIG range of motion that really does the job on this one.
Now push yourself back up to the standing position and repeat. When pushing up, to focus more on the glutes, try to focus on pushing with your heel. You can do all your reps on one leg then switch to the other, you can alternate legs, or you can do a couple of reps on each leg alternating back and forth.
This is not an easy exercise to do, especially if you’ve not done a whole lot of one-leg training before, but I’ve found it to be extremely effective for hitting the legs with tension while still training relatively light. Just remember, the key is to bring the dumbbells forward in a bit of a front raise as you come down to counterbalance your body, allowing you to keep better balance. I generally keep this one to about 5 to 6 reps per leg, because of the balance component. If you’re interested in some challenging leg work, you’re going to love this one!
Sideways Barbell-End Lunges This is an excellent one for developing the lateral aspect of the hips and thighs. It’s basically a lunge (or more accurately, a step-back lunge) movement. But instead of holding dumbbells in your hands or a weight across your back, you’re going to be using a whole NEW type of setup... And that setup is a barbell with one end down (either wedged in a corner or using a piece of equipment that locks it in place and pivots) and the other end loaded.
The piece of equipment that I’m using to anchor the bar is a T-Bar Bracket from New York Barbells. They’re not expensive (40 bucks) and definitely worth the price. The number of exercises you can do with the pivot like this is HUGE. All you do is slide it under the "foot" of a machine and screw it on and you’re set.
I use mine all the time.
Anyway, for this particular exercise, you can also just set the end of the bar in a corner or two walls or a machine (I’d recommend putting a towel in the corner first THEN the bar so as you’re lifting, it doesn’t rub paint off the wall or damage anything). You don’t need to load both ends because you’ll be working on the other side of the weights plates - they’ll keep the bar down. So stand beside the loaded end of the bar and grab it with both hands.
Now lift it up so you’re carrying it it front of your shoulders and leaning into the bar at an angle, like in the pics.
Now squat down on one leg (or call it a step-back lunge).
Keep leaning into the bar then push back up. Try to use just the front leg as much as possible - it’s okay to use some of the back leg, too. Once you’ve done all your reps on one side, hold the bar at the top then switch around to the other side.
Repeat on the other leg, leaning into the bar and doing a step-back lunge type of movement.
This picture shows how to hold the bar quite nicely.
Lower yourself down
Push back up and keep going until you’re toasted! This exercise is great in several ways... 1. Because you’re leaning to the side as you’re doing this exercise, you’re really hitting the entire lateral aspect of your lower body from the hips down through the ankles. Not too many sports where lateral power and stability aren’t critical! 2. The bar can still move pretty freely so it’s not like being locked into a machine, though it does have more stability than a regular free weight exercise so it sort of resembles a machine in that way. You’re still able to move around quite a lot. 3. Holding the bar out in front makes this exercise similar to a front squat in terms of how it hits the core. A nice bonus! 4. You can work your legs until you’re fall-down trashed because all you have to do is set the bar down - no need to rerack anything or get stuck at the bottom of a squat. This is a powerful glute exercise that will really build up the lateral aspect of the hips and butt.
Wide Stance Front Squats This is a variation of the basic wide stance squat. In this one, you’re doing it in Front Squat style with the bar racked across the front of your shoulders. This allows you to squat in a more upright position. If you’ve never done Front Squats before, you’re going to be in for a treat... it’s not only great for the lower body, it works the core VERY strongly as well. I recommend starting with a very light with this one until you get comfortable with the exercise and setup. So set the rack up just as you would for a regular squat. Step up to the bar set your chest against it. Reach up and grip your right hand on the bar across and over to the left side then grab it across with your left hand on the right side, crossing over in front.
The bar should be cradled in the groove of your front delts. Once you’ve got the bar in place, step out into the middle of the rack, then get your feet out wide to the sides. Get them wide enough that your toes are raise up on the side bottom rails of the rack, as in the picture. Having your toes up puts more tension on the glutes, hamstrings and adductors and takes it off the
quads for the exercise.
Now squat down as low as you can. You will feel a big stretch in your glutes and adductors.
Then focus on pushing with your heels and using glute power to push yourself back up to the top position.
Here’s the back view of the exercise.
This one is going to take a bit of practice to get the position and technique right but given time, it’ll improve your glutes, inner thighs, and stretch out your hips and calves very nicely.
Sumo Stance Stiff-Legged Dead lifts The Stiff-Legged Deadlift is a classic hamstring and posterior chain exercise (the posterior chain is basically all the muscles running down the back of your body). There are a TON of variations of this exercise and this variation is another very good one - it’s different from the regular one simply in where you set your feet. If you’re familiar with the Sumo Stance Deadlift, it’s the same deal here. Basically, your feet are out very wide and pointed outwards. The idea in the deadlift is that this reduces the range of motion you have to pull and changes your leg position so that you don’t have to lift around your knees as much. In the SLDL, it does the same thing but that’s not the reason I do it. I use this version in order to work the adductors in addition to the hamstrings and glutes. The wide leg position puts good tension on those adductor (inner thigh) muscles and really forces the glutes to do a lot of the work. Adductor strength is critical for athletics and for squatting and can help with your overall leg and butt development. This version is also a bit easier on the lower back, if you find you have issues with the regular SLDL. Load a bar and set your feet out wide, until they’re just
a few inches from the weight plates and point the out about 45 degrees. Naturally, you’ll want to be careful how you set the bar down in between reps...
Bend forward at the waist, keeping a slight bend in your knees. You’ll keep them there (and stiff) throughout the movement. Grip the bar with an overhand grip and make sure your lower back is arched and tight.
Now lift, using glute and ham power to squeeze the bar off the floor.
Lower the bar down slowly then go again. You can set the bar on the floor between reps or keep it off the ground between reps. Either way will work. This one will help you build excellent adductor strength without having to sit on of those machines that look like they’re going to "make-a-wish" with your legs. And be very sure to squeeze those glutes hard to make sure they contribute to the movement!
Toes Raised in Rack Sumo Deadlifts This is a great exercise for targeting the glutes and lower back more in a deadlift movement. How you set your feet is going to really take a lot of the thigh involvement out of the deadlift. I’ve also thrown in a little twist with an isometric option to help with lockouts at the top, too. The best place to do this is in a rack.. .you could use a couple of blocks to elevate your toes but with a rack, you won’t risk those sliding out on you (you’ll see what I mean). So load up a bar with a lighter weight than you normally would use and set it in the rack like in the picture. Set your feet on the SIDE bottom rails of the rack so your toes are elevated and only your heels are on the floor. Your feet will be angled out to the sides. This position is known as a Sumo Deadlift - your arms will be inside your thighs instead of outside your thighs, with a fairly close grip on the bar.
Now you’re going to just perform a deadlift.
Because of the "sumo" position and how your toes are elevated and only your heels are down, your glutes will be activated MUCH more so than your quads.
To really activate the glutes, squeeze them hard as you lift the bar off the floor. As you can see, it’s best to do this in the rack where nothing is going to slide out sideways from under your feet. That other isometric option I mentioned? This one you DO need the rack for. Set the rails of the rack to a point just below the full lockout position of the exercise.
When you lift the bar, pull it right up against the safety rails and hold, continuing to pull against the rails. You can actually use this technique with ANY deadlift variation, so don’t think you have to just keep it to the one. When you’re pulling against the rails THAT is the time to really clench those glutes hard!
That’s the exercise! It’s a great way to really focus on the glutes, the rest of the posterior chain as well as the adductors. That wide stance really forces the adductors to work hard, without having to resort to sitting in one of those "make a wish" adductor machines.
Wide-Stance Toes-Up Squats This is a very simple variation of the regular barbell squat that’s going to put even more focus on the glutes and the adductors by taking a very wide stance AND by raising the toes up to get the quads minimized in the movement. Set the squat rack up exactly as you would for regular squats. Get under the bar and get it resting on your upper back and traps, just above your shoulder blades. Step back in the rack then set your feet out wide to the sides so that your heels are on the ground and your toes are up on the side bottom rails of the rack.
Now squat down as low as you can go. The further
you squat down, the more stretch you’ll put on the glutes and the more effective the exercise will be for them.
Now, focusing on pushing with your heels and squeezing the glutes, push yourself back up to the top position. This wide toes-up stance is going to really force the glutes to do a lot of work in the squat where normally, with a narrower stance, they don’t contribute quite as much.
Wide Stance Dumbbell Stiff- Legged Dead lifts This is a variation of the classic Stiff-Legged Deadlift movement. As the name describes, instead of keep your feet shoulder-width apart, you’ll be taking a wide stance, also known as a Sumo stance (named, of course, after Sumo wrestlers). This puts a different tension on the hamstrings, glutes and adductor muscles. It’s a very good one! Also, because we’re using a dumbbell, you won’t need to worry about the barbell contacting your legs as you do the exercise. I find the dumbbells give a better stretch when doing this wide-stance position because dumbbells are smaller and you can reach down further. Set the dumbbell on the floor between your feet. Set your feet out fairly wide - not full splits or anything but a fair distance (toes pointing out slightly).
Now, keeping your lower back arched and your core tight, lean forward and grab the dumbbell (overlapping hands on one dumbbell).
Now, keeping your legs stiff, do the deadlift movement. Squeeze the glutes and hamstrings as you’re doing it. With the legs apart, you’ll also feel the adductors getting involved, too.
That’s pretty much it! It’s a straightforward exercise the only difference from the normal version of the StiffLegged Deadlift is leg position and using a single dumbbell instead of a bar.
Trunk Twists With a Twist Tighten Your Love Handles To Make Your Glutes LOOK Bigger... You’re probably wondering why I’ve included an AB exercise in a glute training book. ..and the reason is simple. This is the SINGLE most effective exercise for tightening up the waist without having to lose extra fat.. .and the smaller your waist is, the BIGGER your butt will look.
And when you work to decrease waist size while also increasing glute size, the difference in appearance will give you DOUBLE the visual impact! So.. .the "love handles" are the areas just above your hips on your sides. But I don’t know many people who truly love theirs, which is why one of THE most common training goals around is getting rid of those things!
But here’s the problem.. .sometimes, even fat loss doesn’t always cut it when it comes to reducing the love handle area! Sure, you can peel off a lot of the fat, but even LEAN people sometimes find that this area STILL pokes out more than it should for the amount of bodyfat they carry. It can be a VERY frustrating thing, knowing that you’re doing all you can to lose fat and your love handles are still there. But there IS hope (and it’s NOT surgery)! I’ve got an exercise for you that will help to tighten up the muscles (the obliques) that lie directly UNDERNEATH the love handle area. While this won’t burn any of the fat that sits there (NO ab exercises will do THAT), it WILL help reduce the appearance and bulge of the area, giving you the more streamlined waist you want. So what is this magical exercise? I call it the "Trunk Twist With a Twist." This technique was a favorite of legendary bodybuilder Serge Nubret for achieving the wasp-thin waist he was famous for. On the surface, this exercise looks a lot like the regular broomstick twist you see people doing to warm up sometimes. Here’s the difference... instead of just mindlessly rotating your torso from side to side, you’re going to focus on SQUEEZING the obliques hard while keeping your head LOCKED in a forward position. This squeezing technique will dramatically tighten the obliques and help you diminish those love handles once and for all!
How To Do It: The setup for this exercise is simple! Put a bar or stick across your shoulders with your hands over the top and arms stretched out to the sides. Stand with your feet about a foot apart.
Now begin to twist your upper body around to the left side.
Here is the key.. .while you are twisting, keep your head facing STRAIGHT FORWARD instead of turning
your head along with your torso as you normally would. This is extremely important! If you turn your head, the exercise will be useless! It’s a good idea to do this exercise in front of a mirror (if you have one available), so you can see exactly what is going on. Look straight at yourself in the mirror and DO NOT move your head while you twist your torso (in fact, for a little extra squeeze, you can try to look as much as you can the OPPOSITE way). Keep twisting all the way around until you’ve turned as far as you can. When doing this twist, I like to try to tilt the bar down a bit towards the side I’m twisting to. This helps to increase the activation of the obliques by bending the torso over to the side a bit. At the height of the twist, squeeze the oblique area (right where your love handles are), contracting it AS HARD AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN and holding it for 3 to 5 seconds. This is the "money" part of the exercise. The actual twist only serves to get you into that position! When you’ve squeezed everything out of the left side, rotate around to the right side and do the same thing.
Common Errors: 1. Going too fast It is important to slow this exercise down and get a good squeeze on every single turn. If you simply bounce from one stretch to the other, you’ll get nothing out of this exercise. The only good part is the contraction.
2. Not squeezing the obliques hard As in #1, if you don’t squeeze, you won’t get results. Going through the motions won’t do a thing for you.
3. Letting your head turn with your torso If you turn your head along with your torso, the effect of the exercise will be greatly reduced. If you find that you have a hard time keeping your head forward, try turning it the other way as you turn your torso. This will help to put the squeeze on your sides.
Tricks: 1. Raising the knee To help increase the squeeze on the obliques, as you twist to one side, come up on your toes to raise your knee up towards your opposing hand as it comes around, e.g. if you’re twisting to the left, raise your left knee to try and meet your right hand. This increases the contraction on the obliques by helping to shorten the muscle from the other end (below), basically the opposing action to tilting the bar down that I mentioned prior.
2. Breathe in and out Hold the contraction for a few seconds and breathe in and out, squeezing out all the air you can on each exhalation. This will help get an even tighter contraction in the area.
3. Pull with one hand, push with the other As you do the twist, push with the far hand and pull with the other for a greater contraction. For example, if you’re twisting to the left, pull on the bar with your left hand and push it forward with your right.
4. Suck in your gut As you come towards the full turn, suck in your gut. This places an even greater contraction on the oblique muscle, tightening it up even further.
CONCLUSION: This exercise requires some practice to really get the maximum squeeze out of the muscles, but once you know how to do it, you’ll love it! To get the best results out of this exercise, perform it at the end of every single workout you do. Do just one or two sets of between 15 and 30 reps. This is not a power or resistance-based exercise. It’s all about the squeeze and the contraction, which is why we’re doing the higher reps here.
Barbell Curl Squats - The Toughest (and Most Effective!) Core Strength Exercise You Will EVER Do This is my very favorite core exercise and, trust me, you will feel why from the VERY FIRST REP. It’s a squat, but how you DO that squat forces the abdominal area to do almost ALL the work! If you want strong abs, it doesn’t matter if you’re a total beginner or an advanced trainer, TRY THIS EXERCISE. This is one of THE best overall abdominal/core exercises I’ve EVER found. If you want a stronger core and you want it fast, THIS is the exercise to focus on. It’s tough, but VERY effective. This exercise is actually found in one of my other books “The Best Ab Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” - so you’re getting another sneak peek here! The Curl Squat exercise is deceptively simple... basically, you’re going to do a squat while holding the barbell in the top of the barbell curl position. That’s it! So what makes this exercise different from a front squat (where you support the weight across the front of your shoulders)? And what makes is so EXTREMELY effective for training the core (which is the REAL reason for doing this particular exercise, NOT for working the legs)?
I’ll tell you! Holding the resistance in front of your body in the top curl position takes away the shoulder support that you would normally get with a front squat. ALL the supporting tension goes directly onto the muscles of the core, instead of having much of it being taken up by the shoulders. ALL your core muscles will have to contract HARD throughout the entire movement in order to keep the barbell from falling forward. The difference in position may seem subtle, but it’s tension that you have to experience to believe! This exercise also helps you to get a feel for how to properly use the abs during a squat, which is EXTREMELY important for maximizing your squat strength. Using the abs while squatting (especially at the bottom of the lift) is something that does not come naturally and is very rarely taught or explained to trainers. And believe me, it has the potential to add pounds to your squat FAST. Another great benefit to this exercise is that your breathing muscles (the intercostals) NEVER get a chance to relax during this movement. From top to bottom and back up (even while you’re "resting" at the top), your breathing muscles are being challenged because of the weight they’re being forced to support. This can build up great breathing strength (the term "breathing strength" may sound strange but watch a strongman explode a hot water bottle just by inflating it with lung power and you’ll know what I’m talking about!) and carries directly over to your work capacity in the regular barbell squat as well as most other
demanding exercises and sports!
How To Do It:
To do this exercise, all you really need is a barbell, but if you have access to a power rack, even better. The rack will make it easier to get into position for the exercise and will serve to "catch" the bar when you’re done. Set the rack up so that the racking pins are one notch below where you would normally set them for squats. The reason you want to set those pins one notch below is that by the time you’re done with the exercise, it may be very hard to get the bar up to the height where you would normally rack the bar! With the racks a little lower, you’ll have an easier time getting the bar back onto them. Set the safety rails just above where you normally set them for regular squats the first time you try this. When you develop a better feel for how it’s done, you can lower them a little to get the full range of motion. The weight should be about the same as what you would use for barbell curls for about 8 to 10 reps. This is a starting point - you can add weight as you get stronger with the exercise. Step in front of the bar and hold it in the top position of the barbell curl. Now stand up, unracking the bar. Don’t allow your elbows to brace against your midsection. This will take away from the supporting tension on the abs. Take a step back and get your feet set.
Now, holding the bar in that top curl position through the entire movement, squat down as far as you can then come back up. You don’t actually curl the bar while doing the squat, you just hold it in the top curl position.
To increase abdominal stability, you will be holding your breath during parts of this movement. As you start to lower yourself down, inhale. Begin holding your breath just below the halfway point of the squat as you come down to the bottom position. Continue to hold it until you’re about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way back up. If you don’t want to or are unable to hold your breath, exhale through pursed lips (as though you’re blowing up a balloon). Keeping the breath held towards the bottom will maximize core stability and allow your abs to function more effectively during the movement. Since this exercise uses relatively light weight compared to a regular squat, holding your breath is not nearly as potentially dangerous. That being said, if you DO feel lightheaded at any point in the exercise, rack the bar and rest. Always
use your best judgment here. The idea is to work yourself in a SAFE manner. When doing the exercise for the first time, it’s a good idea to start with just the bar, no matter how strong you are. This will help you get a feel for how the movement is done, where to set the safety rails and how far down you can comfortably go. When you’re comfortable, work your way up slowly from there as fatigue will come quickly. It’s a movement your body will be totally unused to, no matter how many abdominal exercises you’ve done in your training career before this. The muscles of the core will tire before your legs do. Be sure to keep your lower back arched and tight while performing this movement. If you’re able to, go all the way down until your elbows touch your knees. This will give you the fullest range of motion. Tense the abs hard, especially at the bottom as you’re coming back up. For extra resistance, pause at the bottom for a few seconds. This will give you the best feel for how the abs should be used when squatting. With this exercise, having the resistance in front of the body (similar to when you’re doing a front squat) allows you to keep a more vertical body position. The majority of the tension WILL go onto the abs, but be aware that there will also be some tension going to the lower back. Because you’re holding the weight out in front of you, the lower back must also contract to help stabilize the spine. As you keep up with the exercise, your lower back will get stronger.
COMMON ERRORS 1. Doing this exercise after a bicep workout As you can imagine, performing this exercise is not going be as effective if you’ve just finished a bicep workout. The biceps will already be fatigued and you’ll limit the amount of weight you can use and how long you can hold it for. Use this exercise on nonbicep training days, if possible.
2. Going too fast Dropping down quickly in the squat will put extra stress on the biceps as you come up and reduce the tension on the abs. This exercise should be done very deliberately with no bouncing or fast movements. If you have a tendency to do this, pause at the bottom for a few seconds to stop the bouncing.
3. Using too much weight Since the legs are so much stronger, it’s tempting to use too much weight for this exercise. Remember, our goal here is NOT to work the legs or the biceps but to work the abs. The legs and the biceps are only here to help push the abs. If your biceps fatigue before your abs get a good workout, you need to reduce the weight.
4. Leaning forward Try to keep your upper body as vertical as possible with this one. It’s very similar to a front squat - having the weight in front of you allows you to stay vertical
more easily. Leaning forward will cause the barbell to shift forward, which will put more tension on the biceps, causing them to fatigue prematurely. As you start to fatigue, you will notice you have a tendency to lean forward. This is because the supporting abs are weakening. Do your best to keep vertical. Once you start to move too far forward, end the set.
5. Bar too close to chin If the bar gets too close to the collarbones, you will lose some of the tension in the abs. Keep it at least a few inches away to maximize the supporting tension and torque demanded of the abs. If it comes too close, it may be tempting to rest the bar on your collarbones, which will turn it into an uncomfortable front squat.
6. Letting the elbows brace strongly against the midsection If you let the elbows press strongly into the midsection, it will take away some of the tension on the abs. A little contact is fine, especially as you get tired, but don’t rely on using this technique or it will make the exercise less effective. Letting the elbows sink in like this will also tend to hunch your back over, putting pressure on the lower back. This will in turn pull your torso and center of balance forward, putting more tension on the biceps, making you dig the elbows in more! Keep the elbows out front, away from your body and you’ll keep a better body position and do a more effective set.
TRICKS
1. Look forward and slightly up When you squat, keeping looking forward and slightly up. This will help you to keep an arch in your lower back and keep you from leaning forward. We want to avoid forward lean as it causes the biceps to fatigue prematurely.
2. Don’t breathe too deeply in or out as you’re coming down or pushing back up Breathing too much during this exercise reduces core stability and can compromise your form. For best core stabilization, keep your breath carefully controlled. At the bottom, you can hold your breath for a few moments to get the most solid stability. As you come up, you can exhale through pursed lips after you’ve come about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way. This technique shouldn’t be used if you have blood pressure issues, however, as it does cause an increase in blood pressure. Keep a careful eye on how you feel if you do choose to do this - and if you feel any dizziness, end the set and then don’t use this technique the next set.
3. Pause at the bottom To really maximize the tension on the abs, pause for a few seconds at the bottom and focus on really squeezing and tightening your abs hard. As you start to come back up, try to push with your abs as well. This will help you to feel what it’s like to use the abs to help push out of the bottom when doing regular barbell squats.
CONCLUSION:
If you’re serious about improving core strength, DEFINITELY add this exercise to your list. It is simply one of THE most effective core strength exercises I’ve ever found, and will provide you with dramatic increases in abdominal stability and strength. I hope you enjoyed this exercise!! This one will build great strength and stability in your core, which help you perform better in ALL your lunging and squatting movements, which will THEN help you build a bigger butt!
Programs and Workouts The programs and workouts are where it all comes together. It’s where you take everything (the exercises, the stretching and the nutrition) and apply it in a complete overall strategy. This is where the magic happens! Start with the program that best suits your current ability level, goals and time availability. As you progress in your training, you may wish to continue at the same level but with a different program or move to a higher level and try a program from there. In this book there IS a program that will work for you. More than likely, there will be MANY programs that will work really well for you. It’s up to you to determine which programs are effective for you and work hard at them, so definitely try many different programs that
appeal to you! If you use a program for 3 to 4 weeks and aren’t seeing the results you want, then change up and try a different one!
*Be sure to select a program that is appropriate for your training ability and don’t be afraid to push hard because THAT is where the real results are!!
Glute Workout Index In this section, you’re going to find a HUGE variety of workout options for building your glutes. I’ve divided up the workouts into training levels, how long they take to complete and where you’ll be doing them (home or gym) so you know exactly which workouts you should use. These workouts can be plugged right in to ANY basic program structure and can be used with many of the unique programs below. I’ll tell you how to create a program with them (it’s simple to do) and you can very easily work them into just about any other program you’re currently using, making them an ideal place to start your butt-building. Definitely play around with these and work through as many of them as you can! Once you learn how they’re put together and how they go, you can very easily create your OWN workouts based on these ones, putting in the exercises you find work best for YOU.
And THAT is where the real power of the Gluteus to the Maximus program comes into play...TEACHING you what works for glute training and letting you take the reins and OWN your workouts! Think of it as a "butt construction set" where you have the tools (the exercises and the workouts) and you have control over how everything gets put together, letting you customize the process to how YOU like to train.
It’s About Time... These workouts are divided into 10 minute and 20 minute workouts. If you feel you want or need more training for the glutes, you can also very easily mix and match workouts. For example, if you have 20 minutes available, you can do two 10-minute workouts back-to-back. Or you can do one of the 20 minute programs. If you have 30 minutes available, you can do a 20 minute program and a 10 minute program.
Beginner Workouts This level is most appropriate for people who are just
starting out with resistance training (0 to 3 months). If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend reading through the Weight Training for Beginners section for information about basic weight training principles, e.g. sets, reps, intensity, etc. It’ll help you get a lot more out of these workouts because you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about! 10 minute workouts for home 20 minute workouts for home 10 minute workouts for gym 20 minute workouts for gym
Intermediate Workouts This level is most appropriate for people who already have a moderate level of experience with resistance training (3 months to 1 year or more). 10 minute workouts for home 20 minute workouts for home 10 minute workouts for gym 20 minute workouts for gym
Advanced Workouts
This level is appropriate for trainers who have been performing resistance training steadily for at least 1 year or more. 10 minute workouts for home 20 minute workouts for home 10 minute workouts for gym 20 minute workouts for gym
About the Programs Everybody is different...everybody has a different skill level and strength level. Some people have more time available to exercise, some people have less. Many people want to focus all of their efforts entirely on their glutes while other want to focus on their glutes in the context of a more comprehensive program to work their whole body. For example, you may choose to do the 10 minute program completely on its own as a standalone workout. You may also choose to do the 10 minute program during your regular workout, including it in with other body parts.
There are many options when it comes to incorporating these programs into your routine. You will notice that many of the program titles are identical across different levels. The names of the programs and the concepts behind them are indeed identical. The difference is in the exercises performed and the intensity level of the program. In each program, you will get a detailed description of the structure of the program. You’ll find out the exercises to be done, the number of reps and sets of each exercise, the amount of rest to take in between sets, etc.
This information will be provided in the form of sample workouts for each program. There is enough variety in the sample workouts to keep you going (and growing!) for a long, long time!! And you can very easily adapt and substitute other exercises in for the ones listed in the program.
Going through the motions in any exercise program will not yield results and these programs are no different. In order to really
make progress you’re going to have to work hard at these programs. The results will be worth it!! You’ll also notice that I did not include any cardiovascular activities in any of the programs. This is because cardio activities generally are not very effective for building muscle and this is a book dedicated to building the glute muscles!
In fact, too much cardio can actually burn off so many calories that your body doesn’t have enough energy left over to build muscle! I’m not going to tell you to stop doing cardio, just reduce it. That being said, there are forms of cardio that CAN help promote muscle growth instead of working against it. High intensity interval training can actually help you build muscle.
How To Use These Programs: Each program can be used on its own to target only the glutes or can be added into the context of a more complete workout program. If you do add these workouts into another workout program, be sure to start with your glute training FIRST. If you want to build your glutes as fast as possible, you will need to prioritize them by working them first while your energy is highest. Keep a close eye on your rest periods. You may wish to use a stopwatch with a countdown feature that beeps when your rest time is done (the beeping will keep you honest!). Resting too much can diminish the intensity of your workout while resting too little may decrease your strength for the next set. Many of the programs rely on strategic rest periods to be effective! Follow the workouts closely when you first start. As you gain experience with the programs, feel free to try out variations that you come up with yourself. You may discover something that works even better for you!
There are many, many more combinations of exercises, sets, and reps that you can use. These workouts will help you to get an idea of what your workouts should consist of. Use the workouts from the Index in any order you like. For instance, you may do Workout #1 on Monday, then do Workout #5 on Wednesday, then Workout #3 on Friday. It is up to you. Keep track of which workouts feel the best to you and focus on those in your training. If you feel you need to structure your programs, simply go through the programs in order, e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. until you are done then repeat. The programs will give you a good balance of exercises, rep ranges and variety. Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout!
A Note About Training at Home: Training at home without any equipment is definitely possible though it will limit the exercises you are able to do. Also, the more resistance you’re able to add to
the exercises, the better your glute growth is going to be. The glutes are strong muscles and will thrive on added resistance! I would recommend investing in a set of dumbbells, if you can. You can either get adjustable dumbbells (if you don’t mind switching weights now and again) or a set of pre-made dumbbells. Adjustable dumbbells will be more economical but pre-made dumbbells will be more convenient to use. The choice is totally your preference as a 10 pound adjustable dumbbell weighs exactly the same as a 10 pound premade dumbbell. How large of weights you need will depend on your strength level. If you are just beginning, you can stick to weights of 5, 10, 15, and 20 pounds. If the store offers increments such as 7 1/2 pounds and 12 1/2 pounds, those are good to get as well. Smaller increments will mean it won’t be such a big jump when you increase the weight you are using. For more advanced trainers, I would recommend you also get 25, 30, and 35 pound
dumbbells. As you get stronger, you may even wish to go higher than this! You can purchase dumbbells at most sporting goods stores. Garage or yard sales often have dumbbells that have never even been used. Be careful if you plan on buying dumbbells online, thought...stores charge for shipping by weight. Be sure you find out what the shipping costs will b e before your order. Your great deal may be eaten up by shipping costs. You can also fill milk jugs with water or sand to make your own "dumbbells" or even load up a backpack with books or rocks as another way to add resistance.
A Note About Home Programs vs. Gym Programs: If you are working out in a gym, you can also use any of the programs that are designed for use at home. This gives you a greater range of possibilities. Gym programs will also include exercises that are found in the home programs.
Your Legs Will Get Worked, Too... Any program that effectively builds up your glutes will also build up your legs. There is simply no way around this. The exercises that are most effective for building up your glutes are also very effective for working the legs. There are methods in these exercises for focusing on the glutes specifically, e.g. foot placement on the leg press, and there are exercises incorporated into the programs that target only the glutes. By utilizing these methods and exercises in targeted programs, we can maximize the effects on the glutes compared to the rest of the legs. I just wanted to be sure that you’re aware going in that it is quite likely that you’re also going to develop some amazing legs after using these programs for awhile!! I’ve also included a section on How to Work Your Glutes When Your Thighs Take Over to help you focus more of the work on the glutes if your thighs tend to get more work when you do this training.
How to Adapt Your Training Programs Having preset workouts and programs is great but the real power of the program comes in when you have the knowledge to adapt the program yourself. You know yourself better than anyone else. You know what works for you and what doesn’t. So why follow a program that isn’t tailored to your exact needs? The workouts in the book are sample workouts. They are not set in stone. They are meant to be guidelines and are essentially springboards for you to craft your own workouts with. I can’t see you or know what you need so it is up to you to determine what works for you. Don’t worry! It’s not that hard! The main thing to remember is this: change
should be the only constant in your program. Your body will adapt to whatever stress you put on it. If you give it the same stress constantly, it will have no reason to adapt. Be creative in how you go at adapting these
programs. Nothing you do is necessarily wrong. Some crazy idea you have may just lead you to finding something that works better for you! I know this for a fact because I do this every single time I train. If you do come up with some amazing, be sure to let me know. I love hearing about how people adapt my programs into something new!
Here is a short list of a few of the things you can change in the sample workouts: 1. The number of reps you do If the program calls for 12 to 15 reps, try doing sets in the 5-7 rep range. The body responds differently to different rep ranges. Lower rep ranges build strength, moderate rep ranges build muscle, higher rep ranges build endurance (these are generalizations, of course). Rep ranges can go from one extreme to the other, e.g. 3 to 5 reps all the way 100+ reps. Every range has its value and a simple change like this can be very effective.
Some exercises lend themselves better to certain rep ranges. For instance, glute push-ups are more appropriate for high reps because you can’t use much resistance. Bench step one legged squats, on the other hand, lend themselves to lower reps because of the greater resistance.
2. The number of sets you do Increase or decrease the number of sets you are doing for an exercise/body part. You may find that your body responds better to more sets. You may find that you get your best results with fewer sets.
3. Change your training split/workout frequency You may find that you get better results with 4 sessions per week at 10 minutes per session rather than 3. You may find you do better with only 2 per week at 20 minutes per session. You may even want to do two 20 minute sessions and one 10 minute session. You can mix and match however you like!
4. Increase or decrease your rest time Shorter rest times are more demanding and more intense. Longer rest times will help with recovery in between sets and maximize your strength. The rest
times that you use can vary anywhere from 20 seconds all the way up to about 3 minutes. Rest time will often depend on the exercise you are doing. Squats involve more muscles and use more weight, therefore they generally require a longer rest period than an exercise such as glute push-ups. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, however. I have gotten great results from doing sets of squats with only 30 seconds rest between sets. Sure it’s hard but the results are there!
5. Change your exercises Learn some new exercises. This is one of the most popular methods of changing things. You can change exercises on a daily or weekly basis continually as you train. If you’ve gone through all the beginner exercises and want more, start using the intermediate ones. When you’ve used those, learn a few of the advanced ones. Keep mixing them all into your workouts for variety. Take the sample workouts in this book and trade out exercises that maybe work better for you than the ones that are listed.
6. Increase or decrease your workout time
If you’ve been getting good results with 10 minute sessions but your gains have slowed down, move to the 20 minute sessions. If you’ve been doing 20 minute sessions for awhile, why not try 10 minutes? To really shake things up, you may even wish to try a 40 minute session once in a while!
7. Incorporate intensity techniques You’ll notice, as you go through the programs, that there are techniques such as supersetting, preexhaust, post-exhuast, etc. Mix these techniques into your workouts from time to time for an added intensity boost.
When it comes right down to it, the sky’s the limit. When you do something different and it works for you, write it down so you know exactly what to do again. As you go along, you’ll build up a collection of great workouts that work great for you! And if you haven’t already picked it up, be sure and get your copy of the Gluteus to the Maximus – Advanced Accelerator book. This package gives you 23 MORE exercises and 4
complete programs designed to push the advanced glute-builder to a whole new level.
10 Minute Workouts For Home Beginner Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 10 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each workout should take you approximately 10 minutes to get through, not including a brief warmup and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out.
Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6 - Introduction to Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #7 - Introduction to PreExhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #8 - Introduction to PostExhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation
exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #9 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep.
Workout #10 - Everything In this workout you will be doing one set of each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can
substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #11 - One Thing
20 Minute Workouts For Home Beginner Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 20 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 20 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out.
Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6 - Introduction to Supersetting Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible.
The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #8 - Introduction to PostExhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this
example.
Workout #9 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. This workout won’t take 20 minutes, so you can also work in one of the 10 minute programs in addition to this one to hit the glutes harder.
Workout #10 - Everything In this workout you will be doing two sets each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #11 - One Thing
10 Minute Workouts For The Gym Beginner Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 10 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 10 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. These sample workouts are designed for people who have access to a gym or gym equipment (such as a home gym).
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those.
I would also encourage you to create your OWN workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6 - Introduction to Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #7 - Introduction to PreExhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #8 - Introduction to PostExhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation
exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #9 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep.
Workout #10 - Everything In this workout you will be doing one set of each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can
substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #11 - One Thing
20 Minute Workouts For the Home Beginner Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 20 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 20 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. These sample workouts are designed for people who have access to a gym or gym equipment (such as a home gym).
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those.
I would also encourage you to create your OWN workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout!
Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6 - Introduction to Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #7 - Introduction to PreExhaust Training
Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #8 - Introduction to PostExhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the
isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #9 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. This workout won’t take 20 minutes, so you can also work in one of the 10 minute programs in addition to this one to hit the glutes harder.
Workout #10 - Everything In this workout you will be doing two sets each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #11 - One Thing
10 Minute Workouts For Home Intermediate Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 10 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 10 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout!
Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without
any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other
exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing one set of each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
20 Minute Workouts For Home
Intermediate Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 20 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 20 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out.
Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout!
Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute
Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing two sets each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
10 Minute Workouts For the Gym Intermediate Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 10 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 10 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner and home programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Superset #1
Superset #2
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this
example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then
going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing one set of each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
20 Minute Workouts For the Home Intermediate Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 20 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 20 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner and home programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Superset #1
Superset #2
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. It is typically targeted for more advanced trainers but it can have great deal of value for beginners who are looking to get the most efficient workout possible. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions, Hip Extension Machine) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, StepUps). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting
muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing two sets of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
10 Minute Workouts For Home Advanced Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 10 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 10 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner and intermediate programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways.
Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other
exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing one set of each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
20 Minute Workouts For Home Advanced Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 20 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 20 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner and intermediate programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Superset #1
Superset #2
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other
exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing two sets each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
10 Minute Workouts For the Gym Advanced Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 10 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 10 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner, intermediate and home programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Superset #1
Superset #2
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions,
Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything In this workout you will be doing one set of each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
20 Minute Workouts For the Gym Advanced Level This program is based on a training schedule where you have 20 minutes a day in which to exercise your glutes. Each sample workout should take you approximately 20 minutes to get through, not including a brief warm-up and cool-down. They may take less time than this but they may also take a little more. The time listed here is basically just a rough guideline as every workout will be different. Feel free to make use of any of the beginner, intermediate and home programs as well.
Using These Workouts In a Glutes-Only Program: When using these workouts, I recommend working the glutes 3 times a week taking at least one day off in between sessions, e.g. go Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Here’s what it would look like in a program schedule:
Choose ONE of these workouts to do each session (don’t try and do them all at once!) You can go through and try all the workouts to see how they feel, then pick the ones you feel worked your glutes the best and focus on those. I would also encourage you to create your OWN
workouts based on these ones! I’ve included some suggested exercise substitutions that you can try out. Read through the Exercise Index to find other similar exercises to put into these sample workouts.
Remember to stretch in between sets and after your workout! Workout #1
Workout #2
Workout #3
Workout #4
Workout #5
Workout #6
Workout #7
Workout #8 - Supersetting A Superset is basically two exercises done without any rest in between. It is an excellent way to push the muscles further, especially when both exercises work the same muscles but in different ways. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Superset #1
Superset #2
Workout #9 - Pre-Exhaust Training Pre-Exhaust Training is a form of Supersetting. The theory behind it is simple: start with an exercise that works only the target muscle (known as an isolation exercise, e.g. Glute Cable Extensions, Glute Push-Ups, Kneeling Dumbbell Glute Extensions) then do an exercise that works the target muscle along with some assisting muscles (known as a compound exercise, e.g. Lunges, Squats, Leg Press, Step-Ups). Your target muscle (the glutes) will be pre-exhausted for the next exercise, thereby allowing your assisting muscles to push your target muscle further than it could go on its own. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this
example.
Workout #10 - Post-Exhaust Training This type of training is basically just a switch around from Pre-Exhaust training. Instead of doing the isolation exercise first, you will do the isolation exercise second. This allows you to work the glutes along with the assisting muscles then, when the assisting muscles are done, work only the glutes to really finish them off. Be sure to experiment with different exercise and repetition combinations using the principles in this example.
Workout #11 - Two Exercises In One
This technique is very similar to a Superset, however instead of completing a set with one exercise then going directly into another one, you will do one rep of one exercise then go directly into one rep of the other exercise. One rep of each exercise counts as one rep of your target total, e.g. 1 rep of the first exercise then 1 rep of the second exercise is counted as 1 total rep. For added intensity, don’t stop when you’ve exhausted yourself on the harder exercise, continue with the easier exercise.
Workout #12 - Alternating Exercises
Workout #13 - Everything
In this workout you will be doing two sets each of some of the exercises I’ve mentioned above. You can substitute other exercises in for any of the exercises listed here.
Workout #14 - One Thing
Thank you for reading my book. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. For updates, additional fitness tips, and more, please send me an email:
[email protected] About the Author:
Nick Nilsson is known in the fitness world as the "Mad Scientist of Exercise," and for good reason! For more than 20 years, Nick has been creating unique, new exercises and training techniques and putting together some of the most innovative muscle-building and fat-loss programs available anywhere. To create these unique programs and exercises, Nick puts to work his degree in Physical Education, covering advanced biomechanics, kinesiology, anatomy and physiology. When you put his exercises and programs to work, you’ll immediately see and feel exactly how this combination of science, practical knowledge, thinking outside the box and just a little bit of insanity really mesh together to maximize every aspect of your training! Nick uses his experience as a former skinny guy to help your build the body of your dreams, whether it is building muscle, losing fat or both! He has helped literally THOUSANDS of people accomplish their goals and achieve results above and beyond the reach of more traditional programs.
