Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Backside Builder


As many of you know, it takes time, persistence, dedication and a lot of work to achieve your goals. If one of those goals happens to be a nice derriere then this is the workout for you! Let’s be honest, when you see a nice booty you can’t help but notice. ;) A bodacious booty is something that takes time to build and sculpt, just like any other body part but with the right tools, you will be well on your way!

“How do you get your butt like that?” is a fitness question I hear a lot and yes, genetics plays a part in that but genes aren’t everything. Some may up their cardio to build their backside using the step mill or elliptical but weight training is the first stop in improving your glutes. When it comes to training the glutes, I like to stick with the basics. You do not need to do 15 different exercises per workout to get results. You need to work hard and push your behind out of your comfort zone.

Do skip on the light weights. Your butt gets bigger as it gets stronger. You need to challenge your backside with enough stimuli if you want it to grow. Training your glutes 1-2x a week is plenty when working on building it up. More is not necessarily better; you also need to provide sufficient rest and recovery to achieve gains. So if you are ready…. Here is your “Get Cheeky” workout! (I am planning on doing this workout this week and will post a clip of each one)

  • Squats- Squats are the King (or queen) of lower body exercises! Squats work your entire posterior chain (Low back, glutes, hammies) AND your anterior chain (quads, hips). Squatting just below parallel requires your booty/hammies to actively engage and work under more stimulus than parallel squats…so get low. The narrower your stance, the more emphasis that is placed on your quads so keep your feet shoulder width apart with your toes slightly pointed out. There are MANY variations of squats but for starters start with a back squat, placing emphasis on form and depth before adding in variety.

  • Walking Lunges with weight- If you have ever performed these then you know your heart rate elevates and it is hard to sit down the next day! You can either hold dumbbells at your side or use a straight barbell on your back. Start by taking a big step forward, performing a lunge and alternating sides as you move forward. The bigger the step and lower you go, the more activation of your glute/hammies.

  • Barbell hip thrusts- This exercise is fantastic for building the glute medius (think upper booty). Start by sitting on the ground with your back against a bench and your feet firmly planted. Place a barbell across your lap (use a pad if you need) and raise your hips towards the ceiling by driving with your glutes. Rise until your torso is parallel with the floor and squeeze your glutes at the top. Return to the starting position, hovering over the ground before raising your hips again. 
  • Straight leg Deadlifts- Start with your feet hip width apart, holding a barbell against your thighs. Keeping your back straight, bend at the waist allowing the weight to slide along the front of your legs while you push your hips back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Contract your booty and slowly bring yourself back to the start. 

  • Deep Lunge Step-ups- These bad boys allow you to really stretch the posterior chain and activate each glute when rising to the top. Start by standing facing a bench or high step. Place one foot on top of the bench while placing the other foot slightly behind you (enough that you can drop the knee towards the floor). Start by dropping your knee towards the floor (on the leg that is behind you) and push yourself up until you are standing on top of the bench on the front leg. Repeat 12x per side before switching. 

Train hard, devote time for a great work out and be diligent in your training. If it starts to burn, keep pushing and you will receive a good response. Good luck!

Take care of you,




J

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing this workout. I can't wait to try them! I am sure I won't be saying thanks the next day but still thinking tomorrow might be the day to do it.

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