Five years ago, I was just beginning my fitness journey— skinny fat with a flat fanny. After years of good ole fashioned hard work, I’m thrilled to have been given the opportunity to share my better butt best practices in “Booty Beautiful,” featured in the August 2012 FitnessRx For Women magazine. In it, I share an intense glute workout with my eight favorite exercises to help round and tighten the backside. I provide detailed instructions to help you master the form as well as nutrition, supplementation and cardio tips to complement the training. I hope you love it.
The woman initially behind my pursuit for a better butt was my fitness mentor and the Bombshell booty architect, Shannon Dey. Shannon introduced me to glute training years ago and made it my urgent priority when she called my rear the “flat lands of Kansas.” (Too funny.) Prior to Shannon’s direction, I assumed that cardio and leg training would be enough to build and tone the glutes. Wow— was I wrong. Since Shannon has helped many women get their butts in shape and we just can’t get enough glute training, I caught up with her to glean a few more booty beautiful tips. Here’s what she had to say…
Jaime: Obviously, not all butts look exactly the same and that’s a good thing. That said, from your perspective, what are some universal signs of a good, fit butt?
Shannon: No, not all butts are alike! However, there are some aspects that all good butts have! A good butt sits high, is firm and has roundness. It doesn’t matter if the booty is smaller or larger, as long as it is firm and sits high with a good shape.
Jaime: What is the most counterproductive thing a woman can do if she is trying to grow her glutes?
Shannon: The biggest downfall to a good butt is starving the muscle. When a woman starves herself or attempts to lose weight by drastically cutting calories, there is nothing left to fill out the muscle, leaving behind a booty that is simply a flatter, flabbier version of what it already was! In order to have a great butt, you have to feed it! Meaning, eating enough calories to keep the muscle full while training it in order to give it great shape.
Jaime: What is the most common mistake or biggest misconception about glute training?
Shannon: Most people believe that their butt gets plenty of work when they do legs. This is definitely a misconception! The glutes are a muscle group that must be worked separately from the legs. The exercises performed during glute training must specifically train the butt and you must FEEL it working the glutes while performing them. Keep your booty training separate from your leg training and you will see much quicker results!
Jaime: In your opinion, what is the most effective booty-building exercise?
Shannon: A staple in everyone’s booty-building arsenal should be the leg press with feet positioned high and wide on the platform. This exercise targets the entire muscle from top to bottom and creates roundness in the glutes.
A Winning Thought
Never allow your current circumstances limit your vision for the future. If we do, we may never fully realize who we are and what we have the potential to become. So, move those dreams and goals lingering in the back of your mind to the forefront and take one small step in their direction today. Eventually, those small steps will add up and what was only a dream will become your reality. That’s exactly what has happened for me and what I wish for you. Be YOUR BEST!
For even more better butt tips, make sure to check out my “Booty Beautiful Video Series” beginning THIS THURSDAY, JUNE 28TH at FitnessRxWomen.com, and pick up the August 2012 issue of FitnessRx For Women Magazine (on sale now).
Hit me up on Facebook and Twitter— I love hearing from you. Let me know what you think of this YOUR BEST and what topics you would like for me to cover in the future.
