Warmer weather is just around the corner, which means we will be trading our jeans and sweat pants for bikinis and shorts. If you want to achieve fuller and rounder glutes by summer, check out my eight training tips and workout below!
Keep weight in heels. You may not be thinking much of it, but focusing on pushing the weight through your heels can significantly increase the activation of your glute and hamstring muscles for certain exercises such as squats, lunges and deadlifts.
Vary your feet placement. Instead of keeping your toes forward, try placing them out at an angle. Try widening your stance as well as narrowing your stance. These will work exceptionally well with squats and deadlifts! You can also try one-leg reps. When lunging, don’t forget to try diagonal lunges and “curtsy” lunges.
Keep toes in line with knees. This is important to prevent injury and to get the maximum result from your lifting. Make sure the knees don’t bend in or out! If this happens, maybe it would be a good idea to lower the weight so that your form doesn’t suffer.
Use mind-muscle connection. Think about the exercise you are performing and don’t just go through the movements. It’s easy to lose focus on the last few sets. Concentrate on which muscle you should be activating and where you are feeling the burn.
Pre-exhaust your glutes. Try a high-rep, low-weight quick set of a glute exercise before you begin your workout! An example would be 20 cable kickbacks (each leg) before you begin your workout.
Incorporate glutes into your cardio regimen. Instead of standard running on the treadmill, why not try walking lunges on an incline on the same machine? You will find that this will take less time and you will certainly feel the burn. I am also a fan of the StepMill (don’t hold on) and Jacobs Ladder! These machines do a fantastic job of activating the glutes if done properly.
Vary reps and weight. Don’t let your glutes become accustomed to a certain weight/rep amount. It’s always good to switch things up and shock your body! This is great for a mental refresher, too, as it will help prevent you from getting bored with your regimen.
Incorporate plyometrics in the mix. Plyos are great for tightening and toning the glutes. Not only are they convenient to perform because they can be done almost anywhere, but they can also get your heart rate up. Plyometric exercises can also be an efficient pre-exhaust exercise as well!
Here’s an example of a great glute workout that you can try:
Pre-exhaust glutes with 20 cable kickbacks on each leg
4×10 leg press: shoulder-width stance, feet high on the sled
4×10 prone hamstring curls (each leg)
3×10 each leg pistol squats (one leg)
3×10 straight-leg deadlifts: wide leg stance
3×10 sumo squats with dumbbell (wide stance)
3×10 plyo box jumps
3×10 one-leg deadlifts with dumbbell
3×10 curtsy lunges (each leg)
Happy Glute Training!
