When it comes to the glutes and referring to this body part to clients, I always feel awkward. Like, what should I call it? Should I say it’s the glutes, the rear end, the butt, or your posterior? Then I get caught in the in-between phase, and the client picks up on my awkwardness and says.
“Shane, it’s your loud and proud. Stick it out there.”
Okay, problem solved, as my face becomes a bright shade of red.
Anyhow, probably no other body part has been immortalized in songs like the butt. Here is exhibit A.
Would I go through a whole post without the Sir-Mix-A-Lot song?
Let’s face it: every muscle is important, but some are more important than others. The glutes are the number one on my list. It is the one muscle that is the focus of all my programs. Ask my clients, and they will tell you this through gritted teeth. Here, we’ll explain why training the glutes is critical and give you three exercises to pump up your posterior.
Geez, I hope Sir Mix-A-Lot reads this.
Benefits of Glutes Training
I once had a client who didn’t like training her lower body but came up with the catchphrase” Fight The Flat Butt” to get her through it. Someone with a muscular upper body or thighs with no glutes isn’t a good look. Besides vanity, here are some excellent reasons to pump up your posterior.
Improved Posture
Your glutes (among other muscles) are responsible for keeping you upright and in a good standing posture. However, the glute muscles weaken over time because we live in a sit-happy world. By strengthening the glute muscles, you ensure better posture and improve performance in and out of the gym: nudge, wink, wink.
Get Hurt Less Often
When you are middle-aged and clumsy like me, injuries happen. That’s why you should do everything possible to lessen the risk of getting hurt. Unless you’ve lived under a rock, stronger glutes will decrease your risk of lower back pain and injuries. Strong, baby got back, and mobile glutes put your lower back in a better position and take the stress off it, too.
Strengthen Muscle Imbalances
The world happens in front of us and not behind us; anterior (front) muscles are often stronger than our back (posterior) muscles. Muscle imbalances happen during activities of daily living or imbalanced workouts. But by regularly training the glutes, you’ll go a long way to strengthening these imbalances between the anterior and posterior parts of your body.
Get It Smacked More Often
If you like that kind of thing. I’m going to plead the 5th.
3 Glute Exercises To Pump Up Your Posterior
Before starting, I will dodge a bullet or at least try to. The barbell hip thrust is a fantastic exercise for adding size and strength to your behind, but it does not make my cut. Why? Because I’m not a fan, and it’s my list. That’s why. Anyhow, here are another three exercises to pump up your posterior.
Cable Pull-Through
The cable pull-through(which can also be performed with a band) is a hip extension exercise that focuses on the glutes and hamstrings. As this exercise resembles something else, it is best to avoid making eye contact with anyone when performing it. This exercise encourages you to sit back in your hips and finish with your glutes, making it a simple variation to pump up your posterior.
How to do it:
Attach a rope to the cable machine’s set on its lowest setting or a band anchored down low.
Then, turn around and face away from it with the rope attachment between your legs and palms facing each other.
Take a few steps forward until you feel tension.
Set your feet hip-width apart and hinge back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings while keeping a straight back.
Return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at lockout.
Sets & Reps: This is best performed for two to four sets at higher reps between 12 and 15.
Landmine Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
The usual Single-Leg RDL is excellent for improved performance, injury prevention, and pumping up your glutes, but it is a balance challenge. The single-leg landmine RDL, however, takes some of the challenge away due to the long lever and lifting angle. You get all the glute-building benefits without falling flat on your face. Once you get the hang of it, you can load up to hammer those glutes. And yes, I just said that.
How to do it:
Stand side on to the landmine barbell and hinge down, grip the bar’s end with one hand, and stand up.
Take the same leg off the ground as the hand gripping it, soften your knee, and hinge back until the handle is below your knee height.
Push your foot through the floor, extend the glutes, and reset and repeat.
Sets & Reps: It is more of a strength exercise than the cable pull-through, so 3 to 4 sets of six to 12 reps work well.
Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
The RFESS is also known as the Bulgarian split squat, and I apologize in advance for this one. This brutal exercise builds leg drive with its greater range of motion and massive recruitment of the quads and glutes. Elevating the back foot reduces your stability and increases the ROM, and the glutes work harder to pull you out of the bottom of this exercise. In short, they build your glutes, but they suck.
How to do it:
Place your back flat on a weight bench behind you.
Get your front foot in a comfortable position, and find your balance.
Drop your back knee to the floor while keeping your chest up and shoulders down with a slight forward lean of your upper body.
Once you reach your desired ROM, drive through your front foot and return to the starting position.
Sets & Reps: The RFESS is easy for the first few reps, and then the suck begins. I prefer to program them between six to 12 reps for two to three sets.
Wrapping Up
Training your glutes is non-negotiable, in my opinion, and it’s a body part that should be the focus of your strength training routine. Strong and mobile glutes improve everything, if you know what I mean. These three exercises barely scratch the surface of glute training, but they are a great start. Okay, no more Sir Mix-A-Lot references. I think I wore that one out.
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