The Ultimate Booty Blaster Workout - Part II
A Glute Workout For The Gym
By Stacey Nolan Young
Summer has arrived…officially. And it has brought with it some scorching temperatures already. The shorts, skirts and bathing suits have come out of hiding and by that token, so has your butt! With more attention on your rear end at this time of year, it’s best that you get it looking great.
Last week I posted Part One of this article where I let you in on a fantastic glute workout that you can do from your own home. As Emeril says, “Let’s kick it up a notch” and give you a more intense workout for your booty to be done in the gym.
Let’s Get Started
You will need to do a proper warm up prior to this workout. It’s safe to say that this is a necessity for any workout that you are about to embark upon. Your joints and your muscles need to be properly warmed up in order to enjoy a safe workout. This can be accomplished by stepping onto a piece of equipment at the gym like a treadmill or bike and moving at a moderate pace for 5 minutes.
Stretching
Normally, I am definitely not an advocate of stretching prior to exercise because this can weaken the muscles and therefore the joints before using them. But there are times when stretching becomes a useful tool before exercise. Because we are focusing on the gluteal muscles, we want to make sure that we are effectively targeting them. If we stretch some of the opposing muscle groups to the glutes, then we are actually taking them out of play by weakening them which will allow us to properly hone in on the glutes.
Stretch #1 - Hip Flexor Stretch
As seen in the picture above you are to place one foot forward on your mat. Your back should remain completely straight. Gently shift your weight forward on your front leg until you feel a stretch in the front of your leg (near your hip) that is behind you.Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and repeat on the opposite leg.
Stretch #2 - Piriformis Stretch
As shown, this stretch is to be performed on your hands and knees. From that position move your right hand out to the side and place your right foot over your left foot almost as if you are holding it there. Shift your hip to the right while maintaining your position. You should be able to feel a stretch in the side of your butt. Once you feel this, hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side (left hand out, left foot over right foot).
The “Nitty Gritty”
1. Glute Alphabet
On your hands and knees, raise one leg straight out behind you. With this foot begin writing the alphabet in the air starting with the letter “A” and try to work your way to the end of the alphabet. By the time you get half way through the alphabet your glutes should be on fire. You’ll probably notice that your hand… errr… footwriting is about as uncoordinated as a 2 year olds, but this won’t change the effectiveness of the exercise. Perform the alphabet with each leg and then take a 1 minute rest. You will be doing this exercise 1 more time. The breakdown will look like this:
Entire alphabet per leg - 1 minute rest
Entire alphabet per leg - 1 minute rest
2. Step Ups
This exercise is a lot tougher than it appears. This is not just simply stepping up onto a bench. The trick is to actually utilize the muscles in your legs and your glutes effectively. In order to accomplish this you must position yourself standing fairly close to a bench. Place one foot on the bench (usually starting with your weaker leg) in the center of the bench. At this point I would like for you to curl both sets of toes UP into your shoes. This will allow the proper muscles to do the work throughout the exercise and it will limit you from “pushing off” with your toes. Slowly step up onto the bench. This should be difficult so really focus on this movement. Do not bounce at the bottom. Come back down with the opposite leg and and perform a repetition with this side. Continue to alternate legs.
Perform 8-10 repetitions of this and then take a 1 minute rest. You will be doing this exercise 2 more times. The breakdown will look like this:
8-10 repetitions per leg - 1 minute rest
8-10 repetitions per leg - 1 minute rest
8-10 repetitions per leg - 1 minute rest
3. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Off Box
To perform this movement you’ll need to place two dumbbells on a low box (about 8″) or aerobic step. From here you’ll bend forward at the hip bringing one leg straight out behind you in line with your body. (It helps to think of a broomstick running from the foot to the back or your head all the way to the ankle.)
From this position, slightly bend the planted leg and grasp the dumbbells. Stand up by strongly contracting the glutes and then drive the hips back as you lower to the starting position to avoid falling forward. Make sure the dumbbells come to a complete stop on the box between reps.
The trailing leg and the body should move as one unit. Personally, I like to think of those drinking bird toys that you can attach to the side of a glass. Balance will be difficult at first, but over the course of a few weeks this movement should become much easier and your weights should increase dramatically.
Perform 8 repetitions per leg of this and then take a 1 minute rest. You will be doing this exercise 2 more times. The breakdown will look like this:
8 repetitions per leg - 1 minute rest
8 repetitions per leg - 1 minute rest
8 repetitions per leg - 1 minute rest
4. Cable Pull Through - Bent Knee Variation
Your final exercise in this workout is also a tough one that will finish off your glutes. Good form is very important for this one. As a word of warning, you may feel silly doing this one in the gym but I guarantee that this is one of the best glute exercises known. The “potential humiliation” is worth it!
In order to perform this exercise you’ll need to set up at a cable pulley. You’ll want to use the rope attachment at the lowest setting on the pully. For females, start with 40-50lbs as a warm up and for males 60-70lbs. You will be able to adjust the weight as necessary but it is not unusual for women to be pulling 70-80lbs and men over 90lbs. While getting comfortable with this exercise, use lower weights until you are ready to move up.
To begin, straddle the rope, pick it up in between your legs with both hands and walk out a few feet in front of you. Position your legs wide apart. Lean forward (almost on your toes) while keeping your back perfectly straight and your head forward. Push your hips way back, slightly bend your knees and return to the start position (leaning forward) by squeezing your glutes together. Pretend you are pinching pennies with your butt cheeks.
You should feel this in your glutes and not your lower back. If you feel this in your lower back make sure that your form is correct and that you are leaning forward enough. The object is to have enough weight on the cable to allow you to lean forward. Feeling as if you are going to fall backward is normal for this exercise. Your back should be straight.
Perform 10 repetitions of this and then take a 1 minute rest. You will be doing this exercise 2 more times. The breakdown will look like this:
10 repetitions - 1 minute rest
10 repetitions - 1 minute rest
10 repetitions - DONE!
With the exercise portion complete, make sure you cool down with some stretching and some light cardio to finish up your workout. Yes, your butt will be sore the next day but the ultimate pay off is worth the temporary pain! Feeling confident walking on the beach in that cute bikini is a much better feeling!
Posted: June 26th, 2009 at 11:10am By: stacey