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Powerful Tips, Tricks and Techniques For Building Larger,
Firmer, Rounder Glutes
By Nick Nilsson
Do
your thighs get more work than your glutes when you're doing glute
exercises? This information is going to change the way you train your
glutes forever!
It's a common problem that many people run into when they're trying to
build and work the glutes: the thighs take over the exercises and the
glutes get left out in the cold!
One
of the major reasons this happens is that some of the most effective
glute-building exercises are also among the most effective
thigh-building exercises, e.g. squats, lunges, leg press, etc.
And,
quite often, a person who has smaller glutes and whose goal is to build
their glutes already has muscle attachments and leverage issues that
favor thigh development over glute development. This can set them back
right from the start.
If
this sounds like you, read on, because the information you get today is
going to change the way you approach your glute training forever!
Let
me put it this way...if your glutes already have a hard time getting
involved in exercises, performing more exercises won't solve the
problem! You've got to properly target your training to make sure the
glutes get worked more than the thighs or you simply WILL NOT be able to
maximize your glute development.
Today, you're going to learn a number of training techniques that can
help build those large, round firm glutes you've been looking for! They
will help you to overcome any physical and anatomical limitations your
glutes may have.
[Please
note: there will be a link to photo demonstrations of several of
these exercises, positions and techniques below.]
Techniques:
1. Consciously
squeeze your glutes HARD while doing your exercises
Are
you sitting in a chair? Clench your glutes as hard as you can. Feel the
squeeze? This is what you need to strive for while doing glute
exercises.
When
you do a lunge, squeeze the glute hard while you're pushing up. This
will help to activate the glute muscle. It's all about getting your mind
into the muscle and forcing it to contract rather than just going
through the motions of an exercise. By concentrating on squeezing the
glutes hard during your sets (of whatever exercise you're doing), you'll
be activating the muscle fibers of the glutes and increasing the amount
of work they do.
If
you don't believe this technique can work, try this: go for a walk up
and down some hills squeezing your glutes hard as you push yourself
forward with each step you take. The following day, sitting down will
take on a whole new challenge!
2. Push with your
heels
The
transmission of force and tension from your foot through your leg and
glute can be altered by where you put the tension on your foot. If you
push with the balls of your feet (the forefoot area), more tension will
be placed on the frontal thigh (the quadriceps). If you focus on pushing
more with your heels, more tension will go through the back of the
thighs and to your glutes.
By
pushing with your heels, you can take FULL advantage of this
force/tension relationship. For example, when you're doing lunges, try
to raise the toes of your front foot off the ground. This removes
tension from the front and focuses more on the heel. This will, in turn,
send more tension to the glutes, making them work harder.
There
are several practical techniques you can use to really force the heel
push. For example, on lunges, do them with your heel on the edge of a
stair or Step platform. Place ONLY your heel on the surface and do the
lunge from there (be careful of your balance on this, however, as your
base of support is decreased with this technique).
If
you're doing the leg press, you can focus on the glutes by placing your
heels on the top edge of the foot plate (the rest of your feet surface
will be off the top and not pushing on anything). When doing squats,
simply raise your toes up in your shoes to achieve a similar effect.
To
view these techniques in action,
please click
this link
3. Visualize "sitting
back" when you're doing your glute exercises
This
idea is similar to the concept of pushing with your heels above. When
you "sit back," more tension will be sent through the back of the thighs
and the glutes. If you lean forward (the opposite of the "sitting
back"), you will tend to throw more tension on the quadriceps (the front
of the thighs).
We
can use both the squat and the lunge as examples of this. When doing the
lunge, don't let your torso angle forward while you're performing the
movement. This will throw more tension on the quads. Visualize yourself
"sitting back" into the movement. Your body won't let you lean back far
enough to fall over but this "lean-back" will put more tension on the
glutes immediately. This is something you can try at home right now and
feel the difference right away.
If,
when you're doing squats, you don't normally feel the glutes working
very strongly, you could very well be leaning too far forward as you
squat. This throws more tension onto the quads and lower back. This
problem is often caused by a lack of flexibility in the calves. To fix
this, stretch the calves for at least 5 minutes before doing any squat
exercise. You will soon find you're able to sit back more and maintain a
better body position (more upright torso). This will turn the squat into
a great glute-builder for you!
IMPORTANT! If you do
Smith Machine squats, specifically with the feet placed a little forward
of the bar while you sit backwards into the bar as you do the movement,
beware! This variation of the squat places a TREMENDOUS shearing force
on your knees.
Unfortunately, the knee joint simply wasn't designed to push backwards
against resistance in this fashion and long-term use of this squat
variation can lead to knee injury (basically, every time you do this
exercise, you're grinding the connective tissue down a little more - not
a good situation). Don't worry, though! Squats themselves, when done
properly, are an excellent exercise!
To
view these techniques in action,
please click
this link
4. Pre-Exhaust
Training
Pre-Exhaust Training is one of the single most effective techniques for
FORCING reluctant muscles to respond to training. The idea behind this
technique is simple: first, use an exercise that works ONLY the target
muscle. Then, immediately follow that with an exercise that works the
target muscle AND several other muscles in addition. You essentially
exhaust the target muscle first (with an isolation exercise that works
only that single muscle) then use an exercise that utilizes other
muscles (a compound exercise) to help push that already pre-exhausted
target muscle harder.
The
two isolation (single-muscle) exercises that I recommend for the glutes
are low pulley glute extensions and glute push-ups. Low pulley glute
extensions are done by attaching an ankle harness to your leg, standing
facing the pulley machine and extending your leg straight back behind
you. Glute push-ups are done by laying flat on your back with your knees
bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. From this position, push
your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes hard. This
exercise can also be done one leg at a time (just cross the non-working
leg over the other).
Do as
many reps of this exercise as it takes to reach muscular fatigue (it
could be 8, 15 or even more, depending on the resistance and your
strength). The real muscle-building work gets done on the second
exercise.
To
view these two exercises in action, please
click this
link
When
you've completed your set, immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY - no rest
periods here) move into the compound exercise for the glutes. Compound
exercises for the glutes include squats, lunges, leg press, and (my
personal favorite glute-builder) the one-legged bench step squat.
Use a
fairly heavy resistance for the compound exercise...as I mentioned
above, this is where the muscle-building work gets done. Use a
resistance that will allow you get about 8 to 12 reps per set. This is
the most effective rep range for muscle building.
Squats
Lunges
One-Legged
Bench Step Squats (demo
video):
In my
experience, the best pre-exhaust approach is to focus on one leg at a
time rather than doing both. It may take a little longer but the glutes
get worked more thoroughly and your results will most likely be better.
For example, do One-Legged Glute Push-Ups with your left leg then
immediately do Bench Step One-Legged Squats on your left leg. Take a
rest then do a set for your right leg.
Conclusion:
Regularly using the four training techniques I've described above can
have a HUGE impact on your glute-building progress. It's all about
properly targeting your training to FORCE the glutes to take the lead in
the exercise. With these tips, you will build larger, firmer, rounder
glutes. Guaranteed!
Interested in a complete glute-building training manual to take ALL the
guesswork out of building those larger, rounder, firmer glutes? You need
"Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!"
In it
you'll find exercises, training programs, workouts, nutrition and
supplement information, stretches, and much more...all targeted towards
one single goal: building a bigger butt FAST!
Click this
link right now to learn more!
------------------
Nick
Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company
BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and
has been inventing new training techniques
for more than 15 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding
eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises
You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt
NOW!" and "Specialization Training," all
available here.
He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.
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