How To Grow Your Glutes (How To Grow Your Butt)
What Are Glutes:
When discussing glute growth, we’re often only thinking of the glute as one singular muscle, when in reality it is composed of 3.
Gluteus Minimus abducts the thigh (raising your leg to the side and away from your body) and stabilizes the hip during movement and single leg movements.
Gluteus Medius is the primary mover for hip abduction, lateral (moving leg out) and medial (moving leg in) rotation. It also helps maintain side to side stability of the pelvis during movement and single leg movements.
Gluteus Maximus supports the roles of the Medius & Minimus; it also allows the body to extend its hips i.e. movements that pull the leg backwards. It’s also the largest and most important glute muscle for that big booty look!
Most experts would agree that a strong lower body is the key to overall strength and stability. A lot of the lower body strength and stability comes from the glutes, meaning even powerlifters need to focus on building a solid glute foundation.
If you've looked in the mirror and noticed that your glutes aren’t as defined as you'd like - not to mention, doesn’t feel as strong or tight as you’d like - you may be wondering what you can do to improve it.
How To Build & Strengthen Glutes:
Strong glutes are important for keeping our body upright, supporting our lower back muscles, and for proper pelvic alignment.
One of the best ways to improve overall strength is by specifically targeting your glutes. Squats do rely on glutes but are not the optimal movement to recruit glute muscle fibers. Studies have shown that glutes fire the hardest when in, or near full hip extension, while squats target the glutes when the hips are not near full extension. The barbell hip extension has proven to recruit a greater amount of glute muscle fiber than the squat. The downside to this workout is having a steel bar pressing into your pelvis. At The Forge 24/7 Fitness we have a hip extension machine specifically designed to help our clients target those glutes without the discomfort.
Modifying your existing workouts slightly to specifically target the glute muscles is another great alternative to improve glute strength and size. You can find glute bands or resistance bands online or at retail stores that sell fitness gear. Wearing a glute band on your thighs directly above your knees will pull your knees in. This will force your glutes to activate as you pull your knees back out to hold proper form during your squat and leg press movements. The constant tension recruits glute muscles due to the need to produce lateral resistance, a key glute muscle movement.
Here Are Some Key Takeaways:
· Your glutes are made of three muscles, and each is extremely important to target for larger, stronger glutes.
· Workouts can be modified in ways to specifically target each glute muscle and be more effective in increasing size.
· The rest of our bodies are dependent on our glute strength, so make them strong!
Next Steps:
Creating a workout plan is a great way to start your glute journey.
It is important to track your progress for steady glute growth.
Starting a new routine can be intimidating and overwhelming. At The Forge 24/7 Fitness we are here to help!
Below you can find a link to our signature Booty Bootcamp. This class takes everything you read in this blog and puts it to action. All you have to do is show up!
Or call us directly and get your first class free! (813) 695-1636
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