Single Leg Glute Exercises

Single Leg Glute Exercises

 

These are a big tougher of on form, but it gets better with time.  I'm still practicing on my single leg exercises.  Just a reminder to build bigger glutes you want to incorporate these into bilateral exercises too, like squat variations, hip thrusts, etc. AND lift heavy weights (with progressive).  I am recovering from a back injury so I'm avoiding those exercises as of right now.

 

 

 Bulgarian Split Squat (lunge)

Single leg Deadlift

 Hip Hyperextension

Alternating Butt Lift

 Step Ups

 Walking Lunges

 I forgot what this is called!

Alternating Hip Thrusts

 

 

This was an okay alternative workout, but I'm not counting it as actual "weight lifting."  These exercises can help shape your glutes and help them become more perky, but are not the best option for putting on mass.  This workout was more like a short session of high intensity cardio, which I finished off with hill sprints.

Burn Fat and Build Muscle!

Burning fat and building muscle are probaby #1 and #2 on people's wish list.  It may to seem like the big three 1) diet 2) cardio 3) strength training.  For those who just want to build a musc;e "tone" and lose a little jiggle this might be an attainable goals. But for those who want to build curves this is a little trickier.

To build muscle we need calorie surplus.  But what if you're trying to lose belly fat AND build a booty??  This is why bodybuilders have bulking seasons and cutting seasons because these goals require two different game plans.  Some people who are bulking will omit cardio in order to salvage calories to be used for muscle building.  I am not interested in this at this moment because bikini season is coming up!

So what's the plan? I read an article on bodybuilding.com
                              -> http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kelly3.htm

What I took from the article was timing  and amount of when to eat carbs and when to change up the percentages of your macros (carbs, fats, and proteins) while also alternating low intensity cardio (supposedly targeting fat) while also lifting weights and days with high intensity cardio.  I'm going to tweak this to fit my school schedule, while erring on the side of building muscle over losing fat.  Also, this is just for me and this is first week I'm trying it.  Another thing is I don't plan on becoming "carb phobic" like so many others.  I'm not a bikini competitor (mad respect though) so I don't want to eat like one.

My schedule should look something like this

Sunday
-"lower carb before weights
-weights, then protein shake-----lifting heavy as possible w/ proper form
-then post workout meal high carb and protein
-then eating even more at dinner

Monday
-average carb intake with good amout of protein* (will add values later)
-class all day until 5
-high intensity cardio (HIT)
-protein shake
-low carb dinner (ex. lots of lean meat and non-starchy veggie)
*this is a variation of the what the article says, it says low carb day, but I'm going to try and balance that bc I still want to have enough calories for my glutes!

Tuesday
-"lower carb" day
-either optional LIT cardio squeezed bt claaes or rest day

Wednesday
-lONG day at hospital
-rest day

Thursday
-average carbs then LIT
-protein snack (ex. boiled eggs)
-weights (later that day) ----this day i will use lighter weight more reps
-protein shake
-post workout meal (high carbs and protein)
-eat as much as I can (healthy that is)

Friday
-average carb early in the day with adeqyate calories
-HIT
-protein shake
-low carb dinner

Saturday
-average carbs with protein
-weightss----heavy as possible considering my back injury
-protein shake
-eat, eat, eat!!

So I will try this for the next two weeks see what happens!

Back Pain and Building Booty

So I've been on a short bulking phase since the second week in February.  Everything was going fine until I hurt my lower back during deadlifts.  It happened after I went up on my weight (which necessary to gain mass) So after several more sessions with low back pain, I've decided to take a rest.  So what do I do now? (I need to build these glutes!!)

First, I have cut back on my calories, if you are trying to put on mass you need a surplus of calories ( I was taking in about 2000-2200 calories with 120-135 grams of protein)  I will prob go down to about 1500-1600 and see how my body starts to react.

Second, change the workout.  Instead of mass building and back breaking squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts.  I am going to avoid these exercises completely for the next few days.  Instead, I am going to focus on incline walks, incline sprints, and yoga.  These exercises still work the glutes, so I while I won't be putting on mass, I can work on the shape of them.  After a few days I will start back on glutes using single leg workouts (single leg squats, deadlifts, leg lifts) which tend to pull a little less on the back.  Hopefully after that I will be able to slowly incorporate weights back into my workout.

Although I'm slightly disappointed because this is holding me back from bikini season! This does give me time to hopefully loose some of the stomach fat that I have accumulated.  It's much better to rest and try to recover from  an injury instead of continuing to aggravate it until it get serious.

Tips for Getting a Bigger Butt

1.) Eat more calories. ( but not from junk, you'll just get fat)
2.) Have workouts specifically for glute training.
3.) Train glutes twice a week if possible,
4.) Allow a day or two for recovery.
5.) Use progressive overload.  (adding more weight as time goes on)
6.) SQUEEZE! I can't stress how important is to make mental connections with you glutes with every rep.
7.) Practice contracting glutes during free time.
8.) Drink protein shakes, if possible in the morning, but DEFINITELY after working out when you muscles need it the most.
9.) Push yourself to go further with glute workouts.
10.) Lose weight first, the smaller your stomach is the bigger your butt will look.
11.) Stretch! Stretch muscle fascia will aid in the growth of muscles.
12.) Avoid long distance running.
13.) Do all cardio on a incline. (sprinting, walking, etc)

Eating for a Bigger Butt

The diet for bigger glutes is the same as any muscle building regimen.
"Bulking" up your muscles requires eating more calories than you burn. You don't want to eat a diet full of extra junk calories, stick to protein sources, whole grain carbohydrates, legumes, vegetables including non starchy varities, and fruits. 

You can add between 200-300 extra calories per day.  Everybody is different so gauge it after several to weeks, take notice of changes in measurement.  You might need to increase that amount if you are still burning too many calories to add extra muscles. Be care with this as after I lost of the weight I wanted and started focusing on bulking up my muscles, the extra wiggle room in my diet led to cravings.  Long story short, I gained 10 lbs of FAT! ( Granted there were some other things, such as a 3 week vacay without a gym that led to my demise)  This is why I must STRESS eating clean even though you can eat more.

Also to get a bigger booty you must be weight training with progressive overload to encourage your muscle fibers to grow.  Check out my butt building workout for ideas on which exercises to do.

Bigger Booty Workout

Today was my first day in over month getting back to doing (almost) FULL strength training glute workout.  It took about 45 minutes and I burned 334 calories (according to my MIO watch)
REMEMBER to effectively target the glutes you need to SQUEEZE with every exercise, if you glutes are not becoming tight and you are using adequate resistance, chances are your quads or hamstrings are taking over for your glutes. Also, if you are a beginner start with light weights or do them naked (without weights!)

Butt Building Workout

1.) Deep squats [w/45 lb Olympic bar]
3 sets of 12
2.) Sumo deadlifts [45lbs]
3 sets of 12
3.) Sumo squats [95lbs on Smith machine]
3 sets of 10
4.) Hip thrust [with 95lbs O. bar']
2 sets of 10, 1 set of 8**did this until failure
5.) Hip hyperextension [5lbs on cable machine]
3 sets of 12 on each leg
6.) Hip bridge [95 lb O. bar]
1 set of 10**couldn't do anymore!
7.) Single leg stiffed leg deadlifts
2 sets of 10 on each leg

Back in the Gym After a Month Off

Finally! Today was my first day back in the gym in a little over a month.  I pretty much took it easy and focused on form and and balance, instead of lifting heavy weights.  I could definitely tell my balance was off, my muscles were weaker, and I don't have as strong "mind-muscle" connection with my glutes as I have previously had.  My workout consisted of:

1) lunge variations
2) squat variations
3) hip hyperextension exercises
4) a few inclined sprints
5) lower body stretching

I only spent about 30 minutes in gym, I plan on working back up to the 45-60 min routine I was doing before I went to France.

Bad news: My legs are so loose! I definitely see a difference in cellulite, especially on the back of my legs and my entire leg in general is loose.  There are skin folds (I previously couldn't grab) that are easy to squeeze lol.

Good news: All problem areas can definitely be improved.  If your legs look like this or even with more fat, YOU CAN GREATLY IMPROVE THE SHAPE AND LOOK OF YOUR BODY!! With hard work and fixing my rather inconsistent diet, my legs will return to their former tightness in about a month or so (this is the plan, but I MUST follow a strict schedule and eat HEALTHY)

Also in other good news, I had a 1/2 inch "pump" in my glutes and I could see a definite change in them after my workout, that's motivation!

And Part 3 of "Losing Weight and Improving Your Booty coming soon.

Losing Weight and Improving Your Booty-Part 2

Walking on an incline is probably the easiest way to lose weight while improving your booty.  I honestly don't think this is the best way, but it's low impact and great for beginners (or just when you are too tired to do anything else).  Although I don't consider myself a beginner, I like to walk on incline especially when I am in a "bulking" phase and don't want to go to hard on my legs. 

The best thing about using a treadmill for incline is you get to adjust the incline.  My advice would be take it to the highest percentage.  You will get the most out of the exercise and also burn a lot of calories! When it becomes too difficult, try bringing down the speed instead of the incline.

If you are trying to lose weight, this is an excellent cardio workout.  Easier than running, but incline walking can definitely be challenging.  Your heart rate to be in the fat  loss zone. 

Why this sheds pounds:

Incline walking is a cardio exercise that gets your heart rate going, and essentially that's all you need to burn calories.

Why this helps shape your booty:

Like I said before, I don't think this exercise is more efficient than stair stepping in shaping the glutes, but it is an easier, more low impact way to make a difference in your body.  This also strength the hamstrings, which in my opinion, adds to the sex appeal of your body.

As with every exercise, you must give your body time to change!

3 weeks without lifting weights

I've spent the last three weeks on a trip to France.  I had no access to a gym and I was a little concerned about losing muscle in my glutes.  I tried to salvage my gluteals buy doing body weight exercises (hip thrusts, squats, lunges) and also by taking advantage on the hills in the French countryside.  I also did not count calories, but I did try eat as much protein as I could.  Before I left I was on a little junk food binge and had gained about 7lbs in pure fat, thank goodness I lost this while I was there.  Question is: did I also lose muscle? Yes, unfortunately I can see the loseness in my thighs and butt. But, on the bright side, I didn't lose inches on my butt.  Here are my measurements before and after my trip.

May 18, 2012              July 7, 2012

Waist-26 in                 Waist-25.5 in

Thighs                         Thighs

  upper-22.5                    upper-22.5

  middle-21                     middle-21.5

  lower-18.5                     lower-19.5

Butt-36.5                     Butt-36.5

I lost around my stomach, but my thighs are slightly larger, something I do not want.  My fitness goals for the next month are slightly different than before.  Instead of gaining more muscle mass in my glutes, I am going to try and maintain their size, while cutting down fat on the rest of my body.  The difficult part about that is I am going to be moving around and staying in hotels.  So, I'll write another post on staying in shape or losing weight while traveling.  Feel free to leave any questions or comments!

Fit and Curvy Body Shape

     Most fitness magazines show the same type of "fit-looking" women.

         Some, though, show women who are figure competitors.

                      But my ideal body type is more like this.

I want to have the six pack AND the big, full glutes.  The hard part for some women (who arenot blessed the genetic material to have full, round butt) is to chisel away body fat while keeping  their curvy parts curvy.  It basically comes down to weightlifting and diet, depending on where you are at with your body shape.  For example, women with a body similar to the first picture (average fitness mag cover girl) would have to incorporate more food into her diet.  She would need those extra calories to build up the muscle she is lacking in her lower body.  For someone who needs to lose weight first would need a different weightlifing plan and diet to achieve the same look.  It all comes down to hard work, but more realistically genetics.  But you can change the shape and size of your butt! More to come about diet and exercise to get a bigger butt!