We all dream of having the perfect booty, right ladies? Unfortunately, for most of us, we have to put in quite a bit of effort to get any results at all. Sometimes it can seem like we’re not making any progress, which can be totally discouraging. Don’t count yourself out just yet. Although you may be doing one or two things to build your glutes, you could be missing a few key elements. Below, you will find the little known ways to get a sculpted booty. By putting all of these these tips into practice, you will ensure that all of your hard work pays off!
Flexibility is Key
Get your Gumby on girl! Flexibility is KEY to any workout, especially glute-building exercises. If your muscles are tight, you are more prone to injury. A lack of flexibility will prevent you from getting the most out of the exercise that you’re performing. The ability to get full range of motion will allow you to keep making progress! Stretch out before and after your workout. The pigeon, knee hug, and hamstring stretch are 3 of my favorites. (We’ve included instructional videos for each of them at the bottom of this post.)
Don’t be Afraid to Lift HEAVY
Squats are by far the #1 booty-building exercise that you can do. Because of this, we want to make sure that you’re performing them to the best of your abilities. Proper form is imperative, but don’t be afraid to lift heavy. Low reps and heavy weight will build and shape the muscle. For instance, perform 5 sets of 5 at 80% of your 1-rep max. Your 1-rep max is the heaviest weight that you can do for 1 complete rep. If your 1-rep max for squats is 100 pounds, you’ll perform 5 sets of 5 reps at 80 pounds. If you can’t physically perform squats, the leg press is a good alternative. It’s always a good idea to get a form check from someone that is familiar with the exercise (a trainer or experienced gym member.) Read about the 4 Weight Lifting Mistakes that are Getting in the Way of Toning Up.
Adjust Your Stance
In order to target your glutes even further, you can adjust your squat stance to be wider. When I say wider, I mean slightly wider than shoulder width, with your toes pointed outward. Focus on driving the weight up through your heels. At the bottom of the movement, your knees should at least hit a 90 degree angle. The deeper the squat, the better the butt! Keep in mind that your knees should never track forward farther than your toes. If you lack flexibility, you may find that you go to your toes during the lowering phase. Until you become more flexible place a 2.5lb plate weight under each heel so that you can drive the weight up through your heels.
Strengthen Weak Spots
Ohhh, the abduction machine… This is that really uncomfortable machine at the gym. As awkward as it may seem, it does serve a very important purpose. Many people think that this machine is there to slim your thighs and hips. Actually, its purpose is to strengthen those deep hip muscles, which will help you improve your squat! Keep in mind, stronger squats equal a more sculpted booty! Use the abduction machine proudly! Check out this workout to Strengthen Your Hips.
Squeeze Those Glutes!
Deadlifts are incredibly powerful in lifting and firming your behind. Proper form, as always, is imperative! This movement begins at the bottom. As you lift, remember to keep your core tight and back neutral. At the top of the movement. be sure to pause and squeeze your glutes. Doing so will ensure that you’re hitting all of the right muscles!
Slow it Down
Hip thrusts are an excellent glute-isolation exercise. You don’t need to go too heavy on these. The movement is more important. A slow contraction and isometric (continued tension) hold at the top will target the gluteus maximus. These are a fantastic accessory exercise to pair with squats. During squats, most people are quad-dominant because the gluteus maximus is weak. Strengthening this large muscle will improve those squats! While concentric contractions (the shortening phase of muscle contraction) get most of the glory, eccentric contractions (the lengthening phase of muscle contraction) are just as important. No matter what exercise you’re performing… slow and steady wins the race!
Variety is Very Important
While the ‘big lifts’, like squats and deadlifts, will sculpt and strengthen your entire lower body, switching up your accessory exercises can greatly benefit you! Try different lunge variations, such as walking lunges (personal fave), side lunges, and reverse lunges. Practice squat variations, like split squats and pistol squats. Single-leg deadlifts, glute kick-backs, and hip bridges are great hamstring/glute accessory exercises. Remember! Push through your heels for maximum booty gains.
Have a Plan
Consistency is key. Have a workout plan ready! I’ve witnessed SO many people not tracking their workouts. How do you expect to make any progress if you never know what exercise, weight, how many sets, or how many reps you completed the last time? Don’t guess! Track your progression. Write it down or log it into one of the many workout applications available on your smartphone. I guarantee that you will see more progress when you have a plan of attack! Not to mention, it’ll save you time and frustration in the gym.
Feed the Booty
In order to build the perfect booty you must eat enough food. Your body needs a specific amount of macronutrients each day to properly repair and build your muscle. Starving yourself will hinder this process. Make sure you get enough protein throughout the day. A general rule of thumb is 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you should aim for 150 grams of protein per day! Work on building your bottom for 4 to 6 weeks. After the building period, you can transition to a fat loss program to help reveal all of your hard work!
Step it up
While cardio is not the best exercise to sculpt your glutes, climbing actual stairs or using the Stairmaster is a great workout finisher! Ten minutes spent climbing steps after your booty workout is a fantastic way to exhaust the glutes. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… Your main focus here is to push through your heels! This will focus the effort in your glutes, whereas pushing through your toes would hit more of your quadriceps. You can increase the difficulty by wearing ankle weights or holding dumbbells down at your sides.
Double (or Triple) Time
Many people only work on their lower body once a week. This is completely acceptable; however, if you want to build a better butt, you should increase the number of lower body days. You can perform up to 3 lower body days per week, just make sure you give yourself a day between so that you can properly recover. Don’t forget, the more that you workout, the more you are going to need to stretch! Also, if you’re working a body part this often, getting enough protein is especially important for muscle repair.
Pigeon Stretch
Knee Hug Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
I hope that these little known ways to get a sculpted booty will help you build the butt you’ve always dreamed of! We’d love to hear if you have any tips to share in the comments below! Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new and exciting booty-building workouts!
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