The “glutes” are important for function and aesthetics, but there are many misconceptions about how best to target, shape, and strengthen these muscles.
The glutes are made up of three different muscles:
1. Gluteus Maximus (largest of the glutes and the most powerful)
2. Gluteus Medius (which sits higher on the side of the hip)
3. Gluteus Minimus (located below and below Gluteus Medius)
Any good glute conditioning program will target all of these muscles. Different exercises will produce different levels of glute activation at different points in the range of motion, focusing on different parts of the glutes.
For instance:
In squats and lunges, the maximum activation of the glutes occurs at the bottom of the movement when the glutes are in their maximum stretched/stretched position! Therefore, the bottom of the glute is the focus during these movements.
Most of the gluteal activity in a deadlift occurs in the center position, so the focus is on the center of the glute.
The greatest peak activity of the gluteal muscle in the hip thrust occurs at the end of the movement in the fully contracted position, so emphasize the top of the gluteal muscle!
Balanced Glute Workout to Optimize Glute Development
By composing exercises that emphasize the extended, middle and fully contracted positions, along with loading through all planes of motion, we can optimize the shape and function of the gluteal muscle. This includes hip abduction exercises and hip-external rotation exercises to hit the glutes from all angles.
Importance of stretching the hip flexor during the warm-up
Work on extending the hip flexor to maximize activation of the glutes. The hip flexors are the antagonist muscle of the glutes, meaning if they’re tight, you literally can’t get maximum glute activation! Plus, because we spend too much time sitting, they become chronically shortened in most of us. So stretch them often and especially BEFORE working out your glutes to allow for optimal glute activation.
Great glute routine
Warm up with bodyweight lunges, side lunges, hip joints, etc. followed by stretching the hip flexors.
do hip thrusts – 3 sets of 10 with five seconds of hold at the top of the movement, aiming to squeeze the top glutes as much as possible! Hip thrusts can be done on the floor or by placing your shoulders along a bench and feet on the floor.
Progressions:
Add load by holding a dumbbell or barbell over the hips. If you’re lucky, your gym will have a Matrix Glute Trainer that allows for weight and/or band resistance in a very comfortable position: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE1pCWzzsyY
You can also do hip thrusts with one leg to create more of a challenge.
The key is to keep your back neutral and focus your head down. To learn optimal form, watch this fantastic video from Brett Contreras (aka the Glute Guy!): https://youtu.be/qE1pCWzzsyY He shows you exactly how to do this after about 5:00 minutes in this great video about glutes.
Goblet Squats – 3 sets of 10-15 reps done properly – use the link above to see the keys to getting the most out of this amazing type of squat at 9:10 in the video.
Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts
– 3 sets of 6 – 8 reps – see tutorial at 3:00 PM in the video above.
45 degree hyperextension – 3 sets of 10 – To get the most out of this exercise, it’s important to learn how to optimize targeting for the glutes and hamstrings, which you can watch in the video above at 5:45 PM.
Bulgarian Split Squat – 3 sets of 10 – the king of exercises for the full stretch and with emphasis on the bottom of the glutes – watch the video above at 9:23 pm to learn exactly how to do this highly effective glute exercise!
hip abduction – 3 sets of 10 † it is important to target the glute medius using either the hip abduction machine or by doing hip abduction in a seat belt. To learn more about setting up and using a hip abduction machine, click here: https://youtu.be/vYJlsVzaH-w
In front of seated band hip abduction sits on a bench with knees and hips at a 90 degree angle with a thick elastic band around the top of the shins. Lift the feet slightly off the floor and pull the knees to the side against the band and pause for 5 seconds in the fully contracted position. DO NOT arch the back and keep the navel pulled in to stabilize the core and keep all the work on the glute. This is possible with one or two bands like here: https://youtu.be/7cGgI5hXTUU
This post Secrets to Effective Glute Training was original published at “http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2022/02/secrets-to-effective-glute-training.html”
