3 Steps to a Better Butt
Use these 3 principles to build and shape a better butt.
In a world where fitness '“influencer” numbers are increasing, it’s becoming more and more important to be able to distinguish good advice from bad. It seems that anyone can hop on instagram, post a few half naked pictures, and begin giving fitness advice even if they have no clue what they’re talking about.
This is especially true when it comes to building a great butt. Any good-looking girl with a decent bum will attract all sorts of attention and begin selling programs on how to build a better butt. Is there anything wrong with this? Well, it depends on what we’re talking about. But in my opinion it is our responsibility as consumers to be aware of what is being marketed to us. It is our job to understand what is sound advice and what is myth or hype.
Believe it or not, glute training is one of the most common places to find false information. The recommendations that most of these instagram models give simply don’t work. They may have the right intention when they are giving the advice, but they aren’t delivering the right message.
Because of this, I wanted to take the time to talk about three steps you should take to build bigger, stronger, better looking glutes based on years of experience coaching hundreds of clients. This stuff works.
STEP #1: Lift Heavy Using Compound Movements
Building better glutes simply means adding muscle order to make them look they way you want to. In order to build lean muscle, the body has to be put in an environment where it has no choice but to build muscle.
Our bodies were made to adapt to the environment we put them in. Take a look at long distance runners. They are on the skinnier side, not carrying much muscle as it is a disadvantage to run such long distances with lots of muscle. Take a look at sprinters. Sprinters are typically much more muscular, as sprinting and explosive movement requires lots of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Our body adapts, and we need to ask it to adapt by building more muscle in our glutes. We do so by sending a loud signal to the body.
Lifting weights sends that signal to our body telling it to get stronger and put on more lean muscle. The greater the load is, the stronger the signal is. Therefore, it is beneficial to use compound (multi-joint) movements to build your butt.
This is the biggest mistake I see on social media. Exercises that are promoted are things like pulse squats, jump lunges, and band work. There is nothing inherently wrong with those exercises, they’re just not going to send the butt-building signal we are looking for.
If you want to build a bigger, better-looking butt, you should program your workouts around squats, lunges, deadlifts, and thrusts. These lifts allow for the loudest muscle-building signal to be send to the glutes.
Think about it this way. If you knew a guy that wanted to build bigger arms and he spend his time bicep curling the air, you would say that’s ridiculous, right? He would be better off doing curls with heavier dumbbells or barbells. The same concept applies here. If you want to build your butt, focus on getting stronger and adding more weight to your squats, deadlifts, lunges, and thrusts using barbells and dumbbells.
Moves like banded kickbacks, jump lunges, and pulse squats will only make you feel the burn. Feeling the burn does not equate to building your butt.
STEP #2: Use Other Exercises to Improve Your Connection
Here is where it can be tricky.
You can do all the big lifts (squats, deadlifts, lunges, thrusts) you want, but if you don’t have a good connection to your glutes, you may not see them grow.
What does it mean to have a good connection to your glutes? It means you have the ability to feel your glutes working as you are doing the exercise through its entire range of motion. This is one of the areas that most people need improvement in. They do a bicep curl but feel it in their shoulders. They do a row but feel it in their arms rather than their back. They don’t know how to squeeze and work the muscles that need to be working.
If you have a hard time feeling your butt do the work, you need to improve your connection. There are a few things I recommend you do to make that happen.
Practice flexing. Seriously. If you are sitting down and I ask you to flex your glutes, you should be able to. If you are standing and I ask you to flex your glutes, you should be able to. If you are lying down and I ask you to flex your glutes, you should be able to. Practice flexing your glutes in order to teach your mind how to connect with the muscle. From there, reduce the weight on your bigger lifts, and practice squeezing your glutes throughout the full range of motion. For example, do a squat but practice squeezing your cheeks as you bring the weight up.
Use isometrics to help you focus on your glutes. Isometric movements happen when you hold a weight in a fixed position. So an isometric bicep curl would look like you holding the weight midway through a bicep curl for a certain period of time. To use isometrics to connect to you glutes, you could use a hip thrust and hold the weight at the top, squeezing your glutes as hard as you can for a set amount of time.
Slow down your movements and focus on the negative. A negative is when you slow down tremendously on the eccentric portion of the movement. This is when your target muscle is lengthening. For your glutes, you could do a lighter deadlift and focus on feeling your glutes squeeze as you come down from the top of the lift very slowly.
Use these methods to practice connecting with the muscles that should be working. Once you have that down, you will be able to send more of that muscle building signal to your glutes.
STEP #3: Use Frequency and Volume to Your Advantage
One of the ways we can measure growth is through muscle protein synthesis. When MPS is higher, more muscle building tends to occur. It is shown that MPS stays elevated for about 24-72 hours after training, varying from individual to individual.
If MPS stays elevated for 72 hours at most, it would be wise to train your glutes more than once per week. That way once MPS begins to fall back down to baseline, another training session can bring it back up.
Another thing that is important to discuss is volume. Volume in exercise is weights x sets x reps. Multiply those three numbers and you get your total volume for a muscle group. Slowly increasing your volume week by week has been shown to improve muscle growth. I recommend that you increase volume by aiming to lift more weight than you did the previous week.
More frequency and more volume can certainly help you build a better butt. However, this is one of those scenarios where more isn’t always better. The key here is finding the happy medium, the balance. You want to be at a place where you are not overtraining and have plenty of room to improve. The goal is to illicit the most amount of change with the least amount of work.
The best thing to do is start where you are, and incrementally add a little bit more. If you have never lifted before, going to the gym one day per week is more than enough. If you have lifted three days per week consistently for the past 6 months, you can either add a bit more glute work to those days. There really is no right or wrong. You just want to make sure you add a tad bit more than what you’re doing now, but not too much to the point of overtraining. You know you’re going too hard if you’re really sore the next day.
TAKEAWAYS
This can be a lot to take in, so let’s strip things down to some key takeaways.
Build your butt by lifting heavy with movements that will send the loudest muscle building signal to your body. This includes squats, lunges, deadlifts, and thrusts.
Use the above methods and accessory movements to develop a good connection to your glutes, ensuring that they are the muscles doing most of the work in those heavy lifts.
Slowly add more volume to your week, and use frequency to increase the volume incrementally. A simple way to do so is by adding five pounds to your lifts each week to slowly increase volume.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.
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4 Steps to Crushing Your New Years Goals
If you want to finally crush your goals this year, use these four steps to make them come to life.
Let me start the article off with some stats for you.
Studies show that less than 25% of people keep their commitment to their resolutions. Only 8% of those individuals actually accomplish what they said they would.
New Years resolutions suck. Plain and simple. Why, you ask?
They are not goals.
People give up on their resolutions because they are the furthest thing from real goals. They are mere statements, and nothing more. “Lose 50 pounds.” That is a resolution, a statement and a shit one at that.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in fresh starts and setting out to accomplish things. But in my years of coaching in the fitness industry, I know that accomplishing things can only happen if goals are put in place.
You see, the difference between a resolution and a goal is a plan. Proper goals have plans. They have a path. They are detailed, planned out, and progress-oriented. They are not mere statements.
But people set out goals all the time, and they still don’t achieve them. That’s because they didn’t do a good enough job of breaking down their goal into action items that can be measured and completed. That is what we’ll be doing today. In this article, we are going to work through steps to making a proper goal that way you can finally complete what you set out to do at the beginning of the year.
No more falling off the wagon.
STEP #1 : Create a Basic Outline of Your Goal
Odds are you’ve heard of SMART goals millions of times. If you have, I will spare you the extreme details and take you through the basics of the acronym.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Oriented.
Your goal must be specific. For example, “I want to lose weight” could be much more specific, such as “I want to lose 20 pounds.”
Your goal must also be measurable. 20 pounds is specific, but how are you going to measure that? “I want to lose 20 pounds of body fat” is more like it. You can measure that through body fat testing each month or every two weeks.
Achievable. In my opinion, this is the same as Realistic. Your goal must be achievable and realistic. You MUST be honest with yourself. Have you ever lost 20 pounds of body fat before? If you haven’t lost more than 5 pounds in your life, you may want to reconsider. Set yourself up for a challenge, but not complete failure.
Lastly, your goal must be time-oriented. It must have a deadline. If your goal is not time-stamped, you will procrastinate like never before. Put a deadline on your goal.
STEP #2: Format Your Goals Based on Your Lower Levels of Motivation and Inspiration
This ties in with the A and R in SMART. You’ve gotta be real with yourself.
Too many people make goals while they are in a motivated, inspired, and hyped state of mind. There is nothing wrong with that, but it can be easy to believe that’s how you’re going to feel all the time. And let me tell you now, you will NOT feel that motivation, inspiration, and hype all the time.
Let’s say you are green to fitness and you haven’t really exercised before. You may think that it’s a good idea to workout five days per week when you’re motivated for this goal. But what happens when you’re not? Do you really think you’re going to go to the gym five days per week when you just don’t feel like it, especially if you’ve never exercised consistently in the past? I’ll answer that for you. No, you won’t.
Set your goals based on your lower level of motivation. Ask yourself what you’d be willing to do if you didn’t have any motivation and be extremely real with yourself. If you know you could only muster up enough will to go on a 30 minute walk when you’re not motivated, then that is a part of your goal. If you know you would still go to the gym when you come home completely drained from work, then go ahead and set out to accomplish it. Whatever it is, be real. Because motivation does not last.
STEP #3: Create Behaviors and Make Them the Focal Point of Your Goal
Goals are nothing without behavior. Behaviors are everything. Your behaviors are the actions that make your dream come to life.
In order to accomplish your goal, you need to set out clearcut behaviors that will get you to your goal, and focus on them.
If you have never worked out before, and your goal is to lose 20 pounds, you know you can do so by exercising more, and improving your diet. Two behaviors that you can focus on are walking 30 minutes per day and eating one big serving of greens every day. Let’s say your goal is the same, but you have experience training. Your behaviors can be strength training in the gym 3 times per week, and meeting your protein goal each day by having a certain amount of protein in each snack/meal.
You get the point. Create behaviors and make the execution of them your new goals. You may have your big goal, but your tiny goals are to execute your behaviors each day.
STEP #4: Establish Metrics to Measure Your Success
Whatever your goal may be, you must find a way to measure it, because adjustments may need to be made along the way.
If your goal is to lose body fat, make a point to get your body fat tested every month. I recommend having mini goals set up to make sure your behaviors are keeping you on track. If your goal is to deadlift 200 pounds, tell yourself you want to be at 160 pounds, 180 pounds, then 200 pounds by certain dates.
These metrics and measurements serve as great feedback. They will likely be a direct reflection of your behaviors. If you get your body fat tested and you are short of your mini goal, you may need to change your behaviors in order to get back on pace for your big goal.
TAKEAWAYS
If you want to hit your goals this year, you need to take these four steps.
Create (write down) a basic outline of your goal, using the SMART method.
Format your goals based on your lower (maybe average) levels of motivation and inspiration.
Create behaviors and make them the focal point of your goal.
Establish metrics to measure your success and make sure you’re on track.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.
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4 Must-Do Exercises to Build Muscle and Burn Body Fat
These four exercises must be a part of your exercise routine.
If you opened this article thinking there were magic exercises that would solve all of your muscle-building and fat-loss problems, I’m sorry to disappoint.
There is no such thing as an exercise that magically builds muscle and/or burns body fat. However, there are exercises that can make both of those process far easier.
Before we get in to specific movements, we need to briefly discuss what is at the root of muscle building and fat loss in order to fully understand and appreciate the contribution that these exercises can make.
THE ROOT OF MUSCLE-BUILDING
I’ll be honest, building muscle is far more complicated than losing fat. Luckily, there are some things we can keep in mind to keep from over-complicating the process.
Your body builds muscle when it is in the right environment and when it is given a proper signal. What is the “right environment?” Sound health, good sleep, proper nutrition/nourishment, and good hormone function all play a role in have the right environment. What is the “proper signal” that the body should be receiving? The proper signal is a signal that is telling your body that it must get stronger and build muscle. This signal is provided through weight training. There are many factors (sets, reps, rest, etc.) that go into using weights to send that signal. In general, lifting weights with the intent of getting stronger (heavier weights and longer rest periods) and setting personal bests can lead to strength and muscle gain.
THE ROOT OF FAT LOSS
You may have heard of calories in vs. calories out by now.
Calories are the units we use to measure the amount of energy in foods. When we consume more calories in the day than we burn, we gain weight. When we burn more calories in the day than we consume, we lose weight. Eating more than you burn is what is called a caloric surplus. Burning more than you eat is called a caloric deficit. Eating enough to maintain your current body weight is what we call caloric maintenance.
Although it is possible to lose body fat without being in a caloric deficit, being in a deficit may make fat loss far more likely.
Now that we understand the basic concept of building muscle and burning body fat, let’s talk about four exercises that can greatly contribute to your fat loss and muscle building goals.
EXERCISE #1: BARBELL SQUAT
The squat is one of the most revered exercises in fitness.
The squat is a compound movement, meaning the squat involves more than one joint. The ankles, knees, and hips are all involved during a squat. Since this is a compound movement, it involves multiple muscle groups including the glutes, quads, and a little bit of the hamstrings. Outside of the direct muscles that play a role in getting you from the bottom position to a standing position, other muscles are at work.
In order to keep the load (weight) from negatively impacting your spine, your entire core must be braced. The obliques, abs, and many other muscles help you maintain a tight and braced position as you move the weight.
Due to the involvement of so many major muscle groups, the squat likely burns a large amount of calories in comparison to say, a bicep curl. The squat also asks a lot of the heart as it needs to be able to pump blood and get oxygen to the major muscles of your lower body. Do a set of heavy barbell squats for 12-15 reps and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
In regards to building muscle, the squat carries lots and lots of potential. Remember that the movement involves more than one joint. This will allow you to apply a heavier load to the bar, potentially sending a louder signal (that’s the thing we talked about earlier) to build muscle.
Squatting - and squatting heavy should be a regular, consistent part of your training routine.
EXERCISE #2: Barbell Overhead Press
One of the things that shocked me most as a personal trainer was so many people’s inability to reach their hands over their head without pain, pinching, or complete breakdown in posture.
It may seem strange to you to think that some people can’t reach over their head well. But take a second to think about how often the average person needs to reach over their head. Almost never. We often need to reach up and out to grab a cup from the cabinet, but almost never straight up to the sky.
This causes many dysfunctions in posture, as well as a lack of shoulder mobility.
My years of personal training allowed me to fall in love with the overhead press as I saw it transform the way my clients felt and moved.
Aside from posture and a higher quality of life, the overhead press can involve many similar benefits that the squat does.
You see, the overhead press is a compound movement, too. The shoulder joint and elbow joint are both involved, causing the triceps and deltoids to take over a majority of the work. Not only is the upper body benefiting from this movement, but the core is as well. In order to properly press overhead without breakdown, the core, glutes, and legs, must be engaged.
Again, being that this movements involves multiple joints, it brings great potential for muscle building as a heavier load can be applied. More muscles being worked means more calories burned, too.
EXERCISE #3: BARBELL DEADLIFT
Thankfully, the deadlift has become so popular in recent years, as it should. The deadlift has so much to offer.
In our modern lifestyles, we spend a lot of time using the muscles on the front of our body. We reach forward, we slouch, we sit and stand from a chair, and we press some things from time to time. We don’t have enough actions in our lives that call us to use the backside of our body. Thankfully, the deadlift helps us make up for all that work on the frontside.
A barbell deadlift requires the entire back to be at work. It calls for the glutes and hamstrings to fully engage and fire, too. It is a wonderful exercise for the backside. Performing a proper deadlift on a regular basis can help you regain and/or maintain good posture, as well as send one of the loudest muscle building signals to the body.
EXERCISE #4: BARBELL BENCH PRESS
Ahh the bench press, loved by bros and hated by most females, this exercise did in fact make the list.
You may be thinking, “wait a minute, bench pressing works the front of our body. If we spend so much time working the front in everyday life, why do more of it in our workouts?” It’s because most people don’t do the bench press properly.
A proper bench press calls your entire body to be engaged, even your back. Keeping your glutes and shoulderblades engaged will reinforce good posture as you work you chest. As a result, your chest, triceps, and shoulders can get stronger without risking poor forward posture, otherwise known as upper crossed syndrome.
The bench press is also one of the better muscle building exercises. Remember, multiple joints means more load which meals a louder muscle-building a strength-building signal to your body. More muscle also means more calories.
I’d like to wrap it up with this:
For those of you reading, thinking that it seemed like these exercises were only for muscle-building, they’re not. Remember that there is no such thing as a fat-loss exercise, but rather exercises that have a bigger contribution to fat loss. If you don’t know, the amount of muscle on your body is one of the biggest contributing factors to the amount of calories your body burns in a day. The stronger you get, the more lean muscle that your body has, the more calories you automatically burn. Burning more calories automatically is a fat-loss goldmine. And I’m not talking about bodybuilder muscle here. I’m talking about the muscle that gives you that lean, defined, and toned look. Even if your goal is fat loss, focus on getting stronger, as you get stronger, the fat will come off easier.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.
WANT MORE FREE CONTENT?
Download any of our ebooks or guides for FREE in the “free” tab at the top of the page.