Training
Get a Great Ass!
by Chad Waterbury
I'd be willing to bet that you're not happy with your ass. No, I'm not referring to your pet donkey, nor am I referring to your boyfriend. I'm talking about the junk in your trunk. Indeed, your keister is probably too small, too flabby, or both.
So I'm going to outline a system that will not only make your backside beautiful and curvy, but it'll also make you a better athlete.
Anatomy
The gluteal region consists of the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. The gluteus maximus extends and laterally rotates the hip. The upper fibers assist in hip abduction and the lower fibers assist in hip adduction. Your gluteus medius and minimus muscles play a similar role since they both abduct and medially rotate the hip joint.
With most people, the gluteus medius and minimus muscles are notoriously weak. You can perform the following simple test to see how you measure up.
Stand facing a mirror with your feet shoulder width apart and your fingertips on the top corners of your pelvic bone. Lift your right foot off the floor (your femur should not move forward; focus on flexing your knee joint so your foot lifts behind you) and observe what happens at your right hip.
Does your hip drop when you lift your foot up? If so, the muscles are too weak. The purpose of placing your fingertips on your pelvis is to better determine if the hips are shifting. Repeat on the opposite side.
While the gluteus maximus is the big, protruding muscle that gets the most press (especially if you're Kim Kardashian), you must also strengthen the gluteus medius and minimus for optimal results. Not only will these smaller muscles make your ass look better, but you'll improve lower back, hip and knee health, too.
The simplest solution is to tell you to do more deadlifts. After all, the deadlift is the most effective gluteus maximus builder known to man—or woman, in this case. But just because you're pulling a good amount of weight doesn't mean the glutes are firing optimally.
The reason is simple: the body will always compensate and bring other muscle groups into play to pick up the slack. So while your deadlift numbers might be respectable, your lower back and hamstrings could be doing the brunt of the work.
Isolate Then Integrate
First you need to isolate the glute muscles by using movements that correct a faulty firing pattern. When the glutes don't fire correctly, it's often referred to as "gluteal amnesia." This must be fixed or your backside will never get bigger and stronger.
Second, you must return to compound movements, such as the deadlift, with special emphasis put on the technique points I outline in this article. Isolation exercises are great for re-establishing the correct firing pattern, but you need compound movements to really overload those muscles to build a strong posterior shelf.
Phase I - Isolate
This phase will get your gluteus maximus, medius and minimus firing optimally. Fortunately, you can train all three muscles with only two exercises.
Gluteus Maximus
Single-leg glute bridge: lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and feet flat. Pull your right knee towards your chest and hold under the right knee with both hands. Lift your hips up as high as possible while pushing through your left heel.
Technique points: you must push your hips up as high as possible by arching your low back. Hold the top position for a count of "one, one thousand" before lowering. At the top position, squeeze your glute as hard as possible as if you're trying to cramp it.
When you lower, don't let your hips rest. In other words, as soon as your butt starts to touch the ground, bridge back up. Perform as many reps as possible on your weakest side. Repeat with the same number of reps on the opposite side.
By the way, if you feel the single-leg bridge working your hamstrings, or if your hamstrings cramp during the exercise, it's a sure sign that your glutes aren't firing optimally. Don't fret, because it'll go away. The goal is to primarily feel this exercise in your glutes — not your hamstrings.
Gluteus Medius and Minimus
X-band walk: stand with your feet shoulder width apart and loop a resistance band underneath your feet. Cross the band (make an "X" with the band) at the knee joint and hold the band in each hand with your elbows bent to 90 degrees.
Push your hips back slightly and let your knees slightly bend. Step out to the right for 10 reps, then step to the left for 10 reps. The benefit of doing the X-band walk over other alternatives is that it strengthens your rotator cuff too.
Technique points: always keep tension on both sides of the band. For example, when stepping to the right, be certain to step the left foot in no farther than you stepped the right foot out. Keep your feet pointed straight ahead throughout the exercise.
If you don't have access to a resistance band you can train the gluteus medius and minimus muscles with the clam. Here's how to do it:
Clam: lie on your left side with your butt and feet against a wall. Your knees should be bent to less than 90 degrees with your head resting on your hand. Lift your right knee up as high as possible while keeping your feet together.
Your pelvic region should not shift back as you lift your leg up, which is why it's good to perform this exercise against a wall. Do as many reps as possible with your weakest side, and then the same number of reps on the opposite side.
Phase I Plan
Frequency: three times a week with at least 48 hours rest between each session
1A Single-leg glute bridge for as many reps as possible on each side
rest 30 seconds
1B X-band walk for 10 reps in each direction
rest 30 seconds
Repeat three more times.
Simply perform this plan at the beginning of three of your weight-training sessions each week.
Phase II — Integrate
After finishing phase I your glutes should be firing correctly, and they should be looking a little sexier. Now it's time to merge into compound movements that will get you ready for that thong bikini your boyfriend's been drooling over.
There are numerous exercises that challenge the glutes. However, it's best to focus on movements that allow you to fully lock out your hips.
For example, the deadlift is a great option because you can thrust your hips forward and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement. This isn't possible with back squats or good mornings—unless, of course, you relish the thought of falling over backwards with heavy iron across your shoulders.
Before I get into phase II plan, I want to outline a cool trick to get your glutes fired up. It's called the lying butt squeeze, and it's performed as follows:
Lie on your back with your legs straight. Squeeze your glutes together as hard as possible and hold the contraction for two seconds. When you squeeze the glutes your hips should elevate.
You must focus your energy on squeezing the glutes and keep tension in other groups to a minimum. If you have problems feeling this exercise, place your fingertips on the medial side of the glutes to activate the mind-muscle link.
Perform 10 reps to prime your glutes for the deadlifts.
Phase II Plan
Duration: three weeks
Frequency: perform workouts A-C three times per week with at least 48 hours of rest between each workout.
Workout A
1A X band walk for 10 reps
rest 30 seconds
1B Lying butt squeeze for 10 reps
rest 30 seconds
Repeat once more.
2 Romanian deadlift for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 seconds rest
Technique points: use a shoulder width stance and an unmixed grip just outside of your legs. When you reach the top position, thrust your hips forward and squeeze your glutes together as hard as possible for a count of three before lowering.
Workout B
1A Clam for as many reps as possible
rest 30 seconds
1B Lying butt squeeze for 10 reps
rest 30 seconds and repeat once more
2 Dumbbell squat for 4 sets of 8 reps with 75 seconds rest
Technique points: stand with a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging at your sides, your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down until the dumbbells touch the floor. When you return to the top position, squeeze your glutes together as hard as possible for a count of two.
Workout C
1 Lying butt squeeze for 2 sets of 15 reps with 30 seconds rest
2 Single-leg dumbbell deadlift for 4 sets of 12 reps with 90 seconds rest
Technique points: stand with a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging in front. Push your hips and left leg back as your trunk shifts forwards. Keep your low back tight and your spine flat as you lower the dumbbells towards the floor.
As soon as you feel your low back starting to round, return to the top position and squeeze your glute as hard as possible for a count of two. Perform all 12 reps with the right leg before repeating with the left leg.
Final Words
The key to this plan is building the mind-muscle link. You must close the gap between your brain and your ass. Instead of just going through the motions make a concerted effort to really focus on your glutes.
With each exercise you should be squeezing your ass at the peak of each contraction as if George Clooney just stuck his phone number in there. After 6 weeks of this plan your derriere will look and perform better than ever.
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