The Secret to a Better Butt

Ever wonder how that girl at the gym got that nice shapely butt? The answer is actually not really that complicated. Anybody can get the behind they desire, it is just a matter of time and sticking to the right exercises as well as eating a clean diet (just like with any other fitness goal). Just like any other muscle group in the body it is just a matter of working that muscle, giving it enough rest time between training sessions and feeding the body what it needs to build muscle. This goal has to be done mostly through strength training.

Strength training is how you can add more shape to your body wherever you are targeting. Many people make the mistake of thinking cardio will give them a great behind but all cardio alone will do is perhaps shrink the butt you already have, keeping the same shape. A combination of mostly strength training, some cardio and of course a healthy clean nutrition plan is the only way to a perfect butt.

What exercises though are best for building the gluteal muscles do you ask? The top 3 exercises are squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Squats and deadlifts are full body movements that also work other areas of the body so when crunched for time these are the best bang for your buck. These two exercises also work the core muscles which most people want to target as well usually. Squats are actually the best abdominal exercise you can do, better than any crunch or sit-up variation.

Squats and lunges also work the quadriceps quite a bit and the hamstrings as well while the deadlift works the hamstrings quite a bit. But each exercise can be done so they target a specific muscle group more than the others that are also being worked. If you want to target the gluteal muscles more when doing lunges you need to take longer steps as the longer the step the more the glutes are being activated and the shorter the step the more the quadriceps are being activated. When performing squat variations make a mental effort to really squeeze the glute muscles rather than using your legs too much in the movement. Also the deeper the movement into the squat the more the glutes are being activated.

As for how often to work the gluteal muscles you need to treat them like any other muscle group and give them 2-3 days rest in between if you are doing workouts that center around just those muscles. If you are doing full body workouts then you can do some glute training every second day.

So eat well, do your lunges, squats and deadlifts, do some cardio and in no time you will have a butt that makes others envious and the opposite sex take notice.

Chelsea von Tobel
Certified Nutrition Advisor & Personal Trainer
Free Form Fitness – Personal Training Redefined
www.freeformfitness.ca