The butt – we all have one, we all want it to be just a bit more round, firm and plump. So how do you care for it?
We decided to write this article because the majority of our clients express their desire to work this area the most. So today, we are going to talk about the 3 most important steps in working-your-butt-ology.
The main thing about working the butt is the proper technique. Any lower body exercise like lunges, squats and dead-lifts engage an enormous amount of muscle groups. The gluteus group (butt muscles) is one of them. The problem with working the butt is that the aforementioned exercises are often performed with a poor technique. Improper form is often responsible for putting the load of the exercise onto other muscles like quads and lower back, instead of distributing it evenly over your entire body. This poor form also takes the load off the gluteus (butt) which makes them become lazy and appear smaller in size.
To avoid straining your lower back and your knee and ankle joints and instead working on adding roundness and oomph to your backside, follow these 3 easy and universal rules. These rules apply to all exercises that engage the glutes, like squats, lunges, dead-lifts and all of their variations.
1) Keep you back straight! When performing any of the above exercises, make sure that your back is flat. To make your back flat during the exercise, first make sure that your knees are soft, shoulder blades are retracted and slid down (put them in your back pockets!) and your lower breast bone faces slightly up. Keep your back in this position throughout the entire exercise (yes, even when putting the weights down).
2) Push through the heels! To avoid engaging the wrong muscle patterns and straining your joints, keep your heels on the floor all the time. To do that, just lift your toes up off the floor, while keeping the balls of your feet on the floor.
3) Get low! The range of motion of the exercise is really important, especially when training such area as lower body. Sometimes, flexibility comes into play and it is hard to get all the way down, so stretching the muscles that are tight is imperative to doing it right, in terms of working the glutes. Ideally, your butt should be below the knee level during squats, your rear knee should be less than an inch above the floor during lunges and your weights should be below the knee caps, when performing the dead-lift.
Follow the rules above and they will get you the butt of your dreams!
About the Author: Ana Plenter
