The Truth Behind the Glutes!

It was in the wee hours of Saturday morning this past week....3:00am or so that I found myself wide awake and not able to get back to sleep.  Not a common occurrence, but John had duty the night before and when he's away my normal sleep cycle just doesn't seem to happen.  Anyway, as I lay in bed, snuggled in tight with the dogs thinking about my workout for the day, I flipped on the TV and found myself deep in the middle of basic cable info-mercial territory.  Since staying tuned seemed a better option than lying twitchy in bed trying to coax my brain back to sleep, I decided to just lock my credit card away and keep watching.  This particular info-mercial touted the best butt workout on the planet and assured you a 'bangin' bikini booty' within 60 days.  As this is an area I'm particularly focusing on building now, it really got me thinking as I watched numerous testimonials from women who were (until the magic new workout...of course) baffled by their bulging or board-flat booties.  It prompted me to put together this post about the glutes.

First, it is important to know that there are actually three key muscles that comprise the glutes- maxiumus, medius, and minumus.  Although the most well known is the gluteus maximus, the other two are just as important if you want that nice firm, round, lifted booty.  All three muscles work together to give a firm, rounded shape and an imbalance in the muscles not only impacts the shape of your posterior, but also can create weakness down the kinetic chain and impact you in sports such as running, cycling, dancing and even yoga and pilates.  

You want a full, round butt?  Rember- Maximus makes it round and full to the back, minimus helps lift it up, and medius helps get the sides of that booty in check.  The not so great news is that oordinary everyday activities like standing and level walking aren’t strenuous enough on your glutes to really develop them. Here are some great, simple exercise you can do to overload those muscles to help you on your way to a balanced behind:

• Squats- just about any variety (with or without weight)
• Side lying ankle weight abduction
• Side lying ankle weight forward leg lift
• Standing hip abductions with resistance band
• Standing hip rotation with resistance band
• Straight Leg Side Plank
• Weighted Pelvic Lifts
• Deadlifts- single leg or regular
• Power Cleans or Clean & Press
• Walking Lunges
• Box Jumps & Step Ups
• Incline walking or uphill hiking

It is also important to know the functions of the glutes because knowing what they do is the key to making them stronger.  

• Hip Abduction: Moving your leg outward and upward to the side. This leg movement is perfectly exemplified by a male dog, when using a fire hydrant.
• Hip Adduction: Moving of the leg toward the center line of your body. You can perform hip adduction by clenching you thighs together.  Think of adduction like addition- you are moving closer to the midline or "adding to" your body with the movement.
• Hip Extension: Moving your leg backward; or moving your hips forward. The "leg backward" motion is exemplified by attempting to hit the back of your head with your foot (by kicking backward). The "pelvis forwards" movement is demonstrated by a simple pelvic thrust.
• Hip Flexion: Hip flexion refers to the movement of bringing your thighs or knees towards your torso. Hip flexion is demonstrated by the parade style high knee marching.
• Internal & External Hip Rotation: Rotating the leg or pelvis either in an inward- or outward-pointing direction. Inward rotation is exemplified by pointing your toes towards each other. Conversely, outward rotation can be experienced by pointing your toes away from each other.

Additionally, a GREAT way get that butt more shapely is to GET OFF IT!  Sitting on that beautiful behind too much can actually make it appear more flat and misshapen.  According to LiveStrong.com, "Chronic under-use can flatten your butt. Sitting for extended amounts of time at work or school applies constant pressure that can shrink butt muscles, which reduces support for surrounding fatty tissues. Workout routines to lift your butt increase circulation to the gluteal muscles and stimulate muscle growth."

So what are you waiting for- get off that gorgeous backside and make it happen! 

 

Comments

[angela]

thanks <3
Very interesting !!!!

[Jenny]

Thanks for sharing. Do you have a picture showing internal & external rotation, so I can make sure I understand what it is saying?

[Sally Wing]

You've given me a whole new perspective on my treadmill time! Using hills/intervals more effectively - eagerly anticipating results! THANKS, AIME! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! XOXOX