Beautiful glutes – exercises, techniques, nuances

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-11-27

This article is primarily aimed at women. However, it can equally be applied to both genders. We will now discuss how to shape your buttocks through exercise.

The gluteal muscles have two functions: hip extension and spinal extension. Essentially, these are the same. When the back is fixed, hip extension occurs. When the legs are immobilized, spinal extension occurs. Both of these movements are referred to as hip joint extension.

There are no isolated exercises for the glutes. When training them, the legs or the back also engage, or both the legs and back together. Therefore, by training your butt, you will also be working these areas. But there’s nothing wrong with that.

In addition, exercises for the glutes enhance sexual sensations due to improved blood circulation in the pelvic area. You can read more about this in the article The impact of training on the quality of intimate life. Now, let’s move on to the exercises.

Exercises

I consider the following to be the most important:

However, in addition to the glutes, your legs and back will also be engaged. When raising or lowering your pelvis in the starting position, you will transfer the load either to your back (pelvis higher) or to your legs (pelvis lower). I recommend descending fairly low but not raising your pelvis above your head. Remember that the sharper the angle between your thighs and back, the more your gluteal muscles will work.

For the glutes, it makes no difference whether you are doing:

But the depth of your squats is important. If you squat shallowly (as seen in the photo), it will not benefit your glutes much. You should squat so that your pelvis goes below your knees. Only then will the gluteal muscles be actively engaged.

It's best to perform these right after deadlifts or squats. Keep in mind that when you perform lunges, you train the glute of the leg that is in front. Therefore, you should lean more on this leg. The rear leg should always be on its toes. When you descend, advance your knee forward to the level of your toes (as seen in the photo). Here, in addition to your glutes, both the hamstrings and quadriceps are also working.

Initially, many will feel it more in their thighs. However, you will quickly learn to rise using your pelvic muscles rather than your thighs. By the way, in lunges, there’s no need to take a step for each new rep if your goal is to work on your glutes.

Overall, this exercise places more strain on your lower back. But if you slightly change the technique, it will work the glutes more. Specifically, round your back at the top of the movement. This will stretch the spinal extensors and shift the load to the glutes. This exercise is best done at the beginning of your workout.

By itself, this exercise isn’t fundamental for developing the glutes. However, if performed after one or two of the basic exercises mentioned above, it can be excellent for finishing them off. And if you want your glutes to work maximally, bend your knees more (as shown in the photo).

Another good exercise:

But it can be classified as a variation of lunges. The higher you step, the more your glutes will work.

Conclusions

Certainly, there are many more exercises for this part of the body, but they are less effective (in my opinion). Utilizing these six is adequate to achieve your desired glute shape. Train them twice a week. For example, one workout could include hyperextensions, squats, and lunges. Another could consist of deadlifts, step-ups, and bends.

By doing all these exercises, you won’t just shape your glutes but also strengthen your back and thighs. Just remember to follow the nuances I've described. Good luck!