Secrets to Glamorous Glutes!
We all want to be attractive and sexy and since one of the
sexiest body parts are the glutes, we present the following
tips on creating glamorous glutes.
Few things about one's anatomy turn heads like a great set
of glutes.
Click To Enlarge!
Three of the greatest sets of glutes ever
seen are those of Constanze Hohzorn, Tina Rigdon, and Tonya
LeClarie (Rigdon and LeClarie photos by Rob Sims). Check out
more great buns from Planet Muscles' 2001 sexy buns contest
at
Click Here!
The problem is that this is the area where women accumulate
most of their fat. After all, women are baby machines and
nature has designed lower body fat cells to serve as a
reservoir of energy for pregnancy and lactation. So when women
overeat and don't exercise, they are going to gain a lot of
the weight in the hips, butt and thighs.
Diane: As a weight loss consultant, one of the
universal problems I see with most clients is that the concept
of what constitutes overeating is not understood by many.
During a recent vacation, Richard and I heard many confessions
on the difficulty with losing weight. And yet pantries remain
stocked with a large assortment of junk foods. And for those
that leave the junk foods at the grocery store, the delta to
glamorous glutes results from hearty foods cooked with large
amounts of fat and/or fattening additions of cheese and butter
added to normally nutritious foods like vegetables.
So for women, remember that nature will work against you in
your efforts to lose in the hips, butt and thighs. Add in
hormonal fluctuations and a slower metabolism for the over 40
crowd and the battle becomes a bit more difficult. Just
remember...a bit more difficult does not mean impossible.
Harder, yes. Impossible, no way! Eat small portions of
nutrient dense foods spaced throughout the day and glamorous
glutes are well within your reach. Even for us Babyboomers!
While men are not fighting nature in the hips, butt and
thighs, men won't have glamorous glutes if they have pinchable
love handles. Men do get to ingest more calories than women
each day, but men still need to remember the concept of
portion size.
Richard: I can't count how many fat rear-ends I've
seen in my life and it's getting worse. I'm shocked at the fat
thighs and butts I see strolling on stage at beauty and
bodybuilding contests I've judged! So it's not just your
average sedentary, over-40 babyboomer that is overweight.
Believe me, young people today are getting fatter every year.
I live in Panama City which boasts the "World's Most Beautiful
Beaches," and it amazes me how much "cottage cheese" I see on
the legs and huge, saggy rear-ends of even the youngest of the
bikini clad vixens roaming the beaches here. We have a major
glute crisis in America!
Granted, like all other body parts some people are just
gifted with great genetics, but whatever you see coming out of
the shower as you look back in the mirror can be improved.
{Diane: Believe me…..Baldwin checks his physique out
in the mirror daily. And that's what keeps him from eating
junk food and his butt looking in competitive shape, even at
55 years of age.} So if you want to build your own pair of
glamorous glutes within your genetic limits, read on!
The
glutes (butt, buns, ass, tush, rear-end, whatever you
personally prefer) primarily consists of the gluteus maximus,
medius, and minimus. These muscles are difficult to isolate,
and we see very few workout routines that list glutes as a
special area of training. Although you actually don't need to
worry about isolation to get head-turning results, it is
possible with some special workouts and special machines to
target this area.
Before we get to those concentrated "glamorous glute"
producers, let us give you three major secrets to success:
- You must eat nutritionally sound meals (read our advice
about diet for abs on
Week Fourteen)
- Concentrate on flexing those glutes!
- Do your cardio.
Putting The Secrets To Work:
Do unilateral movements:
Exercises like lunges and glute kickbacks allow focused
concentration and isolated contraction of the glutes.
Flex your glutes during the entire range of motion:
Practice squeezing your glutes throughout the range of
movement and I guarantee you will shape those sexy buns!
Now we let you in on the greatest glute
shapers you can do without weights or
machines:
Leg Lift -
View
The Exercise
Grabbing the top of a chair back to brace yourself, stand up
straight, lift one leg behind you while keeping the other leg
straight. Bring the raised leg back to the floor and raise it
again for 10 repetitions. Then do the same for the other leg.
Three to five sets of these leg lifts, if you are
concentrating on flexing the glutes so that you feel them do
the work, should begin to tighten and firm these muscles.
Glute Kickbacks -
View The Exercise
A variation of the leg lift is the glute kickback. While on
the floor on all fours, extend one leg and with the foot
cocked to a point that places it in line with the head. Then
raise it to a 45-degree angle with the foot elevated above the
head. Again, the key to maximum results is to concentrate on
contracting the glutes throughout the full range of motion.
The Butt Lift or Bridge -
View The Exercise
Lying on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips off
the floor while keeping your back straight. Remember to keep
your glutes tight!
Here are the greatest glute shapers you
can do
with weights or machines:
One-Legged Cable Kickback -
View The Exercise
If you have access to a low cable machine, the one-legged
cable kickback is a great way to carve shape into those
sagging buns. Hook a leather cuff to a low cable pulley and
then attach the cuff to your ankle. Face the weight stack from
a distance of about two feet, grasping the steel frame for
support. While keeping your knees and hips bent slightly and
your abs tight, contract your glutes to slowly "kick" the
working leg back in a semicircular arc as high as it will
comfortably go. At full extension, squeeze your glutes for
peak contraction. Bring your working leg forward, resisting
the pull of the cable until you reach the starting position.
After completing the desired number of reps, switch legs and
repeat this movement for the other bun.
The Glute Machines
Many gyms now are equipped with special equipment for
isolating the glutes, such as the Mega Glute Blaster. As you
can see in the accompanying photo, this is a great way to
isolate those beautiful muscles. The great thing about these
machines is that you are locked into position so that you can
concentrate fully on contracting those muscles.
Lunges -
View The Exercise
With your feet about shoulder width apart, using a barbell on
your shoulders, a couple of dumbbells in your hands or just a
broomstick for balance, move your left foot forward. Keep your
knee centered over your foot as you lunge forward on that leg,
never letting your knee go further than right over your toes.
Push back from the heels as you contract your glutes. Come
back to the starting position and repeat for the other leg.
The Stiff-Legged Dead Lift -
View The Exercise
Many bodybuilders like this exercise because it really
concentrates on the tie-in between the glutes and the
hamstrings and thereby adds even more to a nice shape to the
glutes. It is performed by picking up a dumbbell or barbell
and standing in an upright position. Then bend over without
curving the back or bending the knees. You should feel a real
stretch of the hamstrings as you lower and raise the weight.
Remember to squeeze those glutes!
The Routines
Try all the above exercises and pick two or three of them
that really seem to work those glutes. Then work them hard 2-3
days per week for 3-4 sets of 10-12. Variety keeps boredom
from interfering with intensity, but once you find the 4 or 5
exercises that you like, rotate those as needed. The point is
don't waste time doing exercises you don't like.
Cardio
Unless you are gifted with an incredibly fast metabolism
{Diane: like Richard}, you will need to engage in
cardiovascular activity. Ask any fitness model which cardio
activity helps to keep the fat off the hips, thighs and butt
area and you will find a universal answer...running. Just
remember, that's running, not jogging! If you are a boomer
that's never engaged in running, it's not too late to start.
Start slow, with short intervals of jogging and fast walking.
As you progress, make the intervals longer. Work up to a
comfortable jog speed for a few miles. Once the jogging goal
is met, add in some short intervals of running, then longer
intervals. After some time, you'll find yourself running and
enjoying the large amount of calories burned in a relatively
short amount of time.
For those with
joint
problems that make running an impossible task, try setting
the incline on a treadmill and walk uphill. For gym quality
treadmills, you'll want to work up to a goal of 3.0-3.5 miles
per hour, at an incline of 75-100% of maximum. Now, here's a
trick I learned from 40 year old, Team Universe winner,
Skip LaCour.
Squeeze your buns while climbing that hill. Don't hold the
rails. Trust me, this is a killer workout.
Spinning classes with a demanding instructor will also
provide a great caloric burn in a short amount of time. When
out of the saddle, keep your butt low, just above the seat.
And once again...squeeze your buns!
Find a Photo that Inspires You
Nothing keeps us more determined to progress than finding
inspirational photos. If you are female and want great buns,
take a great photo like the one on the right by Neveux of
Debbie Kruck and stick it to the mirror in your bathroom so
that you see it every morning and evening when you brush your
teeth. Burn in your mind a picture of the glutes you want!
Richard: Some of you may be thinking, why haven't
you suggested squats and leg presses? Given that the glutes
are very involved in those movements, why have we left those
out? Because they cause the gluteus medius to become
overdeveloped resulting in a square ass rather than a nice
round one. That's okay for your guys out there, but my
personal preference is for round, female-looking glutes rather
than square male-looking glutes. I hate female butts that look
like a guy's butt. For instance, check out these photos below
of some female bodybuilders butts and contrast them with those
glorious glutes above. Need I say more?
Diane: Others may be saying, "What about the
guys?" Believe me, some guys' butts are looking pretty grim
these days too. For instance, this guy needs to lose a lot of
weight AND work his butt hard:
Then there's the "flat-butt" look? A friend of mine forced
her boyfriend to start doing squats because he had NO butt to
speak of. I suggested he squat since he needed some glutes
FAST. It worked, but I just would not suggest deep squats or
leg presses with emphasis on the glutes. In fact, I would
suggest concentrating on isolating the quadriceps since these
are great thigh builders.
Well, there you have it. This should set you on your way to
Glamorous Glutes!