A quick scroll through social media, and there is one thing you are sure to notice, that the quest for a well-shaped booty shows no sign of going out of fashion any time soon. For many, it has become a lifestyle goal. However, just blindly slogging it out in the gym everyday with deadlifts and hip-thrusts until your legs turn to jelly won't cut it. Although it is true that genetics plays a big part in acquiring that perfect peach, the good news is that, either in the gym or at home, there is a lot you can do to enhance and change the shape of your booty.
The key to making that change is targeted training. Advancements in sports science, strength and conditioning, and EMG research, have given us a better understanding of how to shape this much-coveted asset, and by engaging in a routine of targeted exercises and adhering to proper nutrition, you can ultimately achieve your dream booty.
So, if you're ready to say bye bye to a pancake posterior and hello to peachy perfection, let's dive right in!
It is important to have even a rudimentary understanding of anatomy of the glutes from the outset, as this will aid you in choosing the best exercises to target those glutes.
No doubt, you’ve heard of the dynamic duo. Well I’m going to introduce you to the dynamic trio: The Gluteus Maximus, the Gluteus Medius, and the Gluteus Minimus, the three main muscles which make up the booty.
-
The Gluteus Maximus as the name would suggest, is the largest of the trio and the most powerful. Primarily, it is responsible for hip extension. If your aim is to target “the booty shelf”, this is the muscle to hit hard. The Gluteus Maximus can take a heavy load, and loading up on the weights to isolate it (for example, during hip extensions) is an easy way to target this muscle.
- The Gluteus Medius helps stabilize the hip and pelvis during walking, running, and balancing, so in order to isolate this muscle include abduction exercises, like “clams” and “fire hydrants”.
- The Gluteus Minimus is the smallest of the glute trio and, together with the Gluteus Medius, helps stabilize the hips and pelvis. Since the muscle works in tandem with The Medius, abduction exercises are key its development.
Although our aim here is to build a better, more shapely booty, strengthening these three muscles will also improve your posture, your overall athletic performance, and help prevent injury which will stand you in good stead for the future, because make no mistake, making that change will take time and effort.
Let’s see how we can target these three muscles more specifically:
- Squats. A compound movement that targets your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. You don’t always have to perform straight squats. You can mix in some variations like sumo squats or pistol squats, even elevated squats for extra glute activation.
- Lunges. Also a compound exercise, although lunges activate quads more than glutes in standard forward lunges and reverse lunges. You can adapt and mix in some variations like elevated lunges, single leg step-ups, Bulgarian split squat and curtsy lunges that are fantastic for hitting different parts of your glutes while also challenging your balance.
- Hip Thrusts. To perform this exercise, elevate your upper back on a bench and thrust the weight (or your body) upward with your hips. This exercise is a glute game-changer, with a high glute-activation level and should definitely be included in your booty workouts! You can adapt this to Single Leg Hip Thrusts and Banded Hip Thrusts (which will encourage more glute medius development). Even a simple outward rotation of the feet and hips will target different areas of the glutes whilst doing this exercise.
- Deadlifts. Another Compound exercise that will engage your glutes and hamstrings. There are many variations of deadlifts such as Traditional, Romanian and Sumo Stance. You can focus on single leg or elevated variations of deadlifts, which will increase the muscle tension of the glutes and hamstrings, helping you build muscle mass more quickly!
- Glute Bridges are similar to hip thrusts but are performed on the floor Glute Bridges are excellent for beginners, because you can progress easily as you get stronger. Although Glute Bridges target the glutes and hamstrings, you can adjust the exercise by changing the position of the feet and hips by rotating outwards, which will engage the glute medius and minimus muscles specifically. These exercises are called Frog Pumps and Butterfly Glute Bridges.
- Donkey Kicks are performed by kneeling on all four with wrists stacked under the shoulders, and knees stacked under the hips. Whilst engaging the abdominals by holding a neutral spine position parallel to the floor, lift one leg up directly to the ceiling and back down. “Donkey Kicks” is a glute-maximus isolation exercise. This can be performed with body weight, resistance bands, dumbbells and ankle weights. The best equipment to use when progressively overloading the Donkey Kick are the Cable and Smith machines.
- Side lying hip abduction is a glute medius and minimus isolation exercise. This exercise is commonly used in Pilates. You lie on your side on the floor in a straight line with legs extended. Hips are stacked on top of each other with hipbones facing forward. Whilst aligning the hips and shoulders vertically to the floor, lift the top leg up (in abduction) and return the leg back. To feel the burn on the medius muscle, it is best to do about 20 reps or more. If you get discouraged or need to adapt due to injury with this exercise, there are variations you can perform like standing hip abduction, Fire hydrants (both with bent and straight legs), clams or even seated hip abduction. These exercises are great if your workout is compromised by injury, and for building strength and stability in the hips.
Ideally, you should aim to train at least three times a week. Try to challenge the muscle progressively. For example, you can progress from bodyweight squats to weighted squats, or by increasing your reps, sets, the weight, or the intensity. If you’re training at home or lack equipment or weights, then simply increasing the number of reps you perform for a particular exercise is a good way to increase the intensity.
Another way of increasing intensity is to perform concentric/eccentric or pause reps. For example, when training my clients, we have 2 days a week heavy progressive overload workouts performing 2 or 3 glute maximus focused exercises with 2 or 3 Glute medius exercises. Then 1 day a week with light weights and a progressive overload on the reps and use of pause reps. This will involve performing 4-5 exercises for glute maximus and medius/ minimus. This helps improve muscular endurance and assists in increasing the muscle size.
Your Nutrition!
While exercise is the backbone of building that dream booty, what you eat plays a crucial role in its development. For glute growth, you should focus on the following:
Protein: Muscles need protein of course and some of the best sources of lean protein are Chicken, Turkey, fish, and legumes, all of which help in muscle repair and growth. Having this in mind you should aim to include a source of protein in every meal.
Fats: Healthy fats from foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, are great for energy and aid in hormone balance, which is essential for muscle growth. The best sources of fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Consuming fat may also help prevent muscle atrophy.
Carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and oats will provide you with sustained energy to power the muscles for those killer workouts.
Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are vitamin and mineral rich and their fibre helps keep you full and supports overall health.
Don't forget that staying hydrated is vital, especially during and after workouts.
It helps to stay motivated if you set goals you know you are more likely to achieve. These need not and should not be huge goals but small encouraging steps that will lead to success. Tracking your progress is a great way to stay on top of things. Take photos to chart your progression too, and keep a workout journal. Encouraging yourself by seeing how far you've come is a tried and tested way of staying motivated.
Sculpting that booty will take time. To avoid growing bored, switch up your routine every few weeks. Lacklustre training can be a real motivational killer, so try new exercises. In this way, you won’t be as likely to plateau as it keeps things interesting and exciting. Experimenting, by hitting different parts of your anatomy, is also a great way to discover what really works best for you.
It's important to give your body time to heal and grow. Recovery days are a crucial part of any training regime. Overworking your muscles can lead to injury, so give your body the rest it needs.
If all this seems a lot to take in now, then focus on the basics I’ve covered: arm yourself with an understanding of the anatomy of the body part you’re trying to sculpt, make the right choices about the exercises you need to work that body part, work hard at it either a home or in the gym, fuel your body with good nutrition, rest and recover … Even so, even if you do everything right, you won't build a better booty overnight. As with most things in life, the key to success lies in consistency and patience. Stick with it, you’re in for the long haul ... and celebrate those small victories along the way.