In fitness and society as a whole, we love big butts and we can not lie!
Gone are the days of Spandex bodysuits, leotards and flat booties. Today, thanks to celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, the Kardashians, social media sensations like Jen Selter and Instagram hashtags like #TushyTuesday, the booty is being celebrated for all its peachy glory!
On the positive side, the focus has shifted to a sexier, curvier and more attainable look. Appreciating more curvaceous figures gives women a more realistic standard than the body types of genetic anomalies like runway models Giselle Bundchen or Heidi Klum. On the down side, many are resorting to implants and fillers to give them that bootylicious look.
As a trainer, I can tell you that not only can you build that envied booty for free, glutes that are a result of proper diet and exercise LOOK and FEEL better than any pair of peaches you paid for.
Plus, proper diet and exercise can address an issue fillers and surgery can't completely remedy - cellulite! I know from personal experience that when I focused my own workouts on strengthening and toning not just my glutes, but my legs in general, I saw an 85-90% reduction in the appearance of cellulite.
When it comes to building glutes, most people are faced with the challenge of waking up their glutes in the first place. Many people with office jobs who sit for prolonged periods of time have developed what is called Dead Butt Syndrome, also known as gluteal amnesia. This literally means your body has forgotten how to engage your glute muscles because you have sat on them for so long and therefore have stopped activating them.
If this is the case, no amount of squats and deadlifts are going to give you the round, high firm booty you desire because your body will recruit more dominant muscle groups like the quadriceps to perform the exercise.
Because many of my clients suffer from Dead Butt Syndrome, it is important to incorporate activation exercises with mini loop bands and isolation exercises that specifically target the glutes as part of the warm up. When you do this consistently, your brain-booty connection will be restored and you will be able to better engage your glutes when doing larger compound exercises.
Start your workouts with non load-bearing exercises like side band walks, monster walks, single leg hip thrusts and kickbacks and you will be on your way to building the butt of your instagram #belfie dreams!