Friend, Did you catch us last week during our live Q&A session on Facebook? If so, may have heard a new term that has been circulating our group lately - saucy glutes. Yep, this is now a Green Door Life coined phrase that will be here to stay. But we digress. Let's revisit more specifically how to build a strong Gluteus Maximus! Several of our rock-star clients are reaching that point in their 12-week weight loss journey where they've lost an impressive amount of body fat (yes... even during a pandemic) and are ready to start focusing on muscle-building goals. We start off them off with full-body, fat-burning workouts delivered in our training app, but some people want to add a little volume or shape to a specific body part once they reach their initial goals. When we look at developing certain muscles in the body, it's important to take into account a few things:
1. Are you building for size, shape, or performance?
2. What kind of stimulus do you need to achieve the desired result?
3. How many days are you able to dedicate to this goal?
If we're focusing on the booty in particular, we like to imagine the entire glute region which is really shaped by both the lower back muscles and the hamstrings. Whenever we see a well developed muscle, it's not only the primary muscle that causes shape but also the muscles around it that create the structure. Muscle-specific training is essentially like framing a picture.
Framing Your Saucy Glutes
Contrary to old ways of thinking, squats are not the most effective path for developing shapely glutes, no matter how deep you go. On the contrary, squats mainly engage the quadriceps, which are already dominating movement patterns for females in particular. We're not saying to not squat; we love squats! But we know when and what frequency to place them in each individual program. To frame those saucy glutes, we will need a full-spectrum approach:
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Hamstrings to lift the glutes
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Gluteus Medius to build the upper rounding
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Gluteus Maximus to fill in the volume
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Erector Spinae (lower back) to tone the runway into the glutes and to support the spine and core - kinda important.
Let's take a closer look:
Notice how these muscles connect and insert into the pelvis. You can now see why it's important to train beyond the muscle that you are targeting. Below are a few of the basic exercises that will primarily focus on framing the glutes:
Gluteus Maximus: Hip Thrusters Bulgarian Split Squat Deep Goblet Squats Single Leg Deadlift, Glute Bridge or Split Squat Hamstrings: Deadlift Good Mornings Single Leg Deadlift Stability Ball Hamstring Curl Lower Back: Back Extension Any kind of deadlift Reverse Plank Supermans Good Mornings Gluteus Medius: Banded Fire Hydrants Donkey Kicks Side Hip Raise Clam Shells Side Leg Raise Frog Pumps
This list is not exhaustive, so be sure to check out our full collection of exercises on YouTube!
Side note - last year in Nashville, we spent several days filming hundreds of exercise tutorials that include form cues and targeted muscle groups. The full library of 300+ videos are available on our YouTube and integrated into our training app. Our tutorials are short but packed with helpful information if you ever want to skip looking up exercise video tutorials online in the future!
What are your favorite "saucy glute" exercises? We want to hear about them! Let us know your faves or send us a video at [email protected].
We are definitely in the train smarter, not harder camp (rest included!), and hope you are too. Happy Friday, friends!
P.S. Looking for more nutrition and training support? Here are 3 ways we can help you:
(1) LOSE 10 POUNDS → If you’re ready to permanently lose at least 10 pounds in as little as 8 weeks, then book a call with us.
(2) WORKOUT AT HOME → no gym, limited equipment, no problem! The full-body workouts in our training app are designed to help you burn body fat all over, increase your metabolism, and build lean muscle mass.
(3) DE-STRESS → enjoy a 7-day FREE trial to our meditation and breath work group to start your mornings off on the right and set the tone for the day!
