Subject: Set your glutes on FIRE....
...with this very simple bodyweight exericse (or you can add weight to it as well).
It's a DEEP single-leg squat done with your foot set on an incline bench face (set to 45 degrees).
I've got video of it posted on my Instagram feed here.
(you don't need to have accounts in either service to see it)
This allows you to keep your shin perfectly vertical during the movement (you'll see this in the video). This takes away pretty much all knee stress that you might get with a super-deep squat.
It throws 98% of the load directly on the glute on that side because of how it forces you to push with your heel. The quads are barely activated with this one, if you do it right.
I've got the bench set by the rack so that I can grab onto the bar. You NEED to have something to grab onto so that you can do the movement in an arc, rather than straight up and down.
This could be a bar like I have set up, a Smith machine or even a towel looped around a pole and you're grabbing the ends.
As long as your foot is on an incline face and you move in an arc, it'll work.
To make sure you move in an arc, your arm(s) should stay straight and extended so that they're basically just connecting you to the bar rather than helping you push up. We want the glutes to do the work.
The first minute of the video shows it done with a single dumbbell for extra loading (30 lb dumbbell was plenty). Then I show the bodyweight-only version, which is the same only you can grab the bar with both hands.
You'll notice that I have a weight plate set on the floor to brace the bench against the frame of the rack so that it doesn't slide. If your flooring and bench don't grip well, you should have something like this to brace the bench against because you will be pushing forward against the bench with your glutes...and that will give a lot of force that could move the bench.
This one puts a GREAT stretch on the glutes at the bottom, which is very powerful for building muscle and strength.
And because you get NO help, it's ALL GLUTES doing the work.
As I mentioned above, this is one you may be able to do even if you have buggered up knees. The way the leverage is changed by the incline bench means there is almost no torque going into the knee joint (in my experience).
If you don't have an incline bench or rack, you may be able to set a solid flat object or board up against something so that your foot is angled up, similar to the incline bench. As long as it's solid and you have something solid to hold onto, it should work just as well as the bench. Just make sure you test it carefully before you really go full power on the exercise.
This one is an eye-opener...taking away all help and going into a deep squat will really force the glutes to go to work.
Here are the video links again:
Have a Hard Time Feeling Your Glutes Working?
If you like this exercise, I've got a resource to tell you about that you're going to LOVE.
It's called "Unlock Your Glutes" and if you want bigger, firmer, rounder, stronger glutes, this is EXACTLY what you need.
If you have a hard time building your butt, you may already realize that your glutes are kind of "asleep." You have a tough time activating them and getting them to work.
Even squats (which are often held up as the gold standard of glute training) don't get the job done for you.
The exercises, techniques and programs you'll find in "Unlock Your Glutes" are very effective waking up your glutes and getting them firing effectively again.
I recently retired my book "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt Now"...and I have to say, this one is a great successor to it.
This is a program I can get behind...
...
Ok, bad joke...but I think you see where I'm going with this. It's really good stuff and right on target in terms of training.
Learn more about "Unlock Your Glutes" here and get the butt you WANT.
Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle
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