BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
We often view big arms and ripped abs as the holy grails of fitness. But forgotten in that discussion – at least until recently – has been the importance of your glutes.
Now obviously, fitness Instagram has long had glutes covered. But these days, more and more people of all shapes and sizes and fitness level are starting to understand the importance of big, strong backsides. And glutes are getting their moment for good reason, too, because a well-trained butt delivers serious benefit.
Strong glutes do two key things:
1)They make you more powerful. Whether you're trying to run a fast marathon or jump higher during a basketball game, your glutes will play a role. They drive your hips fully straight, and let you do that explosively.
2) They bulletproof your lower back. Strong glutes help position your hips to better take stress off your spine, helping to limit the load your back extensors face on a regular basis.
Bottom line: Train your glutes. And this workout, which you can do 2 to 3 times daily, will have that covered. Do 3 sets of each exercise as a full workout. Or start with one of our other full-body sessions, then do 1 set of each exercise as a finisher on any other day. You’ll train your glutes with high reps; they're a durable muscle that can be trained often and pushed hard.
EXERCISE 1: Half-Full Romanian Deadlift
You know how much I love the Romanian deadlift, and that’s always been partly because of how well it builds your glutes. This variation ratchets the intensity up by helping you challenge your glutes with extra time under tension when your back is nearly parallel to the ground (and your glutes are most stretched). Take these slowly and patiently, but eventually, you should max out your SMRTFT bells. Do 8 to 10 reps per set.
EXERCISE 2: Dumbbell Swing
You've trained your glutes slowly with the RDL. Now train them to be explosive and fast with the dumbbell swing. Focus on standing tall on each rep and squeezing your glutes hard as you do so. Do reps for 40 seconds, then rest for 40 seconds.
EXERCISE 3: Goblet Curtsy Lunge
Standard lunges are an underrated way to blast your glutes, and when you start to twist your torso away from your hips while lunging, you place even more tension on your deepest glute muscles. You’ll do that here, and quietly challenge your core muscles more than you might expect. Do 8 to 10 reps per side.