Glutes Workout Tips
Image: Stuart Creighton. Shorts: Fitness leaf by Fitness To A Tee.
This week on Fitness To A Tee, it's been all about yet another one of my favourite body parts to strengthen - glutes (butt muscles)! Maybe I love working every part as I've said that for each body part so far lol. But seriously I love working glutes.
Why work the glutes anyway?
No matter what your fitness goals are, doing workouts for your butt is key. The glutes muscles are one of the largest muscle groups in your body.
A stronger butt is key for better movement, so your butt helps you to:
stand, walk, run and sit
support the lower back
prevent/reduce knee and back pain
improve posture
give solid foundational strength for so many exercises!
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What are the glutes made up of?
The glutes are made up of 3 different parts: gluteus maximus; medius and minimus which all need to be targeted for a strong and lovely peach.
Gluteus maximus
The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three and makes up most of the shape and form of the buttock and hip area. It is a large muscle and plays a prominent role in maintaining the upper body in an erect posture.
Gluteus medius
The gluteus medius is one of the muscles of the side of your hip and helps with hip movement. It turns the leg in and out and moves the leg to the side.
Gluteus minimus
This is the smallest muscle in the glutes. The gluteus minimus and gluteus medius help the gluteus maximus raise your leg out to the side as well as rotate your thigh inwards and outwards.
My glutes workout routine
So how often do I work my glutes? I tend to work my glutes every other day. I do weight training 3 to 4 times per week so what I do is workout the back of my glutes, then the next day - focus on the side of the glutes and so on. I also walk nearly everyday so my glutes get a good workout in then too.
Remember that stretching the glutes muscles is very important too and I love the foam roller for really getting in to those sore butt muscles. I foam roll before and after my glutes workout, doing 2-3 sets x 30-60 secs on each spot. When your glutes are well stretched, you then won't be walking around like a frog on drugs.
Some of my favourite moves for glutes include low squats/lunges ie not standing upright; cable kickbacks and glute bridges using the leg extension machine. Those will always be staples. Click here to watch a few of my favourite glutes moves!
I focus on using medium weight and higher reps but my emphasis is always on feeling my muscles activate, more than lifting 5000 kg. You can lift a heavy weight but if your technique is off and you’re not focusing on activating the muscle (feeling it work) - then that’s not doing much to give you good results.
I've found that at my age of 41 - medium weight just works for me. Remember this is from getting to know my body and what suits me best, so I'm not saying don't lift super heavy. How I train my clients depends on their body type and getting to know them. Every #fitnesstoatee plan is customised.
Everybody is different, so what may work for me and my goals may not necessarily work specifically for someone else.
Nutrition
This is the most important thing to achieve great toning results or any other goal with your fitness. I’ve definitely maintained my fitness and kept shaping my body at this age by being consistent with healthy eating. I still have treat or cheat meals twice per week and that helps me sustain my healthy eating, as I don’t cut or deprive myself of foods I like.
So what kind of healthy foods do I eat to stay toned at age 41? I love greens and more greens; fruit and/or veg smoothies with superfood powders; wholemeal carbs e.g. brown rice, sweet potato. You can see my healthy food shopping by clicking here.
A specific food which is great for glutes is oats. I love OATS because they can be made in so many ways. In the pic above, I added 2 tspns vanilla protein + cinnamon. For me personally oats are 1 of my "secrets" (+ I've given it away now) for shapely glutes. OATS just seem to go straight to that area for me + I tend to ration or stop them for a few weeks when I feel that area getting too heavy for the rest of my frame 😆.
I tend to go for gluten free oats options which don't bloat my tummy + types I can cook on the stove as they are less processed than instant ones.
Oats are great for overall health eg reducing blood sugars, lowering cholesterol and good for the heart., but for glutes specifically they have these benefits:
Packed with zinc and magnesium. These minerals are used up by the body to build muscles, restore sore muscles and boost immunity.
Have complex, wholemeal carbs which keeps you fuller for longer and prevent a crash. Oats are great in supporting the high energy needed for effective glutes workouts, which are often combined with legs moves.
Great protein and other nutrient source for growing muscle = a firmer behind.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my tips and do get in touch here for any questions you might have.
Click here to watch a few of my favourite glutes moves!
If you want to ask more questions about training your glutes alongside your goals - contact me here.