Need your butt advice

[lolabee]

Hi all,

Need some advice concerning training for butt and saddle bag training!
Whatever i seem to do i cannot shift the saddle bags of get my butt to lift and become firmer! I have been training for over 6 months and the results are still pretty bad!!
I do weights 3-4 times per week (body pump mainly) and use quite heavy weights (20kgs for squats)
I really need advice please!!
Thanks in advance.

 

[ZiR RED]

Can you please post a relaxed side and front shot as well. Reasoning is I want to look for lordosis of the lumbar spine and anterior pelvic tilt, as well as internal femoral rotation, etc. It may be a case of your glutes not firing correctly due to shortened muscles and postural deviations. These can be fixed.

As for your training, body pump and 44 pounds is not heavy. Fine for cardiovascular conditioning and decreasing body fat, but it will not do anything to increase muscle mass/tone in your butt. And, if your glutes are not firing, then no amount of squatting any weight will.

You should check this out, as I think the glutes pictured in the blog are what you are looking to develop, and what my program was designed to develop.

http://jasoncholewa.com/2012/12/17/optimal-beach-performance-for-women/

 

[lolabee]

Hi and thanks for your advice. I will look at your article.
I cant seem to upload pictures either on this thread or create an album, i will keep trying.

 

[lolabee]

 

[lolabee]

 

[schroedes]

Higher rep squats, go deep and use good form

 

[ZiR RED]

In the front view we can see some internal femoral rotation (basically, your thighs are turned slightly inward). When you squat do you find your knees coming inwards? Better, if I ask you to perform a vertical jump (have someone watch) do your knees turn in as explode from a half squat to the jump? If yes, then your hip abductors are not functioning properly. We can use lateral monster band walks, side lying clams, side lying abduction and rotation, etc. to strengthen them. If your abductors do not function correctly, then they cannot maintain the thigh in a position where your glutes will be strongest (and thus get ample work).


In the side view it is hard to tell because your shirt covers your illeum (upper pelvis) so its difficult to look at its rotation, though it would appear there is some APT.

Do us another favor, stand with your feet about 2-3 inches away from the wall and your butt and upper back against the wall. Reach back with one arm (without moving) and see how much or your hand you place between your lower back and the wall. If you can push your hand back there further than the first two phalangeal joints of the fingers (i.e.: up to your knuckles or futher) then it confirms my suspicians of anterior pelvic tilt.

If such is the case, then its not a matter of you not training the glutes enough, but instead a matter of them not firing due to reciprocal inhibition (in other words, your hip flexors are so short and tight that they prevent the glutes from doing their jobs). If so, then its time to start really aggressively stretching your hip flexors.

Get back to me with the results and we'll start talking about exercises.

Br

 

[lolabee]

In the front view we can see some internal femoral rotation (basically, your thighs are turned slightly inward). When you squat do you find your knees coming inwards? Better, if I ask you to perform a vertical jump (have someone watch) do your knees turn in as explode from a half squat to the jump? If yes, then your hip abductors are not functioning properly. We can use lateral monster band walks, side lying clams, side lying abduction and rotation, etc. to strengthen them. If your abductors do not function correctly, then they cannot maintain the thigh in a position where your glutes will be strongest (and thus get ample work).

In the side view it is hard to tell because your shirt covers your illeum (upper pelvis) so its difficult to look at its rotation, though it would appear there is some APT.

Do us another favor, stand with your feet about 2-3 inches away from the wall and your butt and upper back against the wall. Reach back with one arm (without moving) and see how much or your hand you place between your lower back and the wall. If you can push your hand back there further than the first two phalangeal joints of the fingers (i.e.: up to your knuckles or futher) then it confirms my suspicians of anterior pelvic tilt.

If such is the case, then its not a matter of you not training the glutes enough, but instead a matter of them not firing due to reciprocal inhibition (in other words, your hip flexors are so short and tight that they prevent the glutes from doing their jobs). If so, then its time to start really aggressively stretching your hip flexors.

Get back to me with the results and we'll start talking about exercises.

Br

Thanks for your very informative advice/feedback!!

I did the jump squat and got someone to check the knee/thighs and they didn't seem to see any inward result.
Also stood against the wall and managed to get half my hand through my lower back...but j assumed that we can all do this due to the natural curve of the lower back?

Have i been training wrongly for a long time? Is that the cause of my problems now?

Happy new year hope it brings you all that you want.

 

[lolabee]

Higher rep squats, go deep and use good form

I do about 20-25 reps of between 5/6 sets....also body pump squats are very deep and high reps

 

[uvawahoowa]

I do about 20-25 reps of between 5/6 sets....also body pump squats are very deep and high reps

Hahaha body pump squats are very deep? Body pump squats are definitely not very deep, they teach half squats at best. That is my biggest beef with that damn class, very limited range of motion is taught as proper form and perpetuates ****ty form across a wide range of exercises

 

[smutty]

I think walking lunges would fix that dumper. Add dumbells or straightbar for extra weight.

 

[lolabee]

Hahaha body pump squats are very deep? Body pump squats are definitely not very deep, they teach half squats at best. That is my biggest beef with that damn class, very limited range of motion is taught as proper form and perpetuates ****ty form across a wide range of exercises

Im sure my definition of deep is not true to the word lol but im lucky enough to have a good instructor who tries to make the exercises more beneficial by changing them slightly and believe me i have had my fair share of instructors lol
Think i will do less of the body pump and do more solo training

 

[uvawahoowa]

Im sure my definition of deep is not true to the word lol but im lucky enough to have a good instructor who tries to make the exercises more beneficial by changing them slightly and believe me i have had my fair share of instructors lol
Think i will do less of the body pump and do more solo training

That's great, going solo and getting away from the classes is really the only way to focus and improve with respect to your goals.

My advice would be to take a video of yourself from the side and see what your depth is. You should be able to get your hip joint below your knee joint.

 

[WPChickDiesel]

In the front view we can see some internal femoral rotation (basically, your thighs are turned slightly inward). When you squat do you find your knees coming inwards? Better, if I ask you to perform a vertical jump (have someone watch) do your knees turn in as explode from a half squat to the jump? If yes, then your hip abductors are not functioning properly. We can use lateral monster band walks, side lying clams, side lying abduction and rotation, etc. to strengthen them. If your abductors do not function correctly, then they cannot maintain the thigh in a position where your glutes will be strongest (and thus get ample work).

In the side view it is hard to tell because your shirt covers your illeum (upper pelvis) so its difficult to look at its rotation, though it would appear there is some APT.

Do us another favor, stand with your feet about 2-3 inches away from the wall and your butt and upper back against the wall. Reach back with one arm (without moving) and see how much or your hand you place between your lower back and the wall. If you can push your hand back there further than the first two phalangeal joints of the fingers (i.e.: up to your knuckles or futher) then it confirms my suspicians of anterior pelvic tilt.

If such is the case, then its not a matter of you not training the glutes enough, but instead a matter of them not firing due to reciprocal inhibition (in other words, your hip flexors are so short and tight that they prevent the glutes from doing their jobs). If so, then its time to start really aggressively stretching your hip flexors.

Get back to me with the results and we'll start talking about exercises.

Br

Great advice doc! I really like how you approacher her from a corrective exercise science point of view instead of a common visual giving her a generic answer like "heavy weight, higher reps"! I appreciate people in this industry that can help people see beyond the performance of the exercise and really get the patient/client to connect mind/muscle/body and unlock their full potential.

Lolabee,
The pronation of your femoral flexors is a lot like my own, which I notice more when my weight increases in the off season and especially if I am not wearing supportive shoes. I've been able to benefit from foam rolling on my inner and outer thigh to keep the muscles loose and not pulling my knees in and it really has helped in my posture as well as my lifting. I do love my deep seat squats and yes squeezing through the glutes is very important, but side squats and xband walks have also helped to rid my thighs of saddle bags Good luck girlie!

 

[ZiR RED]

That's good advice above about doing some MFR on the hip flexors, quads and inner thighs.

You can also start doing some hip flexor stretches before and after workouts. Do them before for 1-2 sets of 5-10 reps, each lasting a 2 count. Afterwards or at night hold the stretch for 2 sets of 20-30 seconds. Keep your abs and glutes tight while you do these.

Next, do some glute activations before your workouts. You'll want to try to activate the three glute muscles and as much of the glute max fibers as possible. These include things light
Banded duck walks
Banded lateral monster walks
Supine (single and double leg) bridge
Bird-dogs
Etc. Concentrate on getting a good squeze when you do them, and keep your abdominals tight to support a straight back.

Next, we can start incorporating more direct glute work. Squats and dead lifts are great, the but the glutes are most intensely activated when performing hip hyperextension, which you cannot accomplish with axial loading (ie. weight on your back like a squat or lunge). A couple really good moves are hip pull throughs and glute hip barbell thrusts. Both load the weight horizontally and allow for hyper extension. You can do the barbell glute bridge double or single leg, or with your back on the floor or a bench. Donkey kick backs are also a good exercise.

As I searched for pictures to illustrate this threat, the final one came from this article. I think reading this will give you some novel moves that will provide good results.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/glutes_gone_wild

I also think you need to vary your sets and rep ranges. Body pump is great for cardio, but it is not going to provide the stimulus to build muscle mass that you need to develop a nice butt. I would work 2-3 days a week with heavier weights, in the 6-10 rep range. I list a sample work out as well as the rationale as to why women need to build muscle to develop a sexy feminine physique in the article I posted above, but here it is again:
http://jasoncholewa.com/2012/12/17/optimal-beach-performance-for-women/

Br

 

[Miss Q]

Jason- great videos/articles, especially the T Nation one.

Lolabee- keep us posted on what works for you.

I have been lagging in the butt area as well, but h so seen positive result's after incorporating a lot of walking lunges (w/and w/out weight), aerobic style step up's (w/ and w/out weight) on the high jump box and low bench, stiff leg deadlifts w/ heavy weight, one legged leg press w/ weight. I am excited to try some of the new one's listed above especially the one's in the T Nation article!!

 

[lolabee]

Thank you all so much for the amazing advice, i am beyond grateful and cannot wait to try all the exercises out and let you know how i get on. I will take some new pictures before i start my new training and progress pictures every week or two.

 

[Mitch5]

Keep up the good work! From my view I see nothing wrong with that butt! No creepiness intended lol

 

[lolabee]

Keep up the good work! From my view I see nothing wrong with that butt! No creepiness intended lol

Haha thanks Mitch!!

 

[TexasGuy]

I don't see a problem with the butt and I'm definitely not a corrective exercise guru but I've found walking lunges and weighted step ups to be beneficial to my own glutes and squat numbers.

 

[R1balla]

lunges, high rep, deep, slow squats, jump squats

 

[Rush954]

I would love to get the rest o the workout for beach body. I have just recently gotten my fiancé to start training with me. I have never trained with a woman and would like to find a program like this for her.

 

[ZiR RED]

I would love to get the rest o the workout for beach body. I have just recently gotten my fiancé to start training with me. I have never trained with a woman and would like to find a program like this for her.

Rush, shoot me a PM.

 

[mattrag]

I would love to get the rest o the workout for beach body. I have just recently gotten my fiancé to start training with me. I have never trained with a woman and would like to find a program like this for her.

To build on this how would you structure a diet for them? My wife started training... But doesn't diet, she said she don't wanna get huge.... But your advice might help lol.