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Complete workout to develop your glutes
Did you know that the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle we have in terms of volume?
Are you looking for a complete workout to develop your glutes, not to mention improve your sporting performance and prevent back pain?
Strengthening the glutes, hips and quadriceps deserves to be included in everyone’s training routine, as it improves stability and power. Effective gluteal activation also improves performance and reduces the risk of injury by providing better posture.
A thorough and intense gluteal workout also burns a significant number of calories and improves overall fitness.
Before revealing the best exercises to perform, find out more about gluteal anatomy, the different muscles and their roles to better understand how they work.
The gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus are the three muscles of the buttocks.
The role of the different muscles of the buttocks:
Greater gluteal (C)
- Stabilization of the basin
- Extension of the thigh on the pelvis
- Lateral rotation of the thigh
Middle gluteal (B)
- Abduction of the thigh on the pelvis
- Internal rotation of the thigh (anterior fascicles)
- External rotation of the thigh (posterior bundles)
- Lateral stabilizer of the pelvis when standing on one foot
Small gluteal (A)
- Abduction of the thigh on the pelvis.
- Internal rotation of the thigh.
- Slight hip flexor.
- No more feelings of aches and pains or heaviness.
- No more muscular fatigue during everyday movements.
- Feeling at your best and rested overall.
Warm-up and activation of the glutes
After your warm-up, start with some gluteal activation and mobility exercises to awaken and challenge the muscles that will be used during the strengthening phase. These exercises will prepare the body to work with loads.
Here are different exercises to perform:
- lateral banded walk with an elastic band (placed just above the knees)
- banded side-lying clam / abduction allongée avec une bande (placée au-dessus des genoux)
- the back kick / kickbacks
- side leg lift / fire hydrants
- the backward leg lift / donkey kicks
Choose two exercises per training session from this list, which you can perform as follows:
4 sets of 20 repetitions with a minimum rest time
Once you’ve warmed up, it’s time to train!
Squat
Realization of the exercise
- Stand with the bar on your shoulders.
- Then bend your legs and lower your buttocks, pushing them slightly backwards. You need to get as low as possible while maintaining a good position.
- Finally, go back to the starting position.
Advice :
- Always keep your knees out, your back straight and your body weight on your heels (especially not on the front of your feet).
- 4 series of 15-12-10-8
- Start with a light load and do 15 reps, increase the load and do 12 reps, increase again and do 10 reps and for the last set load as much as possible and do 8 reps
- 2-3 minutes between sets
Hip trust
Realization of the exercise
- Position your shoulder blades on the bench, with your legs shoulder-width apart and your feet on the floor.
- Place your feet slightly outward to further activate the gluteal muscle.
- Position the bar on the fold of the lower pelvis.
- Raise your pelvis until your legs form a right angle with the knee joint.
Advice :
- Use a foam protector to relieve the weight of the bar on your lower pelvis.
- 4 sets of 6-8-10-12 repetitions
- Start as heavy as possible and perform 6 reps, decrease and perform 8 reps, decrease again and perform 10 reps, decrease one last time and perform 12 reps
- Rest time 3-2 minutes between each set
Bulgarian split
Realization of the exercise
- Grab two dumbbells in each hand and place your back leg on a support to elevate it; the height of the weight bench is ideal.
- The front knee must form a right angle.
- Then go up and down as you would for a classic lunge.
Advice :
- If you lack balance, place your leg on the bench first, then put your knee down to grip the dumbbells.
- 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions
- Increase the load with each set until you reach your maximum load
- Rest time 2 minutes between each set
DB deadlift
Realization of the exercise
- Take a dumbbell in each hand on each side.
- Stand with your knees very slightly bent and your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Then bend your hips back and lower your torso until it is almost parallel to the floor.
- From this forward bent position, stand up in a controlled manner.
Advice :
- Keep your back straight and your neck in line with your back.
- 4 sets of 10 repetitions
- Increase the load with each set until you reach your maximum load
Hip adduction, machine
Realization of the exercise
- Sit on the seat, put your feet on the footrest and the outside of your knees against the support.
- Start with your thighs together and then spread your legs.
- Return to the starting position with control of the movement.
Advice :
- Slightly tilt the torso forwards to further engage the gluteus maximus
- 4 sets of 10 repetitions
- Start as heavy as possible and decrease the load each time, minimum rest between sets
Elastic band
Elastic bands are the perfect accessory to perform gluteal activation exercises.
Dumbbells
Dumbbells are one of the basic bodybuilding accessories and allow you to work on gluteal exercises such as the bulgarian split and deadlifts.
Olympic bar and discus
The weight bar and discs are the essential equipment for free-weight training. They allow you to train essential polyarticular exercises such as squats and, above all, allow you to progress continuously by adding weight.
Rack
The rack allows you to perform multiple exercises such as squats safely!
