Gluteus: Best Butt Shaping Exercises

Ok, I know the elephant shot is a bit rude. But, it is true that our generation, the Baby Boom, is officially on record as the least fit, most fat in history.  When it comes to the old gluteus, we are pushing it way past the maximus and we need these best butt exercises.

Do we really want to lumber down the rest of the road in this condition? Or do we want to do something about it? Why not workout for a bubble butt?

One reason, I can hear you thinking… a lot of the exercises for this area are insane. Between the Bootcamps and the High Intensity routines, there’s a lot of hardcore workouts out there that push the limits of fitness and balance.

We’re older now and we’re not going to jump up on boxes with a barbell across our backs or execute split Bulgarian Squats (whatever those are). I hear you. I get it.

Let’s look at some exercises that work great, but don’t require the agility of a gymnast and can be done with simple equipment or none at all.

This is not to say this is the end-all routine. By all means if you have advanced gear or belong to a gym, take full advantage of all that it offers. But this post is aimed at those who might be just starting out.

So, what exactly makes up the butt?

The gluteal muscles are a group of three muscles which make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The maximus is the largest muscle in your body.

Myths about the butt include the idea that resistance training will make it big. Eating too much makes the butt big. Resistance training firms and tones the muscles and adds shape. It’s a good idea to alter your diet as you begin a workout program. Focus on protein, fruits, vegetables and good fat.

Resistance training burns fat better than any other form of exercise. Because muscle needs energy from calories and fat, it will burn those things for up to 38 hours after you’ve done a workout. Combine a good diet with resistance training and you can transform the way you look and feel.

Basic Rules for any Workout

This workout is designed for those who do not own a ton of equipment or belong to a gym. All of these exercises can be done with body weight, or with resistance bands or dumbbells and/or ankle weights. This type of equipment is inexpensive and easy to use.

Goal: Exhaust those butt muscles in the fastest, most efficient way. We want to cause Hypertrophy of the muscle. That means we stress it to the point where it can’t execute another rep in each set we perform. This will cause tiny microscopic damage to the muscle fibers.

You might feel a touch of soreness — but not pain. This is the proverbial “pump” in the muscles. As you sleep and practice good nutrition, your body will build that muscle up just a little bit stronger than before. And burn fat while it happens.

Mind/Muscle Connection: It’s important to really focus on the muscle you are working. The important thing is to feel it as you work. Keep the tension smooth and constant on the muscle as you do the movement. Stay tuned in to how it feels.

Do this workout once a week. If you decide to do it twice per week, make sure you space it out so you get several days rest before the next time.

Sets & Reps:

• 3 Sets in a row with each exercise
• 8 – 12 reps per set. Adjust resistance to make the last reps difficult
• Rest 30 seconds between sets, 1 – 2 minutes between different exercises

If you’re new to exercise, work up over time. The important thing is to commit to working out week in and week out.

Workout for a Bubble Butt

5 proven exercises to firm and tone the behind. Starting with the hardest and working our way down.

1. Squats

These are a demanding exercise that will work your entire lower body and pay big dividends. Breath in as you go down and out as you come up. In addition to using only your own bodyweight, here are 3 ways you can do it. You can do all 3 sets in one style or mix  them together.

With 2 dumbbells

Hold them to your sides and slowly squat straight down.

Be careful to maintain your balance.

With 1 dumbbell

Hold it between your legs and slowly squat down then up again.

Be careful to maintain your balance.

Squat to a bench

Like the first squat, but keeping a bench or supportive surface below your butt.  You might want to try this if you are having balance issues.

2. Lunges

This is another strenuous move, but also a great exercise that will pay off.

Perform with body weight or with dumbbells.

Start standing straight up and thrust one leg forward so you go into a kneeling position. Return to upright and repeat on the other leg.

3. Glute Kickbacks

There are a few ways you can do this one, as well. Again, use bodyweight if you need to. You can also use resistance bands or ankle weights.

If you do them standing up with or without resistance bands. place one hand against a wall or chair for support. Kick one leg back holding it fairly straight. Feel the tightening in your butt as you do. Return and repeat with the other leg. (If you’re using bands or ankle weights, you can try to finish all three sets one leg at a time vs switching back and forth.)

If you do them on all fours, it’s a similar move, kickback one leg at a time. You can use resistance bands or ankle weights to add resistance. You don’t necessarily have to raise one arm in the air as in the drawing.

4. Flutter Kicks

A bench is preferred, but you can also lie on a mat on the floor. If you’re on a bench, position your hips near the edge. Again, feeling it in your butt and hamstring muscles, start with both legs level to one another. Then raise one up higher and lower it. Repeat with the other leg.

5.Butt Lift Bridge

Lying on your back with your palms flat on the floor, raise your abdomen up as high as you can while keeping your shoulders flat on the floor. Feel the tightening in your butt muscles, lower and repeat.

You can add resistance by placing a barbell or dumbbell across your stomach.

Conclusion:

I’m not promising you will look like a Greek god or goddess if you practice this workout. But I am relatively certain you will greatly improve the way you look and feel.  Clothes will fit better, you’ll be stronger and sexier, too.

If you’d like to read my review of Resistance Bands and learn a little more about them, please click here to see the post.

Please let me know what you think about this post and working out in general with a comment below. You can also drop me a line at Bri@BoomerMuscle.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Click here and get the 5 Keys to Feeling Stronger — Right Away! Supercharge your workouts. Subscribe now and get the 5 Keys — totally free, no hassles.

Female Biceps

While many men are obsessed with the size of their biceps, among other things, many women see the upper arm as a potential problem spot, especially as the years go by and wobbly fat collects on the triceps area.

So, let’s take a different look at arms from a female POV. I know I can quickly find myself on shaky ground by attempting to define the female perspective. So, allow me to say…

In reality, muscle is muscle and will respond the same to various exercises. The primary difference between men and women is how much testosterone is in the system. There’s a lot more in most men, so they will more easily develop larger muscles.

This article is devoted to those who simply want to tone up and look good in a sleeveless outfit. To keep things simple, we’ll focus on a workout that uses basic equipment, like dumbbells and resistance bands.

If you Google the phrase “biceps sleeveless dress,” you get an interesting list of articles among more than half-a-million hits. The first one I saw was called “3 Ways to Fake Toned Arms (For That Sexy Summer Dress!)” from Self magazine. Tips included spray on tanning and body makeup.

The permanent solution takes a little more work and effort, but will pay off in the end.

The basic process is the same for women as it is for men. There a couple of core concepts that form the foundation for all muscle building efforts.

1. Hypertrophy

This is the process of causing microscopic damage to the target muscle fibers and allowing them to heal with rest and good nutrition. Don’t let the word “damage” throw you. We’re not talking about pain here. You should feel a little bit of a “pumped” soreness following a workout — but never actual pain.

If you were trying to pack on lots of muscle, you’d also ingest lots and lots of protein and possibly some legal supplements like Creatine. But if you’re simply trying to tone, you should moderate your diet to reduce fat. That means protein, fruits, vegetables and good fats.

2. Mind/Muscle Connection

The Connection is an intense mental focus on the target muscle as you’re working it. You want to feel the constant tension in the muscle as hypertrophy is happening.

Here’s the formula:

You can’t maintain a Mind/Muscle Connection if you’re using body english to swing weights around that are too heavy. You want to select a weight you can handle cleanly for 8 – 12 reps. You want to take the muscle to “failure” in each set you do. You might get 12 reps in the first set, but 8 or even fewer in the last set. Failure means you can’t do the next rep unless you cheat. Don’t cheat. Feel the Pump.

The right way: focus on a continuous movement, not jerky stop and start. This is about exhausting the muscle, we’re not trying out for the Olympic team here. You want to continuously move the weight. Don’t rest it and then swing it up. Keep it moving in a smooth motion till you can’t do another rep.

Volume is important as well. If you’re just starting out, you will have to work up to this level. If you have to start by only doing 1 -2 sets of each movement, then start there. Work up to 3 sets on each of 3 different exercise movements for a total of 9 sets for each target body part. I suggest doing these consecutively — in a row. Remember, we’re trying to exhaust the target muscles. So, if you were doing Biceps (9 sets) and Triceps (9 sets) on the same day, that would equal 18 total sets.

That sounds like a lot. But we want to keep a brisk pace. Ideal rest time is 30 seconds between sets. A minute or two max between different types of movements. Again, work up to it if you’re just starting out. This workout will burn lots of calories and you will likely work up a good sweat, too.

These illustrations show dumbbells or a barbell. You can use either, or you can use Resistance Bands.

Triceps

This is actually the bigger part of your arm and plays a huge role your arms appear. Diet and calorie burn will reduce the fat that collects here. And nothing burns fat better than Resistance Training. Muscle needs fat for fuel and will burn it for up to 38 hours after you finish working out.

These exercises will build firm, toned triceps muscle.

• 3 Sets: Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks
• 3 Sets: 1 Arm Standing Triceps Extensions
•   3 Sets: Dumbbell Pullover

Pushups and Dips are great alternatives to the above, as are tricep pushdowns on a cable machine.

Here’s an example routine for Biceps. Again, Resistance Bands, Dumbbells or Barbells can be used.:

Biceps

• 3 Sets: Barbell Curls
• 3 Sets: Dumbbell Hammer Curls
• 3 Sets: Dumbbell Concentration Curls

Rope curls on a cable machine are a great alternative to one of the above.

Resistance Bands are another great alternative for most all of these movements. If you don’t own much gear and can’t afford a gym, look into a set of bands. They’re inexpensive and also a great add to any gym setup. The beauty of the bands is that they apply that constant tension we want. To see my review of a few different sets, click here.

What are your thoughts? Please share in the Comments below, or drop me a line at: Brian@BoomerMuscle.com.

Click here and get the 5 Keys to Feeling Stronger — Right Away! Supercharge your workouts. Subscribe now and get the 5 Keys — totally free, no hassles.

Get Rid of Fat Thighs

How do you get rid of fat thighs? While there is no magical way to spot reduce fat, you can target areas of your body to build up and tone, while you lose overall body fat. The result will be a leaner, sexier look in that area.

Thighs are a big problem area for lots of people, especially women. It’s been theorized that carrying fat below the waist, the classic pear shape, was a benefit to our cave-dwelling ancestors. The idea being that the extra calories stored there provided nourishment during cold winter months and aided in child birth.

So, over the milennia, the gene pool rewarded those with generous thighs. Great, huh? Way back in the day, fat thighs would have qualified one for goddess status. Today….

Plus, cellulite is often a problem in this area as well.  Cellulite forms when fat pushes its way through the thick connective tissue just below the skin. Resistance training will help by leveling out your hormone levels and increasing blood flow to your thighs, which will help to make that connective tissue healthier. Greater blood flow will also help to remove excess fluid. And as you lose fat, there will be less of it to press against the tissue.

So, let’s look at a training method that can help get rid of fat thighs and control cellulite.

First off, diet. You have to eat right or nothing will help. Protein, fruits, vegetables and good fats. Easy to say, often hard to do. But start there.

Next, build muscle. Muscle is your body’s engine. It burns calories and fat up to 38 hours after you’ve worked out. Nothing is better for burning away fat than resistance training. It beats cardio hands down.

Building muscle. No, we’re not talking about hulking out. We’re talking about building lean, sexy muscle. In order to do that, we need to create a situation called ‘hypertrophy.’

Cutting to the chase, this means applying enough resistance against the muscle that we cause microscopic damage to the muscle fibers.  You will feel this working when you get that slightly sore “pumped” feeling in the muscle. That’s blood rushing in with nutrients to repair and build. As you rest, the muscle becomes a bit stronger. 

So, you’ll know you’re using enough resistance if while doing a set of an exercise your muscle poops out after 8 – 12 repetitions If you can do lots more than that, you need to increase the resistance to bring it back to 8 – 12 reps.

You want to do smooth reps without cheating or forcing things. Just keep tension on the target muscle through the range of motion. No pain! Just a pumped feeling. Focus on the specific area of muscle you are working as you do it. Try to have a Mind/Muscle connection.

How do you create resistance? Lots of ways:

Resistance bands are an inexpensive alternative to gym memberships. You can acquire a set that will allow you to do a full body workout for under $40. Add a few dumbbells and ankle weights and you’ve pretty much covered every possible exercise. Machines and weights are a tried and true method as well.

To work on thighs and lower body, you can use the following as a starter list. I would recommend training lower body no more than once or twice per week. Remember, rest is a key ingredient in making it all work. Work on other areas of the body over 4 – 5 total work out days per week. If this is all new to you, start slowly.

If you have a home gym or belong to one, by all means use the free weights and machines available. Here are some suggestions for those who do not have access to a full range of equipment.

Remember, your goal is to feel a little bit sore as result. Not pain, just a ‘pumped’ feeling that tells you the process is working and your muscles are responding. It’s a good thing.

The ideal amount of rest time between sets is brief — 30 seconds. If you’re just starting out, take the time you need and work up to a more brisk pace. Remember, we’re trying to exhaust these muscles, not try out for the Olympic weight lifting team. We want to keep this workout brief and manageable in your lifestyle — 30 – 40 minutes is ideal.

LUNGES: a great exercise for the entire lower body, especially butt and thighs. From a standing start, you lunge one foot forward in front of you. Focus on your thighs (quadriceps) as well as your glutes (butt) and hamstring biceps (back of thigh). Try it with no resistance at first. Then add dumbbells or resistance bands to increase resistance as needed. Start standing straight up, then lunge forward on one leg at a time.

Work up to 3 – 5 sets of 8 – 12 reps each.

SQUATS: another great move for the entire area. Again, use dumbbells or Bands to increase resistance as necessary.  The illustration shows a traditional barbell being used. If you use dumbbells, hold one in each hand down to your sides.

Do 3 – 5 sets of 8 – 12 reps each.

EXTENSIONS: Great for the thighs. Can be done on a machine, or with Bands or with ankle weights while seated in a chair. You want to feel this in your “quadriceps,” a group of 4 muscles on your upper thigh. If using bands, you will anchor them behind you in a sturdy door. Kits come with everything you need. It’s easy.

Do 3 -5 sets 8 – 12 reps.

GLUTE KICKBACKS: Great for the butt. Can be done on a machine, or with Bands, or with ankle weights. You want to feel it in your “glutes,” a group of 3 large muscles that make up your butt. This is a large muscle group and therefore burns a lot of fat and looks great when toned on a woman or a man. Again, if using bands, you will anchor them in a door, this time in front of you. Per the illustration, support yourself by pressing against the door or wall.

Do 3 -5 sets 8 – 12 reps.

HAMSTRING CURLS: Very similar to Kickbacks, but instead of extending the leg straight back, you curl it straight up toward your butt. You want to feel this in your hamstring “biceps femurs.” It’s a two-muscle group, not unlike the biceps in your upper arm. Machines, Bands or ankle weights as above. Do 3 -5 sets 8 – 12 reps.

To see more about Resistance Bands, please click here.

If you’d like to know more about Women and Resistance Training, please click here.

Check out the Boomer Muscle page on Facebook. Unique content for women and men. Lots of great, current articles on nutrition, workouts and more.

Click here and get the 5 Keys to Feeling Stronger — Right Away! Supercharge your workouts. Subscribe now and get the 5 Keys — totally free, no hassles or sales pitches just helpful info.

4 Myths About Women Building Muscles

Tap the graphic for more details.

Women Over 50 Can Build Muscle — No Bulk

Women over 50 can build muscle without becoming bulky. The health benefits are amazing and invaluable as we age. Unfortunately, many women our age just don’t believe it.

Women over 40 could benefit the most from building muscle. In fact, women over 60 and even older can build muscle and feel health benefits that are amazing. So why don’t more do it?

There are some 12.7 million women in the U.S. who belong to a commercial health club. Of that number, only about half use weight machines and even fewer lifted free weights, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA).

I started lifting more than 50 years ago. Back then, you would never see a woman in a weight-lifting gym. Back then, most women did not work outside the home and would view something like bodybuilding as vulgar at best.

Things have changed a bit. Women participate in all levels of everything. Today, there is no real reason that should hold any woman back from lifting weights, especially not wrongful myths about what it will do to their bodies. I think those myths are especially prevalent among us older Baby Boomers.

All you have to do is Google ‘female bodybuilders’ to see visual examples of one reason: Fear of bulking up like a man. First off: there is something everybody should realize about all those photos on the internet. While some of them are real and there are indeed some big steroid monsters out there, many of those pics are photo-shop fakes by geeky guys who get off on creating a fantasy of huge muscle women.

They aren’t real.

They call those photographs “morphs.” Weird. Comic book fantasy. If you look at pictures of real natural women who are lifting weights, you will typically see sexy, athletic shapes with firm, lean muscles. That’s because women have far less testosterone than males. Testosterone is the hormone that drives muscle bulking. And no matter how hard and heavy an average woman lifts, she is not going to balloon up and look like a man — without ten tons of chemical assistance.

Guys don’t have enough naturally occurring testosterone to bulk up into a Mr. Olympia contender, either. Virtually all the really big and ripped bodybuilders, male and female, are taking enormous amounts of hormones and other drugs to get that way. In addition to being unhealthy, it doesn’t last once they quit the juice. They will literally deflate back to almost normal without those drugs if they don’t die prematurely from a heart attack or stroke.

That scene is a health disaster and it’s not what we’re talking about here.

I asked my wife for some wisdom on this topic. She lifts, runs, swims and spins with her sights on competing in a triathlon race one day. She is the exception, and exceptional if I do say so. She gets up at 4 am on weekdays to get to the gym before work. She is an amazing woman. Personally, I can’t recall my own name at 4 am.

Other women often ask her advice on how to start working out. So I asked her, what holds them back? She said: “They view themselves negatively, as weak and incapable. They think they won’t look attractive when they are working out. Weightlifting is not mainstream for women our age the way yoga, Pilates and running are. They think weights are a guy’s sport.”

“It doesn’t make sense. There is nothing attractive about flabby arms, no matter how thin you are. Women’s purses usually weigh more than the weights they choose when they are in a class.”

Wise words as always. And remember, that was my wife talking, not me mansplaining.

What’s the solution? She thinks it’s stressing the benefits, especially for women over 40. “Women are more empowered today than ever before and don’t need to feel they can’t participate in what they think is a guys’ only activity. Feeling strong and not physically vulnerable is a great benefit. Reduced risk of osteoporosis post menopause is another great benefit for women over 40. Looking young and more beautiful is a great side effect, too.”

The list of benefits is long, for both women and men. Among them:

• Halt and reverse age-related muscle loss — beat sarcopenia and muscle atrophy
• Loss of body fat: Muscle burns calories even when you’re resting
• Reduced risk of:
  • Heart attack
  • Diabetes
  • Depression (plus an Endorphin high from working out!)
  • Falling`
  • Osteoporosis
  • Arthritis

Women Over 40, 50, 60 Can Build Sexy, Attractive Muscle

I believe I’ve developed a program for women and men over 40 that can build muscle while taking into account the fact that our joints are older and cannot take the sort of punishment young trainers like to put people through.

I’m not saying it’s easy, but it does take it easy on things like our aging joints. It’s designed to build muscle without insanity or pain. I’ve been my own guinea pig. After more than 4 decades of hard-core weight training, I was forced to find a new way or quit. In my case, my shoulder joints couldn’t handle heavy lifting any longer.

I believe I’ve found the right method for older people like us. I’ve been using it consistently now for more than 5 years and I’m getting better results than I’ve ever had before. It is simple and easy to understand and can work for anyone at any experience level. It fits into your lifestyle, not vice versa. You can do it at home or in the gym. It’s not about setting new Personal Records in how much weight you can lift. Instead, it’s about generating muscle growth to offset to the negative effects of aging on our bodies.

It’s all about the ‘pumped’ feeling in your muscles and enjoying the euphoric feeling that the release of endorphins brings. Fun and positive, not punishment.

Satisfying. Stimulating. Rewarding.

Simple things work the best. You don’t need an app to track every moment of a workout. All you need is a solid, proven method that will feel intuitively right for you and produce satisfying results. Ultimately, the purpose of this Blog is to share that method. I’m working on creating the visual support necessary to do that. Stay with me. It will be worth it!

Meanwhile, check out this great article from  The Telegraph in London. Why lifting is the new running for the over-40s. “Lifting workouts such as circuit training may burn about 200 calories while you’re doing them but unlike cardiovascular exercise such as running, they burn some 25 percent more additional calories in the first hour following your workout.”

Thanks for stopping by!

Visit the BoomerMuscle Facebook page. You’ll find a steady flow of great articles I share from around the world on working out, nutrition and more. It’s all unique stuff not duplicated on the Boomer website.

Grab my 5 Keys to Feeling Stronger – Right Away! It’s free and does not lead to a sales pitch. Includes a video explaining the 5 Keys plus downloadable guides.

Please feel free to leave a comment below, or write to me at: Brian@BoomerMuscle.com