What are the gluteal muscles used for?
When unused, the muscle atrophies, and the contemporary lifestyle completely fails to promote the daily use of the gluteal muscles. Sitting for hours not only physically flattens our sit-upons but most importantly deactivates the gluteal muscles, which perform many important functions, including they:
- stabilize the knees,
- play an important role in hip joint movement,
- ensure correct alignment of the lumbar spine,
- are responsible for generating force during activities such as walking, running and climbing,
- guarantee not only aesthetic qualities, but also a fit body.
A good workout plan for the buttocks is characterized primarily by taking account of their anatomy. So let’s take a closer look at it.
The gluteal muscles are actually a group of three muscles, which include:
- gluteus maximus: its function is extension and lateral rotation of the hip joint. Simply put, the gluteus maximus muscle helps you get up from a sitting position, climb stairs and position your foot with your toes outward by rotating your entire leg;
- gluteus medius: lies just above the gluteus maximus muscle and is partially covered by it. It is located on the outer surface of the pelvis. It works in the abduction of the leg, which means that it moves the leg away from the body line to the side. It also helps stabilize the hip joint during activities such as walking and running;
- gluteus minimus: is the smallest and deepest of the gluteal muscles. It is located under the gluteus medius muscle and, like it, is involved in hip abduction and stabilization. It helps maintain balance and coordination during movement.
How to create a workout plan for Brazilian buttocks
It is known that the most effective exercises are those performed in the full range of motion, in accordance with the anatomical function of the muscle group in question. Therefore, an effective workout plan for Brazilian buttocks will include exercises that involve complete hip extension (preferably from full flexion) and side-to-side leg abduction.
Hip extension is nothing more than aligning the thigh with the torso. We have straight hips when we stand, but also in other positions and planes, such as when doing a plank. Accordingly, exercises that include hip extension from flexion will include:
- hip thrust (barbell raises with hips against a bench or platform),
- glute bridge (barbell raises with hips while lying on the back),
- deadlift (all its variations, which you can read more about HERE),
- squat,
- lunge,
- the so-called “lifts” (lifting the leg up while extending it), such as in supported kneeling on a mat or using a bottom lift.
Lateral leg abduction is present in those exercises where the angle between the two legs increases and then decreases, such as:
- monster walk,
- abduction of the leg in side plank,
- opening the leg while lying on the side (side lying clam),
- standing leg abduction using a bottom lift.
We have already chosen the type and nature of the exercises, so at this point it is worth considering their intensity, that is the weight and the number of series and repetitions.
The gluteus maximus muscle is the strongest muscle in our body, so don’t be afraid to put heavy weights on it, especially in multi-joint exercises with free weights, such as the hip thrust, glute bridge and deadlift.
Use lighter weight in the exercises that involve leg abduction to the side – in such case, too much weight will cause the abdominal and back muscles to take over the work, making the exercise no longer effective. During abduction, it is worth focusing primarily on muscle feeling and full range of motion.
The gluteal muscle structure is dominated by muscle fibers:
- type I, that is slow-twitch fibers, are characterized by high endurance and good adaptation to performing prolonged low-intensity activities such as walking or jogging. The fibers help keep stability and endurance in the course of performing these activities;
- type IIa, i.e. fast-twitch fibers, have the ability to generate more force, but have less endurance compared to type I fibers. They are more suited to intense and short-duration activities such as sprinting and jumping.
This means that a good buttocks workout plan should combine both types of exercises.
Ready-made workout plan for Brazilian buttocks
Below you will find a ready-made workout plan for Brazilian buttocks. The plan assumes exercising twice a week – this may not seem like much, but muscles need not only activation to grow, but also time for recovery. Too much buttock training can therefore be counterproductive.
Note: you will not find warm-up and cool-down instructions in the plan. If you want to learn how to properly perform this first element, read the article Pre-workout Warm-up – A Sample Set of Exercises From a Trainer.
Day 1:
- Squats with a barbell: 3 series of 8-10 repetitions.
- Reverse lunges in place with dumbbells: 3 series of 12 repetitions per leg.
- Backward leg abduction while standing using a bottom lift: 3 series of 12-15 repetitions per leg.
- Lateral leg abduction while standing using a bottom lift: 3 series of 12-15 repetitions per leg.
- Straight-legged deadlift with dumbbells: 3 series of 8-10 repetitions.
- Lateral leg abduction on a seated machine: 3 series of 20-25 repetitions.
Day 2:
- Hip thrust with a barbell: 3 series of 8-10 repetitions.
- Single-leg deadlift with a dumbbell: 3 series of 10-12 repetitions per leg.
- Walking lunges with dumbbells: 3 series of 10-12 repetitions per leg.
- Opening the leg while lying on the side (side lying clam) with a miniband: 3 series of 12-15 repetitions per leg.
- Raising the leg in supported kneeling with a miniband: 3 series of 12-15 repetitions per leg.
- Monster walk with a miniband: 3 series of 20-25 repetitions per leg.
Always adjust exercise intensity and weight to your individual needs. Remember to keep an eye on the alignment of the lumbar spine by tensing the abdominal muscles when doing buttocks exercises, so as not to aggravate the lumbar lordosis.
As a cool down, you can use 12 Stretching Exercises to Prevent Injury.
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Resources:
1. Frédéric Delavier, „Atlas treningu siłowego”, PZWL, wyd. 2, 2011.
2. Damas F, Libardi CA, Ugrinowitsch C. The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Mar;118(3):485-500.