Dispelling the Glute Myth by Bret Contreras
......So Here's The Myth
Most people think they have strong glutes but they don't. They're the ones who believe squats, deadlifts, and lunges are the best glute exercises, and they've spent years getting very strong at these.
Squatting, deadlifting, and lunging, can make the glutes sore but they don't strengthen the glutes much. They target the quads and erector spinae. Even box squatting, walking lunges, and sumo deadlifts don't activate much glute in comparison to the exercises below.
If you study glute activation, you'll be blown away by the data. Most individual's glutes contract harder during body weight glute activation exercises than from one-rep max squats and deadlifts.
It's not that people don't know how to use their glutes or don't adhere to proper exercise form. It's just that the glutes aren't maximally involved in squatting, lunging, and deadlifting. They're only maximally contracted from bent-leg hip hyperextension exercises.
Just because someone's glutes are big, it doesn't mean that they're strong. In addition to training around three hundred "normal" clients over the past few years, I've trained elite athletes, from NFL players to powerlifters, sprinters to figure models. I taught each the exercises below, and I almost always had to start them off with their own body weight for resistance.
Although one of the powerlifters could do raw squats and deadlifts with over three times his body weight, when he first performed hip thrusts, he had to start out with two sets of twenty reps with his own body weight. We initially tried using 135 pounds on the hip thrust, which was roughly a third of what he squatted and deadlifted, but he could barely budge the bar.
The NFL players were both 350-pound offensive lineman who'd do hip thrusts for two sets of twenty reps as well. When you weigh 350 pounds, body weight exercises can be very productive! Both linemen mentioned that the hip thrust was the best posterior chain exercise they'd ever performed and remarked about how they loved the fact that they didn't have to wrap their knees or wear a belt to perform the exercise.
The Olympic sprinter had the best relative glute strength of the bunch, easily being able to perform twenty single-leg hip thrusts on his very first workout.
Exercise Progressions
Strength gains for the new exercises come very quickly. I started off using 185 pounds for ten reps on the hip thrust and within a year I could do 405 for five.
The following plan will get your glutes much sexier, stronger, and speedier. Since everyone possesses varying ranges of glute strength, I'm going to provide four phases, which become progressively more challenging and difficult.
If you belong at phase one and start off at phase three, you'll just end up increasing your existing dysfunctional patterns, which will lead to a pulled low back, hamstring, or groin muscle. Play it safe by starting in phase one, then spend two to three weeks in each phase.
I included an array of exercises, some can be performed at your local gym or garage gym, and some will require specialized equipment. The equipment below should become staples in glute training and sport-specific training. They effectively train the sprint-vector and maximize glute activation.
Don't stop performing your squat, lunge, deadlift, and back extensions movements. Do these on your regular leg day and perform two weekly glute workouts on separate days. The workouts will be brief and won't get you very sore. Always begin each glute workout with a simple warm-up consisting of hip flexor stretches and a couple bodyweight glute activation exercises.
Phase One: Hip Flexor Flexibility and Glute Activation
You must possess adequate hip flexor flexibility in order to open up the hips and maximally activate the glutes. And you must be able to control your own body weight in order to learn how to contract the glutes properly before you begin adding weight.
Perform two sets of hip flexor stretches for sixty-second static holds, progressing deeper into the stretch as time ensues.
Pick two exercises and perform two sets of ten reps with a five-second isometric hold up top:
GLUTE BRIDGE
BIRD DOG
HIP THRUST
SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
Pick one exercise and perform two sets of ten reps with a five-second isometric hold up top:
LYING ABDUCTION
CLAM
FIRE HYDRANT
Phase Two: Glute Hypertrophy
Now it's time to progress into more challenging exercises and start packing on some functional glute mass.
Pick two exercises and perform two sets of ten to twenty reps:
BARBELL GLUTE BRIDGE
PENDULUM QUADRUPED HIP EXTENSION
SINGLE-LEG HIP THRUST
WEIGHTED BIRD DOG
Pick one exercise and perform two sets of ten to twenty reps:
BAND STANDING ABDUCTION
BAND SEATED ABDUCTION
BAND EXTERNAL ROTATION
Phase Three: Glute Strength
At last, we've reached the maximum strength phase. By this time, you'll have developed a superior mind-muscle connection and will be able to maximize your glute activation through heavy strength training.
Pick one exercise and perform four sets of five reps:
BARBELL HIP THRUST
BENT-LEG REVERSE HYPER
BENT-LEG BACK EXTENSION
Phase Four: Glute Power and Speed
Finally, it's time to test out your new-found glute strength and increased locomotive capacity.
During these sprint sessions, you'll notice increased gluteal recruitment while running, and you'll be able to hold the "sprint position" throughout the entire 100-meter race. Make sure to spend about twenty minutes warming up and progressively increase speed as the sets progress.
Perform these workouts five days apart. On your first sprint session, work your way up to four 100-meter sprints at 80% max-speed. On your second sprint session, work your way up to two 100-meter sprints at 90% max-speed. On your third sprinting session, work your way up to one 100-meter sprint at 100% max-speed. Have a buddy bring a stop-watch and see if you can set a personal record.
When you finish with these phases, you can simply mix together your own glute program based on equipment availability and individual exercise preference. After building up strength on these exercises, your workout will never feel right without having at least one maximum glute-strengthener in your routine. The days of just squatting and deadlifting are long gone.
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