Alright Ladies, you’ve just decided that part of your fitness journey is going to involve you training your glutes. I’m so proud of you, because this is an excellent choice; but, what should you do at the very beginning? I’m gonna give you all the basic steps you need to take, plus a bonus tip at the very end and it’s a huge one that no coach nor influencer is going to tell you, but I am, because I want you to have the very best results when trying to train your glutes.
Before we get into it, let me introduce myself.
My name is Coach Daven- I’m a personal trainer in Biloxi, Mississippi. I specialize in helping women burn fat and grow their glutes through a holistic approach.
I believe that every woman deserves to feel her best and to have nice glutes, and I believe that these are goals that any and everyone can achieve with the proper program, which I will help you construct with this article here.
Setting a Goal for Your Glutes
First thing’s first, do you want nicer glutes? Or are you wanting them to grow? This matters when you’re deciding how to train them; including frequency, load and volume, and other factors that you consider in your training.
If you’re focused on growth, you’re gonna be looking at a longer term grind, with more intense and frequent training.You’re looking at 2-3 days on average, with some fairly intense lifting mixed in throughout but not the entire time.
If you’re focused on nicer glutes, you can get away with training them one to two times a week at a moderate pace.
So the first thing you need to do is decide what your end goal is, so you can determine how many times a week you need to train and how hard you’re going to need to train.
Exercise Programming for Your Glutes
Next thing you’re gonna need to do, is your research. If you don’t know many glute focused exercises, other than squats (which aren't all glute focused!!), then you need to start by learning some glute exercises and which machines also can work your glutes. This will vary from facility to facility, but most of them have a hip abduction and some form of leg press; there’s 2 machines for you that you can cross off your list. Some gyms will have a kickback machine, some will have a hip thrust machine, it’s really just about observing the resources that your gym has provided.
After you’ve gotten a handful of glute focused exercises (I recommend having at least 8-12 in the chamber) you need to plan your workouts. Plan when you’re going to work your glutes, and plan the workout itself. But you also need to take other factors into consideration, like training your other muscles and when you’re going to give your glutes a day to recover. If you’re working them 3 times a week, you really should aim for every other day at the very least. I never really recommend training the same muscle groups back to back, unless that is just how your schedule works.
Nutrition
Next, on your glute focused fitness journey, you need to consider your nutrition. If you’re eating poorly, or not enough, you cant expect to see many results as far as growth, or much fat loss in other areas of your body, if you’re not eating how you should. Consider taking a week to track what kind of food you eat and how much you eat, and make adjustments from there. Prioritize your protein, whether you’re seeking growth results or just nicer glutes.
Your Program
Finally, put everything into action. Go to the gym, practice the exercises and watch your form until you’re doing them correctly. If an exercise does not feel good, consider recording yourself and watching back to see if maybe you did something weird. If you’re not sure what form is good, consider getting a personal trainer, like myself, who will watch your form back for you, and give you feedback on why you might not feel great with that exercise and can offer a correction or a substitution.
Other Things to Consider When Training Your Glutes
When it comes to your glutes being your priority in your fitness journey, please remember that your other muscles are there and need attention as well. I see on the internet all the time where there’s people asking “how to grow your glutes and not your legs”. Truth be told, you would look kinda goofy to have skinny legs and a dump truck…your quads, hamstrings, and calves don’t have to grow like your glutes; however, you should still work those muscles out regularly to keep yourself proportional. Not only for aesthetic purposes, but for functional purposes. Your glutes are a muscle themselves; however, your muscles ALL work TOGETHER to perform basic movements. You can’t hip thrust heavy if your hamstrings are super weak in comparison; you may end up with lower back pain from doing RDL’s because you haven’t worked your hamstrings enough and now have imbalances in your muscles; the possibilities go on.
Whether you’re looking to grow your glutes or just make them nicer, you need to train your other muscles, including your upper body and core. There is only so much that your leg strength can and will do. Yes, when you pick up a heavy box, you lift with the legs; however, how are you going to place that box on the table when your core and arms can’t withhold it? Mmhmm.
Your goal when working out should always involve getting stronger and functioning better, not just your aesthetics. Train your glutes diligently, but don’t neglect the rest of your body.
Mental Toughness: Mindset Matters!
Speaking of the rest of your body, there is one more thing we need to cover when trying to grow your glutes, and that is mindset. Whatever your goals are, expect it to be a grind. Don’t expect drastic results in 3-4 months, but also don’t get discouraged if you have minimal changes in 3-4 months. I’ve worked with clients who’s primary goal was to lose weight and get to a certain number. What they end up learning along the way is that there’s more to life than how much that stupid scale says, like how they feel and how strong they’re getting and the confidence boost that working out gives them.
When you’re trying to grow your glutes, don’t have the mindset that you need to see immediate results; as long as you’re doing your research, being consistent, and properly programming, you will see some results in due time. Another part of the mindset is working out with intent. If you go to the gym and you half ass it, expect half ass to no results. Don’t just go to the gym and turn your brain off; put your music on, lock in, and you will have far better results than ever.
When you go, make sure that you lift with intent, pay attention to what and how you’re lifting; focus on the muscles that should be activating! If you don’t really put much thought into your movements, you could end up doing them wrong and it can not only cost you time but it can also bring along injury. Prioritize your form over weight!
I really hope you found this article helpful and I hope you’re excited for your journey, because I’m excited for you! As a thank you for reading all the way to the bottom, here’s a bonus tip for you!
If you want to build a shelf, cable kickbacks are not the way you do that-that’s just influencer bait. You build a shelf booty through abduction exercises-2-3 a week.
Until next time, make wise decisions and lift hard!