Gorgeous Glutes
At the height of bathing suit and bikini weather it’s hard to ignore the glutes. They’re out there. If you’ve been cycling a lot you feel them. Gardening, hiking, rollerblading, squatting and lunging will also bring attention to the area. Still confused as to what we’re talking about? The gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus muscles (glutes), of course, otherwise known as your buttocks, booty, buns, rear-end, rump, behind, or other less article-appropriate words. The gluteus maximus is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Some glutes garner more attention than others. Glute-envy may actually be one of the reasons why more than 2500 people opted for buttocks augmentation/implant surgery (2005 statistics).
One of the most popular reasons people volunteer for this type of surgery is they want a booty like J-Lo or Beyoncé, rather than a flat pancake or flabby, saggy….. you get the picture. But really people, you don’t need surgery. If you want to shape, tone, tighten, and burn fat in your behind, there are several effective approaches that you can take that don’t require a surgical knife or thousands of dollars. And vanity aside, glutes are more than just eye candy. The gluteal muscles are an important component of good posture, a strong lower back, leg and hip extension, and balance.
One of the biggest and best things we can do to improve our rear view is to get off of our rear view! The modern workday, which often entails sitting for long periods of time, followed by two hours of sitting watching television at night, can really put a damper on reaching your goals. Couple that with lack of exercise and/or an unhealthy diet and your glutes are destined for drooping. Supersizing does nothing good for the booty, neither does sitting all day. For starters, take frequent breaks from sitting and take a few loops around the office. When no one is looking, feel free to massage the area. Massaging the gluteus maximus is a great way to improve circulation to the area. Make a fist and use a rolling clockwise motion to get into the muscle – just a minute or two on each side may do wonders.
It is easy to ignore the area that we rarely see unless we are holding up one mirror and looking at it over our shoulder into another mirror. We tend to store fat there and we tend to forget to focus on it during our workouts. Here are some bun-busting moves to help get you started:
1. Squats: Squats can be performed without any additional weights, with dumbbells, a barbell, or kettle balls. When you squat, it is optimal to gaze slightly upwards, towards the area where the wall meets the ceiling. Keep your focus forward and bend your knees making sure that your knee caps do not jet out in front of your toes – like you are sitting down in a chair, but not quite. Weights can be held down in front of the body or at your shoulders slightly facing out. Repeat for 10 – 15 repetitions.
2. Lunges: Lunges are another popular glute exercise. Again, these can be performed without any weights or with dumbbells or kettle balls. Each lunge stride should be wide enough so that the knee comes directly over the ankle, the shin is perpendicular to the floor. You can hold a weight in each hand at your side or you can hold the weights with bent arms up by your shoulders.
3. Hip extensions (Donkey Kicks): Start on your knees and forearms (or palms), with most of your bodyweight on your forearms. Lift your right knee slightly up in the air, with your knee fully bent so your heel is pointed towards the ceiling. Keeping your knee bent this way, lift your leg in a controlled movement toward the ceiling as if you are kicking up into the air. Pause for a moment when your thigh is parallel with your back, and lower your leg back down until your knee almost touches the ground. Repeat the movement until you complete 10-15 repetitions, then switch to your other leg and repeat again for the same number of reps. Try to prevent tilting to one side by pushing into your point of contact with the floor. For an advanced form of this exercise, tuck a light weighted dumbbell in the crease behind your knee as you lift up.
4. Deadlift: An old bodybuilder favorite, the deadlift is one where you want to pay careful attention to form. Holding a barbell or dumbbells you want to keep your abdominal muscles and core tight and engaged as you bend forward from the hips with a straight back, chest lifted. Depending on your flexibility you want to lower yourself slowly just until you feel a pull in your hamstrings (the muscles in back of your legs). Slowly return to starting position, maintaining the same attention to detail.
5. Bridge: Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, heels close to your bottom. Lift your butt off of the floor, maintaining a neutral spine and pressing your knees outwards. Shoulder blades remain on the ground and you may keep your hands on the floor or place them on your belly.
For most of these exercises, 10 to 15 repetitions at a time are optional. Build up to 3 or 4 sets of each exercise, twice a week.
In addition to exercising, don’t forget the rest of the body. Cardiovascular, interval training, stretching, yoga, plyometrics, upper body resistance training – these all continue to be important. And the diet is also key. Here are some key foods that can help burn fat and build muscle:
1. Essential fats from nuts and seeds (unsalted and remember a little goes far enough): Nuts are low on the glycemic index and they contain healthy fiber and essential fatty acids.
2. Olive oil: another friendly fat. Olive oil contains oleic acid, a healthy unsaturated fat that helps us feel more full.
3. Dark Green Leafies: Broccoli, spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, chard – all full of antioxidants, fiber, carotenoids and phytonutrients that keep us feeling healthy and energized!
4. Lean proteins: Egg whites, chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, lean beef and buffalo – helps to maintain the muscle that we work so hard to build. These foods provide the essential amino acids that stimulate muscle growth.
5. Fresh fruit – apples, pears, berries: Contain filling fiber and phytonutrients. The sweetness of the fruit helps satisfy our sweet tooth.
6. Tofu and tempeh: Great vegetarian sources of protein. Some research shows that people who consume soy foods tend to have a lower body-mass index (BMI).
7. Legumes and beans: Also high on the vegetarians list, but not limited to the non meat eater, beans offer again, powerful phytonutrients, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and B vitamins.
8. Organic dairy and Greek-style yogurt: Great sources of protein and calcium – both needed for muscle development and repair.
Steer clear of: Artificial sweeteners, potato chips, all fried foods, corn chips, white flour and processed foods, sugar, ice cream. These are glute saboteurs. Keep your blood sugar balanced by strategically snacking throughout the day (one method is to have 5 small “meals” rather than 3 larger ones). Remember, don’t skip breakfast! Breakfast is essential for setting the tone for fat burning throughout the day.
August 9, 2010
by Optimum WellnessComments
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