Fighters Only : Bodyweight: One Muscle To Rule Them All

Fighters Only

Sep 05, 2019

Training glutes is often neglected despite them being a major player in how your entire body performs. Al Kavadlo and Grace Menendez show you how to garner admiring glances from the fairer sex while strengthening your biggest muscles.

Most lifters wouldn't even blink an eye at dedicating a 60-minute session to a muscle group like your chest or arms. But very few exercisers dedicate more than a single exercise or two to their glutes – the biggest muscles in your entire body.

If this is you, alarm bells should be ringing. Okay, so they may not be front and center when looking in a mirror, but they are critical to all your movement. Every time you walk, sprint, lunge or jog, your glutes are called into play to help you move faster and stronger.

What’s more, a massive player in back pain is an instability in the hips, which powerful glutes can remedy.

The trouble is, they’re not all that easy to isolate, but by adding a few bodyweight movements to your training regimen, you’ll make tremendous strides towards galvanizing your entire body into an injury-repelling stronghold.

Do this workout 1-3 times a week and you’ll reap these rewards, including admiring looks whenever you leave a room.

Glutes workout

1. Deep squat (2 x 20 reps)

Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, abs

Deep squats work your entire lower body, especially your butt. Start by standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Engage your core and brace your back as you lower your butt towards your heels, and raise your arms straight out in front of you. Keep your chest tall and your chin up. Aim to get your hips below your knees before returning to the top position to start the next rep. Focus on squeezing your glutes at the top of the range of motion in order to get the most from every rep.

2. Bulgarian split squat (2 x 10 reps, each leg)

Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, abs

Using a bench, step or other object, get into a split stance with your rear foot elevated and your front foot flat on the floor in front of you. Keep your chest tall as you lower your back knee straight down, bending both legs to approximately 90 degrees, then return to the top position. Repeat for 10 repetitions, then switch legs.

3. Candlestick bridge (2 x 10 reps, each leg)

Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, abs

Lie on your back and bend one knee, placing that foot flat on the floor. Lift your opposite leg into the air above your hip and press down through your foot to lift your hips into a straight line with your shoulders and knee. Pause briefly, then lower yourself back down and repeat. After you’ve completed 10 repetitions, switch legs and repeat evenly on both sides.

4. Fire hydrant kickout (2 x 10 reps, each leg)

Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, abs

Begin in an on-all-fours position with your hands and knees on the ground. Lift one leg out to the side, then kick your leg out straight, pausing briefly before reversing the movement. After you’ve completed 10 repetitions, switch legs and repeat evenly on both sides. Focus on keeping your torso stable to get the most from this exercise.