Bootilicious to the Max

Bootylicious To the Max - Gluteus Maximus that is – along with Gluteus Medius and Minimus make up the muscles of your butt. Like all muscles in the body they don’t work in isolation but they are the prime movers in the major action of the body. So if you are looking for ways to tone your butt, increase your running speed or the weight that you lift or even increase your metabolic potential – then read on.

Squats are usually the best way to work the glutes. They are suitable for all fitness levels with some modifications. Squatting not only works the butt, but also the hamstrings and spine and will help improve your posture, strengthen your back and abs (core) as well as giving you a great backside J

The position of the squat depends on your fitness, any injuries etc. But here are the basics.

Like in everything else I tell you – get the bones lined up correctly first. So, stand in front of a full length mirror and check it out. There are 2 positions that you can use for the squat. 

1. Narrow Stance  where the knee cap is in line with your hip bone (ASIS)   - this is the bony part of your hip that sticks out in the front of your body. The knee cap is also in line with the second toe. 

2. Wide stance (can be known as the sumo position) – the knees are placed twice as wide as the hip bones.  You can either have your feet parallel or turned out to 30deg – there is little evidence that either position creates better force, so this is your choice.

Once you have your preferred position the lowering of the squat now is determined by you fitness – but dropping any amount of the way down will have good training effect on the muscle, so don’t worry if you can only go a short distance down. Get used to the range that you have and then try to increase it. Please don't force downwards until you have sufficient core strength to hold the back in a strong position for when you get back up to standing.  A few weeks of squatting will help!

You can do a half squat (hips to knees) or full squat (hips lower than knees or even thighs and calves touch) but the half squat is considered to be the safer option for knees and a must for anyone with knee problems.

You will need to take care of your back by keeping it in neutral position (i.e. the same position when you are standing) and at a 45deg angle.  This can be modified if you are taller.  Imagine that you have sunglasses on and peep over the top of them to get your head in the right position.

Open chest, heels pressed down and your knees stay in the same place and don’t move forward. Press from the floor (imagine you are pushing the floor down) and stand UP – don’t stop half way through – your hips should end up back under your shoulders.

You can squat with your own body weight (often known as an “air squat”) - arms out in front to help you with balance or add some dumbbells in your hands. You can do a back squat with the weight on your shoulders or a deadlift (sumo stance here is considered more mechanically efficient) where the weight is picked up from the floor.

Do as many reps as you can with good technique – the more weight you have will reduce the amount of reps.  Don’t forget a strong out breath when using heavy weights to engage core and reduce internal pressure.  For more info come to Bodyfit or book a session with a Personal Trainer at the gym – but at the end of the day, the human body was meant to squat.

Finally, as an extra motivation, a recent study showed that sitting on your butt squashed the fat cells and encouraged more to grow in the awkward spaces (think of crumpled paper) – so get off your ass and into the gym!!