The Glute Challenge!!! Need some help!!

[Empressfiyah]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this board and glad I found it. I'm just starting to work out -again-, after a long absence from the gym scene since 2003.

So I spent the day today building my work out and everything and I'm looking for some ideas on some "hardcore" glute mass building exercise!!! I'm looking for the types of exercises you can do with machines only and some I can do at home. I have 5 and 8 lbs weights @ home now, but am planning on getting some more, so some advice on how much weight to get would be helpful.

I'm really flat like a board and that has been my torment from a long time, so now, I want to concentrate on building mass in that area as much as possible.

I've been doing some squats at home and lunges and I find that my knees are killing me when I do it a lot. Is there something I'm doing wrong or is it just my body trying to get used to it. I will also feel the pain in my knees while I'm doing the squats.....that can't be good?

Also, I wanted to ask if it's necessary that I take supplements. I work out 5 days a week (i work out 5 days a week for about 45 minutes between cardio and weights (which I only do Mon-Wed-Fri). I also clean the gym (that's how I got inspired to get back into it) for 3 hours each day, so I get a fair amount of physical exercise form that. Now this being said, I'm vegan, so I'm sure I could use some extra protein, although I don't wish to build mass all over (just the butt). My goals is to tone my body (I quickly lost 160 lbs over the past 2 years, so lots of flabs to work with here!) and get that mass going in my butt!!! So, is there any needs for supplementation. I doubt it, but, is there anything that specifically helps the glutes and abs? Are there any good ol' treehugger types of fitness supplements out there for the wholesomes like me?

Thanks all and I look forward to hearing from everyone on here and exchange ideas with the womens on here!!!

Happy New Years to everyone by the way!
To fitness and butt building !!!

 

[Bikini Mod]

Welcome to the boards and congratulations on that weight loss!

You are doing far too much cardio (right off the bat). Time to shift gears and change your line of thinking. To my knowledge, there is no such thing as any supplement that "spot builds" mass...

How tall are you and how old are you? Could you please post some pics so we can get a better idea of your body (type).

I too have issues with saltine butt (as my white GF with the ghetto bootay loves to tease me)... Once my competitive days were over, my hard-earned bootay shrunk... I have come to learn though through my days as a personal trainer that my lacking glutes have something to do with the law of reciprocal inhibition. In other words, because I have THE WORLD'S TIGHTEST hip flexors my glutes (the opposing muscle group) never have a chance to contract... did I explain this properly?

When one muscle group contracts, the opposing muscle group relaxes in order to fascilitate movement. So, in the case of either genetics or circumstance (for example, a job which requires a lot of sitting) your glutes are always relaxed giving you little opportunity to work that group properly (you can't flex BOTH muscle groups simultaneously while moving).

So my suggestion is to stretch those hip flexors.

Now as to your knee pain. How is your quad development? And when you are squatting/lunging are you being most carerful to make sure that your knees DO NOT hyper-extend your toes?

 

[Tatyana]

Leg press will build your bootie up more.

Wider stance/sumo stance on squats as well.

If squatting hurts, go lighter, my knees hurt quite a bit after a break, it could be the tendons/ligaments catching up with the muscle.

Get someone to check your form on squats.

That is about it from me, I am one of those white girls with a ghetto bootie

 

[Bikini Mod]

I am one of those white girls with a ghetto bootie

I hate you...

 

[Empressfiyah]

Thanks for your replies girls!
Yeah...i guess it would help to post some pictures, hen? I'll take some shots tomorrow. Believe it or not, I haven't taken a picture yet since my weight loss (I know, I should be a camera whore by now!), but I'll take some and post them soon.

Bikini stance -> I'm 5'10" and I am now 26. You think i'm doing too much cardio? Is it because of the work I do? Would you suggest that I do it less time in the week or less time each workout (I do about 5 min warm up and then another 20 on treadmill, elleptical or bike when I feel a little lazy side...).

I must admit that I've literally spent the past few years on my butt. I've done a lot of sitting down work and working from home (which for me, was fitness suicide!! Oy!). That's why I took that cleaning job at the gym. The reason why I'm really motivated to work on my glutes is that I'm already seeing a tiny little blooming of my booty from just squatting during work and also my arms (I wipe and clean a lllllllllllllllllot of mirrors for example....did I say there was a lot of mirrors? Never realized how much mirrors there's in a gym until I had to start cleaning dem!).

My quads are ok I guess. I do a lot of walking (I don't drive and I find every excuse to avoid public transportation, so I always end up walking everywhere!), but my knees haven't worked so much either. I guess it'll get better with time because that area was kinda dormant for about 2 years!

How long can I expect to see some visible results in my glutes? I want to take pictures of my progress, so I'm wondering how long I should wait until I can take an "after" (or "in progress") picture!

 

[slat1]

Deep squats and lunges will build the booty!

 

[Sassy69]

IF you are limited to stuff at home, get a set of 10 - 25 lb dumbbells and use those for lunges. You can do step-ups, reverse lunges or walking lunges. Then add in the dumbbells (just hold them w/ your arms down as you do the lunges). You can do all sorts of variations on those types of lunges as well. A step and then kick back to get an extra burn on your butt, step w/ your stepping knee coming up like you are marching, step wide to the side on each step, add a double bounce on each step, etc.

Deadlifts will go a long way for glute muscles - again if you are limited on equiptment you can check out a set of like those 'powerbars' and some resistance bands wrapped around something and then around the bar to create greater resistance (same idea as the PowerFlex machine).

 

[Mandy Polk]

I think you'll be limited on how much building you can do with those at-home exercises and relatively light weights. Especially if your glutes don't grow easily. You'll have to get to the gym and force growth with heavier weights on compound movements. Also, get your squat checked out. If you tend to keep a lot of your weight in the front of your foot, you're going to have pain, especially being taller like you are. You could be descending into your squat too quickly as well. Take more fish oil to help with the pain and have your form looked at are my best suggestions for the pain. As for growth, go heavy on compounds.

 

[Gymgurl]

I run hills....that helps

 

[Bikini Mod]

MAKE SURE THAT YOUR KNEES NEVER HYPER-EXTEND YOUR TOES! ....regardless of the movement.

 

[Mandy Polk]

MAKE SURE THAT YOUR KNEES NEVER HYPER-EXTEND YOUR TOES!

This is inevitable the way that some people are built. Knees passing over your toes isn't necessarily going to cause knee pain. If you perform the movement correctly and it still happens, it is okay. This is especially true in taller people.

I think this suggestion has been passed around gyms for the last half-century, but it isn't 100% corrent.

 

[Bikini Mod]

This is inevitable the way that some people are built. Knees passing over your toes isn't necessarily going to cause knee pain. If you perform the movement correctly and it still happens, it is okay. This is especially true in taller people.

I think this suggestion has been passed around gyms for the last half-century, but it isn't 100% corrent.

LOL Well OK then!

Does this officially make me "an old wife"?

 

[princesa]

IF you are limited to stuff at home, get a set of 10 - 25 lb dumbbells and use those for lunges. You can do step-ups, reverse lunges or walking lunges. Then add in the dumbbells (just hold them w/ your arms down as you do the lunges). You can do all sorts of variations on those types of lunges as well. A step and then kick back to get an extra burn on your butt, step w/ your stepping knee coming up like you are marching, step wide to the side on each step, add a double bounce on each step, etc.

Deadlifts will go a long way for glute muscles - again if you are limited on equiptment you can check out a set of like those 'powerbars' and some resistance bands wrapped around something and then around the bar to create greater resistance (same idea as the PowerFlex machine).

i agree with sassy..
you could also try kneeling squats they are outstanding for activating the glutes and teaching you how to fire the hips forward when you come out of the hole in a squat or attemptto lock out a deadlift.

Set up some padding on the floor at the base of a power rack, and position the bar so that it's slightly below shoulder level when you're on your knees on the padding. From a kneeling position, slide under the bar as if you're going to squat it and unrack the weight. At this point, you'll be upright witha 90-degree angle at your knees.

From here, simply push the butt back while looking straight ahead or slightly up. When your butt makes contact with your calves, fire your glutes in order to push the hips forward, and squeeze the glutes together as you lock out thebar.

 

[princesa]

if you cant get to the gym you can try it at home with a set of db's
you can work your shoulders at the same time, make sure abs are tight

 

[Mandy Polk]

LOL Well OK then!

Does this officially make me "an old wife"?

No!! You don't ever get to be "old" ANYTHING! Ha.

And the "no knees passing over the toes" rule is a good one to follow if you have normal proportions (and yours are really good, so it does apply to you), it's just sometimes impossible to achieve that if you are tall and have really long legs.

Good thing you watched that form in your squats though, your legs show it

 

[Tatyana]

Your knees track in front of your toes when you are climbing stairs...........

It is a good rule of thumb, but I also agree with Mandy on this one.

Squatting is quite a natural movement, it is part of getting out of chairs.

The full squat is not something most people are used to, practicing with a much lower weight is helpful.

 

[Bikini Mod]

No!! You don't ever get to be "old" ANYTHING! Ha.

And the "no knees passing over the toes" rule is a good one to follow if you have normal proportions (and yours are really good, so it does apply to you), it's just sometimes impossible to achieve that if you are tall and have really long legs.

Good thing you watched that form in your squats though, your legs show it

LOL

I had excellent form one day and then BAM! The next day, I don't know what happened but it all went to pot... (few factors that have to do with aging too much to get into here but they all played a roll). My training partner noticed that my ankles were very tight affecting my body position on the way down so I worked on my ankle flexibility daily and low and behold I was back "on" again in no time. Also opted to use front squats exclusively as your center of gravity is naturally shifted forward causing better form period.

Now I use sumo squats and ALP and seated leg press when I can (having issues with one of my knees - again, aging *sigh*). I find that the combination of stretching my SUPER-tight hip flexors along with the concentration on that lower part of your glutes which is indigenous to sumo squat helps A LOT to correct the problem of "saltine cracker ass syndrome" that some of us suffer from.

I am only 5'3" and have proportional limbs so yes, I can see what you are saying about the mechanics for those with longer limbs.

Seems that there is a solution no matter what the situation is, thanks to all of the knowledge and experience here on our forum!

I have said it before but will say it again, I am so pleased to be in such good company.

 

[Mandy Polk]

Also opted to use front squats exclusively as your center of gravity is naturally shifted forward causing better form period.

I front squats.

 

[Bikini Mod]

I front squats.

Back in the day before old age set in I could front squat #135 for reps... LOL Used to clear the gym with such nonsense.