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Gluteus
If there is one body part many of us wish they could change, it is the butt. You may have tried countless workouts promising amazing results to no avail, and feel maybe those buns of steel are out of reach; reserved only for fitness models and impossibly pert pop stars. This could not be further from the truth. Your dream booty could be only 4 weeks away.
The 'Super Glutes 4 Week Challenge' is designed to turn flabby or none existent bottoms into incredibly toned show-stopping booties to be proud of. The 4 week programme has been devised to help achieve maximum results in the shortest possible time.
The workout consists of 4 training days per week, alternating between active rest days, and 1 day off for complete rest. Each session is composed of 3 exercises with a total of 12 glute-focused exercises performed throughout the week. All exercises are performed at a moderate to high rep range.
Training Principles
The 'Super Glutes 4 Week Challenge' is a muscle building workout programme that focuses on the lower body with emphasis on the glutes. The programme is comprised of 12 Glute focused exercises that are performed at a moderate to high rep range. Each week consists of 4 workout days and 3 active rest days.
During each workout, participants will perform 3 exercises with 1-2 minutes rest between sets. The programme is centred around high-intensity resistance training with 4 sets performed per exercise to optimise glute activation, time under tension, and metabolic stress.
As participants progress from week 1 to week 4, the number of reps per exercise increase. Ideally, the weight lifted per exercise will also increase.
Active Rest
It is important to allow your muscles to repair after a gruelling weightlifting session, this is a fundamental principle when trying to promote muscle growth. Sufficient rest is central to allowing muscles to repair themselves in preparation for future workouts and helps with injury avoidance. However, this does not mean you should sit around idle on your days off. Active rest can take the form of any moderate physical exercise inside or outside a gym environment. When you are not bench pressing or deadlifting your own bodyweight, take the opportunity to participate in a favoured sport, go for a run, or simply aim to smash your personal best on that step counter you rarely use.
Warm up
It is important to remember to warm up before any workout session to avoid unnecessary injuries or muscle tears. Typically, a warm-up consists of 5 to 10 minutes on a cardio machine and a few minutes spent stretching. Try to employ both static and dynamic stretches when warming up. In addition to your pre-workout warm up, do not forget to do warm up sets when doing heavy lifting exercises. Failure to do so can result in injury.
The 'Super Glutes 4 Week Challenge' is composed of 12 glute focused exercises. Participants will perform 3 exercises per workout, with a total of 4 workout sessions a week to be completed. The following is a complete guide that details how to perform each exercise correctly and safely.
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
Begin the exercise by standing straight and engaging your core muscles. Then take a giant step backwards with your left foot. Bend your right knee until it’s at 90°, and then lower your left knee until it is also bent at a right angle. Finally, push back up and return to the starting position.
Barbell Glute Bridge
Start by being seated on the ground with a loaded barbell over your legs. Then roll the bar so that it is directly above your hips, and lay down flat on the floor. Begin the movement by driving through with your heels, extending your hips vertically through the bar. Your weight should be supported by your upper back and the heels of your feet. Then extend as far as possible, and reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
Banded Seated Hip Abduction
Sit on a flat bench with your back straight and your feet on the floor. Try to imagine you are sitting in a straight back chair. Your hands should be holding on to the side of the bench near your hips. Put a resistance band around both legs at the knees. In one smooth and controlled motion, push your knees away from each other and then push back to touching each other.
Goblet Squat
Grab a dumbbell of sufficient weight, and hold the dumbbell against your chest. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Inhale, and try to brace your core. Then squat down as deep as possible. Reverse the movement, and return to a standing position. Exhale on the way up.
Romanian Deadlift
Start the exercise by standing with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in your knees, and a loaded barbell placed in front of you. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your spine long and straight as your torso reaches towards the floor. Firmly grip the barbell with both hands at shoulder-distance apart, pulling your shoulders back and down to secure your spine and engage your core.
Then look down and slightly forward to align your neck with the rest of your back and avoid hyperextension. Tighten your glutes, hamstrings and core and drive your feet into the ground to stand up straight, lifting the weight to about your upper thigh area. Squeeze your glutes and lock out your hips at the top.
Repeat the movement by lowering the weight somewhere between your knees and feet, have your torso parallel to the ground while maintaining a flat back, a slight bend in the knees, and your core engaged.
Banded Sumo Walk
Start by standing in an upright position, wrap a resistance band around your legs and squat slightly. Try to imagine yourself sitting on an invisible chair with a straight posture and a slightly arched back. Keep your knees bent and your hands on your hips, or crossed over your chest so that you are not tempted to use your arms to balance or propel yourself. Walk with diagonal step, moving ahead and outwards, as opposed to side to side.
Elevated Glute Bridge
Begin the exercise by lying on a flat bench so that the body is perpendicular to the bench with the upper back and shoulders lying across the pad. Then press the feet firmly into the ground about hip-width apart. Hold one dumbbell in each hand and rest them on top of the hips to add resistance. Slowly lower the tailbone towards the floor while holding the weights on the hips. To return to the top, again press both feet into the floor and squeeze the glute muscles.
Reverse Hyperextension
Lie on a flat bench on your stomach. Move to a position where your hips are at the end of the bench. Grab the frame of the bench and make sure to grip it tightly. At the starting position, straighten your legs, or you can bend them a little bit. In a controlled manner, lift your legs as high as you can. Perform the motion slowly and focus on your spine and lower back. At the top position, you can hold your lower body for a moment. Then, slowly lower your legs.
Cable Hip Abduction
Start by standing in front of a low pulley facing to one side. Attach a cable cuff to your far or outside ankle. Step out away from stack and grasp ballet bar. Stand on your near foot and allow your far leg to cross in front. Move your leg to the opposite side of low pulley by hip abduction. Return and repeat the movement. Turn around and continue with opposite leg.
Barbell Back Squat
Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then inhale and brace your core and proceed to unrack a loaded barbell, holding it on your upper back. Keep your chest up and your back straight as you hinge your hips and knees to lower your body through a full range of motion into a squat position. To return to the starting position push vertically through your feet.
Box Step-up
To perform the box step-up, place one foot on top of the box, with one foot planted on the ground. Your weight should be shifted into the heel of the foot that is on the box. Driving through that front heel, extend your leg completely straight before bringing the opposite foot onto the box. Make sure you descend slowly in order to properly load the joints and teach your body correct positioning. This helps to focus on targeting the correct muscles for the exercise. This exercise can be performed with weights for a greater challenge.
Bulgarian Split Squat
This exercise can be performed with a barbell resting on your upper back or with dumbbells in both hands. Start by having one leg resting on the bench behind you, laces down. Then squat with your standing leg until the knee of your trailing leg almost touches the floor. Push up through your front foot to return to the start position.
Sample Workouts
4 Week Challenge
Super Glutes
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