Post: #1

wondering what kinda exercises you guys do that work your glutes.

I have a really athletic build but Im a 6 foot white guy so Im pretty much flat back there. Pants fit me weird and I miss my ass.

I have been squatting a lot at the gym so my legs are huge but that just makes my ass look smaller. My family has a history of weak knees so I only bring my thighs parallel (which pretty much removes glutes from the exercise.

So what kinda exercises you guys got that work the glutes? I dont have a lot of success with the couple glute machines I got at my gym

Post: #2

Deadlifts and deep lunges will get you there. Deadlifts being the more important of the two.

Post: #3

I was just coming in to see if you're banned after making that thread title.

Post: #4

(07-27-2015 03:56 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  I was just coming in to see if you're banned after making that thread title.

Me too.

Post: #5

Post: #6

(07-27-2015 03:55 PM)Repo Wrote:  Deadlifts and deep lunges will get you there. Deadlifts being the more important of the two.

I found crossfit exercises like box jumps embarrassingly effective.

Post: #7

(07-27-2015 03:50 PM)Carboneraser Wrote:  My family has a history of weak knees so I only bring my thighs parallel (which pretty much removes glutes from the exercise.

The action of the glute max is to extend the hip and do external rotation. You're going to be using the glutes and hamstrings during the squat. My advice is to look into bulgarian split squats with dumbells.

Post: #8

Short answer:
* Low bar squats instead of high bar if you want to build the "bootay".
* Not going below parallel is a not a squat and will make knee problems worse instead of better, both of these statements apply to all squats not just low bar.
* Powerlifters always squat below parallel and olympic lifters squat even lower. These guys know a lot more about squat technique than the bros at the gym.
* You may need to widen your stance and/or point your toes out more so you can go lower. Your knees should track over your feet at the same angle.
* Significantly reduce the weight while learning the new technique and incrementally increase it back up. I've read that 60% of max is plenty to stimulate growth based on extensive research in Russia which has been quoted by guys like Glenn Pendlay.

StrikeBack also addresses the knee issue in this post. I think that thread is for high bar squats which aren't as focused on the bootay but the explanation still applies. You guys should check out StrikeBack's datasheets. I'm skeptical about a lot of the so called "experts" online but StrikeBack is legit.

(07-27-2015 03:50 PM)Carboneraser Wrote:  wondering what kinda exercises you guys do that work your glutes.

I have a really athletic build but Im a 6 foot white guy so Im pretty much flat back there. Pants fit me weird and I miss my ass.

Low bar squats because they use the posterior chain much more than high bar squats. I've read about guys switching from low bar to high bar because low bar was making their butt too big. Same thing happened to me but I switched to a combination of low bar and front squats.

I'm not necessarily endorsing the entire programs for Starting Strength or StrongLifts but these links are good for how to do low bar squats.
http://stronglifts.com/squat/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhVC_AnZYYM

(07-27-2015 03:50 PM)Carboneraser Wrote:  I have been squatting a lot at the gym so my legs are huge but that just makes my ass look smaller. My family has a history of weak knees so I only bring my thighs parallel (which pretty much removes glutes from the exercise.

There is probably a billion words on the Internet addressing the need to go past parallel but I'll try to give the TL;DR version. Squatting to parallel or less is not a natural movement. It doesn't engage the posterior chain enough. You will develop imbalances where your anterior chain is over-developed compared to your posterior chain which is why some guys will pull a hamstring when sprinting.

You will also cause knee problems rather than avoid them because breaking the descent at parallel uses many things that put more pressure on the knees. I can feel this when doing any squats including air squats. When I go below parallel with proper form my center of gravity is below my knees. I can't put much pressure on my knees when I'm breaking the descent and switching directions while my center of gravity is below my knees.

Post: #9

(07-28-2015 11:10 AM)birthday cat Wrote:  Short answer:
* Low bar squats instead of high bar if you want to build the "bootay".
* Not going below parallel is a not a squat and will make knee problems worse instead of better, both of these statements apply to all squats not just low bar.
* Powerlifters always squat below parallel and olympic lifters squat even lower. These guys know a lot more about squat technique than the bros at the gym.
* You may need to widen your stance and/or point your toes out more so you can go lower. Your knees should track over your feet at the same angle.
* Significantly reduce the weight while learning the new technique and incrementally increase it back up. I've read that 60% of max is plenty to stimulate growth based on extensive research in Russia which has been quoted by guys like Glenn Pendlay.

StrikeBack also addresses the knee issue in this post. I think that thread is for high bar squats which aren't as focused on the bootay but the explanation still applies. You guys should check out StrikeBack's datasheets. I'm skeptical about a lot of the so called "experts" online but StrikeBack is legit.

(07-27-2015 03:50 PM)Carboneraser Wrote:  wondering what kinda exercises you guys do that work your glutes.

I have a really athletic build but Im a 6 foot white guy so Im pretty much flat back there. Pants fit me weird and I miss my ass.

Low bar squats because they use the posterior chain much more than high bar squats. I've read about guys switching from low bar to high bar because low bar was making their butt too big. Same thing happened to me but I switched to a combination of low bar and front squats.

I'm not necessarily endorsing the entire programs for Starting Strength or StrongLifts but these links are good for how to do low bar squats.
http://stronglifts.com/squat/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhVC_AnZYYM

(07-27-2015 03:50 PM)Carboneraser Wrote:  I have been squatting a lot at the gym so my legs are huge but that just makes my ass look smaller. My family has a history of weak knees so I only bring my thighs parallel (which pretty much removes glutes from the exercise.

There is probably a billion words on the Internet addressing the need to go past parallel but I'll try to give the TL;DR version. Squatting to parallel or less is not a natural movement. It doesn't engage the posterior chain enough. You will develop imbalances where your anterior chain is over-developed compared to your posterior chain which is why some guys will pull a hamstring when sprinting.

You will also cause knee problems rather than avoid them because breaking the descent at parallel uses many things that put more pressure on the knees. I can feel this when doing any squats including air squats. When I go below parallel with proper form my center of gravity is below my knees. I can't put much pressure on my knees when I'm breaking the descent and switching directions while my center of gravity is below my knees.

What birthday cat said with an addendum.

If you're scared about going to parallel and below, do air squats with zero weight hands out in front of you. Practice this until you're able to go below parallel and maintain balance.

A good metric for personal health is being able to do 30 air squats in a minute. Try to aim for that.

Post: #10

(07-28-2015 11:10 AM)birthday cat Wrote:  Short answer:

* Not going below parallel is a not a squat and will make knee problems worse instead of
my knees.

This.

Post: #11

Apparently we have women reading the forum... Well in case they find this thread:

Google Bret Contreras

Hip thrusts...referred to by Mark Rippetoe as "that exercise where you hump a barbell."

You're welcome.

Post: #12

^^^This, and kettlebell swings.