The gluteus maximus, often termed the body’s powerhouse, serves as a crucial muscle responsible for both form and function. Beyond its role in shaping the buttocks, this robust muscle plays a pivotal part in various movements, from extending the hips to stabilizing the pelvis. While genetics contribute to the initial blueprint of one’s gluteal composition, the remarkable aspect lies in the adaptability of this muscle group. Rigorous and targeted training routines can substantially impact the development and definition of the glutes, elevating them beyond mere genetic predispositions. By engaging in specific exercises and training methodologies, individuals can reshape and strengthen their glutes , ultimately develop a full round butt that reflects not only physical prowess but also dedication and discipline in their fitness journey.
Top 3 Exercises For Developing a Full Round Butt
To shape the glutes effectively, focus on compound movements involving knee and hip joints, like squats, leg presses, and hack squats.
Machine Leg Press: There are a variety of machines that let you do a leg press movement without having to control a free weight. There are standing machines, incline machines, and vertical machines (where you lie on your back). You gain from using these devices because you do not have to balance a weight and there is little chance of losing control during the movement. But the muscles tend to respond less to exercises in which “difficult” replaces the feeling of “heavy,” so it’s best to include both free weight and machine exercises in your routine.
Barbell Squat: This is the primary exercise for building the lower body. You balance a barbell across the back of your shoulders, squat down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, and press back up. A variation of this is squatting while holding two dumbbells at arm’s length by your side.
Hack Squats: This is the primary exercise for specifically targeting the glutes and hamstrings. Hack Squats are essentially a leg press movement where your feet are placed way out in front instead of underneath you. This throws the effort back from your quadriceps toward the back of the leg – glutes and hamstrings. You obviously cannot do hack squats with free weights. You would fall over backward. Instead, position your feet high up and forward on an incline press machine or well in front of you on a Smith machine (with the bar that does up and down in a track). Lower your body as far as you can only come up about three-quarters of the way – or else the quads will be working instead of the glutes and hamstrings.
Training Intensity & Technique
Maximum Intensity
The way bodybuilding works is by a combination of enough weight (resistance) and enough time (number of reps). Higher rep training produces some beneficial effects. Low rep and heavy resistance training create the most strength gains. But the way you best develop the size,
shape, and strength of your muscles is by lifting a weight that is about 75% of your one-rep maximum for the necessary number of reps. For lower body training, this is generally 12 to 16 reps. These sets should be done to failure: meaning you cannot do any more reps in that set without first stopping to rest.
Maximum Technique
It takes a lot of discipline to do every rep of every set with the strictest possible technique. But the point is to try your best to achieve that, even if you cannot expect 100% results. What does strict training mean? The idea is to realize you are weight training, not weightlifting. The resistance is just a means to an end. Here are some guidelines:
Diet and Nutrition Tips For Building a Full Round Butt
Using a bodybuilding-type approach to losing fat helps to create the definition that shows off your muscular development. In general, bodybuilders get into and stay in a state of negative caloric balance, expending more energy than they consume. They keep their protein intake high, and their fat intake low and adjust how many carb calories they consume depending on their daily caloric intake plan.
One thing to keep in mind is that, like building muscle, losing fat is a slow process. Competition bodybuilders generally take about 12 weeks of strict dieting to get ripped. But a large percentage of that change takes place near the end of the diet, not the beginning. You simply must set a diet strategy and stick with it for a long enough period.
SUMMARY
- Train as heavily as you can doing the target number of reps, stopping only at “failure” – when you cannot do any more reps in that set without resting.
- Use strict technique – full range of motion, no cheating, stopping at the top and the bottom of the movement.
- Build mass and strength using two-joint pressing movements. Shape and refine with one-joint, isolation exercises.
- The primary exercise for building and shaping the glutes and hamstrings is hack squats. Work primarily at the bottom of the range of motion. Do not come up high enough to involve the quadriceps.
- For maximum development, get sufficient rest between sets to allow for enough recuperation and for your strength to return. Leave the endurance-type exercise for isolation sets or cardio
- Achieve definition by following a strict bodybuilding-type diet over a long enough period.
- Take in the largest percentage of your calories and nutrition within a short time after a workout, while your body is in a maximum state of demand.
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