A round, perky butt is no longer just a desired, aesthetic detail. Training glutes and hamstrings is not only going to help you achieve your best backside, it is actually critical for great posture and injury prevention, especially in women. Even if you aren’t concerned with trying to change the appearance of your butt and legs, you might want to consider taking your health into consideration. Do you suffer from lower back pain and poor posture? Are you an athlete training six days a week, and find yourself having frequent knee injuries? You could be suffering the consequences of having weaker, undeveloped glutes and hamstrings. Strengthening these muscle groups is essential if you want to continue to workout, play the sports you love, and live your life with as little pain as possible. Here’s why…
Glutes
The largest and most powerful muscle in the human body is the Gluteus Maximus, the uppermost muscle of the three that form the buttocks. Developing the buttocks will improve overall form when performing exercises, and will provide you with a strong foundation to perform everyday tasks like lifting, walking, running and jumping.Having strong glutes also improves your posture. It is believed that strengthening the core muscles is the best solution for posture, however the glutes sit at the base of the spine, acting as one of your body’s main support systems. Therefore, training the muscles at the base of the spine and their supporting muscles- specifically the lower back, buttocks and legs- will improve the quality of your posture.Considering the fact that the glutes are a muscle group that act as a main power source, many exercises that you perform rely on glute strength for support, particularly lower body exercises. A strong core, along with a strong gluteal region work to provide stability in ALL of your exercises, and the stronger those muscle regions are, the likelihood of injury will diminish. Overall, you will achieve maximum benefit when training other parts of your body by having a solid foundation from your glutes.
Hamstrings
According to FitnessRx Magazine For Women, women with common forms of knee pain and injury had weak glute muscles, and even weaker hamstrings. This is important to prevent knee injuries like ACL tears, a common knee injury that affects more women than men. Since the hamstrings are connected to the glutes, it is important to train both muscle groups as they rely on each other for strength and support.Often times, when we train legs, our quadriceps (the four muscles that make up the upper thigh) are able to develop much faster since these muscles are much bigger than the hamstrings, and the quads are used more frequently in day-to-day activity. To avoid imbalances and injuries, it is important to strengthen the hamstrings along with training the quadriceps.
Training
So what are the best exercises to strengthen glutes and hamstrings? There are hundreds of unique workouts that target these regions, but the following four exercises work the Gluteus Maximus and hamstrings the most efficiently. *Ladies, don’t be worried about “bulking up” your legs by performing these exercises with heavier weight. The more musculature you have on your body, the easier it is to burn fat and stay lean.
1. Stiff-Leg Deadlifts
Stiff-leg deadlifts are a full body workout that mainly focus on hamstring development. Performing this exercise also develops muscles in the core, glutes and lower back.
2. Barbell squats
Barbell back squats are another full-body workout that mainly improves overall leg strength, and focuses on core, glute, and hamstring development.
3. Barbell/Dumbbell Hip-Thrusts
Hip thrusts, whether performed with a barbell or with hand-weights, targets all regions of the glutes and is supported by the quads and hamstrings.
4. Cable Kickbacks
Cable kickbacks also target all regions of the glutes, while strengthening the lower back. The quads and core also develop as these muscle groups are used for stability during the exercise.
Let us know in the comments how these exercises work for you!
Sources1, 2, 3, 4, 5Contreras, B. (2015). Glute Lab: Targeting Different Gluteal Regions. Fitness Rx for Women (August), 76-77.Tumminello, N. (2015). Tone & Sculpt: New Glute and Hamstring Exercises You Aren’t Doing. Fitness Rx Magazine (August), 88-89.