Ladies: Get your butt in shape with kettlebells!
You may not know it, but kettlebells are the best butt toning equipment you can find in a gym. This guide will help you get the flat butt you've always dreamed of!
I have a confession to make. Years ago in high school, others made fun of me for having a flat butt. That hurt - especially because it was true. But it also motivated me to do something about it. This was one of the first influences that made me get serious about working out and eventually become a trainer. Here's something funny about the female butt: As I got older and wiser, I learned that the important meaning of having a strong and well-developed butt is not limited to the aesthetic factor. In reality, this is where it all begins.
There are numerous reasons why every woman (and man) should work out her butt. The question that arises, however, is how best to go about it. Of course, you could take an approach with all kinds of free weights and all the appropriate machines, but it doesn't really have to be that complicated. As I've mentioned in other articles, kettlebells are great for building strength where the sun doesn't shine. I've attached two workouts to this article for women with different goals regarding training their backside. Both are short and intense and in neither of these programs do you have to wait for the gluteus machine to finally free up.
Why you need a strong gluteus
The gluteus - another word for your glutes - is the center of your body in more ways than one. It provides the strength to support both your upper and lower body. The weaker your gluteus, the greater the risk of injury to your back, knees, hamstrings and groin muscles. Back pain in particular is often the result of weak gluteal muscles that are unable to do much more than just hang there. Sports physician Stuart McGill, an expert in the biomechanics of the spine, coined the term "gluteal amnesia" to describe this condition. This may sound silly, but it is anything but a joke. In his book "Low Back Disorders", McGill writes that people with back problems generally walk, sit, stand and lift things in a way that uses movement mechanics that increase the load on the back. These people tend to do more movement in the back and less movement in their hips. This is an aberrant motor movement pattern known as gluteal amnesia (1). Translation: if your glutes are weak and you don't know how to move weights properly, then your back has to step in. This may not lead to back pain right away, but over the months and years, such pain becomes more and more likely. When this point is eventually reached, sufferers often start to become overly obsessed with stretching their back, even if the real solution to the problem is right in front of them - or rather behind them. I would go so far as to say that preventing back pain is reason enough in itself to focus on building strong glutes - and, of course, correct movement patterns. But your reward isn't just a pain-free back. Athletes with strong glutes tend to be faster, more explosive and more efficient. They can do more with better form, building more lean muscle mass and burning more fat on the way to a stronger butt. In addition to this, the positive effects of exercises like kettlebell swings, squats and deadlifts that develop strong glutes also carry over into daily life activities and the rest of your training.
Why you need strong glutes
Body parts respond to strength training in different ways. Some muscle groups get bigger in some people, while others stay the same size. But pretty much without exception, a stronger butt is a better shaped butt. You may not build the butt you saw somewhere on Instagram and loved (or were afraid of), but you can definitely achieve a firmer, rounder version of your current butt. And even though people always talk a lot about size, if we're honest, shape is what matters to most of us.
Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have studied this phenomenon and concluded that men are not so much attracted to size, but more to a certain shape of butt that offers the appearance of a shapely butt (2). Let's talk about what you need to do!
Train and eat based on your genetics
First things first: even though no one seems to want to say it, the same exercise and diet programs can have dramatically different effects on different people. People always pretend online that this isn't the case, but those of us who work with real people know that it is. I have had many women come to me who were afraid to do squats because they thought that just looking at a squat rack would make them unable to fit into their jeans. I like to refer to these women as BME, which stands for "builds muscle easily". Let's not dismiss these women as some kind of myth, let's work with them! I have found that for women who build muscle easily, a low volume leg training program and a few changes to their diet generally result in them continuing to fit into their jeans (if that's what they want). In the other camp, we find the skinny-legged women who couldn't seem to build muscle even if their lives were on the line - even if they were training with heavy weights. Their program must include more volume than their counterparts who build muscle easily to achieve even slight changes. What is responsible for this difference? Mainly genetic predispositions, but the distribution of muscle fiber types and variations in hormone levels can also play a role in how much muscle you can build.
It's not fair, is it? But the bottom line is that you should always follow the training program that works best for your goals, abilities and body type!
Now before you worry that I'm trying to turn you into some kind of Pozilla professional bodybuilder - of course I'm not. If this is your goal, then of course nobody is stopping you. But I can promise you one thing: this kind of muscle development does not happen unintentionally.
A program for every bottom
I'm including two simple workout programs with an emphasis on the glutes for two different goals in this article. Both should be doable for a woman of any fitness level once she has learned the correct technique. Beginners should start with a smaller kettlebell somewhere between 7 and 12 kilos. If this is far heavier than the kettlebell you have been using, then that's great! Slightly advanced or more advanced strength athletes with some experience with kettlebells can start with heavier weights such as 15 to 25 kilos.
Program 1: Pancake to power butt workout
This higher volume training program is designed for women who want to develop nice glutes with their workouts but generally struggle to build muscle.
But be forewarned: you will feel sore muscles after this workout! If you haven't trained your glutes before, I wouldn't recommend doing all 5 rounds of paired sets during your first training session. Start with two rounds and work your way up from there. You should feel like you're training at 80% of your working capacity once your form and technique are solid. One more thing: don't forget the warm-up! These two exercises are great for getting your glutes into action after sitting on them all day.
Pancake to power butt workout
Warm up:
- Hip bridge: 2-3 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiVHq0EM234)
- Bird Dog: 2-3 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiFNA3sqjCA)
Paired set:
- Kettlebell Goblet Squats: 5 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions, 30 to 45 seconds rest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrVgpDOLlgM)
- Kettlebell swings (heavy): 5 sets of 12 repetitions, 30 to 45 seconds rest
Paired set:
- Single-leg deadlift with 2 kettlebells: 5 sets of 6 repetitions per leg, 30 to 45 seconds rest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOE6cxNAcz4)
- Standing shoulder press with 2 kettlebells: 5 sets of 5 repetitions, 30 to 45 seconds rest
Paired set:
- Farmers walk with heavy kettlebells: 3 sets of 30 seconds, 30 to 56 seconds rest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwIjbljnE6s)
- Jump squats without additional weight: 3 sets of 10 repetitions, 30 to 45 seconds rest
Program 2: Strength for the glutes without a new wardrobe
This workout program is designed for women who tend to carry more weight around on their hips and buttocks and are sensitive to building muscle in these areas. These types of women want a firmer butt, but they don't want it to get (much) bigger.
Go through the exercises one by one. Take just enough time to recover for the next exercise. It's okay if your heart rate is high for the whole session. However, you should make sure that this does not affect the quality of your movements. Choose a challenging weight that makes you feel like you are working at about 80% of your capacity.
Strength for the glutes without a new wardrobe training session
Warm up:
- Hip bridge: 2-3 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions
- Bird dog: 2-3 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions
Circuit: Perform 3 rounds. Pause between exercises only as long as necessary and pause for one minute after each round
- Kettlebell deadlift: 5 repetitions
- Burpees: 5 repetitions
- Goblet squats: 5 repetitions
- Two-arm kettlebell swings: 15 repetitions
- Reverse lunges: 8 repetitions per side
- One-arm kettlebell snatch: 10 repetitions per side (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l2Iu26oWW8)
References
- McGill S.M. Low Back Disorders: Evidence Based Prevention and Rehabilitation (2nd ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, 2007. pp. 110-111
- Lewis, D. M., Russell, E. M., Al-Shawaf, L., & Buss, D. M. (2015). Lumbar curvature: a previously undiscovered standard of attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 36(5), 345-350.
By Lauren Brooks
Source: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ladies-bring-in-the-new-rear-with-kettlebells