Booty workout!

Our Glutes are rarely activated in everyday living, therefore; it is crucial to add a few glute activating exercises into your weekly workout routine for a firm, lifted and shapely hiney.

Switching up our routine once an exercise is mastered will keep our muscles in work mode, just like our food – variety is the key! Alter your environment with a bosu ball or weights to engage additional muscles. Our bodies are smart and will easily adapt to exercise, they become efficient. Doing the same exercises for long periods of time are great for blood movement, however; to see growth we must step out of our comfort zones.

Below are a few of my favorite glute activating exercises courtesy of Sheri Lynn and Courtney Townley.

Bridge on Stability Ball: (15 reps/3 sets)

Start sitting on ball and walk out until your head and shoulders are the only parts supported by the ball. Keep your knees parallel and your feet only hip width a part. Holding a free weight in each hand, gently place the weights so they are resting on your hip bones, and then start to lower and lift your hips. You will be lifting your hips against the weight on top of them. This is a great exercise to build strength in your glutes and hamstrings while stabilizing with your core muscles.

Kettle Bell Overhead Swing:
To prevent back injury, be sure to get this movement down, prior to adding any kettlebell weight.  To ensure proper alignment, proper muscle usage and proper mechanics, I highly recommend going barefoot with this exercise.

Start with feet shoulder distance apart, place the kettlebell in front of you, making a triangle with your feet. When reaching for the kettlebell, make sure your weight is in the back of your heels and your back is in perfect alignment. Maintain alignment through this entire exercise. If you feel your back bending, stop before injury.  
To start: Inhale as you flex the hips, bending forward, pass the kettlebell through your thighs, and exhale as you thrust the hips forward by squeezing your glutes.
Your kettlebell is powered by the force of your glutes.  Be careful not to hyperextend your hips when the kettlebell is overhead.  Keep your entire core engaged throughout the exercise. Hold for a second on top and bring back down to pass through the legs, repeat. The stronger you squeeze your glutes, the higher your arms will pop up. This is a glute and core exercise, not an arm workout, do not muscle your kettlebell up.  Use your glutes to get it up there and engage that core to hold at the top.

I enjoy this exercise using my tabata timer app.  I do this for 4 minutes total. 20 seconds on 10 seconds off. Hit start on the timer and listen for the buzzers. Or, try 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Standing Leg Extensions (or ‘Birds’) – 4 sets, 6 reps each leg with a 1 minute rest in between sets. It is crucial to keep your core engaged, spine aligned and hips squared up.
You will work all muscles in your body keeping alignment with this exercise and it is not necessary to use added weight.

Rock On Fitness Friends,

Katie Surjan, CPT

Genesis Transformation Coach

katie@genesistransformation.com

630-742-8518