Building a great butt

It's what every women wants, right? An nice round butt! But how to get it? What are the right exercises?

There are many articles available on the internet that give advice on how to get this nicely shaped butt. One name that pops up often is Bret Contreras; the so called 'expert in glutes training'. He mainly advises to incorporate the exercise 'hip thrust' in your routine, next to squats, lunges and of course, deadlifts. I think that the main important thing to keep in mind when you want to grow your butt is that you need to focus on exercises that concentrate on your glutes. Therefor, yes, Bret seems right. The hip thrust is a movement with the hips, rather than from the knees, targeting the glutes specifically. 

Two of my favourite exercises I incorporate in my routine are the hip thrust and the glute ham raise. 

Below you can find more info about them. 

The Hip Thrust

Hip thrust

The hip thrust is an exercise focussing on your glutes. I usually make use of the 'hip thrust machine' where I place my shoulders on the bench and my feet on the plateau. Than I use a resistance band in order to make the exercise heavier. But ofcourse you can start by just using your own bodyweight and slightly building up the resistance by using different resistance belts. Make sure to make an explosive upward movement and really focus on the glutes. Then go slowly down. 

The video below shows how this can be done. 

Glute ham raise

The glute ham raise can be done on a special

The Glute ham raise

machine, which I like to make use off. It looks like the back extension machine, however, the ends of your legs are placed higher to focus more on your glutes than on your back. Make sure to fully release your hips from the machine when on the top of your upward movement, squeezing the glutes. Try not to cheat by pointing your toes outward when doing the exercise, but keep your feats close together. Try to do the upward movement rather explosive while going down slowly until bended a bit further than horizontal. The video below illustrates the movement. 

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!