I’m going to be honest with you…it really irks me to see that butt implant surgeries are on a rise. Not because I am against cosmetic surgery, or because I think I have the right to tell people what to do with their bodies. Neither of those things are true. I have an appreciation for the science and the art of cosmetic surgery, and I also strongly believe people have every right to do as they wish to their own body. The reason I get annoyed when I see more and more people getting butt implants is simple…the butt is a MUSCLE! I am a trainer (been training people professionally for over 20 years) and I know what the average person is capable of. I know that I can build muscle on almost anyone with the right consistent training and good diet. Apply the right formula and it’s like clockwork: people build muscle and we can direct where we want to build that muscle.
The glutes are the muscles that make up the butt and if you build them, your butt will look firmer, rounder and bigger…no surgery required. You may be wondering then why so many people opt for surgery when they could just build their butts. Most people think its because surgery is an easy option. I disagree. When you consider the cost (upwards of 5-10k) plus the risk of complications like scar tissue, infection and the time taken off work to recover, I don’t think getting butt implants is the easy way out. I think the majority of people who opt to get butt implants tried to build their butts and saw no results which made them feel like their only option is to go the expensive and more risky surgery route.
When I look at the vast majority of butt workout plans online I can clearly see why so many people find it so difficult to build their butts. Most of these programs utilize incredibly ineffective exercises, use the wrong rep range and don’t utilize full ranges of motion. Even the rare programs that do have decent exercises don’t address the problem of poor glute muscle activation which makes all butt exercises not effective at all. These programs SUCK and they won’t build a butt on anyone. No wonder people are frustrated.
Below I am going to teach you a sure-fire way to build your butt. The exercises I list are the most effective ones I have ever used; the rep ranges are the ones that build the most muscle and I will teach you how to activate or PRIME your glutes so that they fire fully and develop quickly.
The most effective butt building exercises on earth are barbell squats, deadlifts, lunges and hip thrusts. Most strength coaches and personal trainers worth anything will agree that those movements build muscle in the fastest way. That’s not all however…they also need to be done properly and with sufficient resistance. Doing tons of reps to “feel the burn” will do very little to build your butt muscles. You have to lift relatively heavy to get things to build. Challenge yourself and your strength. As you get stronger your butt will build.
The best muscle building rep ranges are UNDER 20 reps. Any higher and you build more endurance than strength which means less muscle. I like to have people train in three different rep ranges over the course of 6-9 weeks. The 2-6 reps range (very heavy), the 8-12 rep range (moderate heavy) and the 15-20 rep range (less heavy). Train in one of those rep ranges consistently for 2-3 weeks before changing to a new rep range.
The glutes also respond to FREQUENT training (as do most muscles). This means its MORE effective to work your glutes 3 days a week instead of 1 day a week even when the total volume is the same. In other words, 15 sets of exercises for your glutes on Monday is not nearly as effective as training the glutes for 5 sets on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Same total work but much more effective.
Also train in full ranges of motion. Go as far down with your movements as you have complete control over and come all the way up with your movements for full squeeze contraction. Using less weight for longer ranges of motion is more effective than going heavier for shorter ranges of motion.
Some people just can’t seem to “feel” their glutes even when they do the right exercises. For these people PRIMING is a must. Priming helps “turn on” a muscle so that it fires fully when you train it. People with poor butt muscle activation will do squats day in and day out and will only develop more quad muscles. This can be EXTREMELY frustrating.
Priming is when we do specific movements before the workout to get the person to feel the glutes. This helps them activate their glutes when doing the most important exercises. This is where the short and typically ineffective movements can help.
Below is a sample glute building workout complete with priming that is sure to build a butt on almost anyone:
Monday
Prime with body weight floor bridges. Focus on the squeeze. Do 3 sets of 20 reps.
Barbell Squats 3 sets
Barbell Hip Thrusts 3 sets
Wednesday
Prime with band walks. Go slow and take 15 steps in both directions. Do 3 sets
Deadlifts 3 sets
Lunges 3 sets
Friday
Prime with hip abduction machine. 3 sets of 15 reps
Lunges 3 sets
Barbell Squats 3 sets
That’s it. Try that out for a full 60 days and make sure to eat adequate calories and protein to fuel muscle growth. Make sure to measure around your glutes so you can see just how effective the right workout can be.
