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X Watch the video on youtubeBy Dr. Simone Losi
In this article I will try to explain the most useful exercises for toning the buttocks, the most suitable type of training, and to debunk some "myths" still present in many Italian gyms.
The gluteal musculature is perhaps the area most trained by women in the gym, many series and repetitions that in some cases even reach 50, using a myriad of exercises that, in the vast majority of cases, are of little use for development, therefore for the tonification of this district.
A little anatomy
Let's try to quickly review the anatomy of the buttock, which must always be taken into consideration when performing an exercise.
The GREAT GLUTEO originates from the external surface of the wing of the ileum, including the iliac crest, the dorsal surface of the sacrum and the sacrotuberous ligament, and is inserted with some fibers in the ileus tibial tract and with others on the gluteal tuberosity of the femur; its main action is the extension of the hip and acts as a support in the external rotation.
The best exercises to train the buttocks
Most of the exercises that are performed, especially by women, are not very conditioning and productive, mainly for two simple reasons: the load is always very light, while the buttock needs an important load (from 60% for a beginner, up to to reach 80% of the ceiling for the advanced) to be stimulated, then "toned"; furthermore, the functions for which the buttock is a member are not used, ie exercises are performed in which there is no pre-stretching and flexion of the buttock, or exercises in which the extension of the hip in the concentric phase is reduced.
Impulses in all versions, the abductor machine and the press, are useless exercises for the development of the large buttock, but while the first two tend to be carried out with little weight and a large number of reps, believing that in this way it burns out fat at the level of the gluteus medius (in reality, work is practically useless as the average gluteus has a prevalent stabilizing function and is not used to make movements with a high number of repetitions), the press - which is often done using a lower number of reps - it goes to tone mainly the quadriceps and the vast ones, since in this exercise one does not start with the gluteus maximally lengthened, consequently during the concentric phase the maximum recruitment of fibers cannot be had for this muscle.
For the advanced ones I advise a little-used version of the lunge, but extremely effective: try to perform this exercise walked, but instead of keeping your back straight flex it forward at every step and then in the eccentric phase extend it upwards, taking advantage of the contraction of the buttock; in this case the other insertion of the great gluteus is used in an important way, not that at the level of the femur, but that at the level of the iliac crest;
Another good exercise is the climb on the cube using a height proportional to the degree of training of the person; also in this case, to increase the intensity of the exercise (fundamental factor for toning), you can use two dumbbells or a barbell.
At this point you might wonder why he didn't include the squat among the "best" buttocks exercises. In fact it is a good exercise, but on condition that it is performed correctly and with a good load; often, however, due to problems and blockages at the level of the pelvis, knee and tibial tibia joint, it is performed incorrectly or partially; in this regard, electromyographic studies say that the recruitment of the gluteus maximus in the partial squat is very limited, while it is very high in the complete squat, which however - given the proper use of important loads - becomes a "dangerous" exercise especially for the knee joint and lumbar area. So I would opt more for the use of the lunges, perhaps using a progression in which they initially perform themselves in a static manner, then move on to the "walk" version and finally, for the more daring, to use the rachis flexion as previously explained .
Finally, I would like to recommend another exercise that is not used by women in the gym, but which gives excellent results; I'm talking about " BALZI ", which instead are used massively in athletic preparations; in fact the women who use these exercises have a very tonic buttock and it is much more physiological to make jumps or lunges than to abduct the limbs, or extend the hip monopodalically.
In fact, if we think about it, GLUTEO is one of the most trained muscles in the weight room and in the courses, but despite this, most women are dissatisfied with the results obtained or even with non-results, and the reasons are those explained previously.
Often it is enough to lower the training volume a little, raise the intensity, choose only a couple of "functional and physiological" exercises and you're done .... simple, isn't it ?!
