The Unilateral Booty Burner Workout

The Unilateral Booty Burner Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Hips/Glutes

WORKOUT

Complete 2-4 rounds of each superset. Do not rest between exercises. Do both on one side then switch sides. Each side will rest while the other completes both moves. Then rest 1-2 minutes between supersets. Make sure you push so that the moves burn and your flutes are pumped.

SUPERSET #1:
15 reps per side each way Side Balance Circles FWD/BWD
20 reps per side Side Balance Leg Lifts

SUPERSET #2:
20 reps per side Straight Leg Kickbacks
15 reps per side 3-Way Leg Circles

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Hips/Glutes

NOTES:

It’s very important that you push through the burn and complete both moves back to back. It is better to rest longer between rounds than to rest between the exercises although you get the best pump if you can push a little through the burn.

Make sure to complete a full range of motion and not rush too much as you fatigue.

This burner can also be shortened into a Warm Up or even a “Burn Out” after a leg day. Although it is a great in-between heavy leg lifts workout as well if you really want to build your butt!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Side Balance Circles FWD/BWD – Start on one knee with your other leg straight out to the side. Then place your hand down to the outside of your knee so you are a side balance position almost like a Side Plank. Then lift the straight leg up to about parallel to the ground and begin to circle the leg from the hip. Make as big of circles as possible. Complete all circles forward then go backward. Make sure to keep the leg up and feel the outside of your glute and hip working.

side balance hip circles
Side Balance Leg Lifts – Set up in the Side Balance position. Then lift your straight leg up to parallel to the ground and lower back down. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

side balance leg lifts flute activation
Straight Leg Kickbacks – 
To do the Straight Leg Kickback, set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Then kick one leg back, driving your heel straight back into the wall behind you. Squeeze the glute as you lift the leg and drive the heel toward the wall behind you. Make sure to keep your arms straight as you kick back and your abs engaged. Don’t arch your low back just to try to kick your leg back higher. Try to get your quad to about parallel to the ground. Also make sure to keep your hips square to the ground. Do not rotate open as you kick back. The height of the kickback doesn’t matter as long as you feel your hips extend and your glutes engage. You do not want to feel this move in your low back. Hold for a second or two at the top and really contract your glutes before lowering back down. Don’t rush the movement. The slower you go and the longer you hold, the harder the move will be. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

straight-leg-kickback
3-Way Leg Circles – Start on your hands and knees like with the Fire Hydrant. Flex your feet. You will then kick one leg back like with the Donkey Kick. Hold here for a second. Make sure to keep your arms straight and squeeze your glutes. Then, without lowering the leg day, bring the leg up to the side into the Fire Hydrant position. Keep your foot flexed and knee bent to 90 degrees. Without touching the knee down, drive the knee forward towards your elbow. Feel your abs engage as you hold. Lower yourself back down and repeat on the same side starting with the Donkey Kick.

glute activation hip circles

The Deadlift And Core Workout

The Deadlift And Core Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Back
Shoulders/Traps

WORKOUT

Complete 4 rounds of the first exercise, resting 60-90 seconds between rounds. Then rest 1-2 minutes and start the supplemental circuit. For the circuit, set a timer for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible in that time. Rest only if needed but try to keep moving. Record how many rounds you complete and the weights used and try to increase next time!

SINGLE LEG DEADLIFT:
8-15 reps per side Single Leg Deadlift

CIRCUIT:
5 reps per side Sandbag Plank Pull Throughs
10 reps Duck Under Lunges
15 reps Inverted Rows
20 reps KB Swings

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Back
Shoulders/Traps

NOTES:

Complete all four rounds of the Single Leg Deadlift before moving on to the circuit. With the circuit, use the heaviest weights possible while still being able to move quickly and not have to rest.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Single Leg Deadlift – To do this move you can use a barbell, sandbag, dumbbells or even kettlebells. To do the kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift, hold a kettlebell in each hand down by your sides. Stand on your right leg with your knee slightly bent and your left toe lightly touching the ground. Then lift your left leg back toward the wall behind you as you hinge over, keeping your back flat. As you hinge over, drop the kettlebells down and back. Do not reach them toward the ground and let your back round. Only lower them as far as you can without rounding or “squatting.” Your standing knee should be soft but isn’t going to bend extra as you hinge over. Make sure that as you hinge over you sit back in your heel and then drive through your heel to come back up to standing. You want to feel your hamstring and glute work.

kettlebell-single-leg-deadlift
Sandbag Plank Pull Throughs – To do Sandbag Plank Pulls, set up in a plank position from your hands and toes or hands and knees and place the sandbag on the ground to one side of your body just outside and below your shoulder. Make sure your hands are under your shoulders and then place your feet or knees wider apart to give you more stability. The closer together your feet are, the harder the move will be because you won’t have as wide or stable a base. If you feel your hips rocking side to side, widen your feet out. If the move is too easy, bring your feet closer together. Then reach your hand under your body and across to grab the sandbag. Squeeze your glutes and, without rotating your hips, pull the sandbag through and across to the other side of your body. Make sure your body stays in a nice straight line with your abs engaged as you reach through and pull. Do not let your hips go up in the air or sag toward the ground. You want to pull the sandbag all the way across and outside the other shoulder. If you can’t pull the sandbag all the way across or need to rotate your hips a lot to do so, it may be too heavy. Then reach through with the other hand to pull it back. To fight your body’s desire to rotate, you will need to engage your core and really squeeze your glutes. You do not want to feel this move in your low back. Keep alternating reaches until all reps are complete. Your goal is to keep a nice straight line from your head to your heels the entire time.

sandbag-plank-pulls
Duck Under Lunges – To do the Duck Under Lunge, hold the sandbag up at your chest with your arms wrapped around it. You will then squat down, sitting your butt back while keeping your chest up. As you come back up out of the squat, you will rotate toward the right, pivoting your left foot. Stand up nice and tall, facing to the right with your back leg in triple extension. Do not let your foot stay put and your knee cave in.  Then rotate and sink back down into a squat and then pivot and rotate up toward the left side, pivoting your right foot. Keep your chest up the entire time. Do not let your back round toward the ground. Also do not lean forward to try to get lower to the ground. Sink as low as you can in the squat without your form breaking down then quickly pivot up to each side. As you get comfortable with the move, try to make it as fluid as possible. The move should look like a “U” shape.  Beginners may need to make it look more like a “V” until their hips open up more. Beginners may also need to drop the weight or not go as low.

duck-under-lunge
Inverted Rows – To do the Inverted Row, hold a suspension trainer strap in each hand or use a bar. Walk your feet out so that you are leaning back. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Squeeze your core and glutes and press your chest out so there is tension between your shoulder blades. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders and that your body is in a nice straight line. Then row up, keeping your body in that nice straight line. Row until your chest comes up to the handles and then lower yourself back down. Don’t let your hips sink as you lower back down or your low back arch. Also, keep your chest pressed out the entire time (make sure you don’t round your thoracic spine at the bottom). Move in a controlled fashion as you keep tension between your shoulder blades the entire time. Make sure you row low and don’t shrug your shoulders at any point. Do not bounce off the bottom of your row or use momentum to get back up.

inverted-row
KB Swings – Click here for Kettlebell Swing form and some variations if you’ve never done it before.

 

The Runner’s Full-Body Strength Workout

The Runner’s Full-Body Strength Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet/Calves/Shins
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin/It Band
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Back/Lats

ACTIVATION

Complete 1 round of the following circuit.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps each way 3-Way Leg Swings
10 reps per side Fire Hydrants
10 reps per side Bird Dog
5 reps per side Thoracic Bridge with Sit Thru

AGILITY LADDER

Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. Run through drills on the Agility Ladder walking back to the start between drills. Move quickly through the drills, but only speed them up if you can do them correctly. Don’t go fast if you aren’t getting the steps correct!

For Drills, click here.

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit, resting as needed between rounds of the circuit. Try to go from one exercise to the next and rest no more than 1-2 minutes between rounds. Rest 2-3 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
15-20 reps Weighted Glute Bridges
8-12 reps per side Airborne Lunges
10-15 reps per side High-to-Low Wood Choppers

CIRCUIT #2:
10-15 reps per side Single Leg Deadlift
15-20 reps Reverse Hypers
10-15 reps Hanging Knee Tucks to Kick Out

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet/Calves/Shins
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin/It Band
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Back/Lats

NOTES:

For some great foam rolling moves and stretches for runners, check out this post on how to Alleviate Common Running Injuries.

If you are new to strength training, stay in the higher rep range with a bit lighter weight. As you consistently lift, you want to go up in weight and even down in reps. To get the best results, as your body adjusts, you need to challenge yourself more and more with weights.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

3-Way Leg Swings – To do 3-Way Leg Swings, start standing on one foot. Keeping both legs fairly straight, but not locked out, swing the other leg forward and backward. Swing from the hip. The bigger your swings are, the more your standing leg will have to work to balance. Do not hold on to anything as you do this move. If you need to at the beginning, just perform smaller swings and tap your foot down as needed to reset and stabilize. Perform 10-20 forward/backward swings. Then, still balancing on the same leg, start to swing your leg right to left in front of you, swinging from the hip. Again the bigger the swing, the harder the move will be. Complete 10-20 lateral swings. After performing the lateral swings, try a rotational swing while still standing on the same leg. Bend the raised knee to 90 degrees with your bent leg out in front of you. Then open the knee out to the side, keeping the knee bent. Bring the bent leg back in front of you and repeat. Complete 10-20 swings here before performing all three swings on the other leg.

3-way-leg-swings
Fire Hydrants – Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Then, keeping your arms straight and your feet flexed, raise your right leg out to the side with the knee bent to 90 degrees. As you raise your leg out to the side, keep your ankle in line with your knee. Do not let your foot get above your knee or your knee go up above your foot. Your lower leg should stay in line and be parallel to the ground. Also, don’t simply lean away to get your leg up higher. Keep your core tight and lift from the hip using your glute. Hold at the top then lower back down. Make sure to hold for 1-2 seconds. Do not rush through the lift. Make sure you do not bend your arms to get your leg up higher. Squeeze your butt and make sure you feel it activate. Range of motion isn’t important as long as you feel your glute working. You may even feel this in the glute of the leg down because it is working to stabilize. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

fire-hydrants
Bird Dog – To do the Basic Bird Dog, start on your hands and knees on the ground with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Kick your right leg back and drive your heel into the wall behind you as you raise your left arm out toward the wall in front of you. Try to get your leg and arm to about parallel to the ground but don’t worry about lifting your leg or arm up super high. There is no need to go past parallel. Really try to drive your arm and leg toward opposite walls as you keep your core engaged and squeeze your glutes. You do not want to hyperextend or arch your low back just to reach your arm or leg up higher. Also make sure to keep your chest and hips square to the ground as you reach out.  Hold for a second or two at the top then, as you lower your arm and leg back down, bend them and bring them together under your body. Try to touch your elbow to your knee before extending back out. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other side. All reps should be done in a slow and controlled manner. You should even hold for a second or two at the top of the move. A longer hold at the top will make this move even more challenging. For a more challenging variation, click here.

bird-dog
Thoracic Bridge with Sit Thru – To do the Thoracic Bridge with Sit Thru, set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes. Then lift your right hand and bring your left leg through and place your left foot flat on the ground. Rotate your hips up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift them up as high as you can. Then with your hips bridged up and your glutes engaged, reach your right hand down toward the ground, rotating your chest toward the floor. Feel your glutes working to keep BOTH hips up, while you reach your hand down and feel a nice stretch through your spine. We have a tendency when we rotate to drop the hip on the side we are rotating toward. Make sure to keep both hips up as high as possible. You should feel a nice rotation and stretch through your spine almost like someone wringing out a towel. Then drop your hips and step your foot back through while placing your hand back down on the ground. You should be back in that starting position with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Do not let your legs straighten out as you sit thru and bridge up to each side. Step through and rotate to the other side, bridging your hips up as high as you can as you reach toward the ground. Keep alternating sides until all reps are complete.

thoracic-bridge
Weighted Glute Bridges – 
To do Weighted Glute Bridges, a barbell works best although you can use a kettlebell or even plate weight as well. Using a barbell, sit on the ground with your legs out straight and roll or place the barbell over your hips. Lie back and bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the ground and your heels close to your butt. Play around with your exact foot positioning so that you feel your glutes working during the movement and not simply your hamstrings taking over. Holding on to the barbell and pressing it down toward your thighs, bridge your hips up and squeeze your glutes. Make sure to drive through your heels and upper back to lift straight up and extend your hips while keeping your core tight. Do not let your knees fall open and do not hyperextend your low back as you squeeze your glutes at the top. Hold for a second or two and lower back down. As you lift, you may find you want to press the barbell down and away onto your thighs to help you squeeze your glutes at the top and keep your core engaged. Before bridging up, you may find it helpful to first perform the Pelvic Tilt so that your abs are engaged when you bridge. Add weight to progress the movement as long as you continue to engage your glutes and fully extend your hips.

barbell-glute-bridge
Airborne Lunges – To do the Airborne Lunge, stand on your right foot and bend your left knee, bringing your heel back up toward your butt. Then begin to bend your right knee as you hinge over and sit your butt back. You are going to lunge down, dropping your left knee to the ground. Do not touch the left foot down when you drop the knee to the ground. Also make sure not to reach the left knee back too far when you lunge down. Keep it just a little behind your right foot so that you are almost slightly squatting. Lean forward as needed to counterbalance but do not round your back forward. You want to hinge forward at the hips as you sit your butt back. To come back to standing, drive up through your right heel and feel your leg and glute work to straighten your leg as you bring the left knee up off the ground. Come up to standing nice and tall. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Make sure you engage your core and keep your standing heel on the ground at all times. Do not let your standing heel come up as you touch your other knee down. Also, make sure you feel this move in the glute of your standing leg and not your low back. To advance this move, you can add weight. Beginners may not be able to touch their knee to the ground or they may need to use the Suspension Trainer to help them balance. (Click here for a description of the Beginner Airborne Lunge also called the Single Leg Lunge.)

airborne-lunge
High-to-Low Wood Choppers – To do the High-to-Low Wood Chopper, anchor the band up high and reverse your position. You will start with your arms reaching up and outside your shoulder closest to the anchor point. Make sure there is tension on the band. Your back leg should be in triple extension with your ankle, knee and hip all in line. (This position will also protect your knee since everything is properly aligned.) Then pivot and bend your knees to bring the band down and across your body to outside your opposite knee. Once you’ve brought the band outside your knee, you will then pivot back to standing, bringing the band across your body and up outside your shoulder. Move slowly and make sure there is tension on the band the entire way. When you bring the band down and across your body, do not round your back to reach lower as you bring the band down. Keep your chest up. Just reach down outside the knee as you pivot your feet. With both moves, you need to keep tension on the band at all times and stay in control of the movement. Do not let the band pull you back. And you want to make sure to pivot your feet. When you pivot, you keep your knee in a safe position. Plus the pivot puts your back leg in triple extension, which is an important position to generate more force and power. (Top two photos.)

woodchopper-exercise
Single Leg Deadlift – To do the Single Leg Deadlift (using kettlebells although you can also use dumbbells, sandbags or a barbell), hold a kettlebell in each hand down by your sides. Stand on your right leg with your knee slightly bent and your left toe lightly touching the ground. Then raise your left leg back toward the wall behind you as you hinge over, keeping your back flat. Make sure your hips stay level and you really reach your butt back as you hinge over. Also make sure to drop the kettlebells down and back toward your foot on the ground instead of reaching them out in front of you. Also do not worry about the kettlebells touching the ground. If your mobility allows you to touch them down great, but do not reach them toward the ground and let your back round. Only lower them as far as you can without rounding or “squatting.” Your standing knee should be soft as you hinge over and push your butt back but you shouldn’t start to squat as you hinge over. Make sure that as you hinge over you sit back in your standing heel and then drive through your heel to come back up to standing. You want to feel your hamstring and glute work. You want to really focus on pushing your butt back as you hinge over instead of simply leaning forward. This move only works if you load that glute. Also make sure that at the top of the move, you come completely up to standing and squeeze your glutes. Do not touch that other foot down until you are standing. You do not want the other leg to assist you in performing the full range of motion.

kettlebell-single-leg-deadlift
Reverse Hypers – Lie face down on a bench, box or table. Place your hips right on the edge of the bench and hold on to the bench or something in front of you. Keep your upper body relaxed as you hold. If your hips are too far on the bench, you are more likely to hyperextend your low back in an attempt to get your hips up higher so make sure your hips are on the edge of the bench, but not too far off. Place your heels together and bend your knees to about 90 degrees. Flex your feet. You can choose to turn your toes out to hit a slightly different aspect of your glutes as well. Then, with your knees bent, kick your heels back and up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift as you press your hips and pubic bone down into the bench. You can sort of drive up and out a bit to really get your glutes to work. Make sure to squeeze your glutes and brace your core as you drive your heels up and extend your hips. You do not want your low back taking over. Lift your legs and extend your hips so that you raise your legs and quads to about parallel to the ground. Then lower back down. Only lift higher if you don’t feel your lower back take over. You want to focus on and make sure your glutes are working to lift NOT your low back. The most important part is that you feel your glutes tighten and that you are extending from your hips. Hold at the top for a second or two and then lower back down.

bent-knee-reverse-hyper
Hanging Knee Tucks to Kick Out- Hang from the bar with both palms facing away. Then tuck both knees up to about hip height. When your quads are parallel to the ground, straighten your knees. Lift your legs out in front of you then bend your knees again before returning to the starting position. Don’t kick out quickly or go straight down from the legs out position. Kick the legs out then bring them back in before lowering back down.

Hanging Knee Tuck to Kick Out

The 100 Rep Glute Bridge Challenge

The 100 Rep Glute Bridge Challenge

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings 

ACTIVATION

Complete 1 round of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
15 reps Glute Bridges
15 reps Table Top Bridge
10 reps each side Fire Hydrants

WORKOUT

You will first complete all 100 reps of the Glute Bridges before moving on to the supplemental circuit.

For the 100 rep Glute Bridge Challenge, the best you can do with a weight is 5 rounds of 20 reps so pick a weight that is challenging for at least 20 reps if not 10 or even 15. Rest 30-90 seconds between rounds of the Glute Bridges. Do not rest shorter or longer.

If you can’t complete 20 reps in a row, rest and then try again. Your goal is to get the 100 reps in as few sets as possible (aka 5 sets of 20 reps).

Rest 2-3 minutes after you finish the Glute Bridge Challenge then do 3-5 rounds of the supplemental circuit.

GLUTE BRIDGE CHALLENGE:
Pick as heavy a weight as possible and do the 100 reps. Record your weight, rest times and reps/sets. Try to beat that next time, upping the weight if you accomplish 5 sets of 20 reps. This only works if you choose a challenging weight. If you don’t get 5 sets of 20 reps and it takes you 6,7 or even 8 sets to get the 100, keep that weight next time and try again.
100 Reps Weighted Glute Bridges

CIRCUIT:
10-15 reps 3-Count 1/2 Squat, 1/2 Deadlift
8-12 reps Side to Curtsy Lunge
15-20 reps Reverse Hypers

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings 

NOTES:

After finishing the Glute Bridge Challenge, your glutes should be pretty smoked. While you want to challenge yourself with the exercises in the Supplemental Circuit, you don’t need to focus on using super heavy weights. Just use weights that challenge you for the reps selected.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Glute Bridges – To do the Basic Glute Bridge for reps, bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground just close enough that you can graze your heels with your fingertips when you stretch your arms down by your side. Your feet should be about hip-width apart. If you put your feet further away from your glutes, you will engage more hamstring than if you keep your heels in closer to your glutes. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arms are on the ground. Then drive up through your heels and upper back to lift your glutes off the ground. Drive your hips up as high as possible, squeezing the glutes hard. Keep your belly button drawn in so you don’t hyperextend your back. Focus and consciously squeeze your glutes at the top. Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up and that your knees aren’t caving in. Squeeze your glutes for second or two at the top and lower all the way back down to the ground before repeating. Do not rush through the move. To make the move harder, hold longer at the top or even slow down the lower back down to the ground. A slower tempo means more time under tension and more work for your glutes.

glute-bridge
Table Top Bridge – 
To do the Table Top Bridge, start seated on the ground with your feet flat on the ground in front of you and your hands on the ground behind you. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips up as high as you can. Lean your head back and press your chest out as you bridge up. Really feel a nice stretch across your chest and shoulders. Keep your core tight as you bridge up. Try to create a “table” with your body. Drive your hips up as high as you can without hyperextending your low back. Really squeeze your glutes at the top. Hold for a few seconds at the top then lower back down and repeat. Keep the core engaged and even do a pelvic tilt at the top so that you engage your glutes without hyperextending your low back.

table-top-bridge
Fire Hydrants – 
To do Fire Hydrants, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Then, keeping your arms straight and your foot flexed, raise your right leg out to the side. Keep your knee bent to 90 degrees as you raise and your ankle in line with your knee. Do not let your foot get above your knee or your knee go up above your foot. Your lower leg should stay in line and be parallel to the ground. Hold at the top then lower back down. Make sure to hold for 1-2 seconds. Do not rush through the lift. Make sure you do not bend your arms or lean away from the leg being raised just to get the leg up higher. Squeeze your butt and make sure you feel it activate. Range of motion isn’t important. Feeling the glute raise the leg and hold is all that matters. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

fire-hydrants
Weighted Glute Bridges – 
To do the Weighted Glute Bridge, sit on the ground and roll or place the barbell over your hips. Then lie back and bend your knees with your heels close to your butt. Holding on to the barbell, drive your hips up and squeeze your glutes. Make sure you drive through your heels and upper back to lift straight up. Do not let your knees fall open and do not hyperextend your low back as you squeeze your glutes at the top. Hold for a second or two and lower back down. As you lift, you may find you want to press the barbell down and away onto your thighs to help you squeeze your glutes at the top and keep your core engaged. If you start to rush through, you aren’t completing quality reps and should rest. You need to hold at the top.

barbell-glute-bridge
3-Count 1/2 Squat, 1/2 Deadlift – To do the ½ Squat, ½ Deadlift, start by standing on your right leg. Start to bend your right knee as you drive your left leg back and hinge over. Keep your back flat as you hinge over and sit your butt back. You are going to hinge over as you also squat down on your right leg. Try to touch the ground without rounding your low back. Make sure to sit back in your heel as you squat down. Once you’ve gone as low as you can, you will come back to standing. Try not to touch your left toe down between reps. Hinge back over, sitting your butt back as you bend your standing leg to squat down. Touch the ground and come back up. Go as low as you can each time. The more you bend your knee as you hinge over, the harder the move will be. Slow down the tempo of this move to make it harder. Take 3-5 seconds to squat down and then quickly pop back up to standing.

1/2-squat-1/2-deadlift
Side to Curtsy Lunge – Lunging with the left foot, step the left foot out toward “9″ on the clock. As you lunge out to the side, you are going to bend the left knee and sit your butt back. Keep your right leg straight. Both toes should be pointing straight ahead. Keep your left heel down as you sink into the lunge. Push your butt back and keep your chest up. Then drive back up to standing. If you need to, touch your foot down before moving into the Curtsy Lunge. If you don’t need to, move right into the Curtsy Lunge. After performing the Side Lunge, stand up and lunge back into a Curtsy Lunge with your left foot. Step your left foot back behind your right leg. You will reach your left foot back to about “5″ on the clock. Make sure you step far enough back (do not keep your left foot too close to your right) that you can bend both knees and sink down into a deep lunge. Keep your right heel down on the ground and your chest up. Then come back to standing. Make sure that you feel this lunge in the outside of your right butt cheek when you lunge back with the left leg. Then move back into a Side Lunge and repeat on the same side.

side-to-curtsy-lunge
Reverse Hypers – Choose Bent or Straight. You can even switch it up each time you do the workout but stick with one the entire workout. To do the Bent-Knee Reverse Hypers (bottom), lie face down on a bench, box or table. Place your hips right on the edge of the bench and hold on to the bench or something in front of you. If your hips are too far on the bench, you are more likely to hyperextend your low back in an attempt to get your hips up higher. Place your heels together and bend your knees to about 90 degrees. Flex your feet. You can choose to turn your toes out to hit a slightly different aspect of your glutes as well. Then, with your knees bent, kick your heels up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift. You can sort of drive up and out a bit to really get your glutes to work. Make sure that you squeeze your glutes as you lift and don’t hyperextend your low back just to get up higher. Lift so that your quads are about parallel to the ground and lower back down. Only lift higher if you don’t feel your lower back take over. You want to focus on and make sure your glutes are working to lift NOT your low back. The most important part is that you feel your glutes tighten. Hold at the top for a second or two to feel your glutes work and then lower back down. You can also add weight to make this move harder. To do a Straight-Leg Reverse Hyper (top), you will set up like you are going to do the Bent-Knee Variation, however, you will keep your legs straight. Still place your heels together though. And you can also choose to turn your toes out to hit a slightly different aspect of your glutes. Then, keeping your legs straight, raise your heels up toward the ceiling. Squeeze your glutes as you lift. Lift till your legs are about parallel to the ground and lower back down. Only lift higher if you don’t feel your lower back take over. You want to focus on and make sure your glutes are working to lift NOT your low back. If you do feel your low back, make sure you are pressing your pelvic down into the bench as you squeeze your glutes to lift. Hold at the top and lower back down. Slow down the tempo or add weight to make the move more challenging.

reverse-hyper-glute-exercise

 

The Kettlebell Back and Butt Workout

The Kettlebell Back and Butt Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings 

ACTIVATION

Complete 1 round of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
20 reps Glute Bridge
10 reps per side Fire Hydrants
5 reps per side Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge
15 reps Scapular Push Ups

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each superset. Rest up to 1 minute between rounds and then up to 2 minutes between supersets.

SUPERSET #1:
8-12 reps per side Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift
8-12 reps per side Single Arm Kettlebell Rows

SUPERSET #2:
8-12 reps per side Racked Reverse Lunge
8-12 reps per side Renegade Rows

FINISHER:

Set a timer for 30 seconds of work 30 seconds of rest. Use as heavy a weight as possible while maintaining perfect form throughout the 30 seconds. Complete 5-8 rounds of the exercise below.

EXERCISE:
Kettlebell Swings

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings 

NOTES:

Try to go up in weight as you get used to the movements even if it means lowering your reps. Also, for the swings, make sure your form is correct before going up in weight. You want to really focus on the hip hinge.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Glute Bridge – Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground just close enough that you can graze your heels with your fingertips when you stretch your arms down by your side. Your feet should be about hip-width apart. If you put your feet further away from your glutes, you will engage more hamstring than if you keep your heels in closer to your glutes. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arms are on the ground. Then drive up through your heels and upper back to lift your glutes off the ground. Drive your hips up as high as possible, squeezing the glutes hard. Keep your belly button drawn in so you don’t hyperextend your back. Focus and consciously squeeze your glutes at the top. Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up and that your knees aren’t caving in. Squeeze your glutes for second or two at the top and lower all the way back down to the ground before repeating. Do not rush through the move. To make the move harder, hold longer at the top or even slow down the lower back down to the ground. A slower tempo means more time under tension and more work for your glutes.

glute-bridge
Fire Hydrants – Place your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Flex your feet. Then raise one leg out to the side, keeping the knee bent to 90 degrees. Lift it as high as you can while keeping your arms straight. Try to not let the foot get higher than the knee or the knee get higher than the foot. Really squeeze the butt cheek as you lift. Hold for a second or two at the top. Lower down and then repeat. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

fire-hydrant-glute-exercise

Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge – Set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes. Then lift your right hand and bring your left leg through and place your left foot flat on the ground. Rotate your hips up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift them up as high as you can. While your lift your hips, reach your right hand down toward the ground, rotating your chest toward the floor. Feel your glutes working to keep BOTH hips up, while you reach your hand down. We have a tendency when we rotate to drop the hip on the side we are rotating toward. Make sure both hips stay up as high as possible. You should feel a nice rotation and stretch through your spine. You are twisting almost like someone wringing out a towel. Then drop your hips and step your foot back through while placing your hand back down on the ground. Step through and rotate to the other side, bridging your hips up as high as you can as you reach toward the ground.

thoracic-bridge
Scapular Push Ups – Set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together as if you are going to do a push up. Your body should be in a nice straight line from head to your heels. Then, without bending your elbows, press your chest out and pinch your shoulder blades together. Do not tuck your chin or allow your hips to drop toward the ground. Your elbows should not bend. You are not doing a push up. You are simply pinching your shoulder blades together. This move has a very small range of motion. All you are doing is pinching your shoulder blades together and then relaxing or even rounding your back up out of it (round your back at the top is another variation but can be very useful for correcting certain push up problems). If done right the Scapular Push Up should be felt in your back as well as your core.

scapular push ups back exercise
Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift –
Hold a kettlebell in each hand down by your sides. Stand on your right leg with your knee slightly bent and your left toe lightly touching the ground. Then lift your left leg back toward the wall behind you as you hinge over, keeping your back flat. As you hinge over, drop the kettlebells down and back. Do not reach them toward the ground and let your back round. Only lower them as far as you can without rounding or “squatting.” Your standing knee should be soft but isn’t going to bend extra as you hinge over. Make sure that as you hinge over you sit back in your heel and then drive through your heel to come back up to standing. You want to feel your hamstring and glute work.

kettlebell-single-leg-deadlift
Single Arm Kettlebell Rows – You can simply hinge over or you can hinge over and place your hand on your leg or a table, chair, bench or box. Keep your knees slightly bent. You can stand with your legs together or in a staggered stance. Hinge over, pushing your butt back. Your back should stay nice and flat as you lean forward. Extend the arm with the kettlebell down by your side. Place your other hand on the bench for support. Do not let your arm with the kettlebell rotate your body. Keep your back flat and don’t reach. Then row the kettlebell up toward your chest, keeping your arm in tight to your body. Drive the elbow up to the ceiling, rowing the bell in right below your pec. Do not shrug your shoulder. Then slowly lower the bell back down. Do not let your back round or reach to try to get the bell closer to the ground as you lower. Complete all reps on one side before switching. If you don’t have a heavier weight, but need more of a challenge, slow down the tempo of your reps.

one-arm-row
Racked Reverse Lunge – Stand with your feet together. Rack the kettlebell on one side of your body. To rack the kettlebell, you will put your hand through the handle, settling the handle low on your hand. You will let the bell rest on the back of your forearm. Then grip the handle and pull your arm in toward your chest. Do not let your elbow flare up too much toward your shoulder, but just enough to prevent the kettlebell from rolling forward off your arm. Then with the kettlebell in the racked position, lunge the opposite leg backward and sink down into a deep lunge. You want to almost touch your back knee to the ground. Keep your chest up nice and tall as you lunge back. To come back up to standing, drive off your front heel. Bring your back foot forward and stand up nice and tall. Complete all reps on one side and then switch to the other leg. To advance the move, rack the kettlebell on the same side as the leg that lunges backward. Make sure you do not lean forward or to the side. Keep your torso up nice and tall. Beginners may not want to lunge as low to begin and will use a lighter weight if they even use any.

racked lunge
Renegade Rows – For this move you will need two kettlebells. Set them on the ground just outside your chest. Set up in a high plank position with each hand on a kettlebell handle. Beginners may need to do this from their knees while more advanced exercisers will do this on their toes. If you are doing this on your toes, set your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. A wider stance will make the move easier by making it easier to balance. Once in the plank, row one kettlebell up toward your chest, driving your elbow up toward the ceiling. Row the bell all the way up to your chest just below your pec. Keep your core tight and squeeze your glutes. Do not let your hips go up toward the ceiling or rotate to the side. After rowing the weight up to your chest, lower the weight back down and then row up on the other side. Keep alternating until all reps are complete.

kb-renegade-row
Kettlebell Swings – For a complete guide to the Kettlebell Swing, click here.

kettlebell-swing