Butt Archives Page 3 of 5 | Redefining Strength

The Bodyweight Core Workout For Less Low Back Pain

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 13, 2015

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

ACTIVATION
After stretch and rolling, complete 2-3 rounds of the circuit below to get your core activated and working before you start lifting.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps per side Straight Leg Fire Hydrants
10 reps per side Donkey Kicks
10 reps per side Bird Dogs

WORKOUT
Complete 5-8 rounds of the circuit below. Do the 30 second hold then move right into reps. Once you complete the reps move right into the next hold. If the move is unilateral (like the Warrior III) do the hold on one side then the reps on one side before moving on to the hold on the other side and then the reps. Do both sides before moving on to the next move. Rest 1-2 minutes between rounds of the circuit, but do not rest between exercises or the hold and reps.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds per side Warrior III Hold
10 reps per side BW Single Leg Deadlift
30 seconds Scapular Wall Hold
15 reps Scapular Push Ups
30 seconds Glute Bridge Hold
15 reps Glute Bridges
30 seconds Forearm Front Plank Hold
10 reps per side Plank with Reach Out and Back

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

NOTES:
You can also do the Glute Bridge as a Single Leg Glute Bridge. If you do the Single Leg, hold on one side then do the reps before holding on the other side. Focus on the correct muscles working as you hold and then do the reps.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Straight Leg Fire Hydrants – To do the Straight-Leg Fire Hydrant, set up like you would for the Bent-Knee Fire Hydrant. Start quadruped on the ground with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Straighten your left leg out to the side in line with your hip. Then, keeping your arms straight, lift your straight left leg up toward the ceiling. Squeeze your glute as you lift. Also, make sure to keep your arms straight. Do not bend your arms and lean away just to get your leg higher up. Hold for a second or two at the top then lower back down. Tap your foot down and repeat. Keep your leg straight as you lift and do not let it start to float back behind you. You want to make sure you are lifting basically straight up to the side. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Donkey Kicks – To do the Donkey Kick, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Keeping your arms straight and your core engaged, drive your right foot up and back toward the ceiling, keeping your right knee bent to 90 degrees and your foot flexed. Keep your core braced and squeeze your glutes as you kick your heel up and back. Do not let your right knee flare out as you lift or your low back arch. Try to get your quad to about parallel to the ground. Only kick up higher if you are extending from the hip. You do not want to hyperextend your low back just to kick up higher otherwise you will start working your back instead of your glutes. Hold for a second or two at the top and lower back down. To make the move more challenging, hold for a bit longer at the top. You can also add weight to this move to make it more challenging by putting on an ankle weight or even using a resistance band. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Make sure you don’t rock forward and bend your arms just to kick up higher as you perform the move.

Bird Dogs – 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. From here you are going to kick your right leg back as if doing the Straight Leg Kickback as you raise your left arm out toward the wall in front of you. Kick your leg straight out behind you as if kicking it into the wall while you reach the other arm out straight toward the wall in front of your head. Don’t worry about lifting your leg or arm up high. 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.

Warrior III Hold – To do the Warrior III pose, start standing tall with your feet together. Then shift your weight so you are balancing on one foot with the knee slightly bent. Hinge over at the hips, leaning your torso forward as you push your butt back and lift your back leg straight toward the wall behind you. Pretend you are driving the foot of the lifted leg straight back into the wall behind you as you reach your head toward the wall in front of you. You want a nice straight line from your head to your raised heel, making sure to keep your back flat and your core tight as you hold this hinged over position. You can then reach your hands overhead in front of you, out to your sides or back toward your heels. Hold in this position and feel your foot working to grip the ground. Try to straighten your standing leg as much as possible to work on improving your mobility while your glutes and core work to keep you balanced. Make sure you do not lock the standing leg out though as you hold. Also make sure your hips don’t rotate open. Squeeze the glute of the lifted leg to keep your hips level. Do not let your back round or your other foot touch down as you hold. Beginners may need to reach back toward their foot instead of out in front of them or they may even not be able to hinge over as far and raise their back leg as high. Using a wall can also help beginners. Stand with a wall behind you and when you hinge over have the lifted foot lightly touch the wall behind you to help you balance.

BW Single Leg Deadlift – Stand up nice and tall, balancing on your right leg with your knee slightly bent and your left toe lightly touching the ground. Your arms should be hanging down by your sides. Then lift your left leg back toward the wall behind you as you hinge over, keeping your back flat. As you hinge over, extend your arms down toward the ground. Make sure to sit your butt back as you hinge over and not simply lean forward. Your weight should shift slightly toward the heel of your standing leg although you do not want to complete rock backward or you will lose your balance. Do not reach your arms toward the ground and let your back round. It doesn’t matter if you touch the ground, just extend your arms down toward it 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. Hinge over as far as you can with good form and then drive through that standing heel to come back up to standing. Feel your glutes work to bring you up nice and tall. Squeeze your glutes at the top and repeat, hinging back over on the same leg. Only tap your other foot down at the top if you need to. Also, do not use the other foot to help you come back up to standing. Slow down the tempo of the movement to make it harder. You can also add weight to the movement to make it harder.

Scapular Wall Hold – For the Scapular Wall Hold, and variations, check out this Scapular Wall Hold post.

Scapular Push Ups – Set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together. Your body should be in a nice straight line from head to your heels. Then press your chest out and pinch your shoulder blades together. Your hips should not drop toward the ground and your elbows won’t bend. The Scapular Push Up is a very small range of motion. All you are doing is pinching your shoulder blades together and then relaxing. Make sure you keep your head in line with your spine and don’t tuck your chin as you complete your reps.

Glute Bridge Hold/Reps – To do the Basic Glute Bridge Hold, 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. You can change up how far your heels are from your butt. If they are further out, you may engage more hamstring. While keeping your heels in closer to your butt will isolate more glute. Then bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arms are on the ground. Drive up through your heels and upper back and arm to lift your glutes up 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. Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up almost as if driving your knees forward over your toes. Also, make sure that your knees aren’t caving in or falling open. Squeeze your glutes and hold at the top. Concentrate on feeling your glutes work. Don’t just go through the motions. Actually think about the muscles that should be working! To do the reps, simply lift and lower instead of holding at the top.

Forearm Front Plank Hold – To do the Basic Forearm Front Plank, lie on your stomach and bend your elbows so that you’re propped up on your forearms. Your legs should be straight out behind you with your feet together. Flex your feet and lift up onto your forearms and toes. Your elbows should be stacked under your shoulders and your feet should be together. On your forearms and toes, create a nice straight line with your body from your head to your heels. Make sure that in this position you are concentrating on tucking your pelvic to engage your abs as you squeeze your glutes and quads to keep your legs straight. Make sure that you are also squeezing your legs together as you hold and driving back through your heels. Do not push forward onto your toes. Also, do not let your chest sag toward the ground or your upper back round. You want a nice flat upper back. While holding, don’t just go through the motions. Assess whether the right muscles are engaged and even consciously activate them. If you begin to shake, you know you are engaging the muscles. Hold in this position for a set amount of time or until your form starts to break down. If you feel this in your low back, assess whether or not you are performing a proper Pelvic Tilt. For instructions on how to do the Pelvic Tilt, check out this post.

Plank with Reach Out and Back – To do the Plank with Reach Back and Out, set up in a Front Plank from your hands and toes with your hands under your shoulders and your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. For this move, you will want your feet wider to create a more stable base. Beginners can do this move from their knees. Then from the Plank position, reach one hand back and across toward the opposite ankle, pushing your butt back and up toward the ceiling as you reach. Then reach back forward and out toward the wall in front of you, dropping your hips back into a nice plank position. Do not drop your hips too low and feel your low back engage. Keep your core tight to protect your low back as you come back into that nice plank position. Reach back and across with the same hand until all reps are complete on that side.

Strengthen Your Foundation Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 16, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Foot
Calves/Shins
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back/Lats

ACTIVATION:

Complete 2 rounds of the following circuit. Hold each move for 30 seconds.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Warrior III
30 seconds Scapular Wall Hold
30 seconds Glute Bridge Hold
30 seconds each side Side Plank Holds

WORKOUT

After completing the Activation circuit, complete 4-6 rounds of each superset. Rest up to 1 minute between rounds of each superset and up to 2 minutes between supersets. Then rest up to 2 minutes before doing your 5 minutes of Conditioning.

SUPERSET #1:
8-12 reps per side Single Leg Deadlifts
15-20 reps Suspension Trainer Glute Cherry Bombs

SUPERSET #2:
8-12 reps per side Suspension Trainer Side Balance Lunges
15-20 reps Straight Leg Glute Bridge

CONDITIONING:

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Go through the ladder, mixing up the drills and walking/jogging back to the start before going through another drill. Check out this post for Agility Ladder Drills to try.

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Foot
Calves/Shins
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back/Lats

NOTES:

Make sure to really roll out and stretch your feet and lower legs. This workout can really help you prevent and alleviate foot and ankle injuries.

Use the activation exercises to get your glutes firing while also building stability in your feet and ankles. Then use the workout to strengthen your feet and lower legs as well as your hamstrings and glutes. The moves will also improve your balance.

The Conditioning at the end will improve your mind-body connection. Make sure to do the agility ladder drills quickly but correctly. Speed is only beneficial if they are done well!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Warrior III – To do the Warrior III pose, balance on one foot with your knee slightly bent. Hinge over at your hips, lifting your back leg toward the wall behind you as you lean your chest over. Pretend you are driving your foot straight back into the wall behind you. As you hold the pose, keep your back flat and your core tight. Reach your hands overhead or back behind you. Hold in this position. Do not let your back round or your other foot touch down. You want a nice straight line from the bottom of your lifted heel to the top of your head. Make sure you do not lock the standing leg out as you hold. Also make sure your hips don’t rotate open up as you hold. Squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level. Beginners may need need to use the wall behind them to help them balance. Stand with a wall behind you and when you hinge over have the lifted foot lightly touch the wall behind you to help you balance.

Scapular Wall Hold – To do the Scapular Wall Hold, stand with your back to the wall just a few inches away. Bend your arms to 90 degrees and drive your elbows back and your chest out. Lean back and place your elbows on the wall with your chest pressed out and your shoulder blades drawn down and back. Do not shrug your shoulders as you drive your elbows back and pinch your shoulder blades down and together. You want to open your chest up toward the ceiling as you lean on your elbows against the wall. Do not let your upper arms or back touch the wall. Relax your head back instead of tucking your chin. Pinch your shoulder blades down and back while keeping your core tight as you lean into the wall. Squeeze your glutes and don’t arch your low back. Really press your chest out so that you feel this move low between your shoulder blades. You don’t have to be at a huge incline or have your feet very far from the wall to feel this move. You may want to work your feet away from the wall as you get stronger, but even very advanced lifters should feel this between their shoulder blades while standing almost upright if they are consciously contracting.

Glute Bridge Hold – To do the Basic Glute Bridge Hold, 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. You can change up how far your heels are from your butt. If they are further out, you may engage more hamstring. While keeping your heels in closer to your butt will isolate more glute. Then bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arms are on the ground. Drive up through your heels and upper back and arm to lift your glutes up 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. Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up almost as if driving your knees forward over your toes. Also, make sure that your knees aren’t caving in or falling open. Squeeze your glutes and hold at the top. Concentrate on feeling your glutes work. Don’t just go through the motions. Actually think about the muscles that should be working!

Side Plank Holds – You can do the Side Plank from your forearm or hand. Doing the Side Plank from your hand is harder and requires more core and shoulder stability. Stacking your feet on top of each other instead of having one foot in front of the other also makes the move harder. Beginners will want to start with a Side Plank from their forearm and knees or knee (you can bend your bottom knee and have your top leg out straight instead of stacking both knees on top of each other). To do the Basic Side Plank from your forearm, set up on your side and prop yourself up on your forearm with your elbow right below your shoulder. Your legs should be out straight. You can either stack your feet or place your top foot on the ground in front of your bottom foot. Then, driving through your forearm and the sides of your feet, lift your bottom hip up off the ground as high as possible while keeping your body in a nice straight line. Squeeze your belly button in toward your spine and keep your glutes tight. Do not let your chest rotate forward toward the ground or your top hand touch the ground. Keep your top hand on your hip or reach it up toward the ceiling.

Single Leg Deadlifts – 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.

Suspension Trainer Glute Cherry Bombs – To do the Glute Cherry Bomb, place your heels in the suspension trainer straps and lie on your back on the ground. With your legs out straight and your feet close together, bridge up, squeezing your glutes and driving through your heels. Keep your core engaged so you don’t hyperextend your low back. Then curl your heels in toward your butt while maintaining the nice high bridge. Keep your glute engaged. Straighten your legs back out then and, keeping the nice straight bridge, move both feet out laterally, opening your legs up. Keep your hips up high as you spread your legs. Feel the outside of your butt work to open your legs up. Then bring your feet back together and repeat, curling your heels in toward your butt. This is an advanced movement. Beginners may not want to include the curl or may only want to do a single leg curl instead of the double leg curl.

Suspension Trainer Side Balance Lunges – To do the Side Balance Lunge, place one foot on its side in a suspension trainer strap and face to the side. Your leg should be out straight to the side in the strap. Then bend the standing leg and push your butt back as you sink down into a lunge. Let the leg with the foot in the strap slide out to the side as you sit back and down. Keep your chest up. You may hinge forward a bit as you sink but do not let your back round. Then, driving through the standing heel, come back to standing, pulling the leg in the suspension trainer back in toward your standing leg. You will feel your adductors work to pull the leg back in. Do not bend the leg in the suspension trainer. Also make sure to squeeze your glutes as you come back up to standing. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Beginners may want to hold the other strap in their hands to help them balance. Make sure that you don’t put the strap for your foot up too high. The height of the strap will be very dependent on your hip mobility.

Straight Leg Glute Bridge – To do the Straight Leg Glute Bridge, place your heels in the CoreX foot straps. Lie back on the ground with your legs out straight in front of you. You can either bend your elbows to 90 degrees or leave your arms on the ground down by your sides. Squeezing your glutes and driving down through your heels, lift your hips up as high as you can while keeping your legs straight. Keep your abs engaged so that you don’t hyperextend your low back as you lift. Hold at the top for a second and lower back down.

The Bridge Butt Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 5, 2014

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
5 reps per side Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge

WORKOUT

Complete all 50 reps before moving on to the next exercise. However, pick a weight or variation that doesn’t allow you to do 50 straight through. If you can do more than 25 reps in a row, the weight is too light. Pick something ideally that challenges you between 10-15 reps. Do not rest though more than 15-30 seconds while working on an exercise. Try to rest as little as possible between exercises as well. Complete one round of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
50 reps Weighted Glute Bridges
50 reps each side Lateral Step Ups
50 reps Glute Bridge to Sit Up
50 reps Band Pull Throughs
50 reps Glute Cherry Bomb
50 reps each side Alternating Side Lunges

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

NOTES:

This workout is about getting the glutes activated and working. Focus on squeezing your glutes as you do the moves. Do not rush the movements. Slow down the tempo as necessary to really feel the glutes engage.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Glute Bridges – 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. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arm is 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. 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. You should feel this move in your glutes and hamstrings and not in your low back. Do not rush through glute bridges. Take time to hold at the top and feel the glutes activate.

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. 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. Hold at the top then lower back down and repeat.

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 that hip down. Make sure both stay up. 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. Rotate to the other side, bridging your hips up as high as you can.

Weighted Glute Bridges – 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.

Lateral Step Ups – The higher the bench or box you use, the harder this move will be. Do not use a box that is too high. If you have to push off the foot on the ground or if you really lean forward to propel yourself up, the box is too high. Stand with the box next to your right side. Place your right foot on top of it without rotating toward the box. Drive up through the heel of the foot on the box until you are standing on the box. Drive the left knee up as you lift up onto the box. Then step back down and repeat. Keep your chest up as you drive up. Do not lean forward or let your heel on top of the box come up. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Challenge yourself first with a higher box and then with weight. If one box is too high and the other is too low, you can add weight and use the lower box to make the step ups harder.

Glute Bridge to Sit Up – Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Bridge up, lifting your hips as high as possible while driving through your heels. Lower your hips back down and let your feet move a little away from your butt. Then sit up, keeping your torso up nice and tall and your feet on the ground. Once you sit all the way up, lie back down, bring your feet back in and then bridge back up.

Band Pull Throughs – Anchor the band around furniture or in a doorway. Step over the band and reach down between your legs to grab the handles. Walk away from the anchor point with your back to it, holding the handles between your legs. Then hinge over, keeping your knees soft. Push your butt back toward the anchor point as you lean forward and reach your hands with the bands back between your legs. Then squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to come back up to standing. Keep your arms relaxed and straight down, holding the handles between your legs. Stand up nice and tall, fully extending your hips and squeezing your glutes. Then hinge back over, pushing your butt back toward the anchor point. Keep your core tight so that you don’t feel this move in your low back. Also, do not pull the bands with your arms. Your glutes should do all the work. And make sure to keep your back flat. Do not round over as you hinge over and stand up tall at the top of the move. To make the move harder, use a heavier band or walk further from the anchor point. Also, to make the move more challenging you can either slow it down or make it more explosive. You can even make the movement to standing more explosive and then hinge back over slower to really challenge the glutes.

Glute Cherry Bomb – Place your heels in the suspension trainer straps and lie on your back on the ground. With your legs out straight and your feet close together, bridge up, squeezing your glutes and driving through your heels. Keep your core engaged so you don’t hyperextend your low back. Then curl your heels in toward your butt while maintaining the nice high bridge. Keep your glute engaged. Straighten your legs back out then and, keeping the nice straight bridge, move both feet out laterally, opening your legs up. Keep your hips up high as you spread your legs. Feel the outside of your butt work to open your legs up. Then bring your feet back together and repeat, curling your heels in toward your butt. This is an advanced movement. Beginners may not want to include the curl or may only want to do a single leg curl instead of the double leg curl. Click here for the modification.

Alternating Side Lunges – You will step one foot out to one side and bend that outside knee, sinking your butt back and down. Make sure you step the foot straight out to the side and have both feet pointing straight ahead. Also make sure to keep your heels down as you sit back. The other leg should stay straight as you lunge to one side. Then driving through your heel, push back up to standing. In one movement, bring that foot you stepped out with back in. Make sure that you don’t lunge out too far so that you can’t come back in with one strong push off. Also make sure you lunge out far enough that you can sit back and keep both heels down. And as you sit back into the lunge, keep your chest up. You may hinge forward a bit, but your back shouldn’t round. Alternate side lunges. Once you step back in from the lunge, step out into a side lunge on the other side. To make the move harder, hold a kettlebell, sandbag or dumbbell up at your chest.

The Suspension Trainer Glute Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 11, 2014

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each of the following supersets. Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between rounds of the circuit and 1-2 minutes between supersets.

SUPERSET #1:
8-15 reps per side Balance Lunges
10-20 reps Straight-Legged Glute Bridge

SUPERSET #2:
8-15 reps per side Side Balance Lunges
10-20 reps Glute Cherry Bombs

SUPERSET #3:
8-15 reps per side Runner’s Start Lunges
10-20 reps L-Sit To Posterior Plank

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

NOTES:
Use the variation of each exercise and rep/set range that is right for you. Beginners may want to choose an easier variation and do higher reps while more advanced exercisers may want to choose a harder variation that they can do for fewer reps. No matter what rep/set range and exercise variation you choose, make sure to challenge yourself to get the most out of the workout.

For more Suspension Trainer Exercises, check out these 10 Suspension Trainer Exercises.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Balance Lunges – Place the toes of one foot into a suspension trainer strap. The shorter the strap and the higher your foot is from the ground, the harder the move will be. Make sure that you have the strap at a height that allows you to perform a full range of motion. It doesn’t have to be super high for this move to really make you work! If you need to, hop out on the other foot so you are in a nice wide stance with your back foot up in the strap. Then sink down into a lunge, dropping your back knee toward the ground. Really sit back into the lunge. Make sure you aren’t going forward and that your front heel is down. Also make sure your chest stays up and your back is flat. Do not round forward as you sink into the lunge. You should feel a nice stretch in the front of the leg that is back when doing this move. If you are really struggling to balance, hold the other suspension trainer strap in your hands. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Slow down the tempo of the move to make it harder or even hold a weight up at your chest or down by your sides.

Straight-Legged Glute Bridge – Place your heels in the CoreX foot straps. Lie back on the ground with your legs out straight in front of you. You can either bend your elbows to 90 degrees or leave your arms on the ground down by your sides. Squeezing your glutes and driving down through your heels, lift your hips up as high as you can while keeping your legs straight. Keep your abs engaged so that you don’t hyperextend your low back as you lift. Hold at the top for a second and lower back down.

Side Balance Lunges – Place one foot on its side in a suspension trainer strap and face to the side. Your leg should be out straight to the side in the strap. Then bend the standing leg and push your butt back as you sink down into a lunge. Let the leg with the foot in the strap slide out to the side as you sit back and down. Keep your chest up. You may hinge forward a bit as you sink but do not let your back round. Then, driving through the standing heel, come back to standing, pulling the leg in the suspension trainer back in toward your standing leg. You will feel your adductors work to pull the leg back in. Do not bend the leg in the suspension trainer. Also make sure to squeeze your glutes as you come back up to standing. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Beginners may want to hold the other strap in their hands to help them balance. Make sure that you don’t put the strap for your foot up too high. The height of the strap will be very dependent on your hip mobility. You can also hold a weight to make this move harder or slow down the tempo.

Glute Cherry Bombs – Place your heels in the suspension trainer straps and lie on your back on the ground. With your legs out straight and your feet close together, bridge up, squeezing your glutes and driving through your heels. Keep your core engaged so you don’t hyperextend your low back. Then curl your heels in toward your butt while maintaining the nice high bridge. Keep your glute engaged. Straighten your legs back out then and, keeping the nice straight bridge, move both feet out laterally, opening your legs up. Keep your hips up high as you spread your legs. Feel the outside of your butt work to open your legs up. Then bring your feet back together and repeat, curling your heels in toward your butt. This is an advanced movement. Beginners may not want to include the curl or may only want to do a single leg curl instead of the double leg curl. (First image is the advanced variation. The second is the beginners without the curl in.)

Runner’s Start Lunges – Hold a CoreX strap in each hand with your arms bent. Start back behind the anchor point with one leg lunged back and the front knee bent. Then driving through the foot of the front leg, bring the back leg forward and up. Drive the back knee up as you straighten the standing leg and push all the way up onto your toe. Then quickly bring the knee back down and sink back into the lunge, dropping the front heel back down to the ground. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Make sure to maintain a nice tall posture and not round your shoulders forward as you lunge. You also really want to focus on driving off that standing leg and extending the hip as you squeeze your glute to bring the back knee forward. This is an explosive move. You can make it more challenging by completely jumping off the front leg as you drive the back knee forward and up instead of just coming up onto the toe.

L-Sit To Posterior Plank – Place your heels in the foot straps. With your legs straight in front of you, sit on the ground and place your hands on the ground behind your butt. Then drive your hips up, pressing down through your hands and heels. Try to get your body in a nice straight line, leaning your head back as you lift. Then lower your hips about an inch from the ground and pull your butt back in between your hands. Keep your legs straight the entire time. Then press your hips back up into the posterior plank before repeating the L-Sit. Keep your arms straight throughout the entire movement.

The Great Glutes Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 15, 2014

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:
10 reps each side Fire Hydrants
10 reps each side Donkey Kicks

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each of the circuits below. Rest up to 1 minute between rounds. Rest up to 2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
8-12 reps each side Backward Rotational to Front Cross Lunge
8-12 reps each side Single Leg Glute Bridge Off Box

CIRCUIT #2:
8-12 reps each side Step Downs
15-20 reps each side Reverse Hypers

CONDITIONING

Perform 5-8 rounds of the exercise below.

CIRCUIT:
20 seconds Kettlebell Swings
40 seconds Rest

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

NOTES:

Many of these moves do not need weight to be progressed. Often going slower and/or holding longer at the top can make them harder and activate more muscle fibers. Do not rush through these moves.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
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.

Donkey Kicks – Keep the knee bent close to 90 and keep the foot flexed as you kick one leg back and drive the heel up toward the ceiling. Don’t let the low back arch. Make sure that as you lift you are squeezing the glute of the leg you are raising. Also make sure the foot is driving straight up to the ceiling. And do not let your elbows bend to get the leg higher. Hold at the top and squeeze the glute then lower and repeat. Make sure you are driving straight back and that the knee of the raised leg isn’t flaring in or out.

Backward Rotational to Front Cross Lunge – This move is two lunges, one opening back and the other lunging forward and across. One rep is both the open back lunge and the front cross lunge. For the backward lunge, you will lunge toward “5″ on the clock with your right foot. Your right foot, when you step back, will be perpendicular to your left foot, which is pointing toward “12.” Push your butt back and sink into a lunge, bending the right knee while keeping the left leg straight. Do not let the right heel come up. Keep your chest up and sit your butt backward. Driving off your right heel, push back to standing. Make sure that your left toe doesn’t rotate but continues to point toward “12.” Also make sure your left leg does not bend.Once you push back to standing, you are going to take your right foot and step forward and across. Beginners will need to pause between lunges while more advanced exercisers will go right from one to the other. For the front cross lunge, lunge forward and across toward about “10″ on the clock with your right foot. Pivot your right foot so that your feet are perpendicular. Sink down into a lunge, bending both knees. Make sure your right heel stays down as you lunge. Then drive off your right heel to come back to standing and repeat going into the backward rotational lunge. Front load, holding a weight at your chest to advance the move.

Single Leg Glute Bridge Off Box – Beginners should do a single leg bridge from the ground or even a two leg bridge if they can’t get their hips up as high with the single leg bridge. Intermediate exercisers may want to do a two leg glute bridge with their heels up on the box. The single leg glute bridge off the box is an advanced progression. To do the glute bridge off the box, place your heels on the box. Your butt should be right against the box. Bend your arms to 90 degrees with just your upper arm on the ground. Lift one leg up and point the toe toward the ceiling. Do not bend that leg or use it to help you bridge up. Drive through the heel on the box and press your hips up as high as you can. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight as you bridge up. Hold for a second or two and then lower down. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Step Downs – Start standing on the bench or box so that you can step off of it to the side with your left foot. Your right foot will be near the edge of the bench as if you are going to step down onto your left foot. Slowly hinge forward, keeping your back flat. Push your butt back as you bend your right knee, dropping your left foot toward the ground. Do not touch your left foot down. Once you go as low as you can, drive right back up to standing. Do not do more than touch your left toe down. You don’t want to be able to push off your left foot at all. Make sure you are only driving through your right heel and not using your left foot on the ground.

Reverse Hypers – Lie face down on a table, bench or box. Make sure your hips are right at the edge. Hold on to something in front of you if you want. Keep your upper body relaxed. Squeeze your legs together and point your toes out. Lift your legs to basically parallel to the ground, keeping your legs straight. Do not hyperextend your back and lift way higher than parallel. You do not want to feel this in your low back. Hold for 2-5 seconds and then lower down. Keep your core tight and really squeeze your glutes as you lift.

Kettlebell Swings –Set the kettlebell down on the ground and slightly in front of you. Place your hands on the handle. Hinge over, bending your knees slightly and pushing your butt back as you lean forward. Keep your back flat. Then hike the kettlebell back between your legs like you would a football. Pull it back and up between your legs. Then squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward as you stand up nice and tall. Pop your hips forward and propel the kettlebell up. Do not worry how high it goes. It shouldn’t go higher than your shoulders. Keep your glutes tight and wait for your forearms to connect with your hips before you hinge back over and bring the kettlebell back. The kettlebell should drive the movement. Do not lean forward and hinge over before the kettlebell comes back down. You want to maintain the connection between your hips and forearms to protect your low back. Also, don’t allow the kettlebell to sink low between your legs. You want the kettlebell up close to your crotch. Move quickly with the swings. When done with the 40 seconds, place the kettlebell back on the ground. Use as heavy a weight as you can handle.