A decade ago we all wanted to be petite and thin, but now, it’s about all about those booty gains! We all want a big, round bum – but not all us are sure how to achieve it. So, we’ve put together a beginner’s guide on how to grow your glutes and get you on the right track…
Eating
So many people are under the impression that eating less is key to slimming down and building muscle, but they couldn’t be more wrong! Growing your butt in particular requires plenty of protein-rich foods (i.e. eggs & lean meat) and carbohydrates; protein is the building blocks needed to build muscle, and that’s exactly what a “bigger bum” is – muscle. Carbohydrates are needed to provide the body with plenty of energy to work harder and longer during routine exercises. Some other eating guidelines to follow include;
- Drinking at least 2 litres of water a day.
- Avoid eating carbs in the evenings or when you are least active in the day.
- Include plenty of green vegetables in your diet such as spinach, green beans, and broccoli.
- Eat six small meals a day as opposed to three large ones.
- Eat a protein-rich snack an hour before your glutes workout.
- Avoid sugary and fatty foods (obviously).
Exercise
You can’t grow your glutes with carbs and protein alone, perhaps the most important and effective part of achieving a larger bum is the frequent exercise. And we don’t mean cardio; you should be lifting heavy if you want to build upon muscles – heavy enough that the last couple of reps are difficult to finish. A few tips for your glutes workout are;
- Work out at least three times a week with rest days inbetween. You can workout other parts of your body on those days if you wish.
- Always eat an hour before your workout so you have the energy to work to your best potential and build more muscle.
- During exercises, try to keep your core tight and strong.
- During squats and other butt exercises, try to put your weight on your heels instead of your toes – this activates your glutes.
Glute Exercises
There are quite literally hundreds of exercises that you can do to build and activate your glute muscles. But to see a real difference, you only need to do 5 different workouts. Not sure how many reps you should do? Trainers normally recommend three reps of whatever you’re capable of plus a few more. Some popular bum workouts include;
- Lunges using weights.
- Weighted sumo squats.
- Hip thrusts using barbells.
- Fire hydrant leg lifts.
- Jumping squats.
- Cable kickbacks.
- Step-ups.
- Walking lunges.
- Diagonal squats.
