Hey everyone,
This is just a quick announcement to draw your eyes and attention to Bret’s Blog once again to read my article: “A Strong Butt is a Beautiful Butt: One Woman’s Journey to Gluteus Magnificus”
The point of me telling my glute story is to get people motivated to train their glutes hard! You have all seen the results I have had first hand, so I hope you will leave your supportive comments over there and tell YOUR glute stories to help reinforce that glute bridges and hip thrusts WORK!
Now, you know me, I am not harping on about my butt JUST because it looks better, but my whole body is stronger now because of it! Win win in my book 😀
Even just hearing where my journey began might help inspire and motivate you to either work harder at your own training, or get you spreading the word. I know that’s what I seem to do everywhere I go now! I think I am nearly as obsessed by glutes as Bret now :-/ eek – is that even possible !!
Anyway, feel free to check it out and leave your feedback there as my beady eye will be watching 😛
Cheers everyone
Marianne
Hello there
http://www.youtube.com/user/KitLaughlin?feature=mhee
look for the hip flexor stretches
cheers, KL
what is the advantage to holding your leg up to your chest when you are doing the bridge.. @kit, what is your youtube channell?
this is a great video, i plan on using this tonight for sure before i do dl squats front loaded squats and bridges.
Tania, you need to stretch your hip flexors: your reaction to the glute bridge/hip thrusts tells us that your body uses the lower back muscles to extend the pelvis as a solution to the task, rather than being able to use the glutes to extend the legs (the desired result).
I have two or three effective HF stretches on my youtube channel. As well, and this is critical and I have talked about this to Bret, Press your heels into the floor (box) and not your feet, and use a “tail tucking” movement to slightly flatten the lumbar spine before making the final hip thrust (this deactivates the erector spinae muscles slightly.
Hi Marianne, I found this article really interesting as I seem to have a serious problem targeting my glutes. I seem to take all the load onto my quads. Even when I’ve asked the personal trainers at my gym, they seem to give me exercises that just exhaust my quads and although I may feel my glutes eventually, I don’t see any results. I’ve been trying the glute bridge/hip thrusts and I really do feel my glutes, but I also feel it a lot in my quads and I’m getting lower back pain. I’ve checked I’m not over-extending, but can’t work out where I’m going wrong! Any ideas?
Hey Tania, with what you have described, I would recommend adding in some prone glute activation work (facing the floor). You can still do your body weight glute bridges, but I feel that you will eliminate the quads while in the prone position. Also the supine (facing the roof) position will tend to put more pressure on the low back and hamstrings (especially if the glutes are not firing properly). Below is a good activation and mobility drill that you could add into your routine and see if it helps fire the glutes up more. Remember not to load the exercises too much until you are really getting the movement correct and feel the right muscles doing the work:
Hope this helps. If not, come back to me 🙂
may i ask what you do for your abs…….. do you know what workout i can go find of yours that focuses of this part of your body?
Tempest I don’t train my abs anymore, I just don’t see the point. My core is strong from all the KBs and lifting I do. If I want to see my six-pack, I will just go on a diet. In saying that now, I do have a few “ab and core” workouts about on the site. I THINK they are under “other” workouts.
Thank you! I searched a long time looking for a site or blog that posted good workouts consistently. We finally found it!
Hey Brian, glad you found me too 😀 Welcome to myomyfitness.com
Cheers
Marianne
Sure thing, Marianne,
There are a few; have a look here:
http://www.pandf.com.au/youtube.php
We have a partner hip flexor stretch that really works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQk3GD53DV0&feature=player_embedded
and glute activation for beginners:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0j_KxV6I1k&feature=player_embedded
hth, kl
Thanks Kit 😀
Hello Marianne,
Can you advise what is the heavy-duty bar padding you are using for the glute bridge, please? We have some interesting glute activation techniques that you may not have seen (not that you need them, obviously, but some of your weaker clients might. Post partum women, especially, have found these useful. I have a hip flexor stretch that you might be interested in too (very different to the one that you are using).
Cheers, KL
Hey Kit,
Thanks 🙂 The bar pad is just a York Fitness one, because I can’t get any other sort here. But Bret recommends an Airex Pad I believe, which I might order.
Could you post the links for these activation exercises and stretching so my readers can try them?
Cheers 🙂
Interesting read that made me think about my workout plans. We guys usually only think of quads and hamstrings when we are working out the lower body. When we get to our 60’s and up, we would probably wish we could go back in time and plan on working our complete lower body.
I’m new to your blog, I’ve enjoyed it so far.
Hi Stuart, thanks for the feedback 🙂 I get very funny looks from all the guys in the gym when I do the glute bridges, yet all of them would benefit hugely from including it, as I have.
Cheers
Marianne
I agree with you I have noticed a big change as well since I started focusing more attention on my backside instead of just sitting on it.
I just found your website through Bret Contreras. Oh my gosh, unbelievable workouts, I’m so excited to have found your site. I will be doing these workouts for sure. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by Dawn 😀 Great to have a new face. Hope you enjoy the workouts and being part of the community here.
Hi Marianne,
I want to join the forum and register, I got the email that says it is being reviewed and then saw in the forum that you wanted a comment posted if anyone needed their account activated. My username is Dawn. Can you activate mine? Thanks!
Hi Dawn – you are activated 🙂 Sorry about the hassle, but I need to try and minimise SPAM.
Cheers
Marianne
Not a problem, thanks!