Hi everyone,
Andrew and I have collaborated again. This time we are focusing on a commonly under-trained area of the body – the GLUTES!! You may be thinking at this point of all the squats, lunges and deadlifts you do, but how much do you actually CHALLENGE your glutes?
The workout below is a selection of exercises that I would regularly include in my weekly “heavy” leg routine down in the gym. It doesn’t need to be in the gym, but I like the variety of using barbells in my workouts too as I can work on increasing the weight significantly. The video shows demonstrations of each exercise. We also included how the exercises can be modified depending on the level you are training at.
I would consider myself between intermediate and advanced, so below is an example of a workout I would do for my glutes and legs:
Demo Video:
Barbell Squats (Full and beyond)
- Starting with a warm up set with 30kg for 15 – 20 reps
- Set 1 is 12 to 15 reps with 40kg
- Set 2 is 8 to 10Â reps with 45kg
- Set 3 is 6 to 8 reps with 50 kg
- Set 4 is 5 reps with 55kg
- Last Set is 3 – 5 reps with 60 – 62.5kg
Deadlifts (Full)
- Set 1 is 15 reps with 60kg
- Set 2 is 12 reps with 70 kg
- Set 3 is 8 to 10 reps with 75kg
- Set 4 is 6 reps with 80kg
Bulgarian Squats (intermediate to advanced)
- Set 1 is 15 reps with 16kg (with step)
- Set 2 is 12 reps with 20kg (with step)
- Set 3 is 8 reps with 24kg (without step)
Weighted Glute Raise (new for me with barbell)
- Set 1 is 15 reps with 30kg
- Set 2 is 10 reps with 40kg
- Set 3 is 6-8 reps with 45kg
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
- Set 1 is 15 – 20 reps with 25kg
- Set 2 is 12-15 reps with 30kg
- Set 3 is 8-10 reps with 35 – 40kg
Standing Calf Raises (single leg)
- Set 1 is 20 reps with 8kg Dumbbell
- Set 2 is 15 reps with 10kg Dumbbell
- Set 3 is 8-10 reps with 12kg Dumbbell (burns like mad lol)
I then usually do about 20-30 minutes cardio (10 minutes High Intensity Interval Training, the rest static). Remember that all of these exercises can be modified to be performed with kettlebells, as I have done in many workouts. I just can’t get the heavy weight needed for this weekly session for my kettlebells.
So there you have it. I don’t see the point in pretending that all I do are my bodyweight and Kettlebell workouts to stay in shape. For me it’s a lot of extra hard work, additional Kettlebell classes and early morning cardio. Some will probably say I should clean up my diet even more instead, but I just can’t bring myself to eat any less (I already eat clean 80% of the time). Food is both a pleasure and a privilege to me and, as long as I am not greedy or ungrateful then why shouldn’t I enjoy it. Sometimes you can be too strict on yourself. It’s about finding what works best for you 🙂
Feel free to leave me a comment with feedback or ask a question, and I will get back with an answer asap.
Cheers
Marianne
PS Inspiration for some of these exercises have come from Bret Contreras also known as The Glute Guy whose training methods, Andrew has become a big fan of.
