A complete buttock workout for men at the gym

This workout is designed to kick your butt and give you glutes you could bounce a coin off of; you know, in case you were looking to bounce a coin off of a body part.

The Muscles: An Overview

The buttocks are formed by the masses of the gluteal muscles or 'glutes' (the gluteus maximus and the gluteus medius) superimposed by a layer of fat with some of us carrying around more fat than others. There’s nothing worse than seeing a guy with a big, bulky upper body and a skinny, flabby lower body. Don’t be that guy!

The Workout

Working out with a trainer is your best bet to ensure you workout in the most challenging and beneficial way. However, sometimes a personal training session is impossible so when you find yourself in that position, pick up this sheet and let it help guide to getting a great workout.


Warm Up

Before you start your strength-training workout be sure to warm up. Warm muscles respond better to exercise and a warm up will also help prevent any injuries. Spend about 5-10 minutes on a stationary bike, Stairmaster, elliptical or treadmill.

Now that you’re warm, let’s get started

The Squat

• Stand holding a barbell resting across your shoulders with hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet angled slightly outward. Pull your shoulders back slightly and look straight ahead.

• Slowly bend at the knees, leaning your chest forward slightly and lower until your thighs are just above parallel to the ground. Don't bounce at the bottom, but don't stop either.

• Push through your heels to drive yourself back up to starting position (don’t lock your knees). Inhale and repeat.

• Continue until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).

TIP: Since you are using large muscle groups, you can load up the weight. Just be sure not to put any pressure on your knees; the whole movement is executed through your glutes by pushing through your heels.

The Lunge

• Position your feet about shoulder width apart, with your feet pointing straight ahead. Pick up a pair of hand weights (or a barbell placed on your shoulders).

• Step your left foot forward, keeping your leg centered over your ankle. Make sure your knee doesn't go beyond your toes or you'll place extreme tension on the tendons of your knee.

• Bend your knee until it is at a 90-degree angle. Pushing off with your heel (not your knees), straighten your leg.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), then switch legs.

TIP: Stay focused on your front leg even if you feel tension in your back leg. Think of your back leg as the balancer and your front leg muscles as the primary mover. Work one leg at a time rather than alternating between one leg and the other.

One-Legged Cable Kickback

• Hook a leather cuff to a low cable pulley and then attach the cuff to your ankle.

• Face the weight stack from a distance of about two feet, grasping its steel frame for support.

• Keeping your knees and hips bent slightly and your abs tight, contract your glutes to slowly "kick" the working leg back in a semicircular arc as high as it will comfortably go. At full extension, squeeze your glutes for peak contraction.

• Bring your working leg forward, resisting the pull of the cable until you reach the starting position.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form), and then switch legs.

Hamstring Curl

• Lie facedown on a leg-curl machine and position your Achilles' tendons below the padded lever with your knees off the edge of the pad.

• Keep your back flat as you raise your feet toward your glutes in a deliberate motion. Squeeze the muscles and lower your feet with a controlled speed.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form),

Squat Machine

• Position your body in the hack squat machine by placing your feet about shoulder-width apart in the center of the platform.

• Keep your back and shoulders resting firmly against the pad at all times and point your toes slightly outward. Press the weight up with your legs.

• With your abs tight and head up, lower the weight down until your thighs are at least parallel to the platform.

• When you reach the bottom, drive the weight back up over the same path until you are in a standing position, but do not lock your knees out at the top.

• Repeat until fatigued (when you cannot perform a full repetition with good form),

Tip: Make sure that you never lock your knees out when you are in the standing position as this will place undo stress on your knee joints and will also maximize the stimulation of your thigh muscles. Also remember to maintain proper form by keeping your back flat against the pad, head up and abs tight to support your spine.

Work towards completing 1-2 sets of 8-10 reps of each exercise. Don’t rush through the movements; make sure you are doing them with good form. Remember, speed doesn’t count, form does!

Stretching

After you’ve worked your muscles, it’s important to stretch them. Stretching after strength training is imperative to help prevent injury and for the muscles to recover quicker. Plus, it feels good.

Stretch #1

• Lie on your back, lift legs in the air and bend the right leg to place the right ankle on the opposite knee.

• Use the flexed leg to push the crossed leg back until you feel a stretch in your buttocks.

• Hold stretch and breathe deeply; switch legs.

Stretch #2

• Lie down on the floor with your right leg straight.

• Bend your left leg and lower it across your body, holding the knee down toward the floor with your right hand.

• Place your left arm comfortably beside you and turn your head to the left. Imagine you have a weight tied to your tailbone. Let your tailbone fall back toward the floor as your chest reaches in the opposite direction to stretch your lower back.

• Hold stretch and breathe deeply; switch legs.

By doing these exercises on a regular basis with at least 24 hours of rest time in between workouts, you will help to tone and strengthen your glutes.

Remember to consistently improve muscle strength and the impact of your workouts, you need to keep things fresh: frequently add some variety to your routine and don’t be afraid to shake things up by trying new things. One of the easiest ways to do that is to change the order of your routine. That simple modification can make a big difference in your results.