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2003/10/14, 02:00 PM
Just to share with you.
by by Raphael Calzadilla, B.A., ACE, RTS1
2001 Mr. Connecticut (Short and Masters Class)
Thursday, October 9, 2003 Posted: 2:25 EDT
Every female client I have ever trained has always asked me, “What do I have to do to get a great looking butt?” Not one of my male clients has ever asked me that question! The truth is, every man and woman should incorporate strategic exercises to work the gluteus.
Let’s face it, we notice butts and we know that others look at our butts. It’s one of the most under-worked muscle groups, yet one of the most noticed. C’mon, you’ve heard those comments time and time again, such as, “He’s got a flat butt,” “she’s got a big butt,” “and “she’s got a J. Lo booty.” I think there’s about 10,000 ways to describe someone’s butt, yet very few people know how to effectively work this great muscle group.
One of the things I’ve always told my clients is that, after working with me, they’ll be able to lie on the floor face down -- and I’ll be able to bounce a dime off their rear ends! Yes, I have that much confidence that I can help anyone get a better looking back side. However, like all good things, it does take work.
I’m providing one of my favorite glute routines (I have many) that works like a charm. One of my clients who performed it referred to it as “Raphael’s Revenge.” If you perform this routine correctly and with the proper consistency and intensity, you’ll never wear that black extra large t-shirt that falls to your knees again!
Before I provide my idiots’ guide to understanding the gluteus muscles, I need to make one thing perfectly clear. You will never have a great looking butt if your body fat is excessive. You don’t have to be skinny or be at 3 percent body fat. In fact, you can probably be 15 lbs. over your ideal weight and still have great glutes. However, at a certain point, excess body fat will negate any effects you’re attempting to accomplish. That being said, your thought process to get great glutes should begin with your nutrition working for you and not against you.
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Let’s get a better understanding of the fabulous gluteus muscles. The glutes are comprised of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medias and gluteus minimus. The gluteus maximus is a major stabilizer of the pelvis and runs from the iliac crest to the femur and iliotibial band. The gluteus medias and minimus lie directly beneath the maximus. The primary function of the gluteus maximus is to extend the thigh at the hip and also to rotate the thigh away from the midline of the body. The gluteus medias and minimus, which lie beneath the maximus, serve to move the thigh away from the body and toward the midline of the body. There’s more to this muscle group, but this should be a good introduction for you. Plus, I know you’re eager for the workout. I always like to provide a brief overview of a muscle group, because it’s important to know how your body functions.
Now, let’s get to it!
GLADIATOR GLUTE WORKOUT
I will not be providing descriptions for each and every exercise. That’s what eFitness and our 3-D exercise animations are for! One of the interesting things about the gluteus is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to completely isolate. Other muscle groups will come into play when working your glutes, but that’s actually a good thing -- it will create more total balance and symmetry to your body. After all, great glutes should be accompanied by great quadriceps and hamstrings. However, I have had great success with specific foot positioning to better attempt to isolate the glutes.
SQUATS: The barbell squat is one of the best lower body exercises on the planet. It works just about the entire lower body. However, leg positioning can assist in better isolating the glutes. If you position your feet about one to two inches past shoulder width and squat to a parallel position, you’ll really feel those glutes being worked. However, you have to go to the parallel position for maximum effectiveness. I recommend 5 sets of 12-20 reps to momentary muscular failure. Yes, 5 sets!
LEG PRESS: Place your feet 2 inches higher than you normally do on the leg press machine in order to place more overload on the gluteus and hamstrings. Your feet can be positioned at shoulder width or just a little wider. Make sure you lower the weight just a tad below 90 degrees, but no more. We can’t forget that we need to protect those knees! After your squats, perform 3 sets of 12 reps of the leg press.
DUMBBELL STEP UP: You may see this exercise listed under hamstring exercises, but it’s also a great butt blaster. To perform this exercise, simply set up a low bench in front of you. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging at your sides. Step up with one leg onto the bench. Follow with the second leg. Step down starting with the same lead leg returning to the starting position. Perform 3 sets with a time interval of one minute for each leg. Remember to keep your head up!
WALKING LUNGES: Stand straight with your feet together. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms down at your sides. Step forward with the right leg and lower the left leg until the knee almost touches the floor. Bring the left leg back in line with the right leg and repeat the process -- this time starting with the left leg. The step should be long enough that your left leg is nearly straight. Do not let your knee touch the floor. Make sure your head is up and your back is straight. Your chest should be lifted, and your front leg should form a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the movement. Also, your right knee should not pass your right foot. Take 20 steps in one direction and then walk lunge back to the starting position (one set). Complete 3 sets.
Perform the above routine every 5-6 days and curse me in the morning. If you don’t feel your glutes the next day after performing this routine, then something is seriously wrong! Also, if you’re a beginner or novice, then reduce the sets to just one or two and focus on form. You’ll need to build to the volume and intensity safely, but once you do, people will be noticing. The end result will be admirers thinking, “nice butt!”
A competitive bodybuilder and former 2001 Mr. Connecticut, Raphael is a veteran of the health and fitness industry who specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training.
He earned his B.A. in Communications from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with ACE and APEX. In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics.
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"Get everthing you want--just make a little change now"
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2003/10/16, 08:31 PM
great workout, not that I was able to do exactly as described, but with some modification I made it work for me. Got any more for other body parts?
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2003/10/20, 10:43 AM
here is another;
5 Minutes-A-Day Workout That Works!
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 Posted: 3:16 EDT
by Michael Stefano
Special for eFitness
I’ve trained a lot of people with a variety of goals and limitations over the years. Everybody wants something different from a fitness program; fat loss and muscle tone, increased
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strength and endurance, improved overall health and even emotional well-being.
But, when it comes to program limitations, the number one problem most of us encounter is the all-too-common lack of time. Nothing sabotages the momentum of a new exercise program and sends you into the dreaded fitness doldrums more than a few skipped workouts caused by just being too busy to work out.
Many people have a two-hour commute followed by eight hours in the office, and then they must take their kids to soccer practice. Does that sound like a typical day for you? After dinner, it’s helping with homework, cleaning up and putting the kids to bed. Suddenly it’s 10 p.m., and you never got to work out.
Whatever your reasons for not being able to squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise on any given day, I'm sure they're valid. Whether it’s one busy day, or an entire week, you need a back-up plan -- something you can do when you can’t do much.
You Need a "Plan B"
Fortunately, on a short-term basis, you can successfully substitute a 5- or 10-minute routine for your regular 30-minute program -- and leave the missed workout blues behind. As a matter of fact, a recent study at Harvard and Columbia Universities concluded that rest and recovery and the body's natural, variable rhythms are more important to fitness conditioning than previously considered.
The study suggests that training in short bouts of intense activity (60 seconds or less), combined with complete rest (back to resting heart rate), works both the active and passive phases of exercise -- and achieves many of the strength and cardiovascular health benefits once associated exclusively with much longer and more vigorous workouts.
This is great news for busy people who want to live a long healthy life but are also bogged down by the day-to-day chores we call living. Short bursts of intense activity, followed by complete recovery can have a positive impact on health and fitness.
Improvements can be seen in:
Cardiovascular fitness
Strength and tone
Fat loss
Heart rate variability
Mood
Immune system function
Blood pressure
How should you handle this information?
By no means should you abandon your long-standing exercise program. (For a great workout, click here.) However, it's nice to know that when life gets away from you, when you can't find time for 30 minutes of exercise, a few intense sets done with the proper form and adequate rest allows you to train your entire body and rescues you from those missed workout blues.
Whether you’re too busy, on the road or just don’t feel up to your full routine, save the day with the 5-Minute Rescue Workout. When your 30-minute workout routine has to take a back seat to working late or the kid's soccer practice, you can still squeeze in a short but intense bout of exercise to hold you over. This 5-minute routine features two classic resistance exercises that will not only tone and build muscle, but will indirectly burn more fat due to increased lean muscle mass.
It won't replace a full whole-body workout, but this mini-workout will keep your metabolism moving. And, the exercises are simple enough to be performed at home or on the road.
By putting together two basic exercises, you can train your body from head to toe with no equipment -- and without leaving your home! These two simple exercises will work virtually every muscle in your body, leaving you energized and refreshed as you rev up your metabolism and prepare it for the next, longer session.
The 5-Minute Rescue Workout
Warm up with a 5-minute walk or jog before performing two sets of the following exercises. Work to muscle fatigue on each set, and rest approximately one minute, or until your heart and breathing rate return to normal (or near normal) before repeating.
Squat
Lower Body/Core
Stand with feet shoulder width apart holding arms at your sides. Head is straight, natural arch maintained in your back, knees kept soft. Inhale, swing arms slightly forward for balance, bending at the knees and hips to a sitting position, thighs parallel to the floor or as low as you can comfortably go without pain in the back or knees. Make sure that your buttocks don’t go below the level of the knees, and the knees do not extend beyond your toes. Exhale, slowly rising to a standing position with knees and hips straight and allow hands to drop back to your sides. Repeat to muscle fatigue.
Intensity adjustment: This exercise can be performed with dumbbells to increase resistance (as shown), or with no weights to decrease it.
Goal: 2 sets of 20 repetitions
Push-Up
Upper Body/Core
Lie face down with palms down on the floor or mat, slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and toes curled under on the floor. Your back and legs are straight. Exhale as you slowly push your body away from the floor. Inhale, lowering yourself back down to the point where your chest barely touches or comes within a few inches of the floor. Repeat to muscle fatigue.
Intensity adjustment: To lessen intensity, perform modified push-ups with bent knees. To increase intensity perform both the up and down phases of the push-up very slowly (to a count of 4 pushing away from the floor and a count of 8 lowering to the floor). Be sure to breathe naturally.
Goal: 2 sets of 20 repetitions
To find out more about Michael Stefano, click here.
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"Get everthing you want--just make a little change now"
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2003/10/23, 12:20 AM
Thank you Intruder for posting such a wonerful tip on getting a good looking butt-believe it or not-biulding a great butt is my obsession-and so far I haven't accomplished it--nw I don't care about gaining size on other parts of my body--just my butt--well also my gastocnomius(calves-but maybe a 1/2 of an inch)and my hamstrings. My nmber one priority is my butt-simply because I have a flat butt-I can look great having a good body-bu if my butt is still flat-I will always look funny.
My question is-how Do I change my routine-to be on the way to gaining size on my butt? How many times a week shold I perform the exercises? Woukld it be hard to add one or two inches to my hips(butt), once I knw the right routine-(exercises + diet)?
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2003/10/23, 10:34 AM
Look through the posts for another good butt workout 'the butt blaster' workout, it was posted a few months back, very painful, i mean, effective.
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Challenge + Consistency = Results
"You do or you do not. There is no try." - Yoda
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2004/03/14, 10:15 AM
bump
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