The buttocks are among the most important muscles of the male and female body and must be trained with criteria: Riccardo Grandi explains the best exercises and the mistakes to avoid.
It’s not just a matter of aesthetics (and side B): the buttocks are among the most important muscles. They help the body stay upright, support the pelvis, stabilize the hip joint, and allow us to move. According to science, they even work together with the brain to generate energy to support the body as gravity tries to pull it down. So if there’s a muscle we should train with care, it’s the glutes. But how to do it right? We asked Riccardo Grandi, Natural Bodybuilding competitive trainer, and professional trainer of disciplines related to fitness.
“The buttocks, made up of the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus, also play a stabilizing role, which is fundamental from a postural point of view,” explains Grandi. “Also, as the largest muscle group in the body, they also serve as our lower extremity center of strength, enabling us to perform actions such as climbing stairs or building strength with our legs. They work together with other muscles in the pelvis and hip to maintain balance and stability during activities such as running or lifting weights. In addition to the aesthetic aspect, the buttocks also have a stabilizing role for the hip joint, which is among the most mobile in the body together with the shoulder”.
“Our sedentary lifestyle has assigned the glutes an additional function: that of support when we are seated. Therefore, it is essential to train the glutes as you would any other muscle group, for both men and women.”
“The glutes need a combination of single-joint and multi-joint exercises,” continues the expert. “It’s important to choose exercises that tense them in both the peak contraction and stretch position. And because it’s a very large muscle group, good conditioning requires a lot of load, appropriate to our individual capabilities, especially if it is a sedentary person”.
“There are several exercises that can train the glutes. Take the example of the squat: although known as a quadriceps exercise, when the hamstring moves from a parallel position to a position below parallel, most of the work it moves on the adductors and glutes. So, a squat work, deep or not, always respecting the individual characteristics, is a great way to work the glutes in stretching. Other exercises that focus on this aspect include lunges and the step-up, which involves stepping onto a block or box, with the knee starting higher than the hip, and then pushing up primarily with glute action. These are examples of exercises that predominantly work the buttocks in stretch”.
“The main exercise for peak contraction is the hip thrust,” Grandi continues. “It’s done like this: you have to lean on your back on a bench, place a barbell on your pelvis, and extend your hip. This type of exercise generally requires a significant load. Personally, I find it particularly useful for those with pronounced lordosis, as simulates the opposite movement in the lower back. But it may not be ideal for those with a corrected back”.
“For an average trained person who wants to work specifically on the buttocks, I would recommend at least 2 or 3 exercises with different characteristics.
An exercise that allows for a very high external load, such as the hip thrust or the Romanian deadlift. It should be borne in mind that these are advanced exercises and that if you are not familiar with them, you should first learn how to perform them correctly. The squat could also be useful, even if it is not an exercise specifically aimed at the glutes. An exercise with an intermediate rep range (10-12), such as rear lunges. This type of exercise allows you to work both on the load and on the perception of the gluteus muscle. Finally, an isolation exercise, to be performed with a higher repetition range. This helps bring more blood flow to the area and create new capillaries, improving blood supply. And this is particularly useful for improving the distribution of water from extracellular (under the skin) to intracellular (inside the muscles), especially in women. Examples of these exercises include the cable leg extension or using the abductor machine, but in reality, many other exercises lend themselves to this purpose.
Note: You don’t have to do all of these exercises on the same day. We might do heavy weight exercise on one day, intermediate level exercise on another day, and isolation exercise on yet another. The important thing is to find an exercise program that works for us and helps us achieve our goals.”
“Aerobic training, such as using the stairmaster for example, can be very intense and even if it is not specifically aimed at the glutes, it involves them considerably. If, on the other hand, a slower workout is carried out but always with a focus on the glutes, such as for example hiking on steep terrain, this could be much more specific to the glutes and also doubles as a great cardiovascular workout,” says Grandi.
“In fact, there are differences, mainly related to specific female problems such as cellulite. Glute training for women should be modulated according to the presence of water retention, which could be more venous or more arterial. These differences require different approaches in training”.
“Those with hyperlordosis or low back pain should be careful. Low back pain is a generic pain in the lower back that has no specific cause. Often, low back pain is caused by weakness in the area, so training the buttocks, of the lumbar, quadriceps, and abdominal corset is usually indicated, but must be adapted to individual capabilities. If low back pain is caused by overwork, it is advisable to rest or unload a lot of work, while if it is caused by inactivity, the Training is indicated, but gradually and starting with light weight exercises and getting progressively heavier. For those who suffer from bulging or herniated discs, there are exceptions. If the bulging is stabilized and not causing pain, it is usually possible to perform exercises without problems. But there are limitations to take into consideration, such as avoiding certain exercises if there is hyperlordosis or if the back is rectified. And in the case of a hernia, it could be contraindicated to perform exercises with vertical load on the back”.
July 5 – 09:19
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