2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras 2x 4 Maximum Strength The Hip Thruster bed FSSSUM ce! Advanced Techniques Glutei Maximi Strengthening: n and Bret's Glute eBook Growing glutes without growing the legs Hi Bret, Thad a question if you could help me out. Ive been hitting legs/glutes a lot but I feel that my legs are getting bigger and | want my glutes to and not my legs. Squatting really makes my legs bulk up. | already have big muscular legs so | wanted to ask if you had any tips for growing the glutes without adding much more mass to legs. Should | forget about lifting too heavy and go for moderate weight and higher reps? Will that still add mass to my glutes? ip tretcontreras.comgrowing tes witht owing the legs! ‘Ve2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras Thanks, Kristi Hi Kristi! | get this question a lot so it's time I address it. I'm going to make two assumptions. First, that you are of ideal weight and indeed have too muscular of legs for your liking. Many women find that when they reach desired levels of leanness (body composition), they love their muscular development and don't feel that theyre too muscular in the legs no matter how strong they get. And second, that you are referring to the entire leg musculature - the quads, hams, and adductors. I've trained several women who did not want their quads and adductors to get larger, but it's more rare to have women who dislike their hamstring development on account of them being too muscular. There are indeed plenty of women in your position, so this is a valid question deserved of a well thought-out answer. 99% of fitness experts would just tell you to shut up and squat. And deadlift. |, however, will do my best to give you a proper reply. ip tretcontreras.comgrowing tes witht owing the legs!2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras ROR ePL ay Cee ee ate a ng This is not every woman's ideal physique. Many would kill to look like her, but some women wouldn't be comfortable with her level of quad development. This is okay, we can work around it! You won't grow your glutes unless you push the intensity very hard and get markedly stronger. Unfortunately in your situation, most great glute exercises also highly activate the leg muscles. Therefore, pushing the glutes hard will also push the legs hard, causing them to grow as well. This complicates things. It's also important that you know that muscles can grow from low reps (1-5), medium reps (6-12), high reps (13-20), and even from really high reps (21-50) as long as the sets are pushed close to muscular failure or the intensity of effort for the session is sufficiently high. So just avoiding a particular rep range or avoiding heavy weights is not the solution. The solution involves a two-fold approach 1. Avoiding exercises that highly activate and stress the quads, hammies, and adductors 2. Performing exercises that highly activate and stress the glutes ip tretcontreras.comgrowing tes witht owing the legs!zane Ceoving gts wit roving los - ret Coneras This doesn't leave us with many options! Most pictures of great booties you see on the internet have pronounced glute development compared to the quads and hams. This isn't easy to create for most women. To elaborate, if you keep squatting and lunging, especially if you're gaining strength on these movement patterns, your quads will continue to grow. If you keep performing glute ham raises, Russian leg curls, and RDLs, especially if you're gaining strength on these movement patterns, your hamstrings will continue to grow, If you really want your legs to shrink (or stop growing), you need to quit activating them to high levels when you train, and progressive overload is a bad idea for exercises that target these muscles. So no squats, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, step ups, pistols, leg press, leg extensions, or trap bar deadlifts - these lead to too high of quad activation. Even hip thrusts are out - most people are unaware that they generate enormous amounts of quad activity. And no RDLs, Russian leg curls, glute ham raises, back extensions, deadlifts, good mornings, and leg curls either - they lead to too high of hamstring activation. Finally, no adductor movements such bipetcorreas comrades ita roi eps!2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras as the adductor machines you commonly see in the gym. So what's left to perform? How can we still attain good gluteal results while simultaneously keeping the leg muscles at bay? There are several things we can still do: 1. Low load glute activation work - there are tons of drills that you can and should do to shuttle the focus toward the glutes and away from other synergists. Start out your workouts with 5-10 minutes of this. 2. Hip external rotation movements ~ band hip rotations are the best, but you really need to learn how to use the glutes during this movement as many women do not. 3. Hip abduction movements - from side lying abduction, to band standing abduction, to band seated abduction, to band walk variations, to abductor machines - these target the upper glutes. 4, Barbell glute bridges - these leave out much of the quad activity that barbell hip thrusts produce. This will be your money exercise - the exercise that you want to keep getting stronger at over time. Strength creates curves, and without it your glutes won't grow. 5, American deadlifts - this is a better option than RDLs due to the increased glute activation, Don't go too low on these either. 6. Pull-throughs and kettlebell swings - just make sure you're feeling the glutes do the work when you perform them. 7. Single leg foot elevated hip thrusts - you could also do these with both the shoulders and foot elevated. Here’s Marianne doing a barbell glute bridge workout - they did her glutes well! ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs!2342018, Growing gues without growing he logs - Bret Contreras Here's Kellie doing them too - these two ladies have excellent form! Finally, here’s Steve doing band hip rotations - these hammer the glutes if done bit tretcontreas comlgrowiny htes- witout owing the legs cowaz roving gts wit roving gs - ret Contreras properly: The list above gives you plenty of exercises to utilize in your training endeavors. If your thighs shrink down to your liking, you may start to experiment with adding "banned" exercises into the mix - just do them for variety’s sake and don't utilize progressive overload and set PR's on them Best of luck to you, BC This entry was posted in Ask Bret Contreras (ABC), Glute Training and tagged butt, glute exercises, glute training, top glute exercises on June 5, 2013 [http://bretcontreras.com/growing-glutes-without- growing.the-legs/] by Bret. 76 thoughts on “Growing glutes without growing the legs” ip tretontreras.comgrowing tes witht owing the legs! 78zane Ceonin les wit roi teens ret Contreras Becky June 5, 2013 at 11:42. am Thanks for this! Very helpful. | actually like the size of my legs (some women would probably consider them “bulky” though) and wouldn't mind if they got a little more size, but my glutes need to catch up! Love your book too. @ Helen August 18, 2013 at 4:36 pm 1am working very hard to get my legs to grow, | know most women want broomsticks for legs. Ido step ups, single bulgarian squats on one day total of 10 sets 12-15 reps. on the second leg day | do weighted lunges, calves, leg curls/ext. similar rep range. Any tips on gaining size would be appreciated. Leona January 24, 2015 at 11:21 am are you eating enough? To grow any body part you need to be eating a surplus of calories. Using clean whole foods obviously. And are you pushing yourself enough? Sarah June 5, 2013 at 11:53 am Great article, Bret. Dawn June 5, 2013 at 12:18 pm What if we do some of the “leg growing” exercises because we like them, but we add in a little more slow cardio of some sort (treadmill, stationary bike, etc.) or HIIT to counter some of the muscle building exercises. Would that be beneficial? Bret (2) June 5, 2013 at 5:09 pm Dawn, treadmill cycling actually has been shown to be synergistic for quad mass - Wilson did a recent review on this in the JSCR. So | don't feel that what you've proposed is a solution. However, | ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs!7542016, Growing gles witha growing the egs- Bret Correa do feel that many women cannot give up squats and deads as they indeed love doing them, even if they're not the perfect lifts for their physiques. Once you get coordinated and strong with them, they're addicting (squats and deads). farah October 3, 2014 at 1:50 pm Hello Thanks alot for this Ive been waiting for someone to get what i want my whole life However i do not know what the moves are the ones u mentioned we should do And how can i do them without going to the gym and using the barbell Iworkout at home and normally have thin quads and a flat behind as soon as i start working at my butt and get it where i want if i do one wrong move or push to hard my quads will pop like ughhh PuhhLeez explain the moves or add links that show them and how many times a week for how many reps and sets Thank u so very much Terri Brzozowski June 5, 2013 at 1:07 pm Thank you for this great information. | love squats but my quads have grown more than | had hoped for. Can't wait to incorporate the glute bridges! Tim June 5, 2013 at 3:37 pm Bret- why would pull-throughs/swings be significantly less strenuous on the hammies vs. RDLs? And why suggest the foot elevated since | thought that contributes more hamstring vs. other hip lift variations? Is it not significant toward hamstring development? Always appreciate your work and your display here of a willingness to answer commonly asked but not usually well answered fitness questions! Bret (=) June 5, 2013 at 5:24 pm Excellent questions Tim! The RDLs place more strain on the hammies (more stretch loading due to the vector). Their EMGs are similar though, but there's more than just EMG - actually the EMG-angle curve is very telling [nttp:foretcortreras. com/gr owing- iutes- without-gy owing-the- legs!7542016, Growing gles witha growing the egs- Bret Correa (along with the torque-angle curve). But | thought of this exact thing and considered omitting pull- throughs and kb swings for that reason. ‘And the faot-elevated single leg hip thrust does indeed work more hamstring than the other variations, but the quad activation diminishes drastically. The shoulder elevated single leg hip thrust activates much more quad than the foot elevated single leg hip thrust, hence the decision. Again, great questions. You've got a good mind for sports science! james June 5, 2013 at 4:55 pm Just for clarification....barbell glute bridge is from the floor, barbell hip thrust is with the bench? Thanks James Bret Fx) June 5, 2013 at 5:24 pm Yep, exactly. Martin June 5, 2013 at 6:39 pm Bret, Have you ever come across someones whose glutes are strong when it comes to doing exercises, ie hip thrusts, single leg deadlifts, quadruped hip extensions, RDL, yet in everyday life situations like walking/running they just still sit there doing the bare minimum? This is a problem my girlfriend has, its not that they arent firing when doing load bearing exercise either, as she complains of a serious burn during and soreness the following day without fail Is there likely to be something she hasn't addressed? She had the most severe gluteal amnesia and quad dominance I have ever seen and it took around 18 month of low load activation exercises for her to be able to even remotely use her glutes under any weight without the quads burning, Cheers Martin Bret (2) June 7, 2013 at 12:28 pm Some folks are anatomically built this way. My training partner Charles Staley feels squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts all in his hamstrings and rarely feels his glutes working (except when he does band ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! s028rams rowing gtos wit grovng te legs - Bret Conreres seated hip abductions). Yet his hammies don't even fire that hard in the aforementioned movements - its just a stretch he's feeling due to anterior pelvic tit. My girlfriend Diana feels hip thrusts mostly inher quads, but her glute EMG activation is through the roof when she does them. So don't rely just on what she feels; | rely on palpation and EMG (obviously you don’t have EMG). And just keep doing the best you can. matt June 6, 2013 at 1:33 pm Hey Bret, How would hip band rotations change if doing them in an asymmetrical stance (split stance) rather than a symmetric stance? Also, what changes would there be depending on the lead foot of said stance: ie, band/weight on left side pulling across to the right with left foot forward vs band/weight on left side pulling across to the right with right foot forward? Craig June 6, 2013 at 1:58 pm Awesome post Brett. Are you familiar with Evan Osar? He was featured on Sports Rehab Expert. His book discusses how excessive “but grippers” can create a lot of anterior shear, driving the head of the femur anteriorly in its socket, which down the road may lead to FAl etc. As one with excessive divots in my lateral hip, | can't help but wonder if hip thrusts may further decrease my hip joint centration. Maybe having the bar rest at the top of the femur will help keep the head of the femur a bit more posterior? Thanks, tm a big fan of your work. Derrick Blanton June 7, 2013 at 9:06 am Craig, check out this post: http://bretcontreras.com/abe: -dangerous-to-squeeze-the-glutes-during-hip-extension-exercises/ Bret G2) June 7, 2013 at 12:21 pm Yep, see the link Derrick posted. | never thought about the bar pushing down on the head of the femur during hip thrusts...perhaps that gives you an “excuse to clinch the glutes then @ Thave Evan's book and it's great (except for the butt-gripping situation IMO). However, I'm curious as to how he'd have clients do heavy-ass hip thrusts. Either he’d have to avoid heavy weight, avoid locking out the weight (and just do partials), or try to do them without using the glutes that much ip teontreras.comigrowig tes withas-gr owing the legs! ri8542016, Growing gtes wit growing te legs - Bret Contreras (which is counterproductive to the goal in question). Neither of these are ideal. In all my years of training, ve never had anyone develop hip pain while training with me, But Ive had clients improve their anterior hip pain, presumably to better-functioning glutes. Barb une 16, 2013 at 1:36am Thanks for the article! | do hope there's some future interaction between you and this Dr. Osar! Ive had a hip issue corrected. I can get more force out of a heel plant and my upper body feels less twisted. rm amazed when | get out of bed in the morning. The correction’ been stable for over a month and | hope | don't squander that as | get stronger. I'm still doing unloaded glute work but hope to progress very soon! One thing I've noticed is that my glutes aren't CONSTANTLY working to stabilize my leg. I never had hip pain — rather: glute pain and leg numbness/dysfunction, right down, through the foot. I think a more optimally “sockete: femur gives me a new opportunity to develop my formerly overworked glutes. jamila.laliberte@facebook.com December 23, 2013 at 6:47 am Hi there. | have a question. | have been focusing on my glutes for a while and have developed intense anterior hip pain, every time no matter the weight | use or the reps | do. [have seen doctors,physio therapists, chiropractors and massage therapist to no avail. Feels like a muscle is not firing. | was wondering if you had any ideas as to what the problem could be Amy June 7, 2013 at 12:54am Hi Brett, Could you possibly post an example of a full leg workout incorporating these exercises? Thanks, Amy Martin (another one) June 7, 2013 at 3:12am Hi Bret. Interesting post. | find that while quad development can give that heavy thighs look, | find that ham development gives the legs an attractive shape. ip teontreras.comigrowig tes withas-gr owing the legs! ye08542016, Growing gues witout growing the logs - Bret Correras 2 questions I find that hip thrusts work well but they hurt my lower back when I go heavy for reps. What am | doing wrong? I find that hip thrusts also hit my quads, as you point out and sometimes quads burn before butt. Can the hip thrust be classified as a quad exercise and at least substitute for the squat? it seems much safer than the squat as you get heavy. thanks Martin (Lopez) Bret (oo) June 7, 2013 at 12:24 pm agree about the hamstring comment (to an extent obviously). You're probably anteriorly tilting the spine. Try this version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiWiwg1 weFg No, not a substitute for squats. They work the quads mostly isometrically, which is inferior to full ROM dynamic movement for strength and hypertrophy. Id prefer a single leg squatting motion. Marcy June 7, 2013 at 3:36 pm Great article! Icut a pool noodle in half and then lengthwise and slipped it on the barbell. Works great in place of a thick bar pad, and it only costs $4. | used it for 135# glute bridges today, and no discomfort at alll William June 7, 2013 at 6:25 pm Hi Bret, sorry if | getting out the main topic. Here is my hypothesis: Considering that anthropometry, orthopaedic profile, age, nutrition and genre (among other factors) might affect performance, | reckon, here is a list of maximum percentage that any male should manage to consider himself fit and balanced: If Hip Thrust is 100% of the the maximum load per 5 reps, Deadlifts should be around 90% of the hip thrust, High Bar squats around 80%, Front squats, Chest Press, Chin-ups 70%, Lunges 60%, Press Overhead 50%... In regards to females, as their lower body is proportionally stronger than their upper body, the Hip Thrust would be 100%, Dead Lifts and Squats 90% Front Squats 75% Lunges 60%, Chin-ups 50%, Chest Press 45%, Press Overhead 30%... Obviously, those percentages are just an expression according to the total average during my personal experience with clients over the years. Would you agree with such proportions in terms of ideal percentages or , did you write anything regarding that topicin the past? or perhaps do you know any scientific study as a guide? Great fan of your work. ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! 1928rams Growing gies wiut gonng the legs - Bret Contreras Thanks for reading. William jill sano August 8, 2014 at 12:30 pm Did you ever get a reply to this anywhere? | have the sane question... Jackie June 9, 2013 at 5:38. am Hi Brett, Can you recommend exercises that target the very upper part of the glute; the part that goes into your back? That area is flat for me (it looks like my upper glute goes straight into my back). |am already doing hip thrusts, squats, deadlifts, However, | don’t know if those exercises target the very top part. | want to have that “shelf” look at the top of my glutes (more curves). | feel like all the exercises | am doing target mainly the mid and lower glutes. Thanks so much Pingback: Growing glutes without growing the legs | Gardening Motion Nick Nilsson June 10, 2013 at 6:15am This is a question | get a lot as well...what do you think of the idea of utilizing pre-exhaust training, using one of those 7 exercises you recommend followed immediately by an exercise such as barbell hip thrusts or a squatting or lunging variation to target the glutes with heavier weight after they've been pre-fatigued with the “isolation” movements. The legs are still involved but they aren't worked as hard and since they're fresher, they can actually help push the glutes harder when you move to the second exercise. Ive had a lot of good feedback on this approach and was curious to hear your thoughts, Bret. Thanks! Brett Smith June 10, 2013 at 6:22 am Bret | have been doing hip thrusts for a year or so, | watched the 2 videos or the girl doing these flat on there back. | tried this the other day and my range of motion is about half of what these girls are doing. | usually do them on a smith machine with my back supported by a bench. How can | inprove my range, | would like to be able to do them like these videos show. ip teontreras.comigrowig tes withas-gr owing the legs! vanrams Ceonin les wit grow teens ret Contreras emarnyc June 10, 2013 at 7:49 am Bret, you're a friggin’ geniust! If your books sales have increased its because | can't stop singing your praises, However, | love big legs and if you can get me to photo one, td empty my bank account to you (no complaining about the balance!) Signed - 2" across the glutes in 2 months following Strong Curves! Maria June 10, 2013 at 11:13 am Thanks for the article, this is something I've been trying to fine answers to for a while now. Are ankle weights useful for some of the standing and lying abduction exercises instead of or in addition to using bands? Brandon Green June 10, 2013 at 1:23 pm Hello For someone who want to vertical jump high or run a fast 40 yard dash what should be the glute strength compared to quadricep- Olympic style full squat vs. Glute bridge ? ggs June 11, 2013 at 11:19 am When | do my glute raises | put my hands to my side and bring my heels to my fingertips. Am | keeping my feet to close to my body? | noticed on Marianne video her feet seemed a lot farther away. It seems like that way shortens the range of which you have to move the weight. Is the way | am doing it okay or do I need to change. Thanks Lynn Curtis June 11, 2013 at 3:51 pm Dear Bret, Thank you so much for answering this question. Coincidentally, only two days ago | composed a similar message to you regarding this topic. ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! 1528542016, Growing gles witha growing the legs- Bret Contreras I personally have been avoiding deep squats and dead lifts (LOVE both exercises!) because of FAI issues. | have been concentrating instead on hip thrusts, glute bridges (225lbs!), KB swings, etc. and | have noticed a significant decrease in hip pain. In fact, my pain has improved so much that | cancelled my upcoming surgery. Techo what others here are saying: thank you for your research, commitment, and willingness to share your expertise with all of us. Strong Curves is the best book | have ever read on strength training for women and you are changing lives. Warmly, Lynn Pingback: Shiny Legs, Shared Makeup, and Public Ogling: My Day With Gillette | Clothes fidelity Pingback: 22 "LOCO" Good Articles and Videos | Dynamic Duo Blog Site Gina McNeal June 20, 2013 at 12:50am Hi Bret, 1am currently doing Strong Curves Gluteal Goddess program and wondered how I could substitute some of the non-quad-intensive exercises for the exercises in those workouts. Should | just replace the quad one from each workout with one of the above, or will that mess up the progression? | am one of those blocky quad women, and while | don't expect my quads to get smaller, | don't particularly want them any bigger either. Love your bookllt! Amber December 29, 2013 at 1:07 pm Hope you get an answer, | have the book too and I'm wondering the same thing! Except | do want my quads and hammies to shrink a bit! Sue June 22, 2013 at 4:03 HiBret, Love your new book Strong Curves. Even though | have looked in the book to compare what is the difference between the american dead lift and the romanian dead lift? Is it just the range of how far you bend over? Im not really a newbie but | am. ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! 8282342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras Gina June 23, 2013 at 10:10 am Sue, | had never heard of the American deadlift either, but in the back of the book where all the exercises are listed by category, Bret says in the description that the American deadlift like a regular RDL, except at the very end, you do a pelvic tilt (anterior) to recruit more glute fibers Dr. Darrell Wolfe June 25, 2013 at 8:06 am Hi Bret, would you be so kind as to guide me to the owner of the picture that you used in an article you wrote for t-nation.com. This is a black and white picture of a very fit, ripped man inside a silhouette of a very large man drinking from a sports bottle. Thank you in advance for your help with this....Dr. Darrell Wolfe. Hailey August 4, 2013 at 1:15 pm Ive been doing glute bridges for the last three months or so, and they've done a great job targeting my glutes. Just yesterday I hit 255, but it seems as the weights get heavier, | end up sliding back, and have to cut my ten rep session(s) into two five rep sessions to re-adjust my position. | usually butt my head up against a wall so 'm not pushed back, but instead my feet then end up sliding out from under me and | have to re adjust. Lol | just have to put up with it i guess. But I love this exercise. Ive noticed my squat go up since I've targeted my glutes too. Hailey August 4, 2013 at 1:22 pm also noticed that Kelli (in the video above) had to stop every rep to adjust herself because the weight pushed her back a bit, like it does with me. | wish someone would invent a machine you could adjust so you could place your head against a soft but firm pad and the other end would be a place you could put your feet so you can just rep away without having to stop or be sliding around on the floor. You could adjust it according to your height too. That would be flippin’ fantastic. @ George September 5, 2013 at 4:47 am Hey Bret, what about sets, repetitions and rest ? ip teontreras.comigrowig tes withas-gr owing the legs! res2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras Asli September 10, 2013 at 10:26 pm Bought the strong curves book... great...easy to follow. 2nd week but | lost half an inch on my glutes! @® ..1 did lose fat all around but | was trying to add more muscular mass there. Background: naturally have a round full butt and wanted to give it more ofa lift and maybe another inch. Been working out for 13 years... good diet.not too much cardio (twice a week as u putin the book)...so what is going on? Pingback: Bringing up the Rear Check-In - Page 9 - The Cathe Nation Claudia October 23, 2013 at 4:17 pm Bret, Iwas reading your 2010 blog and then found all this new current options, Problem is am so confused as to what option is best for me.... The ebook, the paperback book strong curves (think that was the name) or get glutes.... There seems to be 3 options and have no idea what is the right choice for me. | am a female about 118Ibs. | would like to tone entire body but especially build up my glutes! which one would be best for me? The ebook, the curves paperback or the get glutes? | want something that will be straight forward and not confusing as to which exercises | should be doing and how to do them. There might even be a fourth option I missed. | need your advice before | can choose, Please help! Lol Claudia Zee November 23, 2013 at 8:49 pm How to look like that lady in the sunglasses? That's my ideal body. Nina April 2, 2014 at 12:01 pm Genetics. Chandni Alwani December 13, 2013 at 4:10 am Dear Bret, ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! ta28542016, Growing gles witha growing the legs- Bret Contreras First of all loved this article. Have asked numerous trainers in numerous countries about this...and all they keep saying is : ‘keep doing squats and deadlifts.’ lam a 22 year old woman, who hates her thighs (especially the quads and upper thigh area), because I find them too bulked up. | used to do a lot of the spinning, but have left it now, because heard it bulks up thighs. Anyway, so now | have two goals: 1. Get the best butt possible for my body 2. Reduce the bulkiness in my upper thighs. Since this requires me not doing squats, deadlifts etc, will the exercises you mentioned in this article give me the best butt possible? Not a good one, a great onel! Thanks!! Chandni Alwani December 13, 2013 at 4:13am Dear Bret, First of all loved this article. Have asked numerous trainers in numerous countries about this...and all they keep saying is : ‘keep doing squats and deadlifts.’ | am a 22 year old woman, who hates her thighs (especially the quads and upper thigh area), because I find them too bulked up. | used to do a lot of the spinning, but have left it now, because heard it bulks up thighs. Anyway, so now | have two goals: 1. Get the best butt possible for my body 2. Reduce the bulkiness in my upper thighs. Since this requires me not doing squats, deadlifts etc, will the exercises you mentioned in this article give me the best butt possible? Not a good one, a great one!! | want my butt to be a bit bigger and way more rounder. | have been doing leandro cavalho's workout but not great results !Thanks!! engy December 16, 2013 at 9:09 am Dear Bret Ibet you've been asked that question a few times before, Ive just bought your book, but have been a bit reluctant to start any of the programs included. In your answer above you assumed that kristi is of ideal weight, but what if you have heavy legs and still have some fat to loose ? Is it advisable to follow any of the programs in your book while actually loosing fat or perhaps better wait till you decrease your body fat percentage before you start your program. Andria December 17, 2013 at 10:27 am Wish you provided some examples of low low glute activation exercises. | have no idea what these are and a video of the American deadlift would have been helpful especially since | don't know anything about these exercises and would not know if | landed on someone else's video if they had proper form. ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! 19242342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras Pingback: Let's Get Miley Cyrus Some Booty!!! | Bret Contreras June January 14, 2014 at 5:26 pm hey bret, so muscle is smaller than fat so.. when i lose the fat for muscle to appear... mh u will be very small..correct? so would that mean... to increase my butt size, i will have to add a LOT of weight to the hip thrust? (assuming that’s the only part i want bigger) June January 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm sorry: my butt will be very small.. correct? Michelle March 21, 2014 at 2:24am Hi Bret Would appreciate if you could reply, or anyone who can help. I found this article really helpful. My thighs are thick naturally and | have a big bum. I've started working out doing cardio and also squats/lunges for my gluteus. However I really don’t want to make my thighs muscly or have any growth! A personal trainer advised me to lift no more than 2kg dumbbells with higher reps to do this but | still feel a burn in my quads which worries me! Could you please explain the workouts u suggested in more detail as | don't know how to do them. Inc,uding reps and sets Thanks Stella April 3, 2014 at 1:30. am Hi Bret your article is actually the best | could find on this subject about growing glutes without growing legs. Congrats on your whole site too, | found it really interesting and full of information to apply, Just a quick question ; since my quads are quite big and my hamstrings too ( ex pro basketball player you see @ ) | try to work on my glutes and keep the exercises as isolating as they can be for the glutes (1'm 17% I'm a 22 year old girl and my quads and hams are still bulky ) do you suggest pull throughs and glute bridges with barbell for me ? As far as | read | can isolate the glutes with the glute bridges if learn the technique right and pull the weight up with my glutes so I'm not activating the hams too much, am | right ? Will the hams be activated enough to grow ? Cause | don't want them to. ‘And what about the pull throughs? Do they activate the hamstrings a lot ? and is there a right technique to avoid that happening ? Thanks in advance, greetings from Greece, Stella. ip settee comlgrowirg gest going the lg! on2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras Tamara April 24, 2014 at 11:43 pm Hey Bret, what about steep walks? Are they crucial too? | have the same problem... My hamstrings are too strong i want to increase my glutes and decrease hamstrings Any idea about steep walking? Thanks in advance ss April 23, 2014 at 11:56 am Bret, Which variation of the hip thrust (from the floor, shoulders elevated, or feet elevated (on SB or bench) activates the glutes most and hamstrings least? Thanks Mayra May 29, 2014 at 12:57 pm Great advise! @ Chaz May 31, 2074 at 9:12 am Hello Bret. | have a few questions. I'm about to begin a workout plan however I'm confused as to what I should do regarding losing weight and building leg and butt mass. At the moment | have pretty thick legs, however they are not toned. | want to know what it is that | need to do to stay with thick thighs or even increase the size and have them toned. Also | want to know what I need to do to build a larger/ lifted butt. The thing is that | don’t have access to a gym at the moment so I'm pretty much just working out at home. How to | go about getting larger glutes and how much weight should | use. The images of the women you have posted above are roughly about the size I'm looking for. Also are there supplements or anything that | would needy to take. I hope you can answer this question for me. Thank you. Melanee June 13, 2014 at 9:12. am ip teontreras.comigrowig tes withas-gr owing the legs! irae542016, Growing gtes wit growing te legs - Bret Contreras HiBret, Ive been doing the phase one exercises you wrote about on t-nation here: htto://wnww.t- nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body training_performance/dispelling the _glute_myth I'm finding that while | feel sore after the hip extension exercises, | only feel "the burn” in the middle of doing the glute bridges and hip thrusts afterwards it feels like tve done nothing to my glutes (no tenderness, sore muscles or any of the telltale signs that you've worked a muscle). Should | be adding weights to ther? Thanks, Melanee ash June 14, 2014 at 6:13 pm Hi Everyone, My question is that my butt used to be bigger (more rounded and higher up on my lower back causing a deeper curve on my lower back just above my butt) ve realised lately my back has gone flatter and my butt doesnt start higher up on my lower back anymore Thave been doing deadlifts and squats, back exercises (as | thought it was partlu due to tight back muscles) hip raises and leg press ive also been on the protein shakes to add mass but nothing | do is fixing the “upper butt” issue. Any ideas ? Lou June 19, 2014 at 7:16 am Hiin order to GROW/Maximize glutes, how many DAYS should you train a WEEK ? Is Once enough or twice, ise Mondays-Thursdays/Fridays, is Once a week enough or should you train twice? i usually train twice latley i have been doing once but i just want to know what should be done thanks Lou June 22, 2014 at 1:24 pm sorry i forgot to add, i understand in one article you mention hipthrusts/glute bridges should be trained 3+, but i just want to know wether twice is enough to GROW glutes asi understand 3+ can actually be over training, i traned them once for the last 2months as ive trained twice for 2.5 years and thought trainng once would allow more recovery time to grow any underlying muscle fibers etc, also how many EXCERCISES should you do for a glute workout either that be isolates or compound preferably Isolation excercises ? and HOW MANY EXCERCISES PER glute workout sessions wether that be ONCE or TWICE a week, i pretty much have my sets reps,rest times and diet in order, thanks ip teontreras.comigrowig tes withas-gr owing the legs! zona2342018. Growing gute without growing the legs - Bret Contreras Amanda June 25, 2014 at 6:12 pm Hi Bret - thanks so much for your great blog posts. | work out a lot at home because | have cardio equipment and free weights. Is it possible to do some of the exercises above with free weights? Especially the Barbell Glute Bridges that you swear by? | do a lot of “butt ups" as | call them (hip thrusts with no weight and my heels off the floor to work out my calves) and am wondering if | can simulate the Barbell Glute Bridges by just adding free weights to my butt ups (e.g., holding an 8 Ibs weight while I do them). What do you think? Thanks very much! Christine June 28, 2014 at 6:34 Hi Bret, | do an upper/lower split and i was wondering...what exercises are best for slimming thighs to get that inner thigh gap and make glutes bigger without making my quads bulky? On lower body days Ive been doing weighted glute bridges, bird dogs, clams, squats, and RDLs (last, but for my back not my glutes) and I'm not seeing the results I've been hoping for... All | have is a barbell and some dumbbells,..and suggestions? Thanks! erica June 29, 2014 at 1:13 am Thank god i found this. | went to gym for 4 days after stopping for 2 weeks. My quads grows a lot in 4 days. But my butt are so small it have the same size as my quads. So it looks like i have no butts when i wore dresses or any other outfit. I needed to build my glutes more before building my quads. Kate August 22, 2014 at 1:36 pm Im really enjoying reading through all of your glute articles. | find | have overdeveloped quads compared to my hamstrings and glutes. | really want to build up the glutes without having giant legs, great read! Laerke Bjorholm August 31, 2014 at 9:06 am Hi, I'm trying to build bigger glutes, and keep my legs their size, and found this great page, but what ip tretcortreras comigrowing tes withau-growing the legs! 2308542016, Growing gies wiut gonng the legs - Bret Contreras should | google to find examples of exercises | could do, cause I'm from Denmark, and not so good at all the training terms in English. If you have any recommendations | would love if you would write ithere, thanks Laerke Bjorhoim sarah December 15, 2014 at 9:19 pm Iwas wondering just how many squats to do per week to get a tight rear. | was just wondering which flute exercises are good for increased mass of the glutes and quads Flutes Imao January 2, 2015 at 2:35 pm Hey Bret, Have been eyeing your website for a couple of years now and this is the category | fit in. All legs no butt, not that it was a concern, ift /squat heavy (mind you i am a heavy girl) but came to a 6 month plateau on my deadlift. Being the xmas break | thought WTH I'm going to do some glute work whilst all the boys at the gym are off getting tanked. after a rest day added 5 kg to my PB. woohoo ... looks like the boys will have to put up with me glute bridging (the thrusters didn’t quite do it for me)in the manly section of he gyn bwahahaha. sam January 22, 2015 at 12:24 am 1am a sprinter hoping to increase my athletic ability but i dont want an increased butt size like most ladies, of course im a guy so is there a way to get maximum muscle and minimum size. would really appreciate you answering this because many people feel this way bob January 28, 2015 at 11:25 am Alot of internet glutes are fake and from women who don't lift or were like that before they started lifting (genetically gifted glutes), Just my perspective. You can always tell when a girl worked for her glutes ip tetontreras.comigrowig tes withet-gr owing the legs! paren