CONTENTS

GAINS

TOP GLUTE TIPS

BREAKDOWN

NUTRITION

REST, REPAIR, REBUILD

RESISTANCE BANDS

TIPS TO DOMINATE
YOUR WORKOUT
 GAINS

Muscles are built through some form of

resistance/strength training and a diet that
supplies the body with enough nutrients to make
the muscle repair and grow over time. Just like
any other muscle, the same rules apply when
you are trying to build your booty.

The trick to making sure your glute muscles grow

is to force your muscles to adapt by constantly
pushing yourself just a little bit more than you
did before. The best way to do this rapidly is to
focus on getting stronger from workout to
workout. In short, create consistent progressive
overload over time by getting stronger.

My programs are built around these techniques!

 TOP GLUTE TIPS

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD is used as

increasing weight, reps, or sets over time.
Improve FORM to maintain your focus on
intended muscles.
MIND-TO MUSCLE CONNECTION (MMC) is a
must!
Perform exercises with END-RANGE HIP
EXTENSION for maximum results.
Apply TUT (time under tension).
Perform exercises close to MUSCLE FAILURE
to increase muscle size.
HYPERTROPHY builds glutes.
GLUTE ACTIVATION aka warming up and
getting ready to train the muscles.
Make sure you are eating enough
CALORIES, PROTEIN, CARBS, FAT, and
MICRONUTRIENTS for muscle growth and
repair.
Prioritize rest days and get enough sleep.
Be patient and stay consistent.
 BREAKDOWN

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
The main reason why people do not feel their
glutes during a workout is because their glutes
aren't "awake" during their sessions. During
each session, I start you off with effective glute
activation exercises that are considered warm
ups and are going to wake those glutes up! This
is very important if you spend most of the day
sitting.

Techniques to apply progressive overload:

Progressively add weight (2-5 lbs extra
every week or every other week)
Time under tension (TUT)
Increase number of reps
Increase number of sets
Reduce rest time in between sets

TIP: These techniques can be applied in

combinations for those who want to workout
from home but have limited equipment.
FORM
Good form is non-negotiable. Performing each
exercise with proper form will lower your risk of
injury, allow you to move efficiently, increase
your performance, and enables you to have a
full range of motion. You'll also reach your goals
more easily. It will help you work smarter, not
harder and maintain your focus on intended
muscles.

MIND-TO- MUSCLE CONNECTION (MMC)

The main reason why people do not see results
is because they are not putting their mental
focus on their glutes. Research shows that by
focusing on specific muscles to create
contractions, you force your brain to engage
more muscle fiber and keep irrelevant ones
switched off.

To improve the quality of your workouts you

want to deliberately and consciously focus on
muscle contraction in primary muscle groups
involved in your exercises. This is know as mind-
to-muscle connection (MMC).
To successfully work a muscle group, you need
to FEEL it working. Force your mind to focus
solely on the exercise you're doing and the
muscle you're trying to wok. When you
successfully do this, it often takes a lot fewer
reps to start 'feeling' the muscle work!

Try to contract the muscles at the peak of every

movement and watch how much of a difference
this makes not only to muscle engagement but
also to your form. The more you train yourself to
focus on MMC, the better results you'll
experience!

TIP: While music is a great background for your

workout, things like TV, podcasts, or trying to
hold a conversation can take away from your
ability to focus - especially if you're trying to
master a new movement.
END- RANGE HIP EXTENSION
Maximum glute activation occurs at end-range
hip extension, which is the shortest position for
the glutes. It is for this reason (among others)
that the hip thrust is considered a great glute-
building exercise.

TIME UNDER TENSION (TUT)

This refers to the amount of time a muscle is
held under tension or strain during an exercise
set. Lifting weights at a fast speed helps your
body to recruit a large number of muscle fibers
at once, which helps you to build strength and
increase your stamina and endurance.
On the other hand, by slowing down the
movement, you are forcing your muscles to work
longer under a higher tension, which creates
more muscle trauma. This may sound scary -
however, it’s those micro-tears that ultimately
result in visible gains after being repaired!
Control the eccentric phase in which the muscle
is lengthened under load to return to its starting
position, and not let gravity do the work for you.
Anywhere from 2-6 seconds per rep yields
results.

TIP: When you first start implementing tempo

training, completing all reps in a set may seem
impossible compared to times when you“just did
it” without programmed pauses! If you’re failing
but still have a few reps to go, drop the weights
and continue immediately, with the same
correct tempo - this will maximize TUT while
ensuring your form is correct.
MUSCLE FAILURE
Heavier weight alone will not build a bigger
booty because you don't want to use all the
surrounding muscles instead of targeting the
glutes. We want to be efficient and handle
volume without getting hurt, this is where MMC
is most important. Perform your exercises 1 or 2
reps shy of failure - that is, if you did another 1
or 2 reps, you wouldn't be able to perform the
movement again without cheating the range of
motion or compromising your form.

HYPERTROPHY
For muscle hypertrophy to occur we need to
create acute muscle damage to then allow the
body to repair the damaged fibers. During
repair, the muscle fibers fuse together
increasing in mass and size. Ultimately we need
to break the booty to build the booty. Here are
a few guidelines which will help you pick your
weights to do this.
Lower repetitions between 4-12 reps
(depending on weight used), leans more
towards strength training and muscle
building - we want to choose weights that will
challenge our muscles. Picking the right weight
for your first time will require some trial and
error. The right amount of weight should have
you struggling towards the last 2-3 reps or by
the end of the set as a whole. The moment all
your reps feel 'manageable' then it's time to
move on. Check out my "Training Guide" for
weight suggestions depending on your fitness
level.

GLUTE ACTIVATION
Another reason why people don't feel their
glutes during a workout is because their glutes
aren't "awake" during their sessions. During
each session, I start you off with effective glute
activation exercises that are considered warm
ups and are going to wake those glutes up! This
is very important if you spend most of the day
sitting.
 NUTRITION

If you haven't already read my "Nutrition Guide",

I have complete nutritional information in there.
Eating a higher volume of protein will benefit
your booty growth. So now it's time to amp up
the intake! It's super quick and easy to drink a
post-workout protein shake BUT don't forget
that you can obtain all your protein needs from
just natural whole foods.

Training can drastically deplete macro and

micronutrients so it's important to give your
nutrition ample attention. I have recipes in the
"recipes" highlight bubble to inspire you and
help you through your journey.

My recipes are all gluten-free, refined sugar-

free, anti-inflammatory, and plant-based. Very
few recipes are not plant-based like the salmon
dishes and the occasional honey because they
are nourishing for our gut and overall health. All
my recipes can of course be adjusted to your
dietary preferences, for example, if you prefer
animal protein you can easily swap out the main
plant-based protein. I do use a lot of pulses
because they are amazing for our gut and are
high in protein.
REST, REPAIR, REBUILD

A rest day allows your body to consolidate the

hard work you've been doing. Muscles recover,
adapt and become stronger and your nervous
system has a chance to regenerate. Including
appropriate rest in your training program can
also help to prevent a workout plateau or
overtraining, which can lead to a workout
hangover.

We are going to be working super hard so stick

to the plan and don't over do it! By over training
you can actually be hindering your progress
more so than helping it. Our muscles do not
grow when we are working out. They grow when
we are sleeping and when they have proper
time to recover and rebuild.

Check out my "Training Guide" for more

information on rest!
SLEEP
Stop prioritizing fat burner tablets and skinny
teas and start prioritizing how long your head is
on a pillow. When you do not have adequate
sleep you start craving sugary foods for a
sudden energy spike, working out no longer
appeals to you, your hunger hormones become
unbalanced, you experience mood swings, your
motivation decreases, you experience increased
cortisol levels and raised insulin, or estrogen
levels leave you feeling anxious and puffy. In
other words, SLEEP!
 RESISTANCE BANDS

Resistance bands can be used to build muscle

as they offer resistance that your muscles fight
against and resist instead of having a rest
between reps. Training with a resistance band is
very different than using something like a
dumbbell. When using a resistance band, your
muscle is under constant tension. So the quality
and effectiveness of each rep will be improved.

Resistance bands also recruit stabilizing

muscles, making for a more well-rounded
workout. They can also be added to weighted
workouts to increase the intensity. They are
extremely versatile and can offer benefits from
muscle building to injury recovery. I always
recommend all beginners to start with
resistance bands. To get results, the key is to
apply MMC and PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
techniques.

Continue on the next page.

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD WITH BANDS
Use higher tension bands: Start with the
proper tension for your fitness level and
move up in resistance once the exercise has
become easy to do. For example, you
started with a light band and then you move
up to a medium band.
Time under tension (TUT) - Slow down each
rep.
Increase number of reps: Do higher reps in
order to promote muscle exhaustion. When
using resistance bands, you want to feel the
muscle contracting hard and at the end of
the set the muscle should be burning.
Increase number of sets: This means adding
extra sets to your training session. For
instance, if you’re used to doing 3 sets of 10
reps, aim for 4 sets the next time.

I offer my own brand of quality booty bands and

long resistance bands, called HERA, you can
find them through:

WWW.BESTSHAPEBYMARIA.COM/HERA
 TIPS TO DOMIATE
YOUR WORKOUT

SHOW UP WITH A PLAN - A ROUTINE READY TO

GO

SET REALISTIC GOALS TO STRIVE FOR, NOT

GOALS THAT WILL LEAD TO FAILURE

DON'T BE AFRAID TO PUSH YOURSELF

USE CORRECT FORM

EMBRACE THE PUMP AND STAY FOCUSED

DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS

BE PATIENT AND STAY CONSISTENT