Gema García Marcos
Updated Saturday, March 23, 2024-08:24
Body Why you should be worried about having a flat butt and what you can do to avoid it
Body These are the best exercises to lift, strengthen and give volume to the glutes
"Those of us who are
genetically designed to 'not have' an ass
(and I put myself in that bag) have to
train our glutes very intensely
to give them a little volume," says Diego Calvo, personal trainer. So to start. And the bath of reality, although it may fall on us like a stone, is appreciated, because, with false promises and unrealizable plans, we are already overloaded.
Based for more than a decade in Los Angeles (California), a city where he sculpts the 'mountain bodies' of models, actors, actresses, politicians and high-class businessmen, Calvo is more than used to dealing with this 'culomania' on a daily basis. which has turned
voluminous buttocks
into an
object of desire
that many men and women aspire to possess, no matter what the cost... even if it is 'tacky'.
And, at this point (that of the 'sticky' butts), it is worth remembering, once again, that beyond its aesthetic appeal, this powerful muscle group performs very
important anatomical functions
. Guarantors of correct postural hygiene, drivers of our movement and keys to our performance, both in sports and in everyday life, powerful glutes are invaluable allies against back pain and, although it may sound strange, knee pain (something which the 'runners' know well).
Gorka Sampedro
The problem, and we know it even if we don't want to see it, is that
we have believed that our glutes are cushions
on which we spend our lives sitting. And, imprisoned against the chair, little by little,
they lose the collagen and elastin
they need to maintain their structural function which, together with the lack of activation, makes our butts languish.
To all this we should add another detail: that
genetics also plays a key role in the development of muscles
, as Diego Calvo points out at the beginning of this report. That is to say, some of us will never be able to have the ass of Rafa Nadal or Jennifer López (or similar) no matter how much we try to do squats.
What we can aspire to is to give a little 'joy' to our buttocks. What are the keys to achieving this 'great little miracle' of fitness? "You have to put in
a lot of load
, choose the
most powerful exercises,
taking maximum care of the
technique
with which we execute them and, also,
do things well beyond from the gym
," says Calvo
What exercises are we talking about? "For me, the basic ones are the
deadlift
, the
squat
and the
'hip thrust'
(hip lift), obviously, all of them with load. Although I would also add the
lunges
, the
gluteus hyperextension
and, to finish, the
'donkey' .
kicks
'".
His recommendation, "work this muscle group
two days a week
. For example, on Tuesdays and Fridays, to leave the necessary time between both sessions to facilitate
adequate recovery
of the activated area." And on those days, she continues, "we should also
do leg work
, with quadriceps extension work, for example, and some other exercise that we like.
Calvo clarifies that "the deadlift and the hip lift have to be
two fixed exercises in both sessions
. And I would alternate lunges and squats from day to day. A good goal would be to complete
four sets of between 15 and 20 repetitions
, the most close to possible failure".
But, be careful, 'working it out' in the gym is not enough. You also have to work hard outside of it. "It is essential
to take care of your diet
. Logically, if we want to achieve an increase in muscle volume we need to maintain a caloric surplus that helps us build that mass."
And, of course, rest: "It is essential
to give our body the night's rest it needs to recover from the wear and tear
of the day and, in this way, be able to better manage everything we have to face." Because, as he warns us, "if
we do not sleep for the time or with the quality we need,
our mood will fluctuate like a roller coaster, our stress will increase and, consequently, our
cortisol levels
, something that affects directly on muscle growth.
WARNING:
before starting any training program, it is advisable to consult a qualified professional to guide us on its suitability based on our age, physical condition and objectives. And, of course, we must listen to and respond to our body's calls for attention and stop at any symptom of discomfort, dizziness or pain.