Building A Shapely​ Booty

Are We Doing It All Wrong?!

- Amelia Ricci

Did you know that one of the most commonly searched fitness questions is ‘how to build a bigger, rounder booty?’ It’s also interesting to learn that the glute muscles are not just for aesthetics. Physiotherapists and Pilates instructors emphasise glute exercises because these muscles are a key stabiliser for your spine. And, in more recent years, bikini/ fitness competitors have also embraced this style of exercise. So, if you’re trying to get a rounder, more shapely booty it’s important to understand the muscles and which exercises are most effective. GLUTE WORKOUTS AND HOW WE GOT IT WRONG

You might remember Jane Fonda – she wore a leotard and leg warmers, and was famous for her glute-burning leg routines, with women across the world copying her style! Fast forward a few decades and every fitness guru has moved on from these lighter routines to favour heavy squats, lunges and deadlifts for their booty-sculpting routine.

As a personal trainer and bikini competitor who loves lifting heavy, I’ve always found best results from a combination of Pilates and heavy weights, but it wasn’t until recent years that using both styles of exercises became popular.

We now have proof that heavy leg work does not necessarily build the glutes. Bret Contreras measured muscle activation during maximal lifts, for example squats, in his PhD research and showed that whilst the glutes are involved there are many alternative exercises that primarily target the glutes.