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Butt-busting myths about the glutes

This is an excerpt from Functional Core for Women by Kia Williams.

There’s a lot of misinformation about how to train your glutes to get the performance or appearance that you want from these muscles. What’s true, and what’s not? Let’s set the record straight on three common misbeliefs.

Myth 1: Do Squats to Grow Your Butt
Fact: The squat is a great exercise to help increase strength in the muscles of your lower half, but it is not the most effective glute-building exercise. Glute building works better when combining the squat with other exercises such as the deadlift, hip bridge, and hip abduction. Squats help strengthen your glutes, which can result in the appearance of definition, lift, fullness, and roundness of your butt. Genetics actually plays a big role in the shape and size of your butt. If it does not run in your family, then it will be a harder gain for you. The silver lining is that since the glutes are muscles, muscle hypertrophy is possible. However, you have to lift heavy weights and tax the gluteal muscle fibers to accomplish that kind of muscle growth.

Myth 2: You Can Fake It
Fact: For photographic purposes, you can practice poking your booty up and out (anterior pelvic tilt), crunch in your lower back, step one leg forward, and put a crease in your hip to have an appearance of a rounder and bigger butt. But not only is that posture a lot of work, the compression on your lower back is painful. Once the picture is taken and posted online, what will be your explanation for the not-so-plump butt in real life? It is a temporary, superficial fix. Another way to fake it is through surgery, which comes at a high price to your wallet and your health. Butt augmentations come with life-threatening risks that may not be worth the gamble.

Myth 3: Increasing Calories to Increase the Size of a Specific Body Part Is the Answer
Fact: There is no such thing as spot gain. In general, increased caloric intake in excess of what the body burns will result in overall weight gain. It is impossible to signal to the food being consumed and digested to store itself as fat in specified areas. Your best chance at changing the shape of your butt is through balanced nutrition coupled with purposeful exercise.

More Excerpts From Functional Core for Women

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