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Buns of Steel

I see lots of ladies come through our doors with the goal of toning their bodies, particularly the glutes and thighs. Lately we have been pumping out heaps of articles on how to trim up using nutrition and supplementation, so I thought I’d write a training article focusing directly on strengthening and shaping the legs.

This routine is designed to work the whole lower body, with a particular focus on the glutes and thighs. I love this type of workout because, it not only improves strength and tone, but it also burns a lot of calories – win!

For anyone just starting out, focus on good form and don’t be too concerned about the amount of weight you are using, that will progress naturally.  I like to get in and out of the gym in under 60 mins, so I often include super sets in my workouts to make sure I’m getting the most bang for my buck! Super sets are also great to increase intensity and burn some extra calories.

For those not familiar with super sets, they are two exercises performed back to back with no rest in between. For example, the first super set in this workout is Hip Thrusts paired with a resistance band Monsta Walk. Basically after you perform 10 repetitions of Hip Thrusts you then put a small resistance bands around your ankles and complete 20 repetitions of the Monsta Walks. This is one super set. You then rest for 45-60 seconds before launching into the second Hip thrust/Monsta Walk super set. You will perform this super set three times.

Glute Routine:

EXERCISE VARIATION SETS & REPS
Sumo Deadlifts Regular shoulder width stance 1 x 15 reps (warm up)

 

3 x 10 reps

Hip Thrust SS

 

Monsta Walk (resistance band)

Super set hip thrust with Monsta Walks

 

 

3 x 10 reps (Hip Thrusts)

 

3 x 20 reps (Monsta Walk)

Kneeling Squats SS 

 

Weighted Step Ups

On smith machine, straight sets, Super set with Weighted Step-ups 3 x 10 reps

 

3 x 10 reps (each leg)

Romanian Deadlifts SS

 

Donkey Kicks (resistance band)

Super set Romanian deadlifts with Donkey Kicks 3 x 10 reps (Deads)

 

3 x 20 reps (Kicks)

 

Points to keep in mind while performing this routine:

  • If you are new to weight training or are just coming back from a little time off, drop the sets per exercise down to 2 sets of each instead of the 3 listed here.
  • The point of this routine is to  firm up and shape our glutes, so don’t be afraid to hold the contraction a few seconds and really squeeze the muscles.
  • If you haven’t used resistance bands before, it’s actually harder than it might look. They will encourage you to activate your muscles more, but don’t worry soon you’ll be an expert… Just remember to take your time and focus on really feeling the glutes work!

This is an example of just one of the routines I use weekly to improve the shape and tone of my legs… Need some more routines to shape the glutes

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Meegan has a passion for health and fitness, and has been a guest blogger here for several years now. She is the size of a small child and often has trouble reaching things from high shelves. She is also a massive fan of peanut butter... on everything.