I like big butts and I cannot lie…
Building a strong and curvy backside has been all the rage over the last few years. As more people come into the gym to strength train using bars, plates, and dumbbells, they are learning a few key exercises that help them build strong bodies and shapely arms, legs, and butts.
Strength training does so much good for so many people. In my gym I encourage my clients to be MORE, not less: make animal noises; sweat and grunt; lift big weights and struggle and overcome and explore ways in which your body can be strong like you never thought possible.
Strength training builds strong bodies and strong minds: bringing awareness to just how awesome they are and how strong they can be. If doing all that comes with the side benefit of looking and feeling better, it’s no surprise why strength training is strongly embraced.
While there are a variety of ways to explore movement, lift weights, or build a strong and shapely body, there are five basic categories of movements that encompass them all:
The Five Basic Moves You Ought to Know
Depending on your coach or favorite fitness influencer, there may be more than these five, but I’m going to keep things simple.
These are the “seeds” that sprout branches of different types of movements.
A couple things: many of the exercises we choose are simple, but when loaded appropriately, very hard. Simple may be boring, but these staple exercises carry a lot of weight (pun intended) in terms of growing muscle, getting stronger, and burning calories. In no particular order, they are:
Hinge Squat Press Pull Carry
That’s it!
That’s the basic framework of every exercise we’re ever going to do in the gym. Knowing this, we can simplify how we view all the exercises at our disposal and create a challenging workout program that will deliver results. I’m going into more depth on each one, but in an effort to keep things concise, I’m dividing them up into its own blog post. Today we’re going to talk about the HINGE, which includes the deadlift, Romanian Deadlifts (RDL), and single leg RDLs:
In each of these variations, the primary muscles that we’re working are the glutes (butt), hamstrings, and low back. Each variation has its pros and cons, and can be swapped or adjusted depending on your comfort level and goals.
The hinge family of exercises will help build and shape the backside of your body. Not only will it build and shape your backside, but it could improve your sport performance and could build resilience in the muscles of your back, better protecting you when working or playing around the house, with kids, or on the court.
Who doesn’t want a good looking booty that makes you look good, feel good, and get stronger?
The style of hinge and when you put it into a workout depends on your training experience, your goals, and your comfort. I tend to use all of them for myself and my clients so that they have exposure and experience with them all, and maybe we decide from there how and when to use each one.
You choose! They all have pros and cons and all can fit nicely into your weekly workout routine.
That’s it for today, and more to come in the next few days! Thanks for being here, and I’ll talk to you soon!
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