Project Build-a-Butt - Level 2: Strengthening

This level is about starting to use your newly burning butt in more functional movement patterns. Because, let's be honest none of us get injured when we are lying on our side, but when we are standing up, walking, running and doing all the weird and wonderful things our bodies can do. That's when things start to get sore. To keep our hips stable we need to make sure our glutes our now working when we are in these positions.

In doing so our bodies will become more stable, stronger and powerful.

If you are just moving up from the level one exercises, you might find you need to continue using those exercises as a warm up for the following (I like to call this level 1 1/2).

See our full post for Level One here: Level One: Activation

Because all these exercises are done in standing it is important to be aware of how you are standing- as this is the whole purpose of these exercises.

The picture of me on the left shows me standing in the ideal position for these exercises. My hips are level and my knee is tracking over my second toe- my glutes, core and quads are all working to keep me balanced and strong. The picture on the right shows the most common mistakes that people tend to make (especially us girls with our wider hips). On my weight bearing leg I am popping my hip out and hanging off my ligaments and ITB rather then using my muscles. This is causing my knee to cave inwards and although you can't see it, it also makes my foot pronate.

1) Single Leg Swiss Ball Squats

These are normally the best to start with for this level as they normally always work :-).

Set Up:

• Put the swiss ball against the wall resting in the small of your back

• Walk your feet forwards so that you are leaning heavily into the ball, with most of your weight through your heels & lift one foot off the ground

• Squat as deep as you can maintain control

• While squatting try to roll yourself UNDER the ball (as opposed to rolling up and down), this will stop your knee from tracking forwards over your toe.

• Watch out for your knee collapsing inwards (if this happens you can put a theraband around your knees and focus on stretching the band while you squat) and put your hands on your hips to make sure they stay level.

NOTE: if you lose your balance you might want to use a broomstick to maintain your balance

2) Scooters

This is possibly my all time favourite exercise. It doesn't require any equipment and it mimics the pattern we should use during the stance phase of running and walking. Unfortunately it is also one of the most fiddly to get your glutes burning as your quads and hip flexors can easily do the work.

Set Up:

• To start with, perform this exercise standing next to something that you can hold onto (as your glutes probably won't be strong enough to hold this position without some support)

  • Stand on evenly on both legs and sit down into a squat

  • Keep your shins vertical and push your butt back like you are sitting on the toilet

  • Get a firm grip onto your support and shift all your weight onto the leg closest to the support.

  • as you shift your weight make sure that your weight bearing leg doesn't change position (push your knee out and pull your hip in)

• Keep your knee cap aiming over your second toe and don't let it track forwards over your toes & use your glutes to stop your hip from popping out

  • If everything is going well you might even feel some burn in your glutes already (don't worry if you can't - as you get better your glutes will start to fire earlier)

• Tap your other leg behind you, then bring it back forwards to the start position- all while keeping your weight bearing leg still (if you are unable to hold the position-> try and lean more onto your arms)

• Start counting your x 20 reps as soon as you feel your glutes working (don't count until you are feeling some burn!)

Progression: when you can feel your glutes burning earlier, start taking away some of the upper body support. The goal is to be able to do this exercise with no support.

3) Monster walk

Now we are starting to get fancy and not only are you going to get your glutes burning while standing but also while walking.

Set-Up

• Put a theraband just above your knees (if you have two of these, pop one around your ankles)

• Standing hip width apart drop down into a squat

• Take a small step to the side. As you step lead with your knee. This will keep your hip, knee and ankle aligned.

• Step your other leg back to hip width (no closer)

• Watch out for standing up/down as you step, try and keep your head at the same height at all times.

4) Limpy walk

Perhaps not the coolest looking exercise but soooooooo good!! This bad boy has been fine tuned from my days as a "athlete".

Don't try this one until you have got your scooter down-pat.

Set-up

• Put a theraband around your knees (and ankles if you have 2)

• Start in the same position as you would for scooters

• Reach one leg back behind you and shift ALL your weight onto your front heel

• You know need to pretend that your back leg is broken as you don't want to put much weight through it (I like to stand on my tip-tip toes as this makes it uncomfortable to stand on)

• With your back leg take a 1/2 step forwards- then on your tip-tip toes "limp" forwards with your other leg.

And there you have it! If you can master these, you'll be well on your way to a strong and bootilicious butt!