Here we go with week 2 of our 4-week glute training month. If you missed week 1, make sure you check it out here. Each week will build on the following week, so do take a few minutes and check out last week’s post to get the full scoop.
Today we’re moving on and getting into some actual exercises that will make that booty pop. Hopefully, by now you all know what it feels like to turn on your glutes. How fun right? Now we’re talking about the hip hinge, which is the fundamental movement all great glute exercises are based on.
What the heck is a hip hinge?
A hip hinge is anytime you flex and/or extend through your hip joint. Think about sticking your butt back while you keep you knees straight – that’s a hip hinge. It should never be confused with a squat. In a squat, you bend through your hips and your knees. In a squat, your lower body is going up and down. In a hip hinge, your lower body is going back and then forward. It’s very different.
With a hip hinge, you only bend through your hips. See the videos below.
Ok, so why should you care?
Doing a proper hip hinge will allow you to perform the most effective glute exercises out there. And as we mentioned in our last post, if you are consistant with the most effective glute exercises over time, you will without a doubt transform your backside.
Learning the hip hinge is vital to glute training. Doing a proper hip hinge will teach you how to awaken and strengthen your most powerful muscle in the body, the glutes!
Deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and squats – three of the most effective glute exercises – all require a good hip hinge.
How to properly do a hip hinge
Learning the hip hinge can be a little tricky if you’re not familiar with the motion. It might feel awkward the first few times, but just stick with it. The key is to maintain a good flat back as you stick your butt out behind you. Here are two of my favorite ways to teach the hip hinge.
Stand with your heels about 4-5 inches away from a wall. With you knees slightly bent, press your hands into the front of your hips and stick your butt back to the wall. You want to try and keep the knee bend constant throughout the hip hinge. The core remains tight and you should feel a nice stretch through the hamstrings as you fold forward. Stand up tall and squeeze the heck out of your butt. That’s a hip hinge.
Another way to make sure you’re keeping a good back position is to use a dowel rod or stick down your back.
Place the dowel rod down the length of your spine. The key with this one is to maintain 3 points of contact as your hip hinge. You want the back of the head, the middle back and the lower back all touching the rod. This will make sure you’re in a good position.
Moving on to the deadlift!
Once you get the hinge down, then it’s time to add a little weight and really get those glutes working! Remember from last week’s post, those big glute muscles respond really well to weights. Doing body weight exercise are good, but if you really want your backside to pop, you’ll need to lift some weight.
And if you’re still buying into the myth that lifting weights will make you bulky, you need to just stop that. Read this this, this, this, and this.
Single leg deadlift (AKA non-surgical butt lift)
Check out today’s video. It’s a Single Leg Deadlift. My friend and kettlebell rockstar here in Encinitas, CA Lauren Brooks calls this one the non-surgical butt lift. I like that name, NSBL. This is a must if you want great glutes.
Next week we’ll dive into some of the programming of glute training. How many reps should you do? How about sets? How often should you train glutes? I’ll also give you a sample workout you can do. All that good stuff coming next Thursday.
Until next time, happy glute training.
Nick
P.S. Also be on the look out for our Better Bikini Bum Program(#BBB) launching July 13th. Interested in more info, click here. Or better yet, sign-up here for special discounts.
