Why Sir Mix Alot is right

Posted on by Steve Hall

(_E=MC2_)

Above is a Smart Ass, it isn’t an ordinary butt, to be an educated bottom is a great thing, and as we are being brainy lets start calling them glutes. The glutes are one of the most underrated muscle groups by your typical gym goer, but they perform many vital roles for powerlifters, bodybuilders, footballers, gymnasts, men and women…the list goes on.

What role do the glutes play?

  • Help with knee stability.
  • Secure the joints of the lower back, helping prevent pain.
  • Extend the hips.
  • Externally rotate the hips.

So we can see the glutes really have some vital roles, not only do they play a major part in sprinting, lunging, squatting, deadlifting etc. but they help keep us healthy by securing our knees and lower back.

Plus in the words of Sir Mix Alot “my anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hun”….

How to build a Smart Ass
So now we know how important the glutes are I am going to go over how to maximise their development. According to Bret Contreras your weapon of choice should be the hip thrust. Bret does a terrific video explanation that can be viewed here.

The Hip Thrust
To get better glutes than average, you need to do more than the lay person. Great glutes require work and sacrifice, hip thrusts are not the most glamorous or comfortable exercise, but they work the butt like nothing else.

Here is your step by step guide on performing the hip thrust:

  1. You will need a bench, barbell and a pad or matt. Get some olympic size weights on the bar, place the bench against a secure platform.
  2. Get down into position, placing your back against the bench, just below your shoulder blades. Get the pad and place it around the barbell. Roll the bar over yourself and rest it on your pubic bone
  3. Your stance wants to be around hip to shoulder width apart, with toes forward or pointing slightly out.
  4. Wedge yourself into this position, that means get nice and snug, and before you begin the lift take a deep breath and brace your core.
  5. Make sure you push through your heels, by raising up onto you heels you may find you get more glute activation.
  6. Be sure to fully extend, locking out the hips.
  7. Shins should remain roughly vertical at the top of the lift, do not allow your knees to extend over your toes.
  8. Make reps fluid and smooth and control the negative portion of the rep, coming to mid-air or all the way to the ground.
  9. Really focus on pushing with the glutes and hold the final rep at full extension for 3-10 seconds.
  10. You performed a successful round of thrusts :).

You can programme this lift into your workouts in many different ways, just like any exercise, you can do straight sets, pyramid sets, rep max sets or plus sets etc. I recommend whatever you do you periodise this exercise, to help develop the glutes best.

For example: Week 1 – 3×15, Week 2 – 4×10, Week 3 – 5×5 and repeat.

Now you have one key move that will take you towards building that Smart Ass! There are a huge number of varieties, all brilliant in their own way.

Join Team Revive in the current trend that is the #hipthrustselfie and thrusting, Sir Mix Alot, your spouse and lifts will thank you for it #ReviveStronger

Further Reading: