Can you lunge your way to a firmer, rounder backside? With so much emphasis on rounded booties, the desire to reshape the booty has never been stronger. The glutes are the largest muscle group on your frame, and three muscles that make up this group are the workhorses of the body. When you walk, climb stairs, play sports, and do most activities, your glutes generate the strength and power to do these tasks safely and effectively. When you have strong glutes, you can generate more speed and jump higher.
Strong glutes also protect against lower back pain. When we sit too much, as most people do, your hip flexors tighten and the opposing muscles, the hamstrings and glutes lengthen and weaken. This creates a muscle imbalance that contributes to “lazy glutes” and, potentially, lower back pain. Strong glutes also help stabilize your pelvis. When your pelvis is stable, it reduces your risk of knee and ankle pain and injuries. So work those glutes consistently not just for aesthetic reasons but for the functional benefits having strong glutes offers.
Lunges for Building Glute Strength
One popular exercise that targets the lower body is lunges and lunge variations. Along with squats, lunges are an exercise that makes up a balanced booty workout.
A well-developed gluteus maximus is what gives your backside its shape because it’s the most superficial. As mentioned, you also have two smaller muscles called the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. These muscles contribute less to the shape of your buttocks but are critical for function. Without the interplay of these muscles, you couldn’t walk or run as these muscles extend your leg back behind you. They also give you forward thrust when you walk and rotate your femur, or upper thigh bone, internally and externally.
Although squats work the glutes, along with the quads and hamstrings, lunges require more activation of the gluteus medius for stabilization since you’re bearing your weight on one leg. Squats and lunges both use glutes, quads, and hamstrings. However, a single leg exercise, such as a lunge, activates more than the gluteus medius muscle to stabilize. Here’s a trick to make lunges more glute intensive. Lean forward when you lunge. A forward lean forces the glutes and hamstrings to work harder, whereas holding your body straight places more emphasis on the quads. So, lean forward a bit when you lunge to emphasize the glutes and hamstrings more.
You’re probably already quite familiar with how to do a standard lunge.
· Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
· Lift your right foot off the floor and extend it out in front of you.
· Lower your hips toward the floor until both knees are at a 90-degree angle.
· Then, come back up in a controlled manner.
· Repeat with the other leg.
As you descend into a lunge, your weight should be in your heels and your knee should be directly over your ankle as you lunge. Also, your back knee shouldn’t touch the floor. Work on perfecting your form before adding weights.
Lunge Variations for Glute Strength and Development
After you’ve mastered a standard lunge, you can introduce lunge variations into your routine. But which ones are best for glute development? Standard lunges are NOT the best move for developing the largest muscle in your lower body, the gluteus maximus and if you only do standard lunges, you’ll limit your glute development.
Why is a standard lunge not an effective exercise for targeting your glutes? It’s primary a quad-focused exercise. However, another lunge variation, the reverse lunge, targets the glutes a bit more. But, don’t place too much faith in the reverse lunge either. During a reverse lunge, the glutes are targeted only isometrically. This means reverse lunges aren’t ideal for strengthening the glutes, although it’s better than a standard lunge.
Walking Lunges
Walking lunges work the gluteus maximus but also recruit the gluteus medius more than forward and reverse lunges. Because you’re moving through space when you do a walking lunge, you activate the gluteus medius muscles to help you stay balanced. According to Bret Contreras “The Glute Guy,” you can increase the glute benefits of this exercise by moving your leg outward 30 degrees diagonally with each step so that you’re stepping out zig-zag style. Also, use a longer stride.
Split Squats
It might be called a squat, but this movement is similar to a lunge because you place one foot in front of the other. To make the exercise even more glute worthy, raise your front foot off the floor when you do the movement by placing it on a bench several inches high. The elevated foot places more emphasis on the gluteus maximus and also recruits the gluteus medius more to help you stabilize.
Another variation of split squats is the ultra-tough Bulgarian split squat. It is an effective glute exercise, particularly for strengthening the gluteus medius. To do one, elevate your back leg on a bench when you squat. When you elevate your back leg, it works your core more and stabilizing muscles more as you have to work to stay balanced.
Beyond Lunges
Lunges should be part of your glute routine, but they aren’t the best exercise for glute development. Neither are squats and deadlifts. For a balanced glute workout, do a variety of exercises that emphasize hip extension, hip external rotation, and hip abduction. For that reason, include these exercises in your glute-strengthening routine as well:
· Hip thrusts, including single-leg hip thrusts
· Glute bridges, including single-leg glute bridges
· Fire hydrants
· Quadruped hip extensions
· Bird dogs
· Step-ups
In an American Council on Exercise study that used EMG data, quadruped hip extensions activated the gluteus maximus muscles more than other common glute exercises they tested, even without using added resistance. Something to think about if you want stronger, more defined glutes!
The Bottom Line
Lunges, especially if you modify them by leaning forward and doing reverse and walking lunges, can improve the shape of your booty, but they aren’t the best exercise for doing so. Build stronger, firmer groups by doing a variety of movements.
References:
· American Council on Exercise. “Glutes to the Max”
· Men’s Health. “How to Modify Your Lunges for Greater Glute Gains”
· J Sport Rehabil. 2010 Feb;19(1):57-70.
Related Articles:
Front vs Back Lunges: What Are the Advantages of Each?
5 Movement Patterns to Master for Greater Functional Strength
More Than a Leg Exercise: 5 Reasons to Love Lunges
Do You Hate Squats and Lunges?
Are You Making These Common Lunge Mistakes?
Squats vs. Lunges: Which is Better for Glute Development?
Squats vs. Lunges: Which is Better for Glute Development?
Which Squat Variations Target the Glutes the Most?
Glute Power! Why You Need Hip Thrusts in Your Routine
What Happens When the Largest, Strongest Muscle in Your Body is Weak
Are You Making These Mistakes When You Train Your Glutes?
What Are the Best Exercises to Boost Flat Buttocks?
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
STS Strength 90 Day Workout Program
All of Cathe’s Strength & Toning Workout DVDs
Total Body Workouts
Lower Body Workouts
