Shape your butt like a peach with these exercises and foods for the glutes

We all wish for a toned butt, don’t we? But building and toning glutes requires consistent exercise and nutritious dietary intake.
a woman measuring her toned glutes
Hip thrusts are a great way to pump up your glutes! Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Simrun Chopra Published: 6 Oct 2021, 10:00 am IST
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Glutes are the biggest muscles in the body and arguably the most important. They’re not only responsible for shaping our lower body, but also important for supporting the hips, core, and back. These muscles help to provide stability and prevent injury. If you are looking to reduce back pain, knee pain, or improve athletic performance, then your answer lies in strengthening your glutes.

So, if this muscle group is so important, then why do so many of us neglect our glutes? Well, it’s very often because we don’t know how to develop them properly.

Developing and toning glutes

Many people claim regularly to have grown their glutes in just a few days. It appears that you don’t even need to work out or eat healthy, and your glutes just magically grow with no effort at all. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but bigger glutes in just a few days is a myth that needs to be busted. Irrespective of the tall claims made by some people, toning and developing glutes requires physical training at least thrice a week, consisting of glute-specific exercises.

The time it takes to grow your glutes varies from person to person. If you decide to adopt a healthy diet and regularly exercise, then within a month you could start to see tangible results.

toned butt
Tone your butt with these expert-recommended tips! Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Exercises for strengthening glutes

From regular squats, hip thrusts, to lateral banded walks, these exercises can help strengthen glutes:

Squats: Squats are an excellent, well-rounded lower body exercise that helps in working out our quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, abdominal muscles, and spinal erectors.

Hip thrusts: It is also called bridges, and can be done within the comfort of our home, to strengthen the glutes.

Lateral banded walks: You can do this exercise by placing a resistance band around your legs, just above the knees. If you want to increase the difficulty, place the band below your knees and above your ankles.

Ideally, it is best to work with a fitness professional who will develop a well-rounded program for you. The structure and progressive intensity of the fitness program are key to achieving optimal results. Exercising your glutes can help improve mobility and also strengthen the supporting muscles.

Common mistakes to avoid

It is natural to be frustrated if you are training the glutes but not seeing results. Therefore, we need to avoid some common mistakes:

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Concentrate on core muscles: When exercising, we neglect working out our core muscles, which are present in the mid-section and glutes. If your core isn’t engaged while performing glute exercises, your pelvis will rotate anteriorly, putting more load onto your quads and calves.

squats
Toning up your glutes takes work but it is worth it. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Add resistance: Not using sufficient resistance is another major drawback. Endless numbers of repetitions are of no use until and unless you employ significant resistance, which should be enough to help add muscle mass to the glutes.

Another major mistake is not adding glute-specific exercises and not feeling your glutes in a particular move. The mind muscle connection is imperative to all exercises but takes time to develop.

How a nutritious diet can help build and tone glutes

Building bigger glutes begins in our very own kitchen. High-quality nutritious whole food with adequate protein can help enhance lean muscle retention and gain. Here, the way your macros are split play a key role in overall results.

A quick tip: Make sure you consume adequate complex carbs post a good lower body workout.

Try to include eggs in your diet as they are highly nutritious and provide plenty of selenium, vitamin B12, and phosphorus. Vegetarians can focus on lentils, legumes, soy, and dairy products for adequate protein.

To summarize, increase the intake of protein-rich foods and ensure you focus on strengthening the entire lower body while performing glute-specific exercises regularly. Remember ladies, gaining lean muscle mass takes time and consistency!

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About the Author

Simrun Chopra, a certified Deep Health Coach and the Founder of Nourish with Sim, uses evidence-based methods to help you achieve your health goals. Her philosophy follows the principle of ‘Mindful eating’ and developing a sustainable lifestyle that can be followed by anyone independent of the profession. She combines the melding of exercise that constitutes only 30 mins of your day and realistic eating habits to create a balanced health & fitness-oriented approach that is easy to implement. Her programs focus on you and work with the foods you are familiar with & eat every day, removing the need to make drastic changes to the way you eat or live. It is all about making you happier, healthier, and stronger. ...Read More

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