HOME: Glutes & Hamstrings

Glutes & Hamstrings

1. Sumo Squat – 12 reps – 4 sets
2. Romanian Deadlift – 10 reps – 4 sets
3. Hip Thrusts – 10 reps – 5 sets
4. Reverse Lunges – 8 reps each leg – 4 sets
5. Hip Abductors – until failure – 3 sets

Sumo Squat

Position your feet in a wide stance a few inches outside your shoulders with your toes pointed slight outward, doing this will help force your knees out. You never want your knees to be caving in at any time, you also don’t want your knees coming over your toes. Sit back into your heels as you squat down. Brace your core and keep your chest up with your chin tucked, this will help keep your spine in aline and keep your back from arching. Hold the dumbbell with both hands in-between your legs and relax your arms.

Romanian Deadlift 

Focus on pushing your hips back with a slight bend in your knees and bringing the dumbbells straight down your shins. Keep your head down, neutral with your spine, looking up and bringing your head up will put more pressure on your lower back so make sure your looking down or tucking your chin.

Hip Thrusts 

Perform this exercise with weight and a band. Place your feet hip width apart and not too far away from your body, when you press up it should make about a 90 degree angle. Its very important to make sure you are not arching your back as you thrust up and also to not let it arch as you bring the weight down. I find it helps me to lift my toes a bit and really push through my heels to make sure I am isolating my glutes as much as possible.

Reverse Lunges 

Holding a dumbbell in each hand step back with one leg so both your knees should be in about a 90° angle. When coming up you want to push through your front heel. The farther you step back the more you will be engaging your hamstrings and glutes and the closer your step back is the more you will be engaging your quads. As you can see when I step back my chest is slightly leaned forward, this is engaging also more glutes and hamstrings whereas keeping your torso more up right will engage more quads. This exercise should be performed very slow and controlled really focusing on keeping your core tight and pushing up through your heel.

Hip Abductors

Seated with your feet together and a band a couple inches above your knees. Push your knees out against the band and as far out as you can and get a good squeeze. Slowly bring your knees back together and repeat.