Flex Flex_UK__March_2018 | Page 85

GLUTE TRAINING SEEMS TO BE THE ‘IN THING’ AT THE MOMENT, AND SOCIAL MEDIA IS FULL OF GLUTE TRAINING VIDEOS. LEICA SHOWS US THE BEST WAY TO BUILD KILLER GLUTES. /// BY LEICA GELSEI /// PHOTOGRAPHS BY LASZLO GELSEI E VERYONE HAS THEIR own theories, and in this article, I will outline mine. These have been formed through multiple hours of tried and tested workouts on athletes and committed individuals wanting the perfect hump. Everyone needs glutes, not just the girls, boys - you need some junk in your trunks too! A lot of good, basic lower body exercises do a great job of hitting the glutes and should be a fundamental part of any good leg routine. These exercises include: • Full squats • Deep leg presses (without the lower back coming away from the pad) • Deadlift (especially sumo) • Romanian deadlifts The key to getting the glutes to fire during the above exercises is activation in order for you to get the required stimulation. As I explained last month in my every day shoulders article, if an area needs some special attention I will actually get my clients to stimulate it every single day. Don’t forget- we need to stimulate the muscle group 5 days per week and annihilate it twice per week. The exercises I favour for stimulation are: • Modified Glute Bridges • Swiss Ball Raises (2 types) • Lunges • Standing Kick Backs So here goes: Every day do a Glute Activation workout. This will take around 5-10 minutes. Remember- the glute may be a big muscle but it doesn’t need big move- ments to get the best out of it. These exercises will assist in the development of a rounder and fuller glute, whilst aiding in the separation of the glute/ hamstring tie in. As with shoulders, this should be followed on a 5-day stimulation, 2-day annihilation basis. Pick one of the exercises below, performing 4 to 5 sets, with nothing less than 20 reps per set. On each day of stimulation, pick a different exercise. MARCH 2018 | FLEX 83