We’ll tell you what kind of “iron” you need to combine with what exercises so that the back view can compete with the front view.
Let’s be honest, there is only one way to get your butt into shape like Pippa Matthews-Middleton (but not Kim Kardashian!) – fitness. This is especially necessary for those of us who spend all 7 working hours in an office chair. Alena Domanskaya, a trainer at the Raketa fitness club chain, two-time champion of Moscow, champion of Russia in fitness bikini, explained and showed which machines in the gym help pump up your buttocks and how to do the exercises correctly so that they give noticeable results.
Squat on the Smith Machine
Experienced athletes usually do such squats with a regular barbell on their shoulders, but beginners find it difficult to maintain balance. They often start doing the exercises incorrectly, which can be harmful to health. Thanks to the runners, the Smith Machine helps to keep the barbell horizontal during squats and perform the exercise correctly.
- Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, pelvis back, knees bent. The knee joint should not go beyond the toe. It is better to move the elbows slightly forward so that they are parallel to the body.
- We perform the exercise: squat-stand, and try to “squeeze” the body upward with our heels. The knees should be kept apart so that the load goes to the buttocks, and not to the quadriceps.
- Inhale at the bottom, exhale at the top. In no case should you fully straighten your knees, so as not to injure the knee joint and constantly maintain static tension.
“Smith machines” usually have a minimum weight of 10-25 kg. And this is quite enough for a beginner (with time the load can be increased). To begin with, it is enough to do 12-15 repetitions in 3 sets.
Lying leg press
- Lie down on the machine. Press your body, pelvis and lower back completely to the bench. Raise your legs and rest your heels on the platform. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider if your flexibility allows. Your toes should be turned out and your heels should be moved inward (if you have long legs, your toes can be slightly extended beyond the edges of the platform).
- We push the platform away from ourselves, then press it towards ourselves. In this position, we spread our knees apart. We watch our breathing: exhale with effort, inhale with relaxation. Just like in any exercise, we do not straighten the knee joint completely, maintaining static tension.
For beginners, the weight should be small ─ dose the load. Do 12-15 repetitions in 3 sets.
Leg swings
- For these exercises, we use the Crossover machine. We insert the right leg into a special loop, select the minimum weight that is used to warm up the muscles. The left leg is the supporting leg, keep the body tilted. We watch the pelvis, do not turn it during movements, it should be in a straight position.
- We move the right leg back slightly diagonally to put a load on the gluteus medius muscle, and fix the position. The toe is slightly moved to the side. At the end point, exhale and hold for a few seconds to feel the tension in the gluteus muscle. We return the leg back, slightly bent at the knee, so that the gluteus muscle is slightly stretched.
In no case do we put the weight all the way down to maintain static tension. We perform 12-15 repetitions in 3 sets.
Seated Leg Press
- The exercise is similar to the leg press, but on this machine the toes must extend beyond the edges of the platform so that the load goes to the buttocks, not the quadriceps. The body must be kept straight, and we also press the pelvis, back and lower back tightly.
- Hold the handles and perform the exercise without fully straightening your knees. You can lift your toes off the platform so that the load goes to your heel. When returning the platform, your knees must be spread apart.
We monitor the weight (it should be small) and perform 12-15 repetitions in 3 sets.
Knee abduction
- The most important thing in this machine is to maintain the correct position. The body should be tilted forward, and the lower back should be slightly arched. It is necessary to ensure that the calf muscles do not engage in the work, and the knees do not come off the pads.
- We spread our legs, pause and exhale long until the end. We bring our legs together, but again, not all the way, maintaining static tension.
To avoid lower back problems, you should work with a light weight: as soon as the weight increases, the lower back changes position. Beginners are recommended to use no more than 40 kg on this machine. But it should not be too easy either. Conclusion: look for a weight that suits you. Sometimes it takes time to set up the machine correctly. Perform 12-15 repetitions in 3 sets.