On Developing the Glutes

by Dusty F.

Several people have commented lately on how toned I’m getting, so there must be some marked improvement. Encouraging! I want badly for the 7-second workout to work, because I have so little time for exercise and am a desk jockey by day.

I’m familiar with all the possible reasons you state for the condition of cellulite & know that firming up helps a lot. What 7-second isometric exercise targets the glutes, specifically?

I seem to feel the work in my hamstrings, but not the glutes (even the famous yoga “bridge pose”). I finally tried standing in a doorway, folding my working leg & pushing against the jamb behind me with a flexed foot. This felt more effective than anything else I’ve tried. I’m hoping you can suggest a couple more exercises, so I can dedicate one workout day to glutes.

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Jun 28, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		More on Glutes
by: Paul from Isometric-Training.com

I'm delighted to hear that other people have noticed the improvement to your appearance. All too often we fail to see the remarkable changes we make. After all it happens gradually all the time, and you are always with yourself so it's often harder for us to notice. I often recommend taking progress photos just so you can see how far you have come. Remember though that results are dictated by intensity, it's no good to just tense the muscles a little each day. Once must apply maximal effort during those few seconds. The more you put in the faster the the results, especially if you combine it with a healthy diet.

I know what you mean about having such little time. Aside from the website I run two full time business back to back - my personal training company from 5am till 1pm, and my medical practice opens from 2pm until 10pm 5 days a week. After that I have to work on the site, write articles for my medical and fitness columns, before checking on the other 55 online companies I own. I never have a second to myself ;-) BUT I can always find 5 to 10 minutes to train hard and intense.

The glutes muscles are primarily involved in 2 major contractions. The first is similar to your door jam press (a very effective technique by the way) involves pulling the leg upwards and towards the back. Thus ANY movement preformed pushing the ankle upwards and towards the back will contract the glutes (for instance the bridge when performed with a step angle does this, additionally if you squeeze hard). The other direction of contraction is to externally rotate the leg outwards. In other words if you squeeze the cheeks of the bum together your knees will rotate outwards. This is one of THE most effective techniques for training the glutes, simply squeezing as hard as you can! Their also involved in all squatting based exercises such as the wall chair.

I know I've mentioned the maxi ck exercises for the glutes before, have you tried them? How did you find them?
Jun 28, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Building a Butt and getting rid of cellulite
by: Paul from Isometric-Training.com

Hi Dusty,

Thanks for dropping me a line. Unlike many would be guru's out there - I won't lie to you. Currently there is no medical or even alternative therapy proven to work for cellulite. The problem is not with the muscle tissue, so your legs may become increasingly firm (and I am pleased to hear they are), but this unlikely to resolve the problem of cellulite.

Western Medicine (I'm a qualified in Western Clinical Medicine, and TCM, Acupuncture etc as well as my fitness qualifications) cannot currently treat cellulite, in fact they don't even know how it is caused!

At best guess cellulite could be caused by the composition and behavior of women's fat cells and the connective tissue. In basic terms, a woman's connective tissue is very inflexible and as women gain weight - that doesn't necessarily mean excess weight, their fat cells expand and bulge upwards towards the surface of the skin, giving the classic orange-peel appearance of cellulite. In men, not only is there generally less fat on the thighs, but also the outer skin is thicker and thus obscures what is happening to any surplus fat below.

As I mentioned before, the causes are poorly understood, and several changes in metabolism and physiology may cause cellulite or contribute to cellulite. Among these are a disorder of water metabolism, abnormal hyperpolymerization of the connective tissue, and chronic venous insufficiency.

Of course hormones play a dominant role in the formation of cellulite. Estrogen is the most important hormone. It seems to initiate, and aggravate cellulite. Other hormones including insulin, have been shown to participate in the development of cellulite.

The best advice I can give you is to continue your training and make a few changes to your diet. Excessive amounts of unhealthy fat, carbohydrates, salt, or too little fiber can all contribute to an increased cellulite.

Smoking, lack of exercise, fatty/starchy foods, and sitting or standing in a single position for long periods have all been correlated with an increase in cellulite. A high stress lifestyle will cause an increase in the catecholamine hormones.

Do your best to decrease these factors and hopefully it will have an impact o n the cellulite. Again, increasing lean muscle mass through isometrics will decrease weight and thus hopefully cellulite.
--
Yours,

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