Glute work has been gaining prominence in the world of fitness and physical exercise in recent years, both in men and women, although especially in the latter. It is not just a matter of aesthetics, but also a physiological one, since the gluteus is the largest muscle in the body and is essential to perform all types of movements such as walking, running and climbing stairs. Furthermore, it plays an essential role in maintain an upright posture and avoid compensations in the back.

In reality, «the gluteus maximus «It is what gives volume to the gluteus, which is what all women want,» says the physical trainer. Robinson Azocar on the Frente el Espejo podcastwhere he also explains that «it is a very strong muscle that is always active, when we walk, when we move…» That is why he assures that «in order to stimulate it you have to work with very intense loads«

The 4 best exercises to work glutes

Here are the four exercises that are best for get more volume in the gluteusaccording to the expert.

Squat

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«My recommendation is always work squats as a base when we want a big glute,» says the trainer. Of course, remember to work them slowly in both the descent and ascent phases to achieve better results.

hip thrust

«The hip thrust is a training that focuses a lot of work on the gluteus maximus, it is very analytical, but if you combine it with a squat in the same session is a key combination«explains the expert. «We can do them in supersets, in a row or by first working 3-4 sets of hip thrust and then squats,» according to the coach.

Lunges

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According to the expert, the lunge or stride is a key exercise for the development of the hip extensorsamong which is the gluteus maximus.

glute kick

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According to Azocar, a more analytical movement is the quadruped hip extensionalso known as a glute kick, according to the coach. It is an exercise that can be done with anklets, dumbbells or pulley.

How many repetitions to do?

As to whether it is better to work with more sets or fewer sets with more repetitionsthe expert clarifies that «we have both oxidative fibers that work with many repetitions, and more glycolytic, more anaerobic fibers, which work with more intensity and fewer repetitions.» Although there are some people who have more of one and less of the other, the coach recommends working a combination of both intensities.

And the expert assures that by doing many repetitions we can have a volume of muscle mass, but also by doing fewer repetitions with more weight. «You have to combine the two intensities,» he emphasizes.

Of course, he insists that we have to have an ideal volume to stimulate the area we want to develop, in this case, the legs or buttocks.

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Work to failure

According to the coach, «scientific evidence has shown that it doesn’t matter if you do 20 repetitions of squats or if you do 10 to failure. The only important thing is that you reach that failurethat is, that repetition in which you cannot do one more correctly.» Thus, he assures that, «working to muscle failure, doing 10 squat repetitions or doing 20, it doesn’t matter.»

Likewise, the expert points out that if we want to achieve hypertrophy, we have to perform 8 to 12 repetitions«but we cannot always remain at a linear intensity because we stagnate.» That is why he advises oscillate in the intensity of the workouts.

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