The Lunge is the way to go for a great butt for men and women. It will build rock hard glutes. This strength in the hips is vital for sports and also critical as we age. Do not overlook the lunge when in the gym, on the ball field or in the home. Be sure to keep it in your training program.
SPLIT SQUAT
Take a wide stance forward and drop on down. It is a great way to introduce the lunge pattern into your repertoire of movements. I often like to have people put a chair or bench in front of their forward leg to help show them how to drop down properly. Make sure you are ready to be a little sore the next day or two if this is your first time with these. They really do work.
FORWARD/WALKING LUNGE
Now we get into some more dynamic movement. Learning to stride forward and accept weight with great form is essential to stabilizing the hips and spine. This will have great carryover to sport and working around the house to prevent injury. Progress into the walking lunge only when you have mastered the forward lunge. It is a large jump to the nervous system, as will all of the following lunges, if the basics are not completed first.
FRONT 45 DEGREE LUNGE, SIDE LUNGE, BACK 45 DEGREE LUNGE, REVERSE LUNGE
These are all great for learning to accept weight at different angles and certainly keep you very strong. If they become easy adding them in with a medicine ball twist can certainly spice them up and really strengthen the core.
CURTSY LUNGE
I put this one separate from the others as I feel it has a unique benefit. The way that it is able to stretch the glute and hip external rotators when under load is tremendous. This has great importance as many people have difficulty recruiting these muscles maximally. They are the big supinators for the lower extremity so those with collapsing knees and arches take note. Your feet are flat for a reason. Poor inner unit functioning and weak lower extremity supinators cause a collapse all the way down to the feet.
Okay, now it is your turn. Make sure that you are not missing out on an incredibly important movement in the lunge. Jump into it where you are ready. Remember as with all exercises that you do not get points for adding weight too quickly or going to a jumping lunge before you can perform the basic split squat.
Have a Great Day,
Nick Horowski