Are Supplements Ruining Your Workout?

Could the very supplements you take to make you fitter and healthier be hurting your workout results?

Sports Med. 2011 Dec 1;41(12):1043-69. doi: 10.2165/11594400-000000000-00000.

Antioxidant Supplementation during Exercise Training: Beneficial or Detrimental?

Peternelj TT, Coombes JS.

School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in skeletal muscle during exercise have been associated with muscle damage and impaired muscle function. Supporting endogenous defence systems with additional oral doses of antioxidants has received much attention as a noninvasive strategy to prevent or reduce oxidative stress, decrease muscle damage and improve exercise performance. Over 150 articles have been published on this topic, with almost all of these being small-scale, low-quality studies. The consistent finding is that antioxidant supplementation attenuates exercise-induced oxidative stress. However, any physiological implications of this have yet to be consistently demonstrated, with most studies reporting no effects on exercise-induced muscle damage and performance. Moreover, a growing body of evidence indicates detrimental effects of antioxidant supplementation on the health and performance benefits of exercise training. Indeed, although ROS are associated with harmful biological events, they are also essential to the development and optimal function of every cell. The aim of this review is to present and discuss 23 studies that have shown that antioxidant supplementation interferes with exercise training-induced adaptations. The main findings of these studies are that, in certain situations, loading the cell with high doses of antioxidants leads to a blunting of the positive effects of exercise training and interferes with important ROS-mediated physiological processes, such as vasodilation and insulin signalling. More research is needed to produce evidence-based guidelines regarding the use of antioxidant supplementation during exercise training. We recommend that an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals through a varied and balanced diet remains the best approach to maintain the optimal antioxidant status in exercising individuals.

A Broken Hip Can Be Deadly

In this rather vivid news story the evidence is showing that hip fracture, while common and dangerous in seniors, has even more dire consequences in women around the age of 65.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/26/health/older-women-hip-fracture/

"Fractures appeared to be most dangerous in the youngest segment of study participants: For women 65 to 69, hip fracture quintupled the odds of death within one year. This was also the only age group in which the odds of death remained higher in the fracture group after the one-year mark."
 
The original study can be read here-
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2011.447

The least invasive methods to reduce the risk of hip fracture are a diet rich in Calcium and Vitamin D combined with weight bearing exercise. Heavy resistance exercise as recommended frequently by Reverse Magazine can do wonders to promote healthy aging and improve strength and mobility.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

by Tom Furman

Recently, we posted a picture of our stuffed turkey burgers on facebook, 

and someone asked for the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients:

1lb. Ground Turkey Breast

1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Lime Flavored Spice

1/2 tsp. Powdered Wasabi

1/2 tsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Red Wine

2 tsp. Goat Cheese

2 tsp. High Moisture Fresh Mozzarella

1/4 Onion 

1 tbsp. Sun Dried Tomatoes

Directions:

Prepare a grilling pan, coat with olive oil and a splash of red wine. Add Mrs Dash lime flavored spice and sautee the chopped onions and sun dried tomatoes in the pan.

In a bowl, combine the turkey breast with Mrs Dash lime flavored spice and the wasabi. Mix thoroughly. Also add a dash of olive oil and red wine. Divide into two burgers and place a large chunk of goat cheese and fold over, thus 'stuffing' the burger. 

Cook the burgers in the onions and sun dried tomatoes. Avoid poking or piercing the burger, so it does not dry out. After the burger is grilled thoroughly on both sides, add a large chunk of high moisture, fresh mozzarella to the top. Let it melt for one minute. Upon serving, top the burger with the pre cooked onions and sun dried tomatoes. Serve with a large tossed salad and red wine. Enjoy!

GL Clinic Open House

On September 21st, 2011, Reverse Magazine had the opportunity to attend GL Clinic of Boca Raton's Open House. GL bill's itself as,

"...the premier cosmetic and aesthetic institute located in South Florida, specializing in spider and varicose vein treatment, liposculpting and weight loss, anti-aging skin care, and nonsurgical rejuvenation treatments."

Their service include-

• Vein and Laser Therapy
• Lipsuction & Body Sculpting
• Facial Rejuvenation
• Medical Weight Loss
• Aesthetic Medicine
• Healthy Aging

This would involve such cutting edge procedures as Vaser liposuction, injectables & fillers, hCG Diet, photofacials, teeth whitening, laser hair removal and platelet rich plasma therapy.

GL Clinic offers a wide array of products as well. Here are just some of them.

 

As you can see, being thorough and matching the clients needs to the individual product is quite important. In addition to nutritional intervention a huge portion of the recommended products are of a cosmetic nature and designed to augment the  treatments provided by the state of the art technology at this fine facility. 

The open house was well attended and the staff was available to answer any question about procedures and methodology. Check them out at 561.613.4500

As a side note, Reverse Magazine was able to meet Bart Savage of Centurion Age Management. He had quite a bit to say about aging, fitness, hormones and medicine. We hope to make him one of our upcoming features.

Consistency vs. Instant Gratification

by Robin White

Living with Tom for more than two years now has taught me a lot of things about fitness. I have learned much about anatomy, fat distribution, nutrition, what exercises are more efficient, and countless other things. But probably the most important thing to learn about fitness for me is the lesson of consistency and patience. Without it, there are no results.

I find that most people, (myself included) can stay on an exercise regimen for a month or so, and then they slowly revert back to getting caught up with work, kids, vacation, illnesses and a myriad of other life challenges.

We need to be aware that humans were made to move and to be challenged physically every day. Does this mean we need to run a marathon every day, or go to the gym every day? No, this would be abusing your body. The body also needs to rest and recover for maximum growth and maintenance.

Think back to our ancestors who hunted, climbed and chased. They exerted their bodies. Then they would have a feast, hang out for a while in a safe spot until the food ran out, then get back on the hunt. Later, they worked farms, rode horseback or loaded ships. Our ancestors used their bodies like machines. That's all they had, their bodies were their most precious resource, capable of building homes, carrying children, picking fruit, everything. They succumbed to disease and infection, but there was far less obesity. Most obese individuals were either the wealthy or royalty who had servants to do their footwork. This should provide real clues for us.

Lifting weights, pulling, pushing, forcing with the body allows the body to dissipate stress, and the tugging of the ligaments on the bone actually causes bones to become stronger and denser. Exercise also causes muscles to increase slightly in size. In women, there is a limit. Every woman I know is afraid she will look like Hulk Hogan if she lifts weights. This is never going to happen without injections of testosterone, so ladies stop worrying about this, I beg you.

The adding or maintaining of muscle fiber to the body is significant for two important reasons. It helps the immune system, and it burns calories at a slightly higher rate. Does this allow you to sit down and polish off a bag of donuts? No. You can never outwork a bad diet.

Firstly, I think we need to sit with ourselves in a moment free of distraction and contemplate where we are in our lives. How do we really feel? Are we in pain? Pain is a strong indicator that something is wrong in our system.

Chronic pain depletes the system by putting stress on the body. This produces more cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol causes the body to crave more food. See where this is going? The more you eat, the less you want to move, and before too long, you are in a downward spiral.

If you are taking drugs to feel good, you are doing nothing more than putting a band aid on the problem. You need to slowly get yourself on a better diet, and start adding small amounts of exercise and work up very slowly. I notice that people who have pain, blown discs, any injury at all think they cannot do any exercise. Doctors do not help the situation, by making them fearful due to possible litigation or other insanities. The body was meant to move. If you stop moving and exerting, you are slowly dying. There is no better way to put it.

Now to the real point of this article. What is the one thing that is going to kill off all this well meaning, well thought out train of thought? Lack of consistency.

We cannot maintain. Why? I can think of two reasons. There may be others. First, You are not accountable. Jerry Seinfeld had a wonderful technique he used to stay on top of his writing career. He put a piece of paper on the wall. Every day he wrote, he made a small red line, he kept doing it every day, he kept the line going. Maybe you can develop your own, but make it "breathable", make it flexible. This is NOT boot camp, it's for life, so make it livable.

Second, people love to revert to extremes, as a way of sabotaging the process. They say, "oh it's just too much for me, I can't do it", and they quit. As with everything in life there are two "evil" polar opposites, and then there is the rational, accomplishable middle ground. Which of the three do you think works?

Here's something to contemplate. If you start to move your body in an enjoyable way at least 3 days per week, and you cut back on some of those bad foods, and little less food intake every week (assuming you are heavier than you want to be), at the end of one year you will be a leaner, fitter, healthier person. Your body will have de-aged, and you will have started a wonderful new habit trail for a lifetime. Really think about the impact this could have on your life. Imagine yourself really accomplishing this.

If you put too much pressure on yourself in order to get "instant gratification", you WILL fail. This is a "process" and you MUST be patient. It is a process of turning bad habits into better ones, but it IS gradual. Life has many challenges for us, we cannot always be perfect. But, if we "trend" upwards in a positive motion every day, little by little, magic WILL happen. You need not kill yourself. Think to yourself "Forward, upward, little by little". Do not sabotage. Be kind with yourself, do not judge yourself. Keep your eye on the goal. You must repeat this to yourself, sometimes it's harder than others. Develop little reminders, tricks, helpful aids to your success. Be patient, it IS a process. Don't give up on yourself.

MINIMALISM ALLOWS NO EXCUSES

According to Wikipedia, Minimalism, "...describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features." Exercise is no different. It is the art of getting the utmost from the minimum. To strip away the inessential to find out what is left. It doesn't mean "simple",  it means fundamental, basic and essential.


With the emergence of the information age we are simply inundated with data on everything. It is almost impossible to escape with smart phones becoming a life wire to the internet and its advertising. This increases our options but it also clouds the decision making process. If you didn't really know or understand about exercise before, you are really confused now.


Enter the minimalist workout. This is literally nothing new. It is what your Dad did in WW2. It's probably what you did if you are my age in high school athletics. Currently we have to have some sort of marketing slant. They call this method, old school, urban fitness, prison workout or body weight culture. I don't like to romanticize things but there is nothing wrong with a bit of sizzle to get you to remember. It is simply exercise using your body weight in a progressive format to gain results in muscle size, strength and endurance.

Several people of note have organize human movement into exercise categories. I have high respect for all of them and this is not a pissing contest. This involves wisdom, vision and minimalism.

Jon Hinds of Monkey Bar Gym divides movements into, Pushing, Pulling, Squatting and Running. He has a sub category of planking or core work.

Dan John, Legendary Strength Coach and a man who has been seen in a Kilt, says there are five movements. Hinging, Squatting, Pushing, Pulling and Carrying.

Paul Wade, author of Convict Conditioning, uses his Big Six. Pushups, Pullups, Squats, Leg Raises, Bridges and Handstand Pushups.

As you can see,.. there is little variation with exercise,.. experience,.. and wisdom.

Let's take the simple example of Convict Conditioning. How can ANYONE have any excuse about equipment, methods, driving to the gym, workout clothes or results with the simple progressions of Convict Conditioning? It takes you from a grossly weak or unconditioned condition to an elite level with over ten stops for six different exercises.

Remember the answer to most questions can be remarkably simple and this case it is. Find out how the body moves, use the tool of progressive resistance and employ a program with record keeping that measures improvement and is alignment with your goals.

While this article may seem fueled with testosterone, let it be known that the same movements are perfectly acceptable for women. There is no "women's exercise" or "men's exercise". There is just exercise. Genetics determine body proportion and neurological efficiency. Hormones will determine male or female. The science of exercise will determine how far you can go with safety and sanity.

For information on this minimalistic program, click this link.

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up

Jeff Martone has NO problem getting up off the ground.

It has been said that we do not stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing. 

 

If you compared the movements of a toddler getting from supine to standing, to those of a senior citizen, you would probably note many similarities. Fundamental movement skills would be shaky. The toddler has a life time to learn them, the senior citizen is struggling to retain them. Somewhere in between we could use some awareness and practice.

There seems to be some stigma attached to getting on the ground. Some martial arts like jiujitsu give you an immediate introduction to understanding understanding it. Even the basic yoga class gets you grounded and familiar with the floor and gravity. However a simple exercise used by strong men years ago and now refined by fitness educators can retrain your elegance and return you to a state of play with the added advantage of healthy exercise.

The Turkish Get Up is a simple yet streamlined tool that not only provides a high level of conditioning for the torso muscles, it also improves shoulders, hips, legs and arms. It's attention to detail can be overwhelming but it is best learned under some supervision of a training partner or instructor. While the exercise is old, the current updates have been provided by Gray Cook and Brett Jones. They call their methodology, Kalos Sthenos or "Beautiful Exercise".

Here is a very nice breakdown of the get up on the "Begin 2 Dig" Blog.

http://www.begin2dig.com/2008/08/refined-hardstyle-turkish-getup.html

After this refinement, like all things,..other instructors want to simplify the method or simply add their own twist. Once again here is a detailed analysis. I'd urge you to read this simply because it is well done.

http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/04/tgu-high-hip-bridge-gray-cook-addresses.html

 

Below are a series of shots of Robin White doing the fundamental movement. Remember, once you stand up, you have to reverse your action and get back down.

 

 Remember, about one third of the elderly population over the age of 65 falls each year and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age. At 80 years, over half of seniors fall annually. Just the strength and skill surrounding doing a Turkish Get Up will certainly be a step in the right direction.

Below is my friend Steve Cotter demonstrating the epitome of The Turkish Getup. The TWO HANDED GET UP WITH 70 POUND KETTLEBELLS. ENJOY. 

 

It's A Game of Feet

Coco Austin trains her feet under a load.

Almost a consistent theme with many as we mature is the pain in our feet. Sometimes it is caused by injury. Sometimes it caused by excessive bodyweight. I'm going out on a limb here and suggesting that it is caused a reduction of flexibility, strength and conditioning of our lower legs and feet. Modern times do not place extraordinary demands on our feet. We should not be surprised.

The use of the shoe as a protective tool is very, very, old. Realize the use of the word "protective" and not supportive. The shoe has actually changed our feet. Below is a famous illustration of someone who walks barefoot and another who lives in shoes. It's quite a difference. 

Obviously there is something going on here. Perhaps we can represent it with this analogy. Place your arm in a splint for 8 to 12 hours per day, every day. What do you think would happen? Atrophied muscles, loss of movement, loss of size and loss of function? Why should it be any different with the muscles of the lower legs and feet?

Let's compound the ideal of atrophied feet and increased load. Take feet that have been trapped in shoes during working hours and sometimes during non working ones too. As the muscles atrophy over the years and reduce their strength and flexibility,... you decide to increase the load placed upon them by gaining weight year by year. This can also load the lower leg, upper leg and torso area. Your posture will change with age and the stress on the weakened feet will increase. 

In some cases, increasing the load on the feet is necessary. Fashion and social style may indicate for example that women wear high heels. It is NOT a very healthy option, but with proper conditioning it can be folded into a lifestyle where fitness and looks do not have to be mutually exclusive. 

In another case a soldier may hike miles over rough terrain with unwieldy loads. The US Military has spent many years researching and altering the footwear of soldiers, who are young and strong, to manage this stress.

There is one simple alternative. Spend more time walking, hiking and running barefoot. This may not be practical in an urban area with broken glass, rocks and possible contamination risk. The "barefoot running" craze has stimulated a need for products that manufacturers are more than happy to develop. New shoes with little support have popped on to the marketplace. They are not the be-all-end-all, but they increase the choices we have to improve foot fitness. Here are two such examples.

The Inov-8 Shoe

The Vibram 5 Finger Shoe

These shoes are just two possibilities of a currently expanding market. Make sure to get a proper fit with either shoe. For more information on either of these brands, check out:

INOV-8 SHOES

VIBRAM 5 FINGER SHOES

Even with barefoot or protected walking or running, the addition of exercise for the feet can have quite a dramatic effect. Below is an illustration of just some of the structure of the lower leg and feet. There is plenty muscle tissue to work with.

Let's work our way through some lower limb drills that may relieve pain,  increase flexibility and develop some strength.

1. Stretching the front of the ankle is very important. When we spend some hours in traffic,.. the front of the ankle gets fixated into position. It's a far cry from hunting in the plains for Bison and running to avoid being eaten by Sabertooth tigers. Using a foam roller or even a rolled up towel can increase the range of motion. Focus on sitting in this position for about a minute. If it is painful, start with several short holds.

2. The next drill is to squat on your toes, then flex the plantar muscle on the sole of the feet. You end up rocking forward and back. [not up and down like a squat]. Usually bodyweight is sufficient in the early stages, but you can add a barbell plate in your lap for an extra challenge. You will also need to hold on to a fixed object for balance.

3. The third drill is to increase the strength of the muscles on the front of the lower leg. The shin area. The requires a wooden block. Place just your heels on the block and lower your toes towards the ground. Let the muscle stretch then contract it slowly to a position we call dorsiflexion. Repeat until you feel fatigue.

4. The standard calf raise is the next drill. Keep the knees locked and place the ball of the foot on a wooden block as shown or even a doorway. Lower the heels and let the calf stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. Then reverse the action and stand on your tip toes. Continue this process until you are fatigued. This drill will also enhance the shape of your lower legs.

5. This drill is a stretch for the muscles surrounding the toes. This is often neglected. Simple insert your fingers between your toes. Then squeeze and let the muscles relax and stretch. 

6. There are small muscles around the ankle that are addressed in other drills. The use of a Theraband however, adds unique resistance to the foot. Simple loop the band over the end of the foot, flex and relax until you are fatigued. 

7. Finally, using a golf ball we can do some soft tissue work by rolling it on the sole of the foot. This drill alone is quite beneficial. 

You can use all of these drills or just the ones that give you the most benefit. Tailoring an exercise program is using the Bruce Lee idea of "Absorb What is Useful, Reject What is Useless, and Add What is Specifically Your Own". Feel free to experiment. 


In addition to this article on exercise and barefoot running, here is a link to a great source of foot information. America's Podiatrist. 
It's time to start thinking of your feet as a part of your body that can age and this article is chock full of information to REVERSE it.

 

Feminine Strength

Pole Vaulter Allison Stokke

 There is an interesting study on perception and strength in men and women. Check it out HERE.

It's about the sexes underestimating their strength, but one glaring sentence jumped out at me.

"far more women than men felt that strength was not important nor should be exhibited."

This perception is one that needs to change. The only fitness quality that produces movement is

strength. Endurance requires movement from muscles to tax the system and flexibility allows movement, but movement is created by muscles. If you don't do something to build or at least maintain them throughout your life, they will decrease. They don't suddenly fall off of a cliff. The decline is gradual by the decade. That is why watching the scale alone tells us little about what is going on inside of us. We need other measures of fitness, other measures of feedback. That is where strength training comes in. It is the most elegant and highest yielding fitness tool. The results are almost magical in nature. While we are embracing more as a culture, there are still pockets of resistance. Mention weight training to the average woman and she will exclaim, "I don't want to look like a man." This is hardly the case. Women don't produce enough male hormone naturally to get excessively large muscles. Secondly, it is a lot of work to be the most outstanding in your field. When the same women start playing tennis are they in fear of being forced on to the Grass Courts at Wimbledon?

Strength training in general brings about many positive markers in health. These would include but are not limited to muscle strengthening, better sleep, better blood chemistry, stronger bones, resistance to injury and cosmetic improvement. Literally the most important thing you can do as you age is to focus on strength training. 

UPDATE-

Speaking of upper body strength we are keeping you abreast of the improvements in Robin White's efforts to turn back the clock and REVERSE the aging process. She is weighed and measured on the 10th of every month. Many times measurements of weight, lean body mass, percentage of body fat, etc can be skewed by food intake, muscle glycogen, bowel movements and dehydration. We have only been looking for a trend. So far she is getting stronger and improving in all areas. We have been dealing with some exercise form issues with leg training, but those have been overcome. Her increases in upper body strength have been very good. She's been focusing on her neck, since an aging neck is visually unacceptable. Check this LINK.

The previous updates are HERE.

The progress continues. Our plan is to avoid excessive body fat loss. Rather we are focusing on increasing muscle size and lean body mass. Our focus this month was on the upper body and neck and we were not disappointed. Here are the STATS-

Body weight-127.2, up 1.2 pounds! (Yes Robin is gaining weight!)

Hips-36.125, Up .125

Waist-24.5, Exactly the same

Waist/Hips Ratio-.678, More extreme

Belly-27.25, Same

Thigh-20.5, Same

Chest-34.25, Up .75 inch!

%Body fat-17.07%, slightly down

LBM-105.33, Up 1.3 pounds!!

Neck-13", Up .375 inches

Calf-14, Same

So Robin significantly increased her upper body size and neck size. Her ultimate goal is adding more lean body mass, which would increase her hips, neck and chest measurement. She doesn't want to lose too much fat since the fat stores in the feminine areas of the buttocks, breasts and face would diminish and reduce her curves.

The focus next month will be an intense increase in leg work,.... and the addition of CREATINE. Until then,... train hard and focus on strength as you age.

NECK and NECK

Very few people consider the importance of the neck in terms of health, fitness and appearance. Other cultures may actually focus on the neck in ways that are not particularly healthy, however they are interesting.

From the safety standpoint, having a stronger neck can protect you from trauma. We have all heard of the simplest of accidents that resulted in broken necks. However when properly trained, the neck is capable of dealing with tremendous punishment. The following video is indicative of a frightening trauma which had no effect on the subject. Mixed martial arts champion Fedor Emelianko was thrown and he landed full force, head first and under the weight of another combatant. He actually continued unaffected and won the fight minutes later. This is an incredible video clip.

This example is extreme but shows the amazing resiliency of the human body. Please do not try this at home.

In terms of youthfulness and general appearance the neck is far more apparent than almost everyone is aware. Take a look at a healthy young neck.

It is devoid of sun damage and has adequate muscle. Now following is a young woman who's lack of strength training and dietary protein has caused atrophy of the same muscles. Please compare.

This comparison is not isolated to women. Men have extreme variations in adaptation as well. First is an intense, intense, neck strengthening program to produce extreme results.

The next is the result of eating too many calories. Some body types store lots of fat in the neck and face area.
The immediate cure is to adopt a reduced calorie diet. For best results consider this resource.

The simple process of aging results in a slow loss of muscle tissue. The loss can easily be diminished, halted or reversed by appropriate strength training and adequate nutrition. This photo perhaps is a classic example that we associate with the aged population.

So we are well aware of the various appearances the neck can take on and some of the results are rather extreme. The easiest one of course is to protect the skin from the sun with some sort of sun block. While absorbing Vitamin D from the sun is the current rage, no one is suggesting that repeated tanning or repeated burns to the body and particularly the neck is healthy.
The next thing to do is to ensure at least a minimum of exercise. The neck has ample muscle and weak muscles respond well to training. Below is a graphic showing the musculature of the neck. All those tight, weak, muscles can cause head aches and shoulder aches. The best cure is prevention. The best prevention is adequate exercise.

Below is a chart with some simple exercises. Remember that any exercise should be first cleared with a physician who is familiar with fitness and training. These exercises are great introductory movements to simply restore mobility and youthful movement. -Click the photo to enlarge it-

There will come a time when simple movements will not be enough. Actually using external resistance will be required. This resistance can come in the form of barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells. Even resistance bands can be rigged to provide neck exercise. Here is a link to some instructional dvds that cover basic strength and advanced methods of training. LINK

There are more severe exercises such as the "Wrestlers Bridge" that require instruction under the guidance of an experienced coach. The combination of resistance and flexibility give this exercise plenty of bang for the buck,.. but it is not for everyone.

Now armed with powerful imagery, anatomy and instruction we only need motivation. Certainly turning back the clock of Father Time should be motivation enough. If detailed coaching is needed, please feel free to contact me.

Oatmeal, Part Deux

 

Bottom To Top: Dealing with the Aging Ass

The Butt or Gluteal region is often an indicator of aging. When a loss of muscle tissue is common with aging, it is glaringly apparent in the largest muscle group, the gluteus. There is no need to give an anatomy lesson here. The muscles you sit on get smaller when you stop lifting heavy things, stop squatting and don't practice moving quickly. The reduction in strength and size is often accompanied with a gain in fatty tissue. When you don't lift, squat or move, you burn less calories. Therefore the extra calories are stored as fat. The fat does not have a pleasing shape when it is not stretched over the surface of large, strong muscles. The above photograph is a vivid example.

The simple process of maintaining the ability to squat throughout life is a good method to ensure at least minimal gluteal development. If you cannot squat butt to ground, then you have some training to do. They are not bad for your knees. They are actually good for your knees. If you find the action of squatting flat footed nearly impossible, then you may need some instruction to regain this fundamental process. From that point, learning to squat with weight is the appropriate next step.

There are other exercises for strong, muscular glutes. Any type of squat, lunge, leg press, step up or hip extension drill will activate what is the largest and most visible muscle in the body.

Let us detail the idea of hip extension and how we can enjoy good results with a minimal of equipment. Many of you are already familiar with the GLUTE BRIDGE, which is common in many exercise classes and media.

 

Simply lay supine on the floor with the heels near the butt. Smoothly and slowly raise the hips by contracting the gluteus and not extending the back. You want to feel like you are pinching a quarter between your cheeks and producing two dimes and a nickel in change.  Then lower slowly to the ground. Some trainees like to maintain tension by not touching the ground till the end of the set. Others prefer singular hard contractions. Repeat until you reach the recommended level of exhaustion or fatigue. Always focus on the trend towards improvement workout to workout. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is an indication of insanity. 

The flaw in any body weight exclusive drill is making the exercise harder. That is why we need the stimulus of adding external weight. This has the benefit of adding strength, muscle size and bone density. Getting stronger is the most result producing component of fitness. 

Below is a photograph of Robin White performing 30 repetitions with just under 100 pounds on the barbell in her studio. 

She started with lighter weights, but as you see, the amount of repetitions has become ridiculously high and she will be adding more iron shortly. She has ordered an appropriate pad for the barbell since the pool noodle she was using has limited protective qualities. Robin has no doubts will be handling 180+ pounds for multiple sets in the Glute Bridge.  Her results have been outstanding. She has maintained a 36 inch hip measurement despite getting leaner. This is because of the hypertrophy of the glutes. She will continue to focus on size and strength over the next year. She has added a full inch to her gluteus region.

If the Glute Bridge has piqued your interest, there are other high performance exercises such as Hip Thruster. This requires a barbell of course and a padded bench that is locked in an immobile position to prevent sliding. Very heavy weights can be used to achieve maximum effect. Watch model Kellie Davis in this video.

Kelly is using a weight that would intimidate most men but is doing so under the watchful eyes of her trainer, Brett Contreras. The results speak for themselves.

The basic idea is to focus on result producing, heavy exercises such as squatting, dead lifting and any type of loaded hip extension movement. Beginning with Glute Bridges using just bodyweight is a good starting point for any one to avoid unhealthy aging.