Trying to build a booty on a body that wasn’t blessed with natural ASSets is a tricky endeavour. Putting in hours at the gym without seeing any changes, or feeling like you’ve tried everything and being disappointed is enough to put even the most gym-motivated gal off her game. In order to stop wasting time and help to get your fitness goals on track, we asked personal trainer, powerlifting coach and non-clinical nutrition advisor Maddie Graham (@maaddiegraham on Instagram) our most burning butt-lifting and strengthening questions.
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How many times a week should you be working out to see changes in your butt?
Finding the right balance when working out is important and Maddie recommends working out your lower body 2-3 times a week: two days a week if you’re a beginner, with a third workout added if you’re more experienced with working out.
What are the biggest mistakes you see people making when they’re trying to build muscle in the butt area?
Consistency is key when trying to build muscle and Maddie says the biggest mistakes she sees people making are “not executing exercises properly, not following a structured program and giving up when they don’t see results within a couple of weeks”.
What are some of your favourite butt-building exercises?
Turns out there should be more than just squats in your routine. The main exercises Maddie utilises with her clients are “barbell hip thrust, conventional deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and kettlebell swings”.
Are there any special foods we should be eating to help encourage muscle growth?
Maddie emphasises the importance of staying away from detox supplements that promise fast results, saying “they provide no nutritional value to the human body … and I made all those mistakes when I began my journey”.
“I always promote eating ‘colourful’. Aim to eat quality sources of protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and healthy fats – both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated”.
Do you need to join a gym to get a stronger, firmer butt?
For all the booty builders on a budget, Maddie says that at the beginning home workouts can make a difference. However, after a while, “your body will adapt to that amount of stress and if you don’t progressively overload your glutes, by gradually increasing the amount of work your glutes are put through, then you may have trouble seeing further changes”. In short, if you’re further into your fitness journey and have stopped seeing progress through home workouts, it might be time to look into joining a gym so you can lift heavier weights and continue growing your glutes.
Is there such a thing as ‘too much cardio’?
As someone who hates cardio with a passion, I was happy to hear the only cardio Maddie recommends at the beginning of your fitness journey is hitting 10,000 steps a day. Maddie says “I believe you can overwork yourself too much; if your body is in a deficit, then your body will find it difficult to grow significant amounts of muscle. You will also feel exhausted and out of energy if you are doing large amounts of exercise”. So if you’re lifting weights multiple times a week, overloading yourself with cardio on top may be too much for your body to handle.
Are there any exercises that we should be avoiding?
It’s not so much the exercises you should be avoiding, but how you do them. “If you don’t know how to do an exercise, I would recommend getting a coach or a trainer to help you. This is because if you execute an exercise incorrectly and injure yourself, you can set yourself back.” Maddie also recommends staying away from all those over-complicated workouts you see on Instagram – keep your workouts to the basics.
How long does it take to build a stronger, firmer butt?
The impatience is real when you’re waiting to reap the rewards from your gym sessions, but Maddie says “if you are following a program you will see results within 6-12 weeks, however solid muscle growth can take up to a year to see significant changes.” Patience is a virtue people!
What’s your top tip for building muscle?
“Get a coach, follow a program and don’t give up”.
Do you prefer working out in a gym or at home?
I prefer working out at home, doing the lawns and chores, lol. My exercise is walking, stairs and slopes are a good butt and leg work out.
Yes to have more energy would be great.
Gymming is a tough one, everytime I go I don’t know where to start honestly
This is a great article!
I never focus on one area, I do a whole body workout.
D E R M A L M D glute booster serum is of good quality. I am using it after my pregnancy. My botty got saggy cause I didn’t move a lot. Btw I had a very heavy, not easy at all pregnancy. So now I want to get in shape. The cream seems like it works. I need to get back to the gym, so it works faster..✅