Head Turning Glutes Part 3

Once you have mastered and practiced accurate stationary lunge technique, can lunge by lowering through your back knee, have the mobility and stability (see part 2) and can feel your glute in your front leg firing on the ascent from your lunge, you are now ready to try some pretty funky variations! This month I have included a variation for core and heartrate and a variation that is effective on legs only.

 Rear Lunge

I love this this variation as you can effectively train your quads in both the back and front legs as well as getting your front leg glute to fire maximally.

• Start standing in front of a bench (approximately 1.5 feet away Place the front of your left foot on the edge of the bench and check that it is aligned with your hip and knee

• Jump your right foot a touch further forward (not too far, you should still have a right angle at your left knee but be able to very slightly lean back onto the left leg)
• Raise the toe nails of your right foot to the roof of your shoe
• Now lower your back knee downwards, keeping your chest up and back straight

• Once your right knee (front leg) forms a right angle pause then drive your right heel into the floor and return to the start position
• If you want to really add some more X factor to your legs then as you move into the upward phase press the front of your left foot (where the shoe laces are) hard into the edge of the bench and feel your quads contract as well. Keep body weight on the back leg throughout your reps
• To add more load just hold dumbells, kettlebells or weight plates at your sides, or hold one dumbbell in the opposite hand to the front leg to really get your external glutes firing also!
• BRING YOUR GUTS! These can kill!

Single DB Overhead Lunge

This lunge variation becomes very functional. By holding a DB overhead you are now utilizing your core stability much further, therefore getting more out of your lunges by challenging more muscle groups. It also is excellent for building shoulder stability and upper back strength! The dumbell is held in the opposite hand to the front foot. This means that you are also stabilizing through your outer glutes and hip and therefore are developing more stability, tone and shape in the glutes. This type of lunge is much harder than it appears so read carefully in order to understand.

• Stand in a lunge stance, with LEFT foot forward and right foot behind (see stationary lunge technique details in part 1 of Head Turning Glutes) and hold a light to moderate weight dumbell in your RIGHT hand above your head, straight arm and palm facing your ear. (The DB does not need to be heavy, a good example of a starting weight would be to choose a dumbbell weight that you might bicep curl with one arm)

• Lower your right knee to the floor

• Pause for a second and drive your left heel into the floor to return to the start position
• Repeat on the same leg then switch legs and change the DB to the other hand also.
• I recommend 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions on each leg.
• To really up the anti this type of lunge can be progressed into a walking lunge holding the DB above your head all the way as you lunge across the room! Take care to maintain your correct lunge form with each step of your walking lunge, driving up through the front heel with every step. You will feel it throughout your entire body!
• Try 12 walking lunges in one direction, the switch hands and peform 12 walking lunges in the other direction.

By adding these Lunges to your training you will be developing some great stability, strength and muscle tone, as well as burning many calories by utilizing so many muscle groups.

I have to really bring out my very best glutes when I compete and so in order to do this they have to be lean! Cardio also plays a huge part in assisting a decrease in bodyfat! however as a personal trainer and bodybuilding coach in demand as well as being a mum of two…I rarely have time for cardio! That is where my favourite BodyScience fat burner is my best friend! Hydroxyburn Hardcore Clinical is an extremely effective herbal fat burner. With extracts like Garcinia, Green Tea and Guarana I can trust that my body fat will be consistently dropping. This is the fat burner I recommend to all my competition clients (and many of my lifestyle clients) also, as by taking just one tablet with breakfast and one with lunch it is easy to remember, uncomplicated and highly effective. Hydroxyburn Hardcore Clinical, Combined with a clean diet (see my Head Turning Glutes diet from part one) and a well planned training program (see my Head turning Glutes program also from part one), can set you well on the way to your very own set of “Head Turning Glutes”!