The gluteus maximus composes most of the mass of your butt. Besides being the largest muscle in your butt, it's also the largest muscle in the entire body. In order to stimulate it to grow, you're going to have to perform exercises that involve a lot of weight. Performing hundreds of reps of small exercises are not going to give you the results you want. To make a muscle big, you have to lift big.
Good Mornings
While most exercises that work the gluteus maximus work the quads, hamstrings and lower back, good mornings do not work the quads. This helps isolate the butt as much as possible. To perform a good morning, stand with a barbell across your shoulders as if you were going to perform a squat. Maintaining a slight bend in the knees for balance, bend at the waist until your torso is almost parallel to the ground, then stand back up. Be conscious to never let your back round to avoid injury. According to Frederic Delavier in "Strength Training Anatomy," this exercise is a good warm-up for other, heavier glute exercises, because it will stretch and warm up your hamstrings. Perform sets of 10 to 20 reps.
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Like good mornings, stiff-legged deadlifts work the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. The difference is that the resistance stays relatively stable throughout the movement as the weight is always right in front of your body, so you can lift more weight. Hold a barbell at your waist and bend your knees slightly to maintain balance. Bend at the waist until the barbell almost touches the floor, then stand back up. Look forward throughout the exercise to ensure that you don't round your back. Perform sets of eight to 15 reps.
Deadlifts
In "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," Arnold Schwarzenegger explains that the deadlift engages almost every muscle group in the body. But it works some harder than others, and the deadlift competes with the squat to be the ultimate glute builder. To perform a deadlift, stand before a barbell on the ground with your feet slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart. Bend to the bar at the knees and hips to grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip. Keeping a straight back, stand up. Follow the same path to set the barbell back down. Perform sets of four to six reps.
Power Squats
A power squat is a squat modified for the powerlifting, rather than bodybuilding. While bodybuilders want to build massive quadriceps muscles, powerlifters want to lift as much weight as possible. According to Robert Kennedy in his "Encyclopedia of Bodybuidling," to do this they stand with a wide stance, which minimizes pressure on the lower back while maximizing the use of the glutes, one of the strongest muscle groups in the body. To perform power squats, stand with wide stance and a barbell across your traps. You want your stance to be just wide enough that when you're in the bottom position, your knees are over your feet. Squat down, bending at the knees and waist. Stand back up. Keep a straight back throughout the movement. Perform sets of eight to 20 reps.
Leg Press
If you have lower back problems, you may have difficulty performing a lot of glute-building exercises. Luckily, as long as you keep good form, you can perform leg press. Even if you don't have lower-back problems, the leg press is great for stimulating muscle growth because you can lift so heavy without having to worry about balance. To perform a leg press, sit at a leg press machine. Place your feet wide on the sled to increase glute involvement. Lower the weight as far as you can without letting your lower back roll off the seat. Don't worry about trying to touch your thighs to your chest. Just worry about keeping your back safe. Press the weight up, but don't lock your legs. Perform sets of eight to 15 reps.
References
- "Strength Training Anatomy 3rd Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding;" Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding;" Robert Kennedy; 2008
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