Have you wondered whether it’s mandatory to lift heavy to build your glutes? You see posts on Instagram that make you think you have to lift heavy but that’s only to impress their followers and the gym! But the truth is you don’t need to lift heavy, you need progressive overload. Progressive overload isn’t only about increasing the weights.
Lifting Heavy Is Relative
For one person lifting a 35 pound squat is heavy, another it’s 135. And for other people it can go even heavier. Your glute muscles don’t care about the number on the bar, it only matters how close to failure you’re getting. The important question is: is the muscle being challenged enough to adapt? Glute growth comes from effort, consistency and progression.
Progressive Overload Equals Glute Growth
To build muscle, any kind of muscle you need progressive overload. What does this mean? it means you need to increase the stimulus over time gradually but that doesn’t always mean increasing the weights. It can also mean: increasing the reps, slowing down the tempo, increasing the sets, changing your rest times and increasing the amount of glute sessions in a week. So you see you are progressing the load without increasing the weights.
Can You Grow Your Glutes Without Lifting Heavy?
You can, especially if you’re new to lifting or you’ve taken some time off and are returning. You can even grow them without any weights at all or light dumbbells. This is only temporary. You will need weights as you progress because it just won’t be enough stimulus to facilitate any further growth. But it still doesn’t mean you need to lift super heavy. A moderate load with reps, sets and rest that you are adjusting will definitely grow your glutes. Not to mention if you are adding another glute session in for the week, that will most definitely have an impact. Volume is very important for building muscle.
If Moderate Weights Aren’t Working
If you find you’re not building enough muscle in your glutes, it could be due to a few reasons. One of these reasons is that you are not training to failure. If you finish each set feeling like you can do a bunch more reps, then you’re not working hard enough. For every set, you should feel like you can’t lift any more weight and that you absolutely need the rest. Another reason is that you’re not changing anything about the workout. In other words, your workout literally looks the same week in and week out. Remember you need to change something like reps or sets or you’re going to remain stagnant and hit plateaus. Last reason I can think of as to why you might not be seeing growth is that you aren’t actually targeting your glutes with each exercise. For example: with squats you maybe targeting your quadriceps instead of your glutes. This comes down to form. With squats make sure you’re squatting past your hips and knees. If you don’t squat low enough you won’t target your glutes.
The Best Way To Grow Your Glutes
The best way to grow your glutes is to combine moderate weights, higher rep accessory work and good form. Choosing good movements for glute growth is also very important. Main movements should include: deadlifts, squats, leg press and lunges. Accessory movements should include: cable(or machine) kickbacks, glute thrusts, and hip abductions.
If You Don’t Have Access To Heavier Weights
You can still grow your glutes with lighter weights. Try slowing your eccentric- count to at least 3 seconds. You can also pause reps at the top. Hold the movement at the top for 3-5 seconds. And adding sets and reps will also do the job. The key here is that the set should feel challenging.
Don’t Forget To Eat!
Even the best training in the world won’t grow your glutes if you’re not eating to support it. To grow your glutes you also need to eat! This includes protein, carbs, and calories. I have a free nutrition guide to grow your glutes. Just contact me and I’ll send it over. Or.. Never mind, here’s the guide. Just click on the button below.
In conclusion, do you need heavy weights to grow your glutes? Nope! But if you want to use heavy weights as part of the progressive overload plan, go for it. But you don’t need to. As long as you’re changing and adapting regularly, you will see results.
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