Find out why you don't build muscle when you focus on strength training and how to fix it. Many fitness instructors hear complaints from girls about the lack of progress in training the buttocks. The answer to this question is quite simple, because there are no universal exercises. Any training program can differ in its effectiveness for two different athletes. Answering the question why the buttocks do not grow from strength training, it is necessary to say about the different ability of the gluteal muscles to activate. That is why some girls have problems working out this muscle group.
Why buttocks don't grow from strength training: reasons
We have already voiced the main reason for the lack of progress, but besides this, others are possible, which should also be remembered:
- Insufficient indicator of the energy value of the nutrition program.
- The use of exercises aimed at accelerating the processes of lipolysis, rather than muscle hypertrophy.
- Violation of the exercise technique.
- Ineffective organization of the training process - for gaining mass, it is necessary to use large weights with a low-repetition mode of training.
- Frequent workouts of this muscle group - you can work on the buttocks no more than twice during the week.
All the reasons described now are easy to eliminate when you know about their presence. If you are wondering why the buttocks do not grow from strength training, then first of all it is necessary to revise the training and nutrition programs. If, after making the necessary changes, the speed of progress does not increase, then the whole point is activation.
Let's deal with this issue in as much detail as possible so that you have the opportunity to get good results from your classes. If the muscles are weakly activated, then the usual training methods will not bring the expected result. The body tries to use energy reserves as efficiently as possible, and when the gluteal muscles are not sufficiently developed, other, smaller muscles work more actively when performing various lunges and squats.
As a result, it is they who develop, in contrast to the priests. It is in this fact that the answer to the question of why the buttocks do not grow from strength training lies. At the same time, ignorance of this issue can cause injury. Quite a lot of women who are actively exercising suffer from pain in the lumbar region and knee joints.
Why buttocks do not grow from strength: a solution to the problem
Do not be upset that you have problems with strengthening the gluteal muscles, because they can be solved. Moreover, with the right approach to the training process and preliminary testing, they can be avoided. We recommend that you first test the muscles of the buttocks for their ability to activate, which will solve this problem in the future.
When you read about testing methods, you will probably notice that you only need to use one half of the body. This is due to the fact that each person has only one dominant side. If you are doing a two-tailed test, it can be difficult to determine the nature of the problem, because the stronger side compensates for the weaknesses.
Below we will tell you in detail about the rules for conducting the test, and now you should understand that any person can pass them. This is due to the fact that they are based on fundamental movements. Simply put, if you fail to pass the test, then you do not have any basic ability, without which you cannot perform movements efficiently and effectively. We hasten to reassure you that there is nothing wrong with this and you only need to retrain. In the last chapter of today's article, we will tell you about the most effective movements that will help you get off the ground.
- Test number 1 - extension of the hip joint on a straight leg. With this test, you will test the degree of activation of the glute muscles achieved in the straight-legged positions used in the deadlift. To carry out the test, you need to rest on the ground with your elbow joints and bend one leg at the hip joint. It should be as close to the body as possible so that the thigh touches the ribs. Straighten the other leg completely and extend it back. The leg that is straightened takes part in the test. From the position described above, begin to raise your working leg as high as possible above the ground. You must make sure that the leg is always straightened during the test. The maximum bending angle should not exceed 15 degrees. It is also important to maintain contact of the bent leg with the body. If you were able to lift your working leg even two inches above the ground, then you passed the test. If you are forced to deviate from the starting position in the process of performing the movement, then there is a lot of work ahead of you.
- Test number 2 - extension of the hip joint with a bent leg. It doesn't matter if you passed the first test or not, the second exercise must be performed without fail. It involves determining the degree of activation of the muscles of the buttocks when performing a large number of movements in which the leg is in a bent position, for example, jumping and running. If we talk about strength exercises, then these are lunges and squats. To pass the test, you have to use a tennis ball. Take a supine position, and bending your knee joints, place your feet on the ground. Basically, you should be in a position like you are sitting in a chair. Lift the knee joint of one leg and press the ball against your body. Keeping the starting position and holding the ball with your foot, start lifting your hips as high as possible off the ground. To pass the test, you need to perform a dozen of these movements at a completely controlled pace. It is also important to maintain pressure on the ball and not lose it. However, this is not all - the thigh must be lifted so high that the forearm, knee and thigh are in line. If you can hold the ball, but you cannot raise the hip to the required height, then you will have to start doing the exercises, which we will talk about below.
We recommend that you test both sides and if one of them works well then there is no problem. Otherwise, it is necessary to perform a set of certain exercises. In a situation where one side works well and the other does not, then it is necessary to make some changes to your training program. You must understand that the imbalance in muscle development will only increase as your fitness level increases.
How to increase the activation capacity of the buttocks?
If you managed to pass both tests, then you are in luck, and just do the movements discussed above at the beginning of the lesson, as well as at its final stage. This will keep your buttocks toned and you will be able to progress faster. We recommend all other girls to start performing special exercises that will help to forget about the question of why buttocks do not grow from strength training.
- Extension of the hip joint with a straight leg for intermediate athletes. Take the starting position described in the first test, but unlike that movement, you do not need to lift the entire leg, but only the knee joint until the leg and hip are on the same line. You should hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds, after which you need to relax. Do the movement 5-10 repetitions two or three times throughout the week. After completing this movement for two weeks, take the first test again.
- Straight leg hip extension for entry-level athletes. If you can't do the previous exercise, then try this option. In this case, you need a bench. The starting position is similar to the one described above, but rest your knee not on the ground, but on the bench. The exercise routine is similar to the previous one, and after three weeks of work, you should move to the intermediate level.
- Reconstruction of the extension of the hip joint with a bent leg. The starting position is similar to the second test, but you have to press the bent leg with your hands against the body, thereby helping to hold the ball. The mode of performing the movement is similar to the previous two, and after working for two or three weeks, try to pass the test again.
If, after several weeks of regular exercise, you still cannot pass the tests and the question of why the buttocks do not grow from strength training is still relevant, then you need to start stretching the hip extensor muscles. Perform these movements throughout the day and before corrective movements. Your hip extensors may not have enough elasticity and interfere with the work of your buttocks, since the functions of these muscles are exactly the opposite.
If the extensors are more rigid, then the gluteal muscles cannot actively work during strength exercises. It should be noted here that the hardness of the extensor muscles can increase due to prolonged sitting. Nowadays, many people lead a sedentary lifestyle and this situation can be considered normal. When you pass both tests, the question of why the buttocks do not grow from strength training will cease to interest you.
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