# Do squats and exercises on your glutes really work?



## Satan Claus (Aug 6, 2013)

So I always see these before and after pictures but I don't know if they're lying or not. 

Get moving now

idamariaberg.myshowroom.se/files/2013/09/d5cd3f93473b323351572b2961a6c71f.jpg

http://positive-fitblr.tumblr.com/post/55181599637/keep-calm-stay-healthy-hungryavocados


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## the_natrix (Aug 10, 2011)

Why would they lie? I doubt they get royalties from when you work out.


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## Satan Claus (Aug 6, 2013)

the_natrix said:


> Why would they lie? I doubt they get royalties from when you work out.


Not that they're lying. But it's possible that they might be photo shopped a bit?


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

Squats work you biggest muscles: entire leg, ass & lower back (big chunks of meat)

This means you burn fuel to make them function. Since squats work the biggest muscles it means the exercise will burn the most reserve fat over time.

Targeting abs and bs like that doesn't work because it doesn't matter what part of your body you move to burn energy, so crunches for example won't work properly (those muscles are small).

Maybe they photo shopped, but squats work:


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## the_natrix (Aug 10, 2011)

Satan Claus said:


> Not that they're lying. But it's possible that they might be photo shopped a bit?


It completely possible, it's social media and people like to look good lol.

That being said there's no need for them to photoshop if they actually did the work.


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Consistently exercising and eating right will appear your overall appearance. I've personally seen a number of people that have gone from being significantly overweight their entire lives to being very physically fit by making a lifestyle change where they added in a little bit of daily exercise and started eating healthier and in moderation. Glute workouts will certainly help with that transformation, but you can't really just focus on one area forever and ignore everything else and expect to look decent.

The thing I am always concerned about though is people expecting too much too soon and giving up. Things like this have to be thought of as lifestyle changes otherwise you'll end up right back where you are today as soon as you stop doing it. Most people that have transformed their bodies and kept them that way did it over a period of years, not weeks or months. They didn't get fat overnight, so why they think they'll get skinny and toned overnight is beyond me. It's a very gradual process in most cases, almost too slow to even see the difference from month to month, but if you stay with it you'll eventually get to where you want to be.

Good article.
The Biggest Loser Isn't Realistic


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## Derange At 170 (Nov 26, 2013)

Yes with an asterisk.

Targeting your glutes and eating at a surpluss with decent protein will increase the size of your glutes. The same principle that applies to arms and other musclegroups also applies to your glutes.

But there's a component of genetics too. You will always build at least a little muscle. How well your glutes respond to training, though, depends on how genetically inclined you are to develop them. Some people will only increase the size slightly no matter how much weight they squat, whereas others can make some pretty drastic increases with minimal effort. Other people may have to train their glutes harder, with multiple exercises to get the same effects, etc. It all depends on your inclinations and finding the right training for you.

But if you do want to build glutes, I will say that doing squats and/or deadlifts is a great place to start. And _go heavy_. Even women.

As for me, 1 session of deadlifts, stiff legged deadlifts and squats each week is enough to trigger a lot of response in my glutes.



FreeBeer said:


> Squats work you biggest muscles: entire leg, ass & lower back (big chunks of meat)
> 
> This means you burn fuel to make them function. Since squats work the biggest muscles it means the exercise will burn the most reserve fat over time.
> 
> Targeting abs and bs like that doesn't work because it doesn't matter what part of your body you move to burn energy, so crunches for example won't work properly (those muscles are small).]


Uhm, you don't understand. This isn't about burning fat, but building muscle. _ANY ACTIVITY_ burns fat when in a caloric deficit. The question was whether squats increase the size of the glutes.


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

Derange At 170 said:


> Uhm, you don't understand. This isn't about burning fat, but building muscle. _ANY ACTIVITY_ burns fat when in a caloric deficit. The question was whether squats increase the size of the glutes.


Idk then. I mainly use it for strength training. I need good legs for Krav Maga as a lot of the force comes from them & my core... Nothing really beats squats when it comes to this.
I train my legs, core & back (without any crunches) more then the upper body, but its mainly for strength & flexibility, not for looks. I don't really care how I look when I elbow someone in the jaw as long as he loses consciousness.
*
What I do 3 out of 7 days a week for about 2.5 hours, with a day in between for rest:* 

*Day 1:*
Push ups
Leg raises <=== these are much better then crunches.
*Day 2:*
Pull ups (I do 2 to 3 of these every time I walk into my room, the bars are built into my door frame)
Squats (I do this almost every day thou)
*Day 3:*
Dips
Bridges

Stretching & Warmup before exercising

Krav Maga after physical training.


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## petite libellule (Jul 4, 2012)

They work if you do it right. You need to actually activate the muscle and deplete it. With squats, you want to run the full range of motion in your hips. Squat low. Take your time. Do a wall sit if you're a beginner. Form is really important so you don't fuck up your knees. That and so you'll actually gain benefit from it. 

Also, more reps vs. adding weight. Ya know, from a musculoskeletal standpoint, add weight. But reps will also deplete so it takes more energy to lift and so, it's all good whichever way you choose. Make sure to stretch your psoas. If you have weak glutes, your psoas muscle works more and that's a small muscle. It'll pull your hip out of alignment. And cause mega trigger points. Good for me. Bad for you. :tongue:


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## DarkyNWO (Mar 21, 2011)

Squat squat squat squat. Fucking amazing exercise.


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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

The pictures do look sort of suspicious to me, but I didn't really analyze them. And I am not an expert, but I've worked on my body a bit in the past.

If you tend to have a fat ass and you want to make it smaller then you have to lose fat overall. Gaining muscle can still help but doing squats with less weight will help to firm up your butt.

If you tend to have a small ass then you can work on building muscle through a specific type of weight training, in your ass and hips. Like a bodybuilder, you can make those muscles larger if you focus on squats with very heavy weights on the barbell, with less reps. There are also other smaller muscles that wrap your hips which you can work on. And then losing fat, if you have enough of it, will make your upperbody (like in the second set of pictures) smaller, which will make your glutes look bigger compared to your waist.

But you can't always change stuff like how wide your hips are or where they tend to be wider or smaller, how long they are, or that gap between your thighs. You can somewhat shape them, but a lot is decided by bone structure and fat deposit. 

I really need to work out again.  
I'll say that I tend to naturally have a more developed upper body, and so I focused a lot on building up the glutes when I lifted weights, since I thought that would make me look more attractive. I did a lot of variations of squats (including "stepping" up on a box with barbell), leg lift things with ankle weights, and that exercise where you lay on your back and lift your hips up with your heels on the floor, with weights on the hips (squeezing glutes). And lots of stretching. 

And then preferring hiking or skiing uphill might be a good cardio exercise that still works on strengthening the glutes with your body weight, rather than running or walking on a flat surface. 
I certainly increased the size of my glutes this way, and changed the shape of my body somewhat.


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## Permeate (May 27, 2012)

If you can squat a lot of weight there is no way you won't have big glutes.


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## Tjones209 (Nov 16, 2014)

I'm a personal trainer and the biggest misconception is that it's going to give you a way bigger butt then you have now. Yes it will look bigger as your glue muscles grow, but the biggest benefits are it is lifted and looks fuller. I had a client who had to buy bigger pants because her legs ended up getting definition.


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## Tezcatlipoca (Jun 6, 2014)




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## Tjones209 (Nov 16, 2014)

That's ronny coleman.


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## Splash Shin (Apr 7, 2011)

I don't think bodyweight squats would take you too far. Weighted is where you can really see amazing progress.

however, the picture is completely legit even if this particular one is Photoshopped. The results are not out of the ordinary at all...


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## perpetuallyreticent (Sep 24, 2014)

squats and different forms of squats do help that much. My butt has never been unattractive in any sense of the word, but the slope that happens near the lower crack in the after pictures formed for me after about a month of exercising (which included HIIT and regular cardio, with in turn included glute exercises.)


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## Bassmasterzac (Jun 6, 2014)

Satan Claus said:


> So I always see these before and after pictures but I don't know if they're lying or not.
> 
> Get moving now
> 
> ...


Just ask my buns of steel  squats are THE best exercise you can do. It builds your leg strength and your core. Lower body strength is the most important. If you want to sculpt your bum and get bulging Arnie tree trucks then do barbell squats with a lighter weight for up to 8-12 reps. If want maximum strength, but don't want to pack on too much mass then do high weight, low reps around 4-8 reps. Do this 2-3 times a week with AT LEAST 48 hours resting apart. You will overwork your CNS and reverse your gains. I know because I did it in high school because I was addicted to working out like a roid-raging freak of nature.

NOTE: Don't be an idiot. Make sure you are using properly executed form and not going to heavy to show off your small dick in the gym. Spread your legs shoulder length, pointing forward, slightly angled out, keep your back straight, keep your back straight, keep your back straight, stick your booty out, and pop a squat like you're going to take a dump in the woods. Go 90 degrees (your legs should be parallel). Then shoot back up. Do this, and you're solid. Your legs will be too. You screw this up and you'll find yourself with week knee joints, hip problems, torn ligaments, pulled muscles, and if you're lucky an inguinal hernia. And no, the bulge in your groin will not make your package look bigger.

If you're new to working out and want a ribbon awarding, lady swooning frame, check out a full body split routine. You will do this 2-3 times a week (your preference, but you should ease into twice a week). You will split your muscle groups up into a split and they will be full body workouts. Look up a reputable one, don't make one yourself. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And remember the this: lift BIG, eat BIG, get BIG. Make sure you rest a lot and get good quality sleep.


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## Tjones209 (Nov 16, 2014)

Those before and after pictures are what real results will look like. If they want their but to look bigger they should just stay between 8-12 reps and only drop down to 3-6 once their form is correct, and they want to add strength.


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## Biracial (Sep 8, 2010)

Satan Claus said:


> So I always see these before and after pictures but I don't know if they're lying or not.
> 
> Get moving now
> 
> ...



Are you trying to reshape your glutes?


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