Today, I would like to show you two pictures of myself. Taken exactly twelve months apart. In the first picture, notice the sunken eyes and chicken arms. Focus on the flat, almost non-existent butt. I was trying my best to look sexy. Ugh. I am pretty thin in this picture. About 130 pounds, which is not an unhealthy weight for a 5′ 7″ woman. But I was in pain. I hurt. I was weak. This was not a healthy body, and certainly not a shapely behind.
The second picture was taken exactly one year to the date after the above picture was taken. I knew going into this that I looked different, so I wore the exact same clothes as I did for the first picture. Same shirt. Same pants. I weigh about 10 more pounds, although I may be leaner than in the first picture. What do you notice? Exactly. I FILL out my pants now. One year. One glorious squat- and deadlift-filled year. Do these pants make my butt look strong? You bet your ass they do. 😉 This is a healthy, strong body. You can tell by the smile on my face.
These two pictures show you exactly what can happen as a result of a good, steady diet of the right kind of exercises. We don’t just say that squats do a body good. We really mean it.
The training program that turned butt #1 into butt #2 consists of back squats, front squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, glute bridges, hip thrusts, presses, push ups, chin ups, body rows. All full body exercises performed with barbells. No machines, no hamster wheels. I also incorporate single leg work, sled pushes, farmer walks, sand bag carries, heavy rope work and kettlebell swings to round things out (pun intended). My butt continues to get stronger each day. I look better in my clothes, and the best part is that there is no pain in my back or hips. My days of back discomfort are over. For those who don’t know about my back problems, check out my previous blog post here. The culprits the whole time were my tight hips and weak glutes. Who would have thought?
So, ladies (and gentlemen), if you want a better butt, step away from the stair master. It won’t help much, I promise. Instead, do what I (and many other women) did, and start lifting heavy weights. Your butt will thank you for it, and your friends will want to know what to do to look like you.
