why your glutes aren’t growing: mistake #2

Hello again! Onto week two of our glute training mistakes!

This is a BIG one. It’s something that even us coaches have done in the past on our journey to becoming glute growth sensei.

So, mistake #2 is…

“The strength is everything mistake”

• Fun fact, strength and hypertrophy (muscle building) are NOT identical. Think of a power lifters physique and a bodybuilders physique. Yes, there is a huge over lap and under the right conditions if you get stronger you can build muscle. However, whilst a bodybuilder definitely wants to get stronger, he or she is also concerned with muscle stimulation rather than simply “how much weight can I physically move”.

• This is what we call mind muscle connection. When you can can feel the muscle fully contracting. In comparison to power lifters, body builders execute (most) movements more slowly and controlled to maximise the contraction of every repetition. They (usually) set up exercises to increase the range of movement to get more stimulation. These create muscle tension, a precursor for the growth.

• In other words, to grow your glutes you want to increase strength because this is one way to stimulate the muscles, but you don’t want to sacrifice the mind muscle connection. Throwing a heavy hip thrust about and achieving zero sensation in your glutes not productive for hypertrophy. You’d actually be better off reducing the weight a little, ensuring your technique and mind muscle connection are on point.

• Ego lifting might look strong and get a few likes on the gram, but it won’t produce quality muscle growth. Focus on quality, then quantity.

Mistake #3 coming next week!

If you’d like to learn more about training glutes in person with our experienced coaches, we have an exciting glute workshop coming soon! Check out the event here and join the waiting list!