If you’ve been looking to spice up your leg workout you’re in luck. Today I have a challenging hamstring and butt exercise that is somewhat unconventional. Very few people take advantage of this exceptional exercise and I hope that this post will change that.

When you think about training your hamstrings, the most common exercises that come to mind are Stiff Leg Deadlifts and Leg Curls. I’ve been hooked on the T-Bar Stiff Leg Deadlift for the past few months ever since my buddy Tom Venuto introduced them to me. I get an amazing stretch and contraction with that hamstring exercise. I’ll be sure to record a video of the T-Bar Stiff Leg Deadlift soon. The regular Deadlift also makes for one heck of a glute and hamstring exercise.

When I asked the members of Tom’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle if they had any alternative exercises that really blast the hammies and glutes I was surprised to hear Tom suggest Glute-Ham Raises. I was even more surprised when Tom mentioned that Glute-Ham Raises are not only difficult, but you can expect 3x the muscle soreness afterward.

Not every gym has a Glute-Ham Raise machine, but the sad thing is that my gym does have one and I’ve neglected it for the past 8 years… and from what I’ve witnessed, everyone else in my gym is neglecting it as well.

So, thanks to the nudge from Tom along with our mutual friend Marc David, I incorporated Glute-Ham Raises into the Metabolic Masterpiece Greek God(dess) Gauntlet workout program… and all that I can say is Wow!!!

If you are not familiar with Glute-Ham Raises, they are often performed on a hyper-extension bench. The bench that we have at our gym has a nice little knee rest that makes it ideal for performing this exercise. I’ll be recording a video later this week to demonstrate the Glute-Ham Raise, but in the meantime, here’s a great video by Marc David, author of NoBull Bodybuilding…

I have to admit that I am quite envious of the specialized equipment that Marc has access to for Glute-Ham Raises. It sure makes for a nice smooth and fluid motion.

Glute-Ham Raises are a very challenging exercise and as Tom mentioned to me, you’ll be sore for days. I had to spot my workout partner to help him get past the sticking point. He weighs a bit more than me, so it would be like I was holding a weight plate at my chest, which would probably kill me at this point as I’m just beginning to get comfortable with the exercise.

I could really feel my hammies contracting like crazy as well as getting a great stretch on the way down. It’s a different kind of feeling than doing leg curls and makes for outstanding variety.

I encourage you to give this exercise a try and be sure to let me know how it feels.

Sculpt a Masterpiece,

Scott Tousignant

About The Author

Scott Tousignant, BHK, is a Certified Fitness Consultant with a passion for transforming fitness enthusiasts into physique artists. His most recent program, Metabolic Masterpiece guides you through the process of sculpting your body into a work of art, by applying what Scott has coined, “The A.T.T.R.A.C.T. Formula.

With his synergistic, boredom busting body sculpting workouts you will melt stubborn fat and gain muscle while skyrocketing your metabolism!

I have a great guest post to share with you today by my friend and fitness expert for men and women over 50, Richard Schuller, author of “A Guide To Getting Younger After 60“.

Want a really great exercise to strengthen your shoulders for any recreational sport? The overhead dumbbell walk is a great movement devised to strengthen all the support muscles in the shoulder to help prevent injury, and enhance overall performance.

Overhead Dumbbell Walk

The cool thing about this movement is that it is very simple to perform, and it can benefit anyone who wants to protect their shoulders for any type of recreational activity. The movement is simply while standing, take a dumbbell in one hand, press it to arms length overhead, and keeping it overhead walk forward about 70 to 100 feet. At that point, switch hands and put the dumbbell overhead with the other hand and walk back the same distance.

Benefits from this movement are that all the muscles that stabilize the shoulder are activated when you walk with the weight overhead. Literally every muscle from the tip of the fingers to the tip of the toes is activated in some degree.

It is prudent to begin with a weight that you can handle easily for walks of 70-100 feet. You should begin by doing two circuits with a light dumbbell. You can add one walking circuit each time until you are doing five circuits. At that point you can increase the weight, and drop back to doing two to four circuits. As you get stronger, it will be easier to walk with more weight. You can vary the intensity of the training by adding more distance to the walk, or using a heavier weight.

This movement can also be used to help rehabilitate shoulders that have been injured. It is advised that if you have a shoulder injury, you be cautious about the amount of weight you use. If your injury is severe, it is strongly recommended that you get help from a fully qualified physical therapist.

It is hard to believe that such a simple movement could bring so many benefits.

About The Author

Richard Schuller, is the author of A Guide To Getting Younger After 60. Helping men and women improve their strength and quality of life, ensuring maximum enjoyment out of what should be the BEST years of your life. At 71 years of age he is living proof that there is absolutely no reason why you need to accept physical decline as you age.

Richard is going to be our resident expert for men and women over 50 here at the Fat Loss Quickie blog. He’s contributed some great tips to this blog during the past year and will now contribute articles on a very regular basis. I have learned a lot from him over the past few years and am looking forward to seeing you benefit from his expertise.

Here are the ingredients in this recipe that Angie created recently:
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves
2 Tsp crushed chillies
1 Tsp cumin
1 Tsp black pepper
1 Tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup cilantro

Directions:

Soak quinoa for 3-5 minutes, then rinse.

Bring quinoa, vegetable broth, crushed chillies, cumin, and black pepper to a boil. Then simmer for 30 minutes.

While the quinoa is simmering, fry up the onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil.

After 30 minutes, add the onion-garlic mix, the corn, and cilantro to the quinoa and let simmer for 5 minutes.

That’s it… Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: 4 servings
234 calories
44 grams of carbs
8 grams of protein
3 grams of fat.

Of course, you don’t need to add the corn and you can cook it in water instead of vegetable broth if you wish.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott and Angie Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, 10-Minute Metabolism Booster, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

I love to pick the brains of my fellow physique artists with some of the greatest bodies around the world and discover the strategies that they have implemented to lose fat and gain muscle.

Recently I picked the brain of Obi Obadike, WBFF World Champion Fitness Model and creator of Accelerate Your Fat Loss. Obi has one of the greatest physiques that I’ve ever seen. In fact, I use a picture a Obi’s back muscles as a source of motivation to continue sculpting my body.

?1)  A lot of people struggle to get themselves down to 4% body fat, but rarely do they ever maintain it. How difficult is it for you to maintain this level of leanness… what are your biggest challenges… and how do you overcome those challenges?

The biggest thing is how much food you eat. I love to eat food just like the next person and for me to stay lean all year round it comes down to my daily calorie consumption which doesn’t exceed 2500 calories and also I make sure that I am not eating junk food more than twice a week. I’ve trained myself not to eat too much food per day.

My biggest challenges is my diet as I think we all love to eat food that tastes good but is not really good for us health wise. Diet is 80 percent of the battle in how you look and the type of conditioning you can maintain throughout the year. First is your diet and second is your training and these two things will always dictate your current conditioning.??

2)  Can you give us a general idea of your nutrition structure? For example, are you counting calories, do you follow a zig zag approach, how often to you allow for a treat?

I don’t really count calories too much but I cheat about twice a week and my cheat meals are like chicken soft tacos and French fries. If you even want count that as a cheat meal from a nutritional standpoint. My philosophy is eat good 5 days a week and then cheat twice a week which works well for me.??

3)  I’ve heard you mention that your diet is kind of boring because you eat a lot of the same foods. I too am the same way and prefer it this way. Do you find that this allows for your eating to become more ‘automatic’, more habit, and easier to stick with?

Yes you are right my eating becomes very habit form and automatic because it is the same foods over and over again. I think at the end of the day it is falling in love with foods that are healthy for you whether it be chicken, turkey, brown rice, etc.??

4)  When you want to go from 4% body fat to the leanest that you can possibly be, what changes do you have to make to your nutrition?

My nutrition will consist of just chicken and vegetables throughout the day and oatmeal in the morning. My calories are so low and I would say it is about 1200 to 1400 calories per day which gets me so lean so quickly. It is easier for me to get down to 2 to 3 percent then most people because I am at 4 percent all year round. I don’t need to consume much carbs to function throughout the day like most people.??

5)  There’s countless training strategies that we can use to sculpt our body, what style of training do you prefer and why?

My weight-training is a very high intense program which consists of lots of super-setting and circuit-training which allows my training program to be a combination of anaerobic and aerobic training. You are constantly moving from one weight-training station to the next with very little rest which allows you to burn an infinite amount of calories and still build lean muscle slowly at the same time. This is really what my Accelerate Your Fat Loss System is all about. I also implement in my cardio program lots of sprints, plyometric exercises and high interval 3 mile runs. This way of training helps me stay lean on top of my diet.??

6)  Mindset plays such a huge role in our success. Do you have any tips to offer about building a winning mindset, and are there any mindset strategies that you applied during your days as a competitive sprinter that you are applying today as a fitness model?

Never give up is my mentality that I apply as a fitness model and always working so hard. Both of these qualities helped me to become very successful as a sprinter. I see so many fitness models giving up so early in the game. You have to shoot and submit and shoot and submit. And if you are relentless some magazine will publish you somewhere around the world.?
?
7)  I believe that our bodies are an extension and expression of our values, beliefs, and passion. What values and beliefs are most important in your life and what are you most passionate about?

My values and beliefs are doing the right things in life and never screwing anybody over. Another value I have is always helping people to be the best they can be in life. I love to help people out and see them succeed. It makes me feel good to help people out and I’ve done it so many times and I will never stop doing it. And then lastly using my knowledge and education in health and fitness to help enrich somebody’s health and fitness lifestyle which I am very passionate about.??

8)  I like to think that body sculpting is a journey of self-discovery. What have you learned most about yourself during the past few years as a competitive fitness model?

What I’ve learned about sculpting is you can sculpt your body to whatever you want based on your genetic capability. I think it’s the coolest thing in the world to have pictures capture you sculpting your physique to the best of its ability. Some people can see that as vanity but some people can see it as someone that is an artist that is trying to sculpt their physique by optimizing their genetic potential through sound nutrition, sound diet and efficient training.??

9)  Obviously for you, staying lean year round is important because you could be called for a photo shoot at any given moment. Do you have any suggestions to offer non-fitness models that may keep this same kind of incentive or motivation to stay lean and not fall back to old bad habits?

I think the suggestion I can give is to offer to non-fitness models is being in lean and in shape is about being healthy. Also you want to be happy with your physique and how you look because that happiness you have for yourself will allow you to be happy for your friends, family and other people. Also know that you being in shape will also motivate other people to be fit even if you’ve never shared a word to that person you have no idea how many people you motivate just by being fit.?

I hope that you enjoyed this interview and gained some insights into what it takes to get ultra lean and maintain low single digit body fat year round.

To learn more about the exact methods and strategies that Obi uses to sculpt an amazing physique, simply visit his website Accelerate Your Fat Loss

If you live a busy lifestyle, workout at home, and are looking to add some variety to your leg workouts, this video will spice things up for you….

Here’s the routine:

Prisoner Squat – 10 reps
3/4 Squat – 10 reps
1 Leg Squat with a Stability Ball Against a Wall – 10 reps each leg
Jump Squats – 10 reps
Horizontal Squat – 10 reps
Squat Hold – 30 seconds

Repeat 1-2 more times

Not only is this a great leg workout… it’s also incredibly cardiovascular in nature. I guarantee that your heart will be pumping and your breathing will be labored.

This workout comes from our Fat Loss Quickie 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program, which includes 60 workouts/HIIT routines that can be performed with very little equipment, very little space, and last only 10 minutes.

From 2007 to early 2010 the 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program was the workout that kept Angie and I in great shape, producing a lean and athletic look. This was a period in our life where we were beyond busy. With two young children and two family businesses, we had very little time to workout. What worked great for us was performing a 10-minute HIIT session first thing in the morning and a 10-minute workout later in the day. This gave us two metabolic spikes throughout the day and made it easier for us to comply to the program.

One of the differences between our quick workouts and many other short burst workout programs out there, is that we apply a body part split routine. We found that focusing on just one or two body parts per day, five days per week, allowed us to work each muscle to the best of their ability and impact many more muscle fibers than full body quick workouts.

The body part split routine created a sculpted look by providing more attention to detail. Even though we had to shorten our workouts, the physique artist within me was still shining bright.

If you live a busy lifestyle and have difficulty “Fitting In” a workout, the 10-Minute Metabolism Boosting program is a great solution for you. The workouts are fun, challenging, and can fit into anyone’s hectic schedule.

The variety of workouts within the 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program will bring excitement to your training, while keeping your motivation high. That’s been one of the biggest benefits that we’ve heard from our satisfied customers during the past 3 years. They’re never bored and they look forward to their next quick workout with great enthusiasm.

If lack of time has been one of your excuses for putting off the body that you deserve… the 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program throws that excuse out the window.

No more excuses. No more putting your goals off until tomorrow. The time to make your health, fitness, and physique a top priority is NOW!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, 10-Minute Metabolism Booster, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

At first glance this may sound like simplistic common knowledge, but I assure you that there is more to it than meets the eye. For some reason the concept of a synergistic approach hit me hard during my workout today. During the past six months I have witnessed changes in my physique that greatly exceed any other transformation that I’ve gone through. The reason for this amazing transformation is not just because I set a BIG goal to achieve by a specific date. It’s not just because I surround myself with like-minded supportive people who are striving for greatness. It’s not just because I’ve been following a killer workout program designed to gain muscle and lose fat. It’s not just because I’m following a killer diet plan that is designed to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. It’s not just because I’ve been walking for 30-45 minutes daily. It’s not just because I’m getting a great sleep every night…

…The reason for the amazing results that I’ve been experiencing is because I have been incorporating all of the above into my daily life. Everything is working in synergy.

If I had just focused on my diet, I wouldn’t look the way that I do today. If I had just followed my workout program, I wouldn’t look the way that I do today. If I had just focused on walking, I wouldn’t look the way that I do today. When you get everything working in synergy your results will increase exponentially. It’s like the saying goes, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” In other words, 1+1+1 does not always equal 3.

I’m sure this is nothing new to you. It’s not ground breaking info, yet very few people are committed to getting their mind, workouts, diet, cardio, and lifestyle working in synergy.

How about you? Do you have everything working in synergy?

The thing that really struck me today during my workout was more than just the fact that I had all the pieces of the puzzle together. The thing that struck me was that everything that I have been doing is in total alignment with my goals and my mindset. This is the ultimate synergy! It’s total and complete lifestyle.

What I mean by this is that although you may be working out, eating well, doing cardio, and getting a great sleep… the type of workout, type of diet, or type of cardio may not be in complete alignment with your goals or current lifestyle.

You and I may both have a goal to burn fat, but that doesn’t mean that we should be following the same workout, diet, or cardio routine. You need to fine tune your goals beyond just fat loss. There are many different ways to train when your goal is fat loss. Other than releasing a specific amount of fat, it’s important to know the “Look” that you desire to achieve. Other goals to consider could be strength, flexibility, or functionality just to name a few. There’s thousands of fat loss workout programs available, yet each of them can produce a different outcome beyond just burning off ___ pounds of fat.

What do you want to get out of your workout program? What do you want to get out of your nutrition plan? What do you want to get out of the cardio that you perform? What do you want to get out of LIFE? After you answer those questions, take a moment to reflect on whether or not all the actions that you are performing are in alignment with the overall outcome that you desire.

I’m sure that you’ve noticed a shift in my mindset during the past six months. I’ve become pretty darn intense and passionate. My personal focus and love has shifted toward body sculpting… or dare I say bodybuilding. They are the same thing, it’s just that body sculpting has a nice ring to it and it helps me visualize my training as an art form. (for all the non-bodybuilders out there, bear with me for a moment, because this will come right back to you).

When my mindset shifted, so did my goals. I began thinking bigger. I began thinking about getting totally shredded. I began to think about gaining muscle while getting shredded. I began to get super excited about how my physique will look in five to ten years from now.

When this shift in mindset occurred, my training had to shift as well. I began to workout like a bodybuilder/body sculptor. I began to eat like a bodybuilder/body sculptor. I began to surround myself with friends who are bodybuilders/body sculptors. I began to gravitate toward online communities where the members had goals of gaining muscle and losing fat. I began to pay more attention to the quality of sleep that I was getting.

Everything began to work in synergy. My workouts, diet, sleep, friends, and cardio were all in-line with my goals and mindset… and that’s the key.

Ever notice how many yoga practitioners are also vegetarians or raw foodists? A vegetarian or raw food diet, from what I can see, appears to gel really well with the philosophies, values, goals, and mindset of yoga. It’s a synergistic approach.

When it comes to athletes, they train a certain way and eat a certain way. Every part of their lifestyle works together in synergy in order to allow them to perform at the top of their game.

The take home lesson that I hope is getting across to you, is the importance of knowing the exact goal that you desire to achieve, and making sure that your workouts, diet, and lifestyle are in alignment with your goal. When you have everything working together in synergy, I guarantee that fitness will become more fun, effortless, and rewarding.

There is no “BEST” workout, diet, or cardio plan that will work for everyone. I encourage you to “buck the trends” and go with your heart and passion. Follow the plan that is best in alignment with the body and lifestyle that you desire.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

Will you look better on your next birthday? Will you be leaner? Will you have more muscle? Will your physique be more symmetrical? Will you improve upon your weaker points? I’d love to hear your thoughts and how you see yourself improving between today and your next birthday.

The inspiration for this post came from one of my greatest role models, Tom Venuto, author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program, and creator of the Burn The Fat Inner Circle. It was his birthday and Tom had posted a great message on the Burn The Fat Facebook Fan Page…

“What if you set a goal to hit a personal record (PR) on your birthday workout, for every b-day, for as long as you live?

None of us is likely to increase our 1 rep max PR forever (well, at least not past our 100th b-day, up to 99 or so, should be no problem), but we could always do SOME kind of PR right? more reps… more sets… new workout, or anything we haven’t done before; just some PR.

I like that idea. Hmmm, maybe this will become a tradition in the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle world?”

This reminded me of a similar message that I first heard from Cover Model extraordinaire, Clark Bartram, a few years ago when I interviewed him. I recommend that you give this audio a listen… it’s awesome!

*** Unstoppable Fat Loss audio with Clark Bartram ***

The message of improving from birthday to birthday really resonated with me and I’ve been living up to it for the past few years. Today, as I approach 36 years of age I am in the best shape of my life. I plan on looking even better in my 40’s. I look at my wife who recently turned 38 and she is sexier, than ever with a knock out physique.

Nearly all of my role models are in their 40’s and a couple are in their 50’s. I see how they continue to improve their physiques and it inspires the heck out of me. Tom Venuto, Shawn Phillips, and Clark Bartram are just a few of the guys who I look up to…

This message ties in nicely with our philosophies of “Continuous Growth”. Life really is about growth, living to our potential, and enjoying life to the fullest. That’s what we all deserve!

Will you look better on your next birthday? I sure as heck know that I will!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS Who are your role models that inspire you to improve your physique with each passing birthday?

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

Do you have a flat butt? Would you like discover some powerful tips and exercises to help you build a more fuller, rounder, and sexier butt? You’ll find it all in today’s article, which includes links to photo and video demonstrations.

Powerful Tips, Tricks and Techniques For Building Larger, Firmer, Rounder Glutes

By Nick Nilsson

Do your thighs get more work than your glutes when you’re doing glute exercises? This information is going to change the way you train your glutes forever!

It’s a common problem that many people run into when they’re trying to build and work the glutes: the thighs take over the exercises and the glutes get left out in the cold!

One of the major reasons this happens is that some of the most effective glute-building exercises are also among the most effective thigh-building exercises, e.g. squats, lunges, leg press, etc.

And, quite often, a person who has smaller glutes and whose goal is to build their glutes already has muscle attachments and leverage issues that favor thigh development over glute development. This can set them back right from the start.

If this sounds like you, read on, because the information you get today is going to change the way you approach your glute training forever!

Let me put it this way…if your glutes already have a hard time getting involved in exercises, performing more exercises won’t solve the problem! You’ve got to properly target your training to make sure the glutes get worked more than the thighs or you simply WILL NOT be able to maximize your glute development.

Today, you’re going to learn a number of training techniques that can help build those large, round firm glutes you’ve been looking for! They will help you to overcome any physical and anatomical limitations your glutes may have.

[Please note: there will be a link to photo demonstrations of several of these exercises, positions and techniques below.]

Techniques:

1. Consciously squeeze your glutes HARD while doing your exercises

Are you sitting in a chair? Clench your glutes as hard as you can. Feel the squeeze? This is what you need to strive for while doing glute exercises.

When you do a lunge, squeeze the glute hard while you’re pushing up. This will help to activate the glute muscle. It’s all about getting your mind into the muscle and forcing it to contract rather than just going through the motions of an exercise. By concentrating on squeezing the glutes hard during your sets (of whatever exercise you’re doing), you’ll be activating the muscle fibers of the glutes and increasing the amount of work they do.

If you don’t believe this technique can work, try this: go for a walk up and down some hills squeezing your glutes hard as you push yourself forward with each step you take. The following day, sitting down will take on a whole new challenge!

2. Push with your heels

The transmission of force and tension from your foot through your leg and glute can be altered by where you put the tension on your foot. If you push with the balls of your feet (the forefoot area), more tension will be placed on the frontal thigh (the quadriceps). If you focus on pushing more with your heels, more tension will go through the back of the thighs and to your glutes.

By pushing with your heels, you can take FULL advantage of this force/tension relationship. For example, when you’re doing lunges, try to raise the toes of your front foot off the ground. This removes tension from the front and focuses more on the heel. This will, in turn, send more tension to the glutes, making them work harder.

There are several practical techniques you can use to really force the heel push. For example, on lunges, do them with your heel on the edge of a stair or Step platform. Place ONLY your heel on the surface and do the lunge from there (be careful of your balance on this, however, as your base of support is decreased with this technique).

If you’re doing the leg press, you can focus on the glutes by placing your heels on the top edge of the foot plate (the rest of your feet surface will be off the top and not pushing on anything). When doing squats, simply raise your toes up in your shoes to achieve a similar effect.

To view these techniques in action, please click this link: Butt Exercise Demonstration >>>>

3. Visualize “sitting back” when you’re doing your glute exercises

This idea is similar to the concept of pushing with your heels above. When you “sit back,” more tension will be sent through the back of the thighs and the glutes. If you lean forward (the opposite of the “sitting back”), you will tend to throw more tension on the quadriceps (the front of the thighs).

We can use both the squat and the lunge as examples of this. When doing the lunge, don’t let your torso angle forward while you’re performing the movement. This will throw more tension on the quads. Visualize yourself “sitting back” into the movement. Your body won’t let you lean back far enough to fall over but this “lean-back” will put more tension on the glutes immediately. This is something you can try at home right now and feel the difference right away.

If, when you’re doing squats, you don’t normally feel the glutes working very strongly, you could very well be leaning too far forward as you squat. This throws more tension onto the quads and lower back. This problem is often caused by a lack of flexibility in the calves. To fix this, stretch the calves for at least 5 minutes before doing any squat exercise. You will soon find you’re able to sit back more and maintain a better body position (more upright torso). This will turn the squat into a great glute-builder for you!

IMPORTANT! If you do Smith Machine squats, specifically with the feet placed a little forward of the bar while you sit backwards into the bar as you do the movement, beware! This variation of the squat places a TREMENDOUS shearing force on your knees.

Unfortunately, the knee joint simply wasn’t designed to push backwards against resistance in this fashion and long-term use of this squat variation can lead to knee injury (basically, every time you do this exercise, you’re grinding the connective tissue down a little more – not a good situation). Don’t worry, though! Squats themselves, when done properly, are an excellent exercise!

To view these techniques in action, please click this link: Butt Exercise Demos >>>>

4. Pre-Exhaust Training

Pre-Exhaust Training is one of the single most effective techniques for FORCING reluctant muscles to respond to training. The idea behind this technique is simple: first, use an exercise that works ONLY the target muscle. Then, immediately follow that with an exercise that works the target muscle AND several other muscles in addition. You essentially exhaust the target muscle first (with an isolation exercise that works only that single muscle) then use an exercise that utilizes other muscles (a compound exercise) to help push that already pre-exhausted target muscle harder.

The two isolation (single-muscle) exercises that I recommend for the glutes are low pulley glute extensions and glute push-ups. Low pulley glute extensions are done by attaching an ankle harness to your leg, standing facing the pulley machine and extending your leg straight back behind you. Glute push-ups are done by laying flat on your back with your knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. From this position, push your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes hard. This exercise can also be done one leg at a time (just cross the non-working leg over the other).

Do as many reps of this exercise as it takes to reach muscular fatigue (it could be 8, 15 or even more, depending on the resistance and your strength). The real muscle-building work gets done on the second exercise.

To view these two exercises in action, please click this link: Butt Exercises

When you’ve completed your set, immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY – no rest periods here) move into the compound exercise for the glutes. Compound exercises for the glutes include squats, lunges, leg press, and (my personal favorite glute-builder) the one-legged bench step squat.

Use a fairly heavy resistance for the compound exercise…as I mentioned above, this is where the muscle-building work gets done. Use a resistance that will allow you get about 8 to 12 reps per set. This is the most effective rep range for muscle building.

One-Legged Bench Step Squats (demo video available for this one)

In my experience, the best pre-exhaust approach is to focus on one leg at a time rather than doing both. It may take a little longer but the glutes get worked more thoroughly and your results will most likely be better. For example, do One-Legged Glute Push-Ups with your left leg then immediately do Bench Step One-Legged Squats on your left leg. Take a rest then do a set for your right leg.

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Conclusion:

Regularly using the four training techniques I’ve described above can have a HUGE impact on your glute-building progress. It’s all about properly targeting your training to FORCE the glutes to take the lead in the exercise. With these tips, you will build larger, firmer, rounder glutes. Guaranteed!

Interested in a complete glute-building training manual to take ALL the guesswork out of building those larger, rounder, firmer glutes? You need “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!”

In it you’ll find exercises, training programs, workouts, nutrition and supplement information, stretches, and much more…all targeted towards one single goal: building a bigger butt FAST!

Click this link right now to learn more! How To Build A Better Butt

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Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 20 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!“, “Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass”, “Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of”, all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

I hope that you enjoyed today’s article and that you found the tips and exercise demonstrations very useful. I know a lot of women and men who have been unhappy with their flat butt, and these exercises have been a BIG help to them.

Angie has incorporated the Gluteus To The Maximus butt workouts into her training for the past few years and it’s produced FANTASTIC results. I think that Angie’s butt is one of her best features.

Building a rounder, firmer, and sexier butt is a great way to create natural curves to your physique. Apply the exercises, techniques, and tips from today’s article and begin transforming your flat butt into a rounder butt today!

Sculpt a Masterpiece,

Scott Tousignant

It would mean a great deal to me if you could take a brief moment to share whether you prefer to workout with a training partner or workout by yourself. I’d also love to know why you prefer one over the other.

I personally haven’t worked out with a training partner for quite a while now. I have found that it helped me get in the zone and block out all distractions. I could just pop in the headphones, crank the music and hone in on my mind-muscle connection.

Well, I had a HUGE eye opener yesterday. For the first time in ages I worked out with a great friend of mine and it took my workout to an entirely new level. I pushed well beyond what I thought were my limits and now realize that I am capable of much more than I previously thought.

At my moments of weakness when I felt like “tapping out” and calling it quits, my training partner found an emotional trigger in me, which fired me up to push out another amazing set. At that point the workout was only halfway complete. It was pretty amazing to see how my energy level, which appeared to be exhausted at the time, shot up again and stayed high throughout the remainder of the workout.

That was a really big eye opener for me, to realize that there may be times during a workout where you feel like there is no more gas left in the tank, but there is indeed plenty more that will allow you to arrive at your destination.

What I also realized is that when you get two people who are serious about achieving a common goal together in a weight room, the energy, the passion, and the experience is magnified. When you have the right training partner, you really can bring out the best in each other.

There was a moment during the workout where my partner gave me a cue and told me exactly where I should be feeling the exercise. This was perfect timing because my focus was not in the exact place where it should have been. That one simple cue set my quads on fire. Not only was my training partner able to get me to enhance my mind-muscle connection, his verbal cues had me visualizing my muscles growing and looking absolutely shredded. This took my intensity to a level that I have never experienced. It had me pushing much harder than I would have if I was not playing those images in my mind.

Unfortunately, my training partner for the day, is a friend from out of town, so now I will be on the lookout for a local partner who is on my training schedule. As I begin my search, I thought I would pose a question to you and our Fat Loss Quickie community who workout with a training partner…

…Do you have any tips for choosing a great training partner?

As I reflected on the killer workout that I just completed and the many benefits of having a great training partner who is like-minded, driven, and wants to see you succeed, I was reminded of the impact that the people whom we choose to surround ourselves with, can have on the outcome of our goals.

Here’s my words of wisdom for the day… “Surround yourself with the people who bring out the best in you… and return the favor by bringing out the best in them.”

Surrounding yourself with the right people can make this transformation journey even more enjoyable and rewarding. It’s an amazing thing to be able to share this incredible journey with like-minded friends… helping each other live to our potential, sculpting the body and life that we deserve.

Now it’s your turn to share your experiences and thoughts on the topic. Do you prefer to train with a partner or workout alone? Why do you prefer one over the other?

Bonus question: What are your tips for choosing a great training partner?

Thanks for your participation.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

There’s no doubt that you’ve come across hyped-up claims from fitness marketers telling you that their workout program will melt fat 9 times faster and will have you burning massive amounts of calories for 48 hours after your workout, which they refer to as the “Afterburn”, or in scientific terms EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). These so-called “fat loss guru’s” are passing this information off as fact, and in a very clever and convincing way to the general public. Unfortunately, if you have bought into their claims, you have been mislead and I’m about to show you how.

Preface

You will often times hear the “Afterburn” claims from programs that involve HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), regular Interval Training, and most recently Metabolic Resistance Training. I want to make it absolutely clear that I am not against these types of training. I have personally incorporated them into my training for nearly a decade.

What I am against is the false, EXAGGERATED claims and misuse of cherry picked data in order to get you to buy into a certain program. Frankly, I feel that there are many fitness professionals whom would benefit a great deal from taking a business ethics 101 course.

The purpose of this post is to set aside the hype and uncover the truth, so you can make an informed decision about the next workout program that you choose to follow.

Exaggerated Claims Based On Flawed Research

According to some cleverly marketed workout programs, you’ll be burning hundreds of calories post-workout all thanks to the afterburn of their high intensity workout. The truth is, that the “Afterburn” that follows a high intensity workout is very minimal. If you are lucky you may burn 50 extra calories and that’s if you are well trained and can actually last through an entire workout at the level of intensity that’s required. The duration that is required to experience this kind of afterburn is not exactly short either.

Now don’t get me wrong, you better believe that any extra calories, even if it is just 50 calories, that I may burn as a result of an afterburn is totally welcome in my eyes. But to me, I’d rather not count on those extra calories being burned and I certainly won’t calculate them into my daily caloric expenditure. Instead, I think of any afterburn effect to be a bonus and don’t really give it a second thought.

…and that’s exactly what I encourage you to do. If you are focused on creating a caloric deficit through exercise, you need to realize that it’s the calories that are being burned during the workout that make the greatest impact. In other words… get your butt moving!

Don’t Just Take My Word For It

I encourage you to educate yourself from a variety of reputable sources who truly dive into this research in a meaningful way… not just to serve their marketing message.

Lyle McDonald is one of the guys whom I trust when it comes to devouring research, explaining it in real world terms, cutting through the B.S. and helping you make an informed decision. I highly recommend that you take a moment to read this article of his where he dissects a study on EPOC…

Effects of Exercise Intensity and Duration on the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption

Now what about these workouts supposedly burning fat 9 times faster?

The study that is often referenced when a fitness marketer talks about 9x faster fat loss is one done by Tremblay, Angelo, et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. Vol 43. no 7 (July). Pp 814-818. 1994. They came to this 9 x faster conclusion in a rather odd manner to say the least. Rather than go into the odd conclusion in this post, I recommend instead that you take a moment to read how Tom Venuto author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle explains it in great detail within this article…

Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT?

Tom brings up a great point in the above article about how this flawed research is often used… You never hear any of the “fitness guru’s” tell you, that although this study came to the conclusion that Interval Training produced 9x greater fat loss… the results were only .2 pounds in 20 weeks!!!

Holy moly does that ever make me want to do Intervals

Losing .2 pounds in 20 weeks is definitely not sexy, but hey, “Let’s cherry pick some numbers from this study and just roll with the 9x faster fat loss, even though how they arrived at that conclusion is quite frightening.”

Irrelevant Comparisons

The thing that really gets me is that these fitness marketers will use this 9 times greater fat loss from this study which had the participants performing intervals on a cycle ergometer and say that their new breakthrough workout program that includes whacky circus moves will burn fat 9 times faster as well.

Where do they get off making this comparison? As I have mentioned before, I’ve been a participant in one of these University studies on the cycle ergometer and most of us participants felt nauceous, some of us puked, and some of us fainted after the experiment. Needless to say that the workload was extremely intense.

Unless these fitness marketers put their program under a closely monitored study itself and compare it to other programs that have been studied, then you simply cannot say that your program burns ___ times more fat than another program. So basically, the study that they quote is irrelevant to their program.

In the article above, Tom also mentions that you could use this very same study and come to the conclusion that steady start cardio produces 5 times greater weight loss, because the steady state group lost 1.1 pounds during the same 20 week time period.

Obviously in both counts the weight loss or fat loss is not significant. I’m certain that one of the reasons that the loss in body fat or body weight was not significant is because diet was not controlled in this study and very rarely ever is. I guess that you could say that this also proves just how important diet is when it comes to fat loss.

Let’s Put Things Into Perspective

There’s no doubt that the harder you work during a training session, the greater EPOC you will experience.

…But, that EPOC is not nearly as significant as some “fitness guru’s” have led you to believe.

What really matters is the overall calories being burned. Because many of the proponents of these claims are recommending abbreviated workouts as the solution, let’s say that their 20 minute workout burns 250 calories and the EPOC, if they pushed it really hard, is 30 calories. That’s a total of 280 calories.

Now let’s compare it to someone who performs a low intensity workout for 60 minutes and burns 500 calories with next to no EPOC. The low intensity workout still comes ahead by 220 calories… mind you, they had to exercise 3 times as long… and that’s where the appeal is. If you are absolutely pressed for time, than short bouts of high intensity exercise is a great solution for your lifestyle.

The Big Picture

There are some fitness marketers who say that I am wasting my time going for a 30-45 minute daily walk because there is no “Afterburn”. What they fail to recognize is that my daily walk is soooo much more than just a task to burn calories. I walk for active recovery from my strenuous weight training sessions. I walk for stress relief. I walk to prepare for my day. I walk for pure enjoyment.

With the calming and recovery effect of walking I could very well be creating a better environment within my body to burn fat than if I were to do Intervals instead.

If the great Hercules himself, Steve Reeves was still alive I’d love to see these fitness marketers approach him and tell him that walking is a waste of time

Steve, who arguably has one of the greatest natural physiques of all time, was a huge proponent of power walking and even wrote a book on it.

What’s The Best Solution?

The truth is that there is no “BEST Program”. There’s probably thousands of GREAT programs, but what it really boils down to is following a program that suits your lifestyle, personality, and goals.

I’ve personally gone through a variety of training protocols over the years, and all of them were based on my lifestyle and goals at the time. In my teens it was all about bodybuilding. In my mid 20’s it was all about breaking my workouts into small manageable chunks to fit into my hectic work schedule and busy family life. That was when I created the Fat Loss Quickie 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program. The reason that it was so effective for Angie and I was because it was super easy for us to stick to for the long term. It was easy to be consistent with our workouts, which is really the key to long term success. Yes, these workouts provided a nice metabolic boost twice per day, but we sure as heck don’t go around making hyped up and exaggerated claims about the afterburn effect.

The Fat Loss Quickie workouts were first designed for Angie and myself and then we packaged them together for our busy friends who also wanted to get in great shape. But they don’t compare to the results that you would get from my Metabolic Masterpiece Body Sculpting Program, which requires more time investment in the gym, allowing for more exercises to be incorporated into sculpting your body into a work of art.

Metabolic Masterpiece is best suited for someone who enjoys spending 45-60 minutes of focused time in the gym four days per week and posses a type of personality that is fascinated by their ever improving physique. Not only do they want to look amazing, but they want to feel strong as well.

If you love Interval Training, chances are greater that you’ll stick to an interval training program better than any other program. If you love Yoga, you’ll stick to that better than any other program. I really wish we would break free from this, “Mine’s bigger than yours” mentality and do what’s in the best interest of the general public.

Make Nutrition a Top Priority

As demonstrated in the research study above, it doesn’t matter whether you do interval training or low intensity exercise… if your nutrition sucks you can’t expect great results. The nutrition principles that I personally follow are based on the teachings in Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. It’s a system that I’ve applied for nearly a decade and I can customize to meet my goals.

Summary

Once again, here are two must read articles on the topic of EPOC that expose the myths and lies that are being pushed on you…

Effects of Exercise Intensity and Duration on the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption

Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT?

If you enjoyed this post you may also enjoy these previous posts where I brought some clarity to other over-hyped claims in the fat loss industry…

HIIT: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Truth About Fear Driven Nutrition Tactics
Functional Training Myths

I’ve got your best interests at heart. I’m looking out for you. Not much upsets me more than seeing you being mislead by a self proclaimed fitness guru.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask. I’m here for you.

If you have any thoughts or opinions on the topic, I’d love to hear from you. I’m sure that a post like this will ruffle some feathers.

Once again, I’m not against Interval Training or Metabolic Resistance Training in any way shape or form. They are fantastic and fun ways to exercise for many people. What I am against is exaggerated and misleading claims about their effectiveness.

With that being said… train hard, stay focused, and enjoy the journey.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!