Apple bum

tomatoey

My old bum was rounded and fuller at the bottom. Current bum is overly defined at the upper glutes. Anyone have tips for cutting out the involvement of the upper glutes and focusing more on the glute max?

I am not able to lift weights due to knee issues ( patellofemoral syndrome and patellar tendinopathy), so have been doing mostly bodyweight exercises. I especially like the back extension on the roman chair, which I am killing because I don't have to be careful with it the way I do with squats and lunges and it feels good to just do an exercise without all that worrying. But maybe that's what's causing apple bum.

I also do bridges and foot elevated hip thrusts. For squats, I do box squats (with a 15 lb bar but might as well call that bodyweight) and wall squats with a ball, raising toes and squeezing glutes at the end of the movement. For lunges, I just do side lunges because most of the other ones cause pain. (Out for now: split squats, regular and reverse and walking lunges, step ups)

For both squats and lunges, I do not usually go to much depth (pain again) - maybe to parallel, most times. (Sometimes I go for a proper deep squat and I always pay for it.) I think lack of depth is probably also contributing to the lower bum not really responding.

Are there specific things I can do within the bounds of the exercises I can do without pain to activate more of the lower glute and less of the upper glutes? Or new exercises I should do or some I should avoid or do less of, bearing overall function in mind?

tomatoey

Some squats I've read about and want to try are the eccentric decline squat (this guy thinks it might help with the patellar tendinopathy)




and something Muscle and Fitness called a "sissy squat with rope"



What are those likely to activate as far as glutes are concerned?


(by the way here is that muscle and fitness workout, which i think looks pretty solid overall)

tomatoey

hmm. arguments against the eccentric decline squat for patellar tendinopathy

tomatoey

bumping! sorry! apple bum still needs help!

rileyes

For that area I focus more on the hamstring/glute exercises in the Strong Curves program. How long have you been on your program? I think you have to be really consistent. Then one day, "whoop there it is".

tomatoey

Thanks for answering

Great suggestion! I'll try to do more of those. I'm also wondering though if maybe I'm using the wrong muscles for the ham/glute exercises I do do and just making them bigger

I've been doing the bodyweight SC for a few months (not sure how many, though!). I have had a few breaks here and there because of wonky pains (not related to the program). I think you're right that doing it more consistently would make a huge difference.

But say like for the back extension, even after a break, I can bang out 4 x 40 reps without a sweat (at which point I'm not doing more than endurance, I know, but I have injuries in my shoulder and wrist that make loading a pain. I need to get more creative with that.)

tomatoey

guys right now i am doing a superman and feeling my butt with my hands to see what is working. i can't NOT make those upper glutes contract. HELP ME STOP RUNAWAY UPPER GLUTES