Gaining in the Glutes

dpr73

I am currently 67in and 131lb. Because I am a bit below my maintenance range (135-140) I am going to go on a surplus to gain back and may want to go up to 145. However, I like the look of my upper body and really just want to build my lower body. I am lifting an upper lower split currently so I hit muscle groups twice a week. However, I am wondering if this should be modified considering that I want to build my lower body. Should I lift legs/glutes three times a week to maximize gains in the lower body?

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Already doing lower body twice a week? If it's hard (e.g., squats, etc.) then that's plenty.

(If you've seen my other advice, I will add that it's more satisfying to consider what you can do rather than how you look. You sound very fit. Have you considered taking up cycling? You might be very good at it!)

hesn92

I will recommend strong curves. It is lower body/glute focused, but there is upper body work as well. 3-4x a week, full body.

sardelsa

I pretty much have similar goals when I run bulks. I don't completely leave out upper body since I want to maintain my physique and strength but I do lower the volume and frequency. I will usually run 3 full body days (with 2-3 upper body lifts per session) with focus on glutes, plus one glute only day.. or a split with 3 lower body days and 2 upper days. But this isn't just heavy squats or junk volume 3x per week, I follow a program and it is very balanced to hit the legs/glutes from all the vectors and varied rep ranges.

dpr73

hesn92 wrote: »

I will recommend strong curves. It is lower body/glute focused, but there is upper body work as well. 3-4x a week, full body.

Thanks do you have a link to this routine?

dpr73

sardelsa wrote: »

I pretty much have similar goals when I run bulks. I don't completely leave out upper body since I want to maintain my physique and strength but I do lower the volume and frequency. I will usually run 3 full body days (with 2-3 upper body lifts per session) with focus on glutes, plus one glute only day.. or a split with 3 lower body days and 2 upper days. But this isn't just heavy squats or junk volume 3x per week, I follow a program and it is very balanced to hit the legs/glutes from all the vectors and varied rep ranges.

Okay I’m glad that I’m not too far off then. What routine do you do?

GaryRuns

For the most part I think there's a consensus in the scientific literature that 10-20 sets per week per muscle group is optimal. There's some research that says more volume always gives more gains, but then you are more likely to get injured or insufficient recovery if you go over the 10-20 recommendation. Again, in general, you can spread that out over two to three days.

I think the best advice would be to find a good, structured plan for building glutes and following it. Go with someone like Bret Contreras or similar. They'll structure their plan to give you the optimal 10-20 sets per week, with the progressive overload built in required to make gains, and spread it out over the week to give you sufficient recovery time.

sardelsa

dpr73 wrote: »

hesn92 wrote: »

I will recommend strong curves. It is lower body/glute focused, but there is upper body work as well. 3-4x a week, full body.

Thanks do you have a link to this routine?

You should be able to find it here

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

hesn92

^^ FYI it is a book... but you can see if your library has it and take pictures of the actual program or write them down. I'm sure the programs are floating around on the internet somewhere...

sardelsa

dpr73 wrote: »

sardelsa wrote: »

I pretty much have similar goals when I run bulks. I don't completely leave out upper body since I want to maintain my physique and strength but I do lower the volume and frequency. I will usually run 3 full body days (with 2-3 upper body lifts per session) with focus on glutes, plus one glute only day.. or a split with 3 lower body days and 2 upper days. But this isn't just heavy squats or junk volume 3x per week, I follow a program and it is very balanced to hit the legs/glutes from all the vectors and varied rep ranges.

Okay I’m glad that I’m not too far off then. What routine do you do?

I am a big fan of Bret Contreras' programming, I am currently following his intermediate Glute Lab program from his new book (Glute Lab). Basically it follows similar format to Strong Curves:

1. Glute Dominant (2-4 sets of 5-20 reps)
2. Horizontal pull/Vertical Pull (2-4 sets of 5-20 reps)
3. Quad Dominant (2-4 sets of 5-20 reps)
4. Horizonal Press/Vertical Press (2-4 sets of 5-20 reps)
5. Hip Dominant/Hamstring Dominant (2-4 sets of 5-20 reps)
6. Glute Accessory (1-2 sets of 10-30 reps)

acpgee

I had big glutes when I used to speed skate in the Netherlands. You might consider doing some of your cardio in the form of inline skating. Look at the bodies of any competitive skater (ice or inline, figure or speed) to get an idea of the effect skating has on glutes.

francesca_grey

Strong Curves is a great program but the book is really gross and Bret Contreras is sexist and creepy. Take what good info you can from it and ignore the rest. I've been following a similar workout and lifting 3-4x a week. That frequency/volume is ideal for me and I've gotten great results from it.