My Butt...

Jim_Barteck

Congratulations! You found your weakest link!

Every exercise is only as good as the weakest muscle in the chain required to complete the exercise. In this case, your hamstrings are your limiting factor.

Basically what happened is that your hamstrings were significantly weaker than your glutes (not at all unusual for beginners). You worked hard enough to exhaust your hamstrings, but not hard enough to signficantly work on the gluteal muscles because of the gap in starting strength between those two sets of muscles.

As your hamstrings get stronger, then you will start to feel the exercise more in your glutes because you will be tiring those muscles at closer to the same time.

Give it time.

itsthehumidity

I've been squatting for some time now, and my 1RM is about 415. My glutes have never been sore from squatting and my form is perfect.

It's important to note that soreness is not a great indicator of progress or how hard you've worked a muscle. It really tells you more about how adapted or not adapted the muscle is to what you're making it do. Here's what I mean: there was a time during my progression that I took a break from weights. I had made it up to about 235x5 for squats with no soreness after workouts. A few months later I came back and started out light at 155x5. I was sore for days. The strength was still there; I was back to PR territory in a few weeks. My muscles just weren't used to it anymore and thus complained.

So, hopefully this example illustrates the difference between soreness and how hard you've worked a muscle.

swaistle

I few people have beat me to it, but when I was hitting the gym, I was also doing lunges and dead lifts along with squats and my butt did hurt after all that haha

sensitivefool

Ohhh, the scientists came out! Lol, thank you for all of the information, everyone.

I especially appreciate the visual diagram.

Sarahliquid

I think I only just realised how to get the butt burn in squats.

You've got to squeeze those glutes and use them to power you up, weight on your heels.

I too was only getting achey thighs etc, when I didn't really engage my glutes, and was bending too far forward.

Me too, squeeze the glutes as if your squeeze is what's lifting you up.

Myhaloslipped

Definitely do weighted lunges and barbell hip thrusts for a sore *kitten*.