Starting squats?

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ghouli
ghouli Posts: 207 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Alright I'll try not to ramble too much, and hopefully this doesn't sound hella stupid.

Basically my experience with squats is the stuff in 30DS and other videos like that. My butt is droopy and unattractive and I feel like I'm not going to get the Dream Butt by just doing stuff like that, and wanted to start REALLY doing squats and other things to get me on my way to a dope booty.

Problem is, I'm still at that stage where I'm really uncomfortable using the weights at the gym (self-conscious, don't want to accidentally kill myself, etc). And I usually go there at night because that's when it best fits into my schedule, and I'd feel like an *kitten* asking the occasional one or two people who are there at the same time I am to kinda show me the ropes. Like "hey it's midnight and you probably wanna get going soon but can you help me out because I'm a noob", yenno?

I do have a lot of various dumbbells at home, and have been reading up on dumbbell squats and other moves using just dumbbells. So my question is, can doing things using just my dumbbells get my Sad Saggy Bum to a Nice Bum? At least until I'm at the point where I'm either comfortable using the weights at the gym or find a gym buddy to go with me?

Also I'd love to hear what you personally love doing for the lower half of your body, since I know there's more than just squats out there.

SORRY if any of this sounds dumb, I'm a newbie to pretty much any kind of lifting. I used to be just "CARDIO CARDIO CARDIO" but since I joined MFP and have read up about how important it is to do strength training, I want to get into that.

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  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    I get more out of different kinds of deadlifts than squats for my backside. To answer your question, since you have dumbbells a home you can start with goblet squats. Also, bulgarian split squats are a good lower body exercise. Progression is the key and comes in several forms: increasing weight, increasing reps, etc. YouTube is a good resource to look up what form should look like.

    On my lower days I do back squats, conventional deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, bulgarian split squats, weighted hyperextensions, and ab work. (not all of this on the same day)
  • dogcatac
    dogcatac Posts: 124 Member
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    my leg day is tonight lol. i do plyo to start it out, then back squats, box squats, split squats, front squats, good mornings, glute bridges, lunges, etc. i think you can get a great butt workout without using the bar. i use dumbbells for split squats and lunges and can definitely feel it. work out your form with your dumbbells!
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
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    I don't belong to a gym. But I've been doing a modified version of Bret Contreras Strong Glutes program at home. Modified because instead of doing weighted hip thrusts with a barbell, I do them with resistance band and stuff like that. Also glute activation exercises like bridge, kickback, hip extension with bands, fire hydrant etc..
    I also to a kettlebell program that does a lot of whole body movements that really shape my butt like kettlebell swings, KB split squats, KB Side Lunges, kettlebell pass through lunge, Turkish Get up, Roll back squats, KB clean -- now that I'm typing it out, it seems like my whole KB series DVD engages the glutes and legs...
    So it *is* possible to target the area w/o gym equipment like bars.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    edited November 2015
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    You could always check out video tutorials, like So You Think You Can Squat. A lot of people take video and post to get form feedback as well (bonus of a quiet gym is you have no one sideeyeing you for using your phone in the gym). One of the lifting groups might be a little better for that though.

    I am doing Strong Curves. It is a whole body routine that is focused on building your behind. There are a couple of different programs, one is all bodyweight stuff. And the book give explanations on all the exercises.

    I bought the ebook. It's great cause you get it right away but I'd rather have the actual book to refer back to easier at the gym. I have it loaded on my phone but it's a pain to flip back and forth between the routine and the demos.

    ETA - Strong Curves is from Brett Contreras as well (as someone mentioned above).
  • mike_bold
    mike_bold Posts: 140 Member
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    +1 for the glute guy, Bret Contreras. Hip thrusts and glute bridge variations will be your go to exercises for the butt.
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    Once you find the moves you want to incorporate into your workout (a lot of good suggestions there already) I would look at youtube videos for form. Then go to the gym and kill it. Also, if you're unsure about something don't be afraid to ask someone at the gym...I think a lot of people would take that as a compliment rather than getting annoyed. I've asked for help from people at my gym in the early days. I love hip thrusts and bulgarian split squats - well I hate them in the moment but I love them aside from then.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    without the genetics, you need to squat some real weight to get that "dope booty." Get under the barbell and learn to squat, even if you have to hire a trainer to show you proper form and different ways ,and learn how to activate those muscles in the right rep range to get size. And do full body workouts, not just squats. There are girls that bust their butts, literally, in the gym to get that booty, so be prepared to work for it.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I do a lot of body weight exercises, and a lot of the tabata programs really work the booty. Lunges, sit throughs, base changes, frog squats etc all work it. If you have a roku, amazon firestick, or even a computer you can stream daily burn for a month for free to get an idea of some awesome body weight stuff to do at home.
  • beatua1
    beatua1 Posts: 98 Member
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    I'm not sure how other people are at the gym, but if someone asks me for help at the gym I always stop and help them. It is always my pleasure to try and help people learn how to use proper form. I would suggest you start lifting heavy; by heavy I mean 85-90% of your maximum lift amount, not any particular weight, just the bar is heavy for many women who are just starting; squats and deadlifts with the olympic bar. Long term this is the best way to get you to where you want to go.

    I do have to admit though that I have never done any real research on how to get a "dope booty", so there may be other good ways too.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Head over to the gym and do some barbell glute bridges -- a far better bootie builder than just plain ol' squats. And after doing those in the middle of a crowded gym, ain't nothin' you can do in the squat rack that will be a tenth as embarrassing.
  • marjonsmom9498
    marjonsmom9498 Posts: 1 Member
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    I've had injuries to my knees, so I started using the TRX bands at my gym and I do 100+ squats every other day, I have even bought the TRX for home use, it is pricey (180+)...but well worth it, as I am not the best with balance when doi ng squats or lunges, but it has firmed up my bottom in five months, not buns of steel, but better than it was. :-)
  • ghouli
    ghouli Posts: 207 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your advice! Really appreciate you taking some time to help me out.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    hill8570 wrote: »
    Head over to the gym and do some barbell glute bridges -- a far better bootie builder than just plain ol' squats. And after doing those in the middle of a crowded gym, ain't nothin' you can do in the squat rack that will be a tenth as embarrassing.

    That's funny, I do the weighted hip thrusters and people used to look at me like I was crazy. They have gotten used to it. I think there are only two or three of us that ever do them.

    I will say that since I started them I have gotten a little bit of booty :)
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
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    hill8570 wrote: »
    Head over to the gym and do some barbell glute bridges -- a far better bootie builder than just plain ol' squats. And after doing those in the middle of a crowded gym, ain't nothin' you can do in the squat rack that will be a tenth as embarrassing.

    This.. nothing more humbling than being a guy doing weighted glute bridges in the middle of a crowded gym.... but in addition to squats, I'm not getting "nice booty" comments from people that aren't my girlfriend (she hates that, btw) and I'm never embarrassed to do anything except the roll of shame.

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