How To: Strengthen and Tone Your Butt

Today marks seven months exactly since I had hip surgery for a labral tears and a femoroacetabular impingement, which is when your hip bone has a slight bump in the socket and, after repetitive use, the bone slowly tears the labram (the cartilage in the hip socket). After surgery, I spent a month on the couch and in PT, another two months on crutches, and I am still (supposed to be) doing aggressive hip and glute strengthening exercises to aid in recovery and prevent future issues.

Before surgery, I was a runner. I would do other workouts on occasion, but I never made a habit of cross-training. Now that I am seven months post-op, I am able to really start ramping up my running, but I've noticed that the more mileage I add, the less desire I have to continue with my strengthening exercises.

My PT recently sent me an email asking how things were going. I said I was feeling pretty good, running regularly, and even admitted that the time I dedicate to my exercises has waned. He encouraged me to look at the exercises as a way to improve my running rather than an additional workout. He also told me that if I wanted to run long distance again (either a half or full marathon) I absolutely have to have strong glute mussels. Runners often hear that their core and butt are the primary players in their sport; not their legs. Your glutes and core stabilize you when you run, keeping you aligned and propelling you forward properly. With this in mind, I have developed a new cross-training plan that targets the core and glutes and is based on my past PT and some other well-known runner exercises. With my mind set on a Fall race, I am committed to doing these exercises twice a week, and for those for you struggling with a weak butt or want to tone your derrière for beach season, try this out and let me know how it goes:

A Runner's Guide to Hip & Glute Strengthening

(with a bit of core stabilization thrown into the mix)

• Warm Up: 10 minutes on the bike or elliptical.

• Stretches:

• Piriformis (figure four) stretch, 30s x 3 on each side.

• Lunge Stretch (for the hip flexor). Do this by stepping forward with one leg and lowering your back knee to the ground. Keep your front knee over your ankle. 30s x 3 on each side.

• Bridges: 30 slow bridges. Lie on your back with your arms stretched by your side. Using your glutes, squeeze and lift your hips off the floor there is a straight line from your knees to your hips and shoulders. Lower to the floor. Next, do 15-30 reps of slow, single leg bridges on each side. To start off, rise your body into position of a normal bridge with two feet on the ground. When fully stabilized at the top, slowly kick out one leg. Make sure your hips remain level. Bring foot back to the floor and lower down. When you are strong enough, move to keeping your leg outstretched when raising and lowering your hips to the ground.

• Modified Push Ups: Keeping your body in line like a plank with your knees on the mat, push up slowly, hold at the top, and slowly lower back down. 1-2 minutes.

• Planks: Full plank, 1 minute. Side plank 30s followed by 10-15 reps of lowering your hip towards the ground and pulling it back up using your core and hip muscles, hold at the top for 5s before lowering again. Do this on each side. Then follow with another full plank for 1 minute.

• Jack Knife Crunches: Lay on your back with your arms stretched over head and your legs bent with feet on the mat in front of you. Crunch in using your abs and slowly extend your legs towards the ceiling. Reach your hands towards your feet and then slowly lower. (I am terrible at these!) Do 15-30 reps.

• Supermans: Lie face down on the floor with your arms over your head and legs stretched out straight. Use your glutes and core to lift your arms and legs off the floor at the same time and hold for 5s. These help to strengthen your lower back as well, which is important for a stable core. Do 15 reps.

• Fire Hydrants: With your hands and knees down on the mat, slowly raise one bent leg up to be parallel with the floor and hold for 2s. Do not pull the leg forward; make sure it stays at a 90 degree angle to your torso, and your knee bent 90 degrees as well. Keep a stable, straight back and core to make sure you are engaging your glute. 30 reps on each side (or 15 reps x 2).

• Lunges: Assume a lung position with one leg in front and the other stretched out back. Keep your core straight and tight. Pushing up through your front heel, rise up a few inches and then lower yourself back down. 30 reps each side. If these are easy, move on from stationary to full lunges, stepping back to stand straight up after every rep. For more intensity, add weights. Make sure your knee is stable and not turning in, this will put stress on your IT Band and lead to IT Band Syndrome (I learned this the hard way).

• Single-Leg Deadlifts: Stand with your weight on one leg. Hinge forward at the waist and kick your free leg out behind while stretching your arms out in front. It is more important to stretch your arms out far in front than it is to stretch your leg out in the back. Make sure to keep you shoulders up and back and your back straight and knee stable. If you see your knee wobbling too much, limit the motion. Focus on pushing your butt back. Do 15 reps x 2.

• Hip Hikes: Stand on one leg on a stair or a step box with the other leg dangling off the side. Keeping both hips square, shoulders level, and the standing leg straight, raise your free hip directly upward and then drop the leg down. 30 reps on each side.

• Squat Calf Raises: Do a normal squat down, but on the way up push to your tippy-toes and rise up. This will help strengthen your calves and prevent shin splints. 30 reps x 2.

• Squats: On a Bosu Ball, squat down while keeping knees stable. Do 30-40 reps. If you do not have a Bosu Ball, do 60 reps.

• Single-Leg Squats: Keeping the knee very stable, stretch one leg out in front and squat down on the standing leg, pushing your butt out back. Do these in front of a mirror and make sure your knee isn't moving side to side. If you see it wiggling, do less of a squat. Even if you are only moving an inch up and down, it is more important to keep the knee stable than to sink lower. Do 10-20 reps.

• Side Leg Lifts: Lie on your side with your arm under your head and your legs extended straight. (It is also helpful to push yourself up against a wall to make sure your body remains perpendicular to the ground and straight. I do this on the big mirror wall at the gym and take my shows off so my socks can slide easily up and down.) Lift the top leg up (on the wall/mirror) while keeping your hips stable and facing forward (do not rotate back). Lower down a few inches (but not all the way, that puts too much stress on the IT Band) and repeat. Do 15 reps x 2.

• Balancing: On a Bosu Ball (or a rolled up hand towel) stand on one leg and balance. 30s x 3 on each side.

• Foam Roller: Slowly roll out the IT Band from thigh to above the knee, spending extra time where there is increased pain. Spend 2-3 minutes on each side.

I did these exercises yesterday and my behind is definitely feeling it! Shoot me a message if you plan on trying these exercises so that we can encourage each other to stay dedicated and get storng.