Heavy, full-range squats and leg presses are the perfect antidote to chicken-leg syndrome, slapping muscle onto anyone’s femurs. For some trainees, unfortunately, the gluteus maximus has a propensity to grow out of control. Eventually, you may have to start buying baggy gangsta-type pants, as pulling regular jeans over your big bubble butt will no longer be possible. If that describes your rear end, it’s time to do something fast before the phone company assigns your ass two new area codes. Here are some tips:
Forget full range. Going deep on pressing movements is bad news for you. Descend to just above parallel. Don’t listen when people tell you to go all the way down. If they keep bugging you, do the bump with your big caboose and knock ’em clear across the gym.
Keep your feet together. Your glutes will have a hard time contributing to the exercise if you keep your legs and feet completely together as you press.
Ditch the psycho weights. Yes, it sure does feel manly to put a thousand pounds or more on the leg press and make that sled groan. The fact is, there’s no way you can lift an outrageous amount of weight without a lot of help from your glutes. Cut the weight and push from the balls of your feet rather than the heels. That will make it mostly quad work and stop the vicious cycle of unchecked butt expansion. IM
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