The Daily Telegraph - Features
Six health benefits of a firm and shapely bottom
For most women in their 40s and 50s there has been a lifetime of wishing their bottom was smaller. “Does my bum look big in this?” became the butt of a joke for years in the late 1990s.
Roll forward 20 years and the Kardashian influence has made bigger curves much more sought after, and what was once despised became adored. It must be frustrating for women who spent their youth chasing a smaller behind, only to realise that trend now demands curves while their butt has become a pancake.
What to do? Well, the really great news is that – according to the latest research – muscle loss is not actually inevitable in midlife and is much more likely to have been caused by, well, being under-active and not kicking your own butt. So, there are a few things you should do to work on your glutes, and some good reasons why you need to do them…
1 Strong glutes help to strengthen all your muscles…
Besides all of the health benefits, straight aesthetic shape gain is a primary goal for working the butt. Muscle requires overload to grow so add weights or bands. Use glute bridges with a weight on your hips, do weighted lunges, try “donkey kicks” with a band around your knees as examples to add direct loading to the glute muscle. Overload promotes micro-trauma, promotes blood flow to the area, provides shortterm lift and long-term growth in those muscles, giving you shape in your derrière where you want it. You need to do sets that are hard enough to be straining at 12-20 reps and so four to five sets per area, three to four days each week.
2 … they also bolster your bone health…
Poor bone health is incredibly common but highly preventable in women in their 40s, 50s and beyond. Hip bone health is particularly important and high workload in the glute muscles produces the stress needed to create strong bone in that area. This must not be overlooked and is a vital part of your long-term health – one third of people over 50 die within 12 months of a hip fracture. Working the area appropriately will make your bones 12-15 per cent stronger within nine months; that’s not to be sniffed at.
3 … and they burn more calories
The glute is the single biggest muscle in your body and the muscles you work in and around it doing strength exercises – such as split squats, step ups and lunges which recruit a large number of muscles – will have you burning energy super fast and make becoming leaner significantly easier. One pound of muscle burns around 6-13 calories extra at rest, more when you are moving, so focus on the big muscles to add to your metabolic rate.
4 Improve posture: you’ll look taller and younger
Our core is not exclusively our stomach: it extends all around the middle section of our body and includes our glutes. These muscles are key postural muscles and good posture will make you look not just taller, but also younger. Every move you make will probably integrate your glutes. When they are weak our movement changes, our posture alters, we stoop a little and our walk becomes that of an “older” person. Strong core and glutes keep you upright.
5 Strong glutes can prevent back pain
Off the back of the point on posture, it’s worth understanding that the strength of your glutes has a direct impact on the likelihood of suffering back pain. Yes, your flexibility and mobility will also impact back pain for sure, but loss of muscle strength in your butt leads to a change in your movement patterns, which can increase wear and tear, eventually leading to back pain.
6 You’ll reduce your risk of injuries
When your glutes are weak other muscles step in to compensate, creating an imbalance. So you’re more likely to sustain an injury, particularly in your lower back, knees or hips. On the other hand, if you develop strong glutes you’ll improve your joint health and move more easily. In short, a firm butt will make your whole body feel better.