Muffin Top-Less

Think buns, not thighs [when training glutes]. To target your glutes, or any muscle for that matter, you must get your mind connected to the muscle. However, this is particularly important when performing compound exercises like squats, lunges and leg presses. These movements recruit your entire lower body, and it is up to you to direct the work into your glutes.  Here are a few of my strategies for getting my head and my rear wired together:

1. Prime your glutes for training by doing a warm-up that targets your backside. I like to walk on a 10% incline at 3.8-4.2 mph for 5-10 minutes before I begin training.
2. While I am warming up, I think about engaging my glutes with every step, and I start visualizing my upcoming workout.
3. Before I begin my working sets, I perform an exercise that isolates my glutes well, like a cable butt kickback.
4. I put my hands on my glutes during exercises where my hands are free (i.e. leg press, hyper extensions, cable kickbacks, etc.) to keep me focused on my glutes. 

-Jaime Baird