READY FOR LIFT OFF

With your glutes reactivated, it’s time to load up. “The glutes respond well to heavy weights, so use progressive overload in your workouts,” says Contreras. In other words, push it to the limit, every time. Going heavy with glutes-focused compound moves such as the deadlift and squat will see your lifting PBS rise across the board. Rest for 90 seconds between sets. Trust us – you’re going to need it

01 BARBELL HIP THRUST 3 SETS OF 12 REPS

Start by holding a barbell across your hips, legs bent and upper back resting on a bench ( A). Keep your chin tucked in as you drive the bar up, so your body is parallel to the ground, and knees at a right angle ( B). Keeping your knees bent stops your hamstrings from taking the load, so your glutes remain under constant tension. Do 12, rest and repeat.

02 WALKING LUNGE 3 SETS OF 20 STEPS

Holding a set of dumbbells by your sides, take a long stride, leaning forward slightly as you go down ( A). You should feel your glutes stretch, but don’t relax. As you lower, think about contracting the muscle to power back up. Alternate between your right and left leg on each rep ( B). Navigating the stairs may prove challenging tomorrow.

03 ROMANIAN DEADLIFT 3 SETS OF 8 REPS

To see your deadlift max weight shoot up, focus on engaging your glutes with these Romanian deads. With a bar on the floor, bend to grasp it at shoulder width. Keep just a slight bend in your knees and push your hips back to feel a stretch in your glutes ( A) then squeeze them as you lift the bar ( B). Lower it to halfway then go into rep two.

04 BARBELL FRONT SQUAT 3 SETS OF 6 REPS

Holding the barbell across your upper chest, stand tall, keeping your elbows pointing forward ( A). Don’t let them drop as you sink into a squat. Go as deep as possible, while keeping your torso upright ( B) – this will help improve mobility in your lower body. Hold for one count at the bottom before pushing up. The rep count is low, so go heavy.

05 BACK EXTENSION 3 SETS OF 30 REPS

With your quads flat on the pad, hang your upper body over the edge ( A). To take the strain off your lower back and target your glutes, keep your upper back rounded. Come up, squeezing your glutes at the top ( B). Lower slowly. The work will be worth it when you see your weights go up each week. It might be best to take the lift tomorrow, though. 04B