There are two, common fitness goals requested by my female clients when we begin training:

Lose weight/get lean/toned. (They’re all essentially the same thing.)
Build a bigger booty and thick legs.

Let’s cover the second request. Shall we?

Sporting a big ‘ol Georgia peach for a derriere is all the rage these days. This trend ain’t going away anytime soon! Not only has carrying a little extra junk in the trunk become a highly sought after “bodied” statement, people are discovering just how important it is to have a strong backside in general!

As a personal trainer, I can tell you everyone should work towards building a stronger, lower extremity. Although, I’m getting a little ahead of myself here…

The question of course is, how does one grow their glutes? How can you build thick thighs that save lives?

Well, here’s the short answer, folks: you need to strength train and eat more.

Haven’t lost you yet? Want more context? Continue on!

Building muscle requires a certain amount of (safely induced) stress and tension placed on muscles through various movements. For example, most people know if a guy wants bigger arms, he needs to lift weights. He also needs to increase his daily calories in order for muscle to steadily grow overtime. In other words, his calories act as the fuel to help propel growth of new muscle mass due to his workout regimen. 

This concept is no different for a woman who wants to grow her glutes and legs. She must strength train (using dumbbells, barbells, machines, etc.) in order to build muscle in her lower body. In addition, she needs to increase her calorie intake in order for her legs and boo-tay to grow bigger over time.

When I have a female client with this goal in mind, I first teach her how to properly engage muscle groups in her legs. How is this done? She begins her program by performing specific (leg based) body weight exercises. This is extremely helpful to incorporate before introducing dumbbells, barbells, machines, etc. Why? I am of the opinion that, much like martial arts and dancing, the student must start with the basics before getting too fancy. When you get the fundamentals down, it leads to better performance. When you perform better, it leads to better results. I’ll also add, it lessens the chance of injury!

Once the client has familiarized themselves with bodyweight exercises, we move onto strength training. This is when the real ba-donk-a-donk growth takes place!

Quick side note. Bodyweight exercises can absolutely contribute to muscle growth. It’s not as optimal as strength training, but may assist in the process nonetheless.

Keep in mind, it takes time to grow new muscle mass. The legs are no different. However, through consistent effort, you can absolutely make it happen! 

Do you want to know what leg exercises I incorporate with my clients that could help you? Stay tuned for part 2 of my Glutes and Legs Blog Series!

Of course, anytime you want the best possible results, consider hiring a personal trainer. If you live in Las Vegas and are near Spring Valley or Summerlin and would like to train with me, shoot me a message!