No, this post is not about you sending or receiving a text for a specific reason at an odd time of night (no judgment - maybe you can give me details on THAT later over a drink). What I do want to talk about is your backside and why you you might want to pay it a little more attention.
As a society, we spend entirely too much time sitting. This is one of the leading causes people have trouble activating their lower posterior chain. The posterior chain consists of the muscles on the backside of your body. The lower portion consists of primarily the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. Because we spend so much time sitting, the glutes can actually forget how to fire and we become quad dominant as a result (meaning that most of the work done in the legs is now performed by the quadriceps). Being quad dominant can lead to injuries when lifting (particularly squatting) but it can also lead to imbalances in the spine and pelvis.
Strengthening your booty and learning how to activate your gluteus maximus (the biggest muscle in your body BTW) is an excellent tool to prevent quad dominance, and other benefits such as:
Reducing lower back pain
Improving athletic performance
Better Posture
Fat loss
Sold yet?
No?!?!?!
Ugh- ok my last selling point is that who doesn't find a good ass sexy as hell?
Come on... get on board. You know you want to.
Below is a great workout that targets your posterior chain to keep all those muscles firing like they should, and giving the booty the attention it deserves. Be sure to let me know how it goes. If you are unsure of how a move is performed, please reference You Tube for specifics. All movements should be done in a controlled fashion, so only push the tempo if you feel completely in control during the full range of motion. These exercises can be modified for a variety of equipment and some can just be done with body weight. Some of the equipment you might need or use will be a barbell, kettle bells, dumbbells, GHD machine, physioball, or a step/box/bench.
WARNING - doing this workout regularly may cause a boost in confidence and induce cat-calls by onlookers.
4 Sets, 8-12 reps each
Good mornings
American Kettle Bell swings
Bridges (non-weighted or weighted)
4 sets, 8-12 reps each
Deadlifts
Step ups (focus on squeezing your butt at the top of the motion)
Sumo squats (again, focus on squeezing your butt at the top of the motion)
4 sets, 8-12 reps each
Back Extensions
Single leg deadlifts
Hamstring curls on physioball