O'Connell reveals her posterior chain programming.
Written by Phil Blechman
Last updated on February 5th, 2024
The glutes and hamstrings are powerhouses of the lower body. Strong glutes propel forward movement and stabilize the pelvis. Powerful hamstrings boost athletic performance, lower injury risk, and enhance overall functionality. (1)
It can be challenging to effectively strengthen the posterior chain, which includes the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and erector spinae. On Jan. 28, 2024, seven-time CrossFit Games athlete Kristi O’Connell published a video on her YouTube channel, sharing her six go-to exercises to fortify the glutes and hamstrings. Check it out below:
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1. Banded Hip Extension
O’Connell banded hip extensions in her warm-up routine before squats or other heavy posterior chain exercises.
Setup:Anchor the band to a squat rack pole 10 to 12 inches above the floor. Step inside the band, place it over the hip crease, and step forward to create tension.
Position:Drop to a tall kneeling position with knees slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Execution:Maintain a neutral spine as you hinge at the hips, allowing the band to pull you back. Then, extend your hips forward by squeezing your glutes.
“When our glutes and hamstrings are working properly, our back is going to do less work,” said O’Connell. “So when doing this drill, make sure you don’t feel your back kicking on but feel just the glute working.”
2. Bulgarian Split Squat
The Bulgarian split squat recruits stabilizing muscles while allowing the glutes to train in a more lengthened position.
Setup:Stand two to four feet away from a bench and place your rear foot on it (laces down).
Position:Ensure a vertical shin on the front leg when you lower your body, keeping the front foot planted on the ground.
Execution:Lower your hips toward the ground, focusing on moving back and down. Push through the front foot to return to the starting position.
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3. Dumbbell Sumo Squat
Emphasizing the importance of maintaining tension in the target muscles, O’Connell avoided full extension at the top of the sumo squats to keep the glutes and hamstrings engaged.
Setup:Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width, holding a dumbbell vertically between your legs with both hands.
Position:Squat while keeping your chest up and back straight.
Execution:Lower into the squat until your hamstrings and glutes are at least parallel to the floor. Then, return to the starting position, stopping short of full extension.
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4. Deficit Lunge
Similar to the Bulgarian split squat, the deficit lunge introduces elevation to achieve a deep glute and hamstring stretch.
Setup:Stand on an elevated surface (about four inches high; a 45-pound bumper plate should be sufficient) with dumbbells at your sides.
Execution:Step back into a lunge, lowering until the front thigh is parallel to the ground, ensuring a vertical shin. Push through the front leg to return to the starting position.
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5. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
O’Connell demonstrated two variations of the single-led Romanian deadlifts:
Version One (Staggered Stance)
Setup:Place most of your weight on your front leg, with the back leg slightly behind for balance. This is also known as a B-stance or kickstand RDL.
Execution:Hinge at the hips, keeping a slight bend in the front knee. Lower the weight toward the ground, maintaining a straight back, then drive through the heel to return to the starting position.
Version Two (Foot on Wall)
Setup:This setup is similar to Version One, but place your non-working foot against a wall for balance.
Execution:Perform the hinge, focusing on stretching the hamstring of the working leg. Squeeze the glute, and focus on shortening the hamstring to return to the starting position.
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6. Traditional RDL
Conventional RDLs are a staple in O’Connell’s workouts.
Setup:Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs.
Position:Start with a slight knee bend and maintain it throughout the exercise.
Execution:Hinge at the hips to lower the weights, keeping a neutral spine. Focus on achieving a deep hamstring stretch at the bottom before squeezing the glutes to return to the upright position.
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Accessory and Compound Movements
This is how O’Connell segments and employs the above six exercises in her training regimen:
Primers:Use exercises like banded kickbacks, hip extensions, and hamstring curls to activate and prime the muscles and develop a mind-muscle connection before a workout.
Primary Compound Movements:Includes exercises that target multiple muscle groups, such as heavy Bulgarian split squats or deficit lunges.
Accessory Work:Finish the workout with high-volume, lighter-weight exercises to further fatigue the muscles beyond the primary movements.
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References
Widodo, A. F., Tien, C. W., Chen, C. W., & Lai, S. C. (2022). Isotonic and Isometric Exercise Interventions Improve the Hamstring Muscles’ Strength and Flexibility: A Narrative Review. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(5), 811.https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050811
Hip thrusts are a great way to target your glutes and increase your strength, speed and power. By encouraging optimal hip extension, incorporating hip thrusts into your lower body workout will also help to improve your squats and deadlifts – everyone's a winner.
Bulgarian split squats are a single-leg squat that is particularly good for targeting your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. It's a great all-rounder exercise for your lower body. Rest your foot on a bench behind you and get into a forward lunge position with your back straight and core tight.
In this case, three exercises demonstrated significantly higher activation levels than the prone leg curl: stability ball hamstring curls, reverse hip raises and glute-ham raises without equipment. None of the exercises had significantly lower muscle activation than the prone leg curl.
Because the gluteus maximus works with hip extension, many hamstring exercises are also excellent glute exercises. A deadlift, bridge, or any type of thrust will use both the hamstrings and the gluteus maximus. The gluteus medius is half the size of the gluteus maximus.
The squat tops every list of butt-sculpting exercises. It directly works the glutes. You can build bigger bottom muscles by adding hand-held weights. Form: Slowly lower the hips as if sitting way back in a chair, trying to keep your knees from moving forward toward toes; then return to standing.
You may be able to boost the size of your glutes with exercises like squats and lunges. Your backside boasts the largest muscle group in your body — your glutes. Known for their power and strength, your glutes actually consist of three separate muscles — the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.
Squats (Front Squat, Back Squat, Goblet Squat, Lateral Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat). The most general leg exercise, engaging almost all the muscle groups in the lower body. Squats target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips and calves. Lunges (Static Lunge, Walking Lunges, Reverse Lunges).
Sure, walking works your glutes (along with your hamstrings, quads, calves, and core), but if your goal is to transform your hot girl walk into a glute-maximizing workout, there are certain tweaks you'll have to make to your form and/or technique.
Here are some tips to help you build bigger hamstrings: Incorporate compound exercises: Compound exercises such as deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, and squats engage the hamstrings along with other lower body muscles. These exercises provide a solid foundation for hamstring development.
This involves lying flat on your stomach with a resistance band around your ankles. Use your glutes and hamstring area to bend one knee and lift your leg up in the air. Then return it to its previously flat position. Do the same exercise with the other leg.
"My top three exercises for growing the glutes are the barbell hip thrust, B-stance hip thrust, and dumbbell frog pump because they are easy to learn, easy to progressively overload over time, and they elicit the highest levels of glute activity," says Bret Contreras, Ph.
For the first leg day of the week, go HEAVY with the weights (3-5 reps per set) to build your strength. Then, on the second day, go a little lighter on the weights (8-12 reps per set) to focus on hypertrophy of those quads, glutes, and hammies.
Exercise is the key to getting a bigger butt. To get the best results, it's important to focus on exercises that target the glute muscles, such as squats and hip extensions. These exercises will not only help you build muscle in your glutes, but they'll also help you burn fat in other areas of your body.
Exercise: Focus on glute-strengthening exercises like Squats, Sprinter Lunges, Romanian Deadlifts, Hip Thrusts, and Glute Bridges. Work your glutes two days per week, ensuring each workout is challenging but safe.
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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