Ask Marv!
Ask Marv!
Ask Marv is your online resource for everything fitness. Due to the large volume of questions that are received weekly, I will not be able to respond to all of them. However, I will do my best to post responses on a broad spectrum of topics. The floor is yours….Ask away!
Please note: The opinions expressed by Marv are not intended to be a substitute for qualified medical diagnosis or treatment. If you are injured, or suspect that you may be, always consult your healthcare practitioner before starting or resuming a program of physical activity.
What are the BEST exercises for butt development?—Stephanie
My top 3 are:
- Walking lunge
- Deep squat
- Romanian deadlift.
Use barbells for all three. If you’re having difficulty recruiting your glute muscles, you may want to start with isolation movements that train the muscle in hip extension. Try these:
- Bent knee leg raise, in an all fours position (use ankle weights to increase resistance)
- Straight leg raise, in all fours position using a bench. Allowing working leg to drop below the top of the bench. This will increase the range of motion. (use ankle weights to increase resistance)
- Standing cable kickback. Attach ankle to the low pulley on a cable machine.
With all of these exercises, the focus should be on contracting the glute muscles ONLY. Use slow, controlled form and keep the spine in a relaxed, neutral position. Good luck building that booty girl!
Hey Marv, I was wondering if the calorie gauge on the machines are really accurate.—Josie
Not so much. Some research indicates that cardio equipment can over estimate energy expenditure by as much as 30%! In practical terms, this means that if the machine gives you a reading of 1,200 calories…you probably burned closer to 840.
What is the deal with Pyramid Weights, both upper and lower body? I’ve heard of declining reps with inclining weights i.e. 14,12,10 reps with light, medium, heavy weights respectively. I’ve also heard of five sets where it’s in true pyramid style: 14,12,10,12,14 reps with the respective change in weights. I’ve heard this is good for sculpting. How do you feel about this approach in general and in terms of sculpting? The full five sets sounds like a really long workout. If either version is good, how many weeks should someone spend doing pyramid weights? And, should you do all sets of one exercise before moving on or should it be done in a circuit format? Thanks for your help with my multi-parted question!–DK
Pyramiding is a great way to simultaneously exhaust both the nervous and metabolic systems. If your goal is to “sculpt “a particular muscle group, I would recommend against using a circuit approach. This will reduce the intensity that you could apply to the muscles. Experiment with the applications that you mentioned for 4 weeks at a time. Good luck!
I’m a vegetarian who’s just started lifting weights. Is it possible for me to gain muscle without eating animal protein?—Richard
For sure, but you may have to combine your protein sources. Most vegetables and legumes contain protein, but they don’t all have adequate amounts of the essential amino acids necessary to support muscle repair and growth. Try soy or quinoa. These are complete proteins, and will likely yield the best bang for your buck.
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