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Got glutes? You've got questions. We've got answers - Ask Our Experts - Letter to the Editor

Men's Fitness, May, 2002

I have well-developed quads, but my glutes are not all they could be. Any suggestions?

--W.S., Parma, OH

Often, one strong body part leads to a closely related weaker body part. When you have strong quads, you tend to rely heavily on them, and you probably underuse your glutes for weight training, athletic activity and general mobility. According to Matt Malotki, who holds an advanced certificate from the National Academy for Health and Fitness, the best way to remedy this problem is to target-train your weakest body part. "I recommend redesigning your leg training so that you prioritize glutes, training them before hamstrings and quads," he says.

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Start your workout with an exercise that directly targets the glutes. While leg presses and squats are both good choices, Malotki cautions that you may have a tendency to overuse your quads for these exercises rather than staying focused on your glutes. "Step-ups are an excellent exercise for putting more emphasis directly on the glutes themselves. They also improve balance and enhance overall athleticism. This is a neglected exercise that most guys don't include in their training but should."

Perform step-ups on a block, if available, or on a bench. Step up with the right foot, then step up with the left. Step back with the right, then step back with the left. Do 10 reps that way, then switch to the opposite pattern to emphasize your left side. Don't rest between steps.

"Keep the weight moderate, and keep your abs tight and your upper body stable so that your glutes and legs bear the weight as you move," Malotki says. "Some people tend to bend and straighten, but that gets the upper body into the movement. Also, avoid leaning into the movement, because that transfers too much weight to your quads."

STRETCHING YOUR LIMITS

I recently started putting my legs through lengthy stretches before training them, and I've noticed that I can't squat as much or perform as many reps. Is there a connection?

--A.J., CLEVELAND, OH

It's recommended that you stretch and warm up before you do any weight training, especially for legs, to avoid injury. If anything, most guys err on the side of stretching too little. You may be in the minority of people who warm up and stretch so much that it actually impairs their ability to lift as much or perform as many reps.

"Stretching is exercise," says Jeff Page, American Council on Exercise-certified trainer. "A lot of people don't think of it that way, but the more stretching you do [and] the more intense it is, the more you will impact how much you can train afterward. When you fully stretch out your hamstrings right before you squat, for example, you're really working them out in a way that's different from weight training, but just as fatiguing. Once you lengthen those muscle fibers, you're going to undercut your mechanical advantage, and you won't be able to lift as much weight for as many reps."

Having said that, Page does believe in moderate stretching before squatting or training legs, focusing especially on the hips and hamstrings. "Guys who sit a lot are generally really tight in those areas. It's hard for them to maintain good form and get deep into their squats. I have my clients do a nice, easy stretch to get their hips loosened up, warming up through the range of motion they'll use in their workout. If a guy is going to squat, then I have him do squats without the bar. You should go just a little bit beyond where you're going to go loaded [with the bar] to get a little more stretch than usual. Go slow to let your body get accustomed to the movement."

Page also recommends that you perform about six to 10 minutes of light cardio to warm up your entire body. "You can walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike for just a few minutes to raise your core temperature a little bit before you stretch."

Intense stretching is still excellent exercise, and Page suggests you keep doing it--just slot it differently in your workout regimen. "Save your intense leg stretching for after your workout, or do it on a separate day altogether."

ARTIFICIAL HYPE

I've heard a lot about the potential side effects and health risks of non-caloric artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. How much is true and should I avoid them?

--V.N., Yuma, AZ

Artificial sweeteners have been tested and retested in recent years, and the overwhelming majority of research suggests that they cause no harmful effects in healthy individuals. "Aspartame is the most-tested food additive," says Brian Rowley, M.S. "When you consider the huge array of placebo-controlled studies testing aspartame for safety, you have to conclude that it's safe in the amounts added to [commercial] food and beverages.

"The negative claims change every year and come mostly from popular books [in which] conclusions are based on assertions and anecdotes instead of the available evidence," he continues. "For example, an alarm was raised about aspartame's methanol content, when most dietary methanol come from fruit. Apparently, there's a gap between the public's perception that aspartame is toxic and the wealth of empirical evidence that suggests it isn't."

Got glutes? You've got questions. We've got answers - Ask Our Experts - Letter to the Editor

Men's Fitness, May, 2002

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