q: How did you get that big ‘ol butt?
a: Deadlifts, kettlebell swings, prowler pushes…genetics.
Big butts make yoga better
I say genetics, because the truth is, I’ve had this butt longer than I’ve been training this butt. It wasn’t always shapely or strong, but it has always been quite big. As a teenager, I heard it all:
“Big booty hoe”
“Baby got back”
“Thunder thighs”
“Fonooni got a big ‘ol butt” (a la LL Cool J, of course)
…and my personal favorite:
“Girl, you’ve got more hips than Compton has crips.”
Oh yes. That happened.
And the most hilarious thing about all of it is, I hated my butt. I hated my legs. I hated my wide, Middle Eastern hips and I wished to be be slim and slender so that I could share clothes with all of my petite friends. I wanted desperately to have anything but junk in the trunk.
But today-through the miracle of barbells, kettlebells, and sprints-I am damn proud of my big ‘ol butt. I take “quadzilla” as a supreme compliment, and that junk in the trunk that I previously resented? Well, it’s my piece de resistance.
I’ve deadifted and squatted and sprinted my way to something that is no longer a nuisance. It’s not just big. It’s perky, and round, and powerful as hell. It squeezes nicely into my (stretchy) skinny jeans, and it helps me perform all types of crazy yoga moves. And to be perfectly honest, I am pretty sure my butt is part of the reason my soon-to-be husband fell in love with me in the first place.
The first time John and I met, I was seated before he arrived. He recalls thinking I had a great smile, was witty, smart, a good conversationalist, and so on. He says he was struck by his perception of my physical appearance. And then, as I got up to leave, I turned around and he says that was the clincher. As it turns out, John is a butt man, which worked out in my favor.
Now, glute romancing aside, because of this magnificent pair of cheeks, I’m fast, I’m strong, and I have a great excuse to wear comfortable leggings every damn day. I seriously love my ass, and I am really not ashamed to say so. Furthermore, you shouldn’t be ashamed of yours either. We spend so much time comparing ourselves to other people, looking at their bodies and wondering desperately why ours don’t look the same. We use negative self talk to reinforce the hatred of our bodies, when the truth is, we are beautiful (and strong, and sexy, and radiant) just the way we are.
We don’t need to squeeze ourselves into jeans that aren’t tailored for our bodies, and we don’t need to look like anyone else but ourselves.
*Side note: Finding the right pair of stretchy jeans (AG Stevie ankle and AG Legging ankle, in case you were wondering) was an eye-opening experience for me. I just don’t even try on other jeans now because I know what works for me, and what makes me look and feel amazing.*
Let’s not fall into the mainstream idea that women should be a certain shape or have a certain look-instead, let’s celebrate, accentuate, and train our assets, why don’t we? Let’s train dat ass, instead of hating on it.
Training “dat ass”
While there are literally hundreds of ways to sculpt a strong, powerful, sexy posterior (except side bends and sit-ups, of course) none are as well-suited for the task as the king of all exercises: The Deadlift.
You may have heard that the squat is king, and in some cases, for some applications, that may be the case. But in terms of pure posterior chain overload, nothing can trump the deadlift. We are talking about an exercise that engages your entire posterior chain-from top to bottom-and in some variations, even does a number on your quads as well. Plus, you can do them in a skirt:
Click here to view the embedded video.
So, given all of this information, we can only come to one logical conclusion:
The path to your best ass ever is, quite indubitably, the deadlift.
Unfortunately, however, it seems as though deadlifts are all too often performed improperly and executed poorly; I see yucky looking deadlifts at the gym on the regular. It floors me how often someone tells me they hurt their back doing deadlifts, when you consider the fact the exercise is actually intended to make you more resilient. Deadlifts shouldn’t hurt, and neither should any exercise, for that matter. So, while I think that deadlifts should have a leading role in just about every training program, I can understand why you might be leaving them out.
If only there were a book, a comprehensive guide, if you will, that could teach us all about the intricacies of the deadlift. A guide that would break down every conceivable deadlift variation, instructing not only how to perform the lifts, but with what type of frequency, load and volume. This guide would change your butt (and save your back) forever.
Well, my friends, I am happy to inform you that such a book does, in fact, exist. My friend Dave Dellanave (who is marrying my bestie, Jen, TODAY!) recently launched his book, Off the Floor: A Manual for Deadlift Domination, 90 pages of in-depth information on the king of all lifts, not to mention an exercise library, biofeedback guide, and a 12-week deadlifting program.
The Biofeedback guide in and of itself is worth the price on the book. Because even if you (like me) thoroughly understand and appreciate all of the ins and outs of the deadlift, you might somehow still manage to sustain injury. I have personally suffered through two significant injuries that I attribute to deadlifts–injuries that have debilitated not only my training but my day-to-day functionality.
How could that possibly happen when, for all intents and purposes, I am doing everything right? Because perhaps I should not have been deadifting that day, or chosen a different variation. Dave’s biofeedback guide will help you determine what movements “test well,” which will result in reducing your risk of injury exponentially. While it all sounds a bit complicated, Dave breaks it down so well, that it’s easy to follow and implement.
Because of Dave’s knowledge and advice, I set a 10 pound PR in one day. Check out this video of me setting that very deadlift PR at Dave’s gym in Minneapolis:
Click here to view the embedded video.
In all my years of lifting, I have never met a person more passionate about deadlifts than Dave, and in my book, passion almost always leads to expertise, by means of practice, experience, and constant education. Basically, Dave is the king of the king of lifts; he’s helped me take my deadlift from 250 pounds (double my bodyweight) to 294 pounds–pain free. This book is the culmination of his passion for deadlifts, and I highly recommend you pick it up!
With Off the Floor, you will learn more about deadlifting than you ever thought possible and will likely avoid:
Injury (after injury, after injury)
Wasting time at the gym
Frustration with lack of progress
Pancake butt (nobody wants that)
Seriously, you guys, nobody wants pancake butt.
Happy Wedding Day to these two!
Now, as soon as I finish my coffee, I am off to Movement Minneapolis to get in a good lift sesh before Dave and Jen’s wedding today. I am so excited for these guys, and I cannot wait to celebrate with them. You can celebrate with them too, by celebrating Dave’s fabulous book, and in turn, ensuring your deadlift success.
Happy wedding day to two of the loveliest people I know, and happy deadlifting to YOU!
===> Pick up Off the Floor TODAY! <===
The post Fonooni Got a Big ‘Ol Butt appeared first on Eat, Lift & Be Happy.