Beach time is right around the corner. A number of clients and acquaintances have inquired about how to best build the backside. It’s the return of Operation BootyJACK!
In the kinetic train of human performance, the real locomotive that drives our speed and explosive power is actually the caboose. Having a full, round backside might not actually make you a more well-rounded person, but it can certainly enhance the fit of your wardrobe. And avoiding the “half-arsed” condition known as buttock deficiency can improve not just function and fashion — it can help you to maintain your physical capacity and quality of life.
How does one achieve all this gluteal greatness? Simple. You employ Operation BootyJACK to build your behind to its full, magnificent potential. Operation BootyJack helps you to develop your posterior pelvic musculature to the max. This is an easy-to-perform exercise program that doesn’t take too much time or require elaborate equipment. It uses effective movements that are proven to recruit, shape, tone, and build the rear power plant you’ve always wanted. And, oh…I forgot to mention that it’s totally FREE!
I had to make a training program this good, and this important for all lifetime bodies, a complimentary gift that you can apply to your fitness and athletic endeavors right now. This program is the result of numerous questions and requests from you, my clients, over many, many years. Guys and gals alike have always wanted to know how to get the best results in buttock training. Operation BootyJack does just that in a super-efficient, safe manner.
Why is a well-developed buttock important? At the butcher shop the buttock is the home of the rump roast and the round steak, but in human function it’s our greatest propulsive force generator. A better-built booty helps you to run faster, jump higher, and lift heavier. It improves your ability to absorb and control force. It contributes to the health of your lower back and knees as well as your ability to get up and down easily. A strong butt lets you own the space in which you live and move with poetic grace. Total body stability in weight-bearing, especially single-limb stance, is made possible by the butt. With a properly tuned tush, your body works and feels better and you also feel better in, and about your body.
Let’s get right into butt anatomy. Each cheek has 9, count ‘em, 9 muscles in it. There are 3 gluteal muscles which are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Beneath the glutes there is a deep group of 6 smaller muscles: piriformis, superior gemellus, obturator internus, obturator externus, inferior gemellus, and quadratus femoris. This is why we want to consider the butt as an entity which goes beyond its major muscles — the glutes — and appreciate it’s full constituency as well as capacity.
When taken as a whole, the function of the butt muscles is to extend (move down and back), abduct (move out to the side), and externally rotate (turn outward) the femur — or resist the opposite motions, in the open kinetic chain (OKC). This state occurs when the lower kinetic chain, or extremity, is in open space with the foot in the air. In the OKC, we can think of the thigh, or femur bone, moving through the air relative to the hip and pelvis. Conversely, the closed kinetic chain (CKC) condition occurs when the foot is planted on the ground, or another solid surface. In the CKC, the body is moving in space in reference to the fixed foot. This involves butt muscle contractions which help to absorb force, stabilize and/or position the legs and trunk, and generate power.
Human movement is triplanar, or multidirectional in three planes or dimensions, and our goal in maximizing butt function is to recruit the aforementioned muscle contractions somewhat simultaneously. Doing this creates a rock-solid backside that takes on the appearance of a bowling ball cut in half with the hemispheres placed in the region of each back pocket. Effective buttock training relies upon recruiting and firing a full cheek’s worth of powerful muscle in a crushing manner. In fact, while there are 4 places on the human body in which you should be able to crush a walnut, the butt crack is numero uno. Training with Operation BootyJack will have you standing knee-deep in walnut shells before you know it!
Operation BootyJack is a comprehensive bootybuilding system that utilizes a workout routine which contains 6 specific exercises, performed several times per week, over a period of 6-12 weeks. We’ll go through the description of the setup and technique of each exercise, the formatting of the workout, and the personalized application of the program for maximum individual results.
Operation BootyJACK (The Exercises): All of the exercises in the routine use the CKC (closed kinetic chain) condition, as this helps to maximize contraction force and to integrate butt recruitment into everyday functional activities as well as athletic performance. The word functional is often overused and sometimes gets a bad rap these days, but it is entirely applicable here and not a trite term by any means. You’ll be able to feel the effectiveness of every movement right away. The exercises are designed to be performed in order, using the technique instructions provided with each movement in the workout routine guidelines. As with any exercise, quality form trumps everything else, so be sure to always concentrate on making every repetition a work of art…the mind-muscle, or shall we say, brain-butt connection is critical.
- Lateral Pelvic Tilt: Stand with one leg on a 3-4” step, block, or brick, and keep the other leg in the air with the pelvis level. With knees straight, tilt pelvis laterally by moving stance side hip outward and unloaded hip downward until you can touch the ball of your foot to the floor. Rise up with control in the same path, and repeat. Get a feel for keeping the movement in the frontal plane with only the pelvis rocking side-to-side and up-and-down slightly. Avoid sidebending the trunk or flexing the knee. Use a hand-held support for balance and don’t go too fast. No weight is required for this exercise.
- Single-Leg Partial Squat: Stand on the same platform as above. Straighten and move the leg that is in the air to a point that is about a foot forward of the stance leg, and pull the toes up. Load the stance leg through the heel and hinge from the hips to sit back into a partial squat, using synchronized bending of hip and knee but only minimal forward displacement of the knee. Tap the heel of the unloaded leg to the floor and rise up slowly. This is similar to the upper portion of a pistol squat, but not as advanced. Again, use a hand-held support for balance, and weight is not required.
- Resisted Hip Lift #1: Lay perpendicular to weight bench with shoulder blades on edge of bench, head up and knees bent at 90 degrees (feet flat on floor at shoulder width). Place a resistance band around the thighs just above the knees. Hold a weight across the top of the pelvis. Lower the hips by hinging down and allowing them to sweep slightly backwards. Press through the feet and outward with the knees as you lift hips to parallel (in line with knees and shoulders). Squeeze strongly and hold for two seconds. Lower and repeat. For resistance, you can use a barbell with padding, a dumbbell, weight plate, or kettlebell placed on a cushion. Or better yet…use a functional training sandbag.
- Resisted Hip Lift #2: Lay on back on mat with heels on bench, head down and relaxed, and knees just slightly unlocked. Place resistance band around ankles (not toes) and internally rotate legs. Apply weight to top of pelvis. Contract backside and lift hips until a straight line is formed through ankles-knees-hips-spine and simultaneously rotate legs externally. Squeeze and hold for two seconds. Lower and repeat. Use resistance as in Hip Lift #1.
- Low-Pulley Cable Deadlift: This is a great way to use a moderate amount of resistance and effectively target the posterior kinetic chain. The low anchor increases buttock activation and decreases compressive loads in the spine. Stand facing the pulley with tension on the cable. Back up slowly as you sink into a hip hinge with a flat back, arms forward, and bent knees. Pull back and straighten up fully, squeezing hard with your backside. Lower with good form and repeat. You can also use a heavy resistance band or tubing if you do not have a cable apparatus available.
- Walking Lunge: Apply load by placing a barbell or sandbag on your shoulders, wearing a weight vest, or holding dumbbells at your sides. Perform the walking lunge by taking long steps to work the hips through full range of motion (this preloads the buttock muscles for more effective contractions). Your back should be straight but not necessarily vertical…in other words your shoulders will come slightly forward of the hips in the bottom of the lunge but your back will never bend or round. Keep a fairly vertical shin on the front leg and press upward through the heel of the front foot. Rise up fully and advance forward with control.
As you can see, the technique required for each exercise is quite specific. While the instructions do some amount of justice to the goal, you may want to check out the comprehensive video of the exercises. In order to safely execute the movements, and achieve the greatest results, your form really needs to be spot-on. Or listen to Podcast Ep072 for more information.
Operation BootyJack (Workout Routine Guidelines): The exercises are organized in the workout in a specific order, and with unique instructions for each movement.
- Warmup Procedure: You really don’t need to do an elaborate warmup for this routine, as the first two exercises are essentially cueing and priming the body for the progressive loading that follows. That stated, a few minutes of general warmup such as walking or cycling, and several calisthenics that you prefer may enhance your state of readiness.
- Workout Progression: Perform the routine in order, going through exercises 1-6 in sequence. Utilize straight sets (not circuits) for each exercise. This means you will perform all sets of a given exercise before moving on to the next exercise in the program.
- Recommended Sets and Rep Ranges for Each Exercise:
- Lateral Pelvic Tilt: 2 sets 15 reps each leg (do 15 on left, then 15 on right…)
- Single-Leg Partial Squat (same as above)
- Hip Lift #1: 3 sets 10-12 reps with increasing weight each set
- Hip Lift #2: (same as above)
- Low Pulley Cable Deadlift: 3 sets 6-8 reps with same weight (moderate per your judgement)
- Walking Lunge: 1 set to fatigue/form change/failure with moderate weight
- Rest Between Sets: This may seem somewhat generic, but take about 1-2 minutes between sets. Feel free to adjust this recommendation up or down slightly as preferred, but just make sure that you can execute every movement with great quality. Never sacrifice form for speed, as our focus is more on muscular development than metabolic conditioning.
- Number of Sessions Per Week: 2-3 times per week. This is where you will want to assess how your are adapting and responding to the workout. If you are recovering rapidly, making gains, and feeling great, opt for 3 sessions on non-consecutive days, such as Mon-Wed-Fri. If this feels like a bit much, do two workouts per week with an extra recovery day (72 hours instead of 48) such as Mon-Thu.
- Progression Strategy: This program is designed to be performed for a minimum of 6 weeks and it can be extended to up to 12 weeks for those aggressively seeking major gains. Because our focus is muscle development, keep the rep ranges the same for all movements. Over the first 6 weeks, seek to increase weight gradually with exercises 3-6. Over the next 6 weeks, slightly increase overall training volume by adding an additional set to exercises 3-6.
Operation BootyJack (Program Recommendations):
- Coordinating with Bodypart Resistance Training: Operation BootyJack is a great leg routine. It actually works all the major muscle groups in the lower body to varying degrees, and for 6-12 weeks it can provide all you need in the south-of-the-waistband department. If you are an advanced exerciser, and are using a training split that works different body areas on different days, just count OBJ as your leg day. However, for most folks, training the total body in one workout may be more desirable and effective. Since you have some of the essential training components of corrective movement patterning, anti-gravity leg usage, and hip hinging in OBJ, just consider doing some basic upper body push/pull and trunk stability work in the resistance (R) arena. Of course, don’t leave out mobility-stability (MOSTA), aerobic (O2), and high-intensity interval (HIIT) training in your comprehensive fitness or athletic program. For more information on these concepts justy type those terms into the search bar on the website.
- Integrating into Sports and Athletic Programming: For athletes, probably the best time to focus on OBJ is during the off-season, where you can really ramp up the intensity and maximize gains. However, you can use the program anytime, even during your pre-season or competitive season. Simply decrease the frequency (number of workouts per week) and/or volume (total amount of sets and repetitions performed) to a tolerable level. This can help you to stay injury-free and also enhance that all-important recruitment and muscle awareness in your backside.
- Suggestions for Body Composition Optimization: With respect to body composition, most folks have 1 or 2 goals: to build muscle and/or burn fat. Doing both at the same time can be a bit of a challenge, as it represents something I call “metabolic multi-tasking,” but it can be done if we do just about everything right. Put simply, for gains we need to make sure that training is intense enough (but not too much), adequate protein is being consumed (1.5-2.0 g/kg lean body mass), and recovery between sessions is optimal. Dropping weight and getting shredded requires reasonable caloric intake which doesn’t put the body in states of large energy surplus or significant/prolonged deprivation. It also requires careful management of stress and recovery. This is an are where coaching really can make the difference in getting great results.
Obviously, everyone’s goals and bodily needs are uniquely individual.This goes without saying, but always make sure you have medical clearance to participate, progress training gradually, and listen to your body. You may also be interested in additional assistance or advanced programming to help you to solve some nagging injury problems, address a specific health concern, or really crush a bucket-list goal in performance. That’s what I do in my “dayjob” and I’m always happy to explore how I can help you to best accomplish those items. If you’d like to work together in refining Operation BootyJack to fit your needs, or to address other wellness and conditioning pursuits, check out my Online PT and Health and Performance Coaching Services.
I hope you really enjoy Operation BootyJACK. I think you’ll find this to be an easy, fun, and incredibly effective program that boosts your backside to bodacious and beastly levels. Cheers!