How do you grow your legs and glutes?

The leg and glute muscles are the largest muscles in our body and are critically important to our overall movement and strength. There are so many muscles making up the lower body complex that it can be challenging to hit them all. A new leg/glute program by Shawna Moran (@trainforlife_fitness) aims to grow your legs and glutes in 12 weeks! She’s testing it right now on about 12 ladies, including me, who are committing to three to four days of her program in the gym each week. Each one of us has a slightly different program because she has customized it for our goals. Some ladies want to gain and some want to lose weight but gain muscle. She has us checking in weekly with progress photos and she’s available as needed throughout the week. 

My first week was great! I definitely felt it, especially in my hamstrings, which have been week historically so that makes sense! Lots of hip thrusts, which according to “Glute Guy” Bret Contreras are gold when it comes to growing your glutes. Even men should be doing this exercise a few times a week. There are also many different exercises for hitting all sides of your glutes/legs, as well as that glute/hamstring connection that helps give the butt more lift and shape. For this program, you do need access to a gym, and some accessories are helpful, too, such as resistance bands. Shawna’s customization takes into account what equipment I have in my gym, as well as my comfort level with different exercises, such as back squats and deadlifts.

I worked with Shawna in the past and the program she wrote for me about a year ago helped me put on more than two pounds of muscle in just 8 weeks. She’s amazing and knows her stuff! For this program, I’m hoping it helps me break through my plateau to make some big gains in my legs/glutes. Right now, I’m not doing any cardio but my warm-up three days a week is on the stairclimber. Shawna will adjust the program as I go along, too, so cardio may come later, depending on what she’s seeing. She will also help adjust nutrition, if necessary. Right now, I’m sticking to my current macro split of 25% protein, 45% carbohydrates and 30% fats and eating around 2350 calories per day, which is 220 higher than maintenance. 

In addition to keeping track of my own nutrition, I’m also doing my own upper body program, hitting the gym for a total of 6 days each week at this point. I’m using progressive overload so I’m keeping track of my weights to ensure I am pushing myself at least every two weeks to lift more. At the end of the 12 weeks, I have a feeling Shawna will be offering this program to everyone and I predict it will be well worth your time and investment! Go follow her on social media now so you don’t miss that announcement! Plus, she has great health and fitness tips, too. Happy lifting!