Buttock training is often and erroneously perceived as an exclusively female occupation. However, this is wrong - every person, regardless of gender, must carefully train their buttocks, as they are not only for aesthetic purposes.
These are large and strong muscles that provide an excellent foundation for most sports exercises. They are primarily responsible for the movement of the hip joint, which almost all sports rely heavily on. Powerful hips help you run faster and jump higher.
An excellent exercise for working out the buttocks is the swinging legs of the crossover. This is a simple exercise that allows you to focus specifically on the target muscle. From this article, you will not only learn how to correctly perform leg swings in a crossover, but also get acquainted with all the benefits of this exercise for gluteal muscles.
How to train your buttocks?
The main problem with buttock training is that it can actually be quite difficult to feel their work while doing the exercises.
Squats, for example, are a great basic exercise for the buttocks, but you also use quadriceps and hamstrings. This load distribution does not allow to fully load the gluteal muscles. While exercises, such as squats or traction, should never be excluded from the training program, you should find a way to isolate the buttocks to really feel their work.
If you are still not sure that swinging your legs back in a crossover is a great way to train your buttocks so that they become stronger and more powerful, here are a few reasons you should start doing them.
Isolated study of the gluteal muscles
Among bodybuilders there is an idea that focusing on the sensation of a target muscle working in its range of motion will help activate it more. Obviously, greater muscle activation should lead to greater growth.
It is very easy to activate this muscle connection, for example, for the biceps of the hands. Most people know what it means to strain your biceps. However, the same cannot be said for the buttocks. Crossover exercises can help overcome this problem. During this exercise, you completely isolate your buttocks and can build muscle connection well.
Real movement
People often make mistakes when building their training plan around isolating exercises on weight training machines that work well on a particular muscle, but are ineffective for everyday life. Exercise should somehow improve our everyday life and facilitate the performance of routine tasks. Swinging foots in a crossover can provide this because they closely enough simulate motion patterns that are used when walking or running.
Providing constant tension in the buttocks
This is true for any exercise that is performed in a crossover. Unlike barbells or dumbbells, the resistance provided by the simulator cable is constant throughout the movement.
Permanent tension makes the exercise more difficult and makes the target muscles work more intensively for a longer period of time. In the crossover, the buttocks are energized for a long time during each repetition, which is one of the key factors of muscle hypertrophy.
Execution technique
There are two main options for doing the exercise: standing and on your knees. The position on the knees provides a wider range of movements, which can be useful. However, peak contraction is often easier to feel while standing, and it is also easier to maintain the neutral position of the spine. The following are descriptions of both cross-leg kick techniques.
Mahi standing foot
- Set the crossover roller to its lowest position, fasten the belt on the ankle and fasten it to the simulator.
- Leaning on the handle of the simulator, take a step back so that the weight rises slightly. In this case, the voltage will be from the very beginning of the movement.
- You can hold onto the handles for support, but make sure your abs is locked and your spine is in a neutral position.
- From this starting position, keeping your knee straight, start pushing your leg back until your thigh is fully extended. You should feel your gluteal muscles contract.
- Pause at the end point for 1-2 seconds before returning to its original position in a controlled manner.
Mahi Kneeling
- Place a flat bench in front of the machine. Lower the crossover roller to the lower position and attach the cuff.
- Turn to face the simulator and focus with one foot on the bench. The other leg should be attached to the simulator using a cuff.
- Bring the attached foot forward.
- Do a max swing with the foot, during the entire exercise the leg should be fully extended.
- Squeeze the gluteal muscles and pause in the final position for 1-2 seconds. Controlled back to its original position.
Tips
There are several key points that you should pay attention to in order to maximize the possibilities of this exercise.
- The first thing to emphasize is that you need to keep your back straight and in a neutral position. This will lead to a shift in the load from the lower back to your buttocks, which will lead to their better activation and lower risk of injury.
- To keep your spine balanced, make sure your abs remains tense during the entire exercise.
- You should also be careful not to stretch your lower back. You should stop as soon as your hips are stretched as far as possible, and you can feel your gluteal muscles contract.
- A squeeze of the buttocks and a pause at the end of each repetition is a great way to make them activate even more.
Conclusion
So, we examined the question of how to do leg swings in a crossover, and the main advantages of this exercise. Use the guides above, try both options for doing the exercise, and choose the one that suits you. Do not forget about the performance of the base (squats and traction) and exercises in power simulators. A good workout should consist of a variety of exercises to provide the muscles with all kinds of loads.