Two-time Figure Olympia Erin Stern boasts unrivaled conditioning and symmetry, making it clear she knows what she’s talking about regarding fitness. In a recent YouTube video, Erin Stern revealed her go-to workout for building round glutes.
“When it comes to building beautiful glutes it’s important to think about what functions the glutes serve. Now, of course, this is hip extension, we are looking at rotation, stability, you got abduction. There are quite a few ways that the glutes can work and they are the largest muscle in the body.”
As a bodybuilding talent, Erin Stern made waves in the Figure category for years, showcasing a thin waist, muscularity, and impressive stage presence. Although she no longer competes actively as a Figure competitor, Stern has found success as a Bikini contender as well, laying claim to the 2022 Republic of Texas Pro title.
In her spare time, Stern gives back to the fitness and bodybuilding community with insightful technique breakdowns and specialized workouts for targeting even the most stubborn areas of the body. In her latest venture, she broke down a workout she has relied on for building a rounder backside.
Erin Stern Shares Specialized Workout for Rounder Glutes
Check out Stern’s workout below:
- Ballerina hack squat
- Smith machine hyperextension
- Smith machine hip thrust
- Cable pull through
- Face down hip external rotation
Ballerina hack squat
Stern explained that if you don’t have access to a hack squat machine, to instead try performing a goblet squat variation.
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“This is performed on a hack squat machine. if you don’t have access to one you can go ahead and do this one with a goblet squat instead. For the ballerina stance, I want you to think sumo stance but more narrow. So instead of feet being twice shoulder width apart or even wider, you are looking at about shoulder-width apart or narrower depending on how you are made up and how the exercise feels to you.”
During this exercise, Stern says to push the knees out through the heels of your feet.
“Think about actively pushing your knees out, pushing through the heels. if you can try to get your upper leg below parallel to the platform this is going to increase that stretch on the glutes,” adds Stern.
Smith machine hyperextension
During Smith machine hyperextensions, Stern offered guidance on the setup.
“For this you’re going to need a bench and a squat pad if you have one. What I want you to think about is loading that bar and setting that bar to just about the height of the bench and you want to put plates on the bar because you don’t want to kick the bar up accidentally because it is going to hold your body weight.”
She believes keeping a neutral spine with your back flat is best for optimal results.
“You want to think about keeping a neutral spine so you want to go ahead and make sure that your back is flat. If you are using weight, you are going to hold that plate nice and close to your body and this is going to allow you to get a little bit of a better range of motion. This is a short range of motion exercise.”
“We are really focusing on getting that mid-rep squeeze” adds Stern.
Smith machine hip thrust
Bringing the bench closer to your body, Stern walks fans through how she performs Smith machine hip thrusts.
“Since we are already here and we’re almost set up for the hip thrust, this is an easy transition. I want you to go ahead and scoot that bench closer to where your upper back is going to be resting against the edge of the bench and when you get into position you want the bar to sit just below your hip bones.”
“As you get ready to push the bar up, I want you to think about pushing through the heels. Now, your stance will be about shoulder-width apart.”
Cable pull through
Lowering the cable to its bottom pin, Stern laid out how to reap the most benefits possible from cable pull throughs.
“This one is another one that is excellent for hitting the upper glutes. The rope attachment seems to be the best one here. So, you’re going to lower that cable to the bottom pin and grasp the rope using a neutral grip so that your palms are going to be facing each other.”
“Step a little bit further away than you would think because it’s a larger range of motion for the cable exercise. Feet are going to be about one and a half times shoulder width apart. You can turn your toes out on this one as well or keep them pointing forward.”
She explained that lifters should start this movement with their hands at their sides.
“Hands are going to start right about at your sides,” adds Stern.
Face down hip external rotation
Lastly, Stern backed up why she performs face down hip external rotations, emphasizing that although it’s a small range of motion, the benefits are huge.
“At first glance, this doesn’t look like too much, it’s a tiny range of motion but it’s an excellent exercise for external rotation which is going to hit glute medius and abductors as well. If you want to build that shelf, this little exercise is going to give you big results.”
“You’re going to place your working leg out to the side, so, your knees are going to be touching the floor and the side or the arch of your foot is going to be resting on the calve just below the knee.”
She also advised individuals watching to keep their hips flat.
“I want you to think about trying to lift your knee off the floor without adjusting your hip. So, you’re going to try to keep your hips flat on the floor while only lifting up the knee.”
As a decorated competitor in the IFBB Pro League, Stern has taken a particular interest in developing her physique for years. This wasn’t her first workout focused on the lower body. She recently explained how to properly execute Bulgarian split squats with glute-focused variations.
Erin Stern never misses an opportunity to enlighten her viewers with useful exercises. Feel free to try her go-to workout for rounder and more beautiful glutes!
Watch the full video below:
More Glutes Workout:
- 5 Glute and Hamstring Workouts For A Bulletproof Posterior Chain
- Dana Linn Bailey’s Guide To Build Enviable Glutes
- Build a Better Butt: Three Glute Workouts for Women
- 12 Cable Kickback Alternatives For Building Bigger and Stronger Glutes
- The 10 Best Dumbbell Glute Exercises to Build a Better Butt
- Gluteus Minimus Exercises For Rounder Hips & a Jaw-Dropping Side Butt
- Glutes Ahoy! The Bigger Hips Workout
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