Glute training is a key pillar for sports performance and injury prevention
In boxing, you hear ‘punch with the hip’ – ie, torque the hip to get the whole body behind the punch. That torque is controlled by the glutes
Operators’ perspective
The glute workout trend is causing growth in the market, with Booty Builder – manufacturers of one of the original hip thrust machines – reporting 800 per cent global growth in 2019. Gymbox, in London, one of the UK’s most forward-thinking operators, has been championing glute workouts for some time and recently invested in Booty Builder for its club in Ealing, viewing this as an important aspect of its member offering and experience. Tom Atkinson, head of personal training for Gymbox, explains what he’s been observing on the gym floor and why the business continues to back glute workouts: “Over the last 10 years, training the lower body has become so much more popular for the average gym-goer, and the emphasis on glute training has grown tenfold. One of the best things about having a ‘hip thruster’ in the gym is that it allows us to highlight to members that the main movement performed in everyday life is the hip extension; something that occurs every time we sit or bend down.” David Hammond, general manager for Bannatyne Health Club Shrewsbury, which serves a broad demographic, has also witnessed the increasing desire for glute workouts. “Isolating the glutes is certainly a trend and something that people are actively looking to do,” he explains. “We were noticing a lot of people - both men and women - in our free weights area improvising by lying with their shoulders on a bench and a loose bar on their hips to activate the glutes. So, having a machine designed specifically for this purpose allows them to do this more safely and effectively.”
The Nautilus Glute Drive from Core Health & Fitness While glute exercises, in terms of functional training, have been around for years in various formats, Hammond also makes the point that people now want to do this with serious weights to achieve the desired results, either for aesthetics or performance. This reinforces the benefit of having specialist equipment. “The members of our gym who use Booty Builder are loving it – it’s what they wanted and needed, and they feel the design and mechanics of the machine work really well to isolate the muscles while enabling them to progressively and safely increase the weight,” he adds.
©Cybertrek 2020 November 2020
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