Good Advice
Why you should stick your butt out at the gym
Attempting to master the perfect squat at Kirsch’s Madison Square Club. (Photo: Lisa Elaine Held, Model: Amy Eley)
It’s not often someone yells “Stick your ass out more!” in a way that motivates, instead of offends, you. But David Kirsch is quick to offer the blunt and hilarious directive during squat sequences.
Since the celebrity trainer, author, and all-around wellness aficionado is know for his ability to sculpt famous butts—Heidi Klum’s and many a woman gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, among them—we thought there must be something to it.
What is Kirsch getting at?
“If you’re mindlessly doing a squat, like most people, your knees come down over your toes, and you’re immediately working your quads and not your ass,” he explains. “Unless your engaging your mind first and connecting it to what you’re doing with your body, you’re not going to facilitate anything real.”
The “stick your butt out” mantra, then, is really just a simplified, dialed down way to describe proper, mindful form—form that will help you make real progress in the booty area.
Having trouble executing correct form? Kirch recommends straddling a bench or placing a chair behind you, and practicing sitting back into it. (Photo: Lisa Elaine Held, Model: Amy Eley)
THE PERFECT SQUAT
While Kirsch typically tweaks form based on your body type (he can even customize your moves based on the booty shape you’re going for), there are a few general squat rules to live by:
1. Your feet should be wider than hip-width and you should anchor in your heels, your core tight.
2. As you move down, stick your butt out as far as you can, sitting back as if you were placing it on a chair.
3. And don’t just dip a bit—go down as far as you can. “If you’re not feeling it in your butt, you’re probably doing it wrong,” Kirsch says.
In the end, Kirsch says, “You need to be able to visualize what you want to accomplish, whether it’s a tighter butt, a higher butt, a smaller butt, or a bigger butt.”
Plus, after years of tucking in Pilates and barre classes, it may feel good to just stick it out there. “My thing is,” says Kirsch, “if you’ve got it, show it.” —Lisa Elaine Held
Very important for proper form. Imagine somebody behind you and you were going to “poke” them with your butt. Not only is it great for shaping, but your glutes are a larger muscle group. Stimulating them gives you a greater metabolic burn.
Yes, show it! The tucking practices in barre classes and pilates is also wrong for everyday posture and can cause back pain/injury, tight hips and hamstrings and even makes sitting at the computer a bigger challenge. Squats are amazing for keeping lower body strong for stairs, bending over, parents with small kids, lifting and a must for runners. His idea of sitting is perfect for at home version – who doesn’t have a chair?? great post Hope
Loving the buttwork! I’m a Pilates teacher in the UK and always cue to stick bottoms out for squats (whilst drawing sitbones together to rise up). Not all Pilates promotes the tucked tail, flat-back position! We certainly don’t!
I do ShawnT’s Insanity dvd program at home. I incorporates a lot of squats. This information has been very helpful for me as I don’t have a trainer to give me tips. I think more mirrors in my workout area would be helpful too. Thanks!
Also better be pulling that abdomen in to protect the lower back!
IME: Pressing in to heels (for many folks) creates unhealthy weight on the outside of foot..(supination) why not direct for a more balanced foot.
The butt work is great! I’m just glad that you made a step-by-step describe the procedure on how to perform the perfect squat that is so easy to follow.
Great advice..there’s no point doing an exercise if you’re doing it wrong. You definitely won’t see results!
Careful with certain spines (pregnant women’s back or someone with a lordosis is not going to be grateful for it – it will cause more pain).
Source: studying and experience (Pilates Instructor and acupuncturist on Upper West Side).
Yeah I am doing the Kirsch-training since last year and it’s really awesome.
Most pilates moves require a neutral spine! If you tuck you tail, you are strengthening your hip flexors, not your core. However, you should stick your butt out for forward stretches and squats so that your stretch and strengthen your lower back and hamstrings, which are usually pretty tight.