No Squats, No Deadlifts: Glute Growth Secret
56sControversial claim that glutes can be built without heavy squats or deadlifts challenges common gym wisdom, sparking debate and curiosity.
▶ Play ClipA couple embarks on a 90-day glute-building challenge. The wife, who injured her back doing heavy squats, trains with low-back-friendly exercises from glute expert Brett Contreras, while the husband uses conventional heavy lifts. The goal is to see who can grow their glutes the most, with the loser going vegan for 30 days.
The husband and wife begin a 90-day glute growth competition. The wife will train without squats, deadlifts, or heavy spinal loading due to a past back injury; the husband uses any exercises. If the wife wins, the husband goes vegan for 30 days.
Brett Contreras recommends four movement patterns for well-rounded glutes: lower body press, lower body hinge, squeeze, and abduction.
Brett invented the barbell hip thrust. He emphasizes avoiding spinal hyperextension at the top of the movement to prevent back pain, and suggests a 'scoop method' (tucking chin, moving from chest down, tilting pelvis upward).
Brett calls hip abduction 'penalty-free volume.' Sitting upright targets upper glutes; leaning forward targets lower glutes. Pairing both sets can finish a workout effectively.
Multiple studies show soreness does not indicate muscle growth. Brett's chosen exercises cause less soreness and muscle damage, aiding faster recovery.
Heavy squats provide a 10–20% testosterone spike that lasts only 15–45 minutes post-workout. This provides no long-term hormonal advantage.
A 2023 study by Brett found squats and hip thrusts are equally effective for glute growth, though squats grow quads and inner thighs more.
Brett observes that women recover faster from lower body workouts, allowing more volume and frequency. The wife dedicates ~80% of training to glutes, while the husband splits volume across multiple muscle groups.
A study comparing vegans and meat eaters consuming 0.7g protein per pound body weight found both groups built the same muscle and strength after 12 weeks, showing protein source is less important than total protein intake.
A spontaneous 'bar test' (trying to stop a falling barbell) fails. The wife later experiences back tightness, forcing a pause. The challenge resumes after rest, but training frequency is dialed back to two days per week.
The husband's vertical jump increased by 5 cm (from barely average to high above average) and broad jump by 2 cm, attributed to glute training.
After 90 days, the wife grew 2 cm in glute circumference (92cm to 94cm), the husband grew 1.5 cm (92.5cm to 94cm). The wife wins, and the husband must go vegan for 30 days.
The challenge demonstrates that glute growth is achievable without heavy squats or deadlifts, using targeted, low-back-friendly exercises. The wife's victory highlights the importance of consistent, high-volume training and proper technique over maximal loads.
"The title accurately reflects the core premise—a 90-day glute transformation challenge with the wife—though the focus is more on the process and comparisons than a dramatic 'transformation' alone."
What four movement patterns does Brett Contreras recommend for building well-rounded glutes?
Lower body press, lower body hinge, squeeze, and abduction.
1:28
How long does the testosterone spike from heavy squats last?
15 to 45 minutes after the workout.
6:56
Does muscle soreness indicate muscle growth?
No, multiple studies show soreness is not an indicator of growth.
6:21
In the 2023 study, how did squat and hip thrust compare for glute growth?
They were both equal for glute growth.
9:26
According to the study comparing vegans and meat eaters, what protein intake led to equal muscle and strength gains?
0.7g of protein per pound body weight per day.
13:16
What is the 'scoop method' for hip thrusts?
Tuck your chin down, move from the chest down, and tilt your pelvis upward by squeezing your glutes.
3:36
How many sets per week of glute training does Brett recommend for maximum growth?
30 to 40 sets per week.
14:38
What is the effect of stopping training for 1-2 weeks on muscle appearance?
Muscles store less glycogen, pulling in less water, so they look less full (like letting air out of a balloon).
16:26
How long does it typically take to start losing actual muscle after stopping training?
At least 3 weeks or more.
16:43
What was the final glute circumference measurement for the wife (Tonnie) after 90 days?
94 cm (started at 92 cm).
19:38
What was the husband's vertical jump increase attributed to glute training?
5 cm increase.
18:46
Four Essential Glute Movement Patterns
Provides a foundational framework for effective glute training, based on expert advice.
1:28Soreness Not Equal to Growth
Debunks a common fitness myth, saving trainees from misinterpreting recovery signals.
6:21Squats and Hip Thrusts Equally Grow Glutes
Directly compares two popular exercises, offering evidence-based exercise selection guidance.
9:26Vegan vs. Meat Eater Muscle Building Equality
Highlights that total protein intake matters more than source for muscle growth, influencing dietary choices.
13:15Glute Training Improves Athletic Performance
Shows a direct, measurable performance benefit (vertical jump) from glute-focused training, beyond aesthetics.
18:46[00:00] We both have no butts.
[00:02] >> That's my wife. She's trained with one
[00:04] of the most jacked personal trainers for
[00:06] 10 years. From the outside, her life
[00:08] looked perfect. But there was one thing
[00:10] stopping her from being truly happy. 5
[00:13] years ago, she hurt her back badly doing
[00:15] heavy squats. And ever since then, her
[00:18] butt got flat.
[00:20] Sorry.
[00:22] Flatter than she'd like. But she's not
[00:24] alone. I've gone from cake to pancake
[00:27] because I not only sit more than I used
[00:28] to, but I also find glute training
[00:30] extremely uncomfortable. So, I got lazy
[00:33] with it. But strong glutes don't just
[00:34] make your butt look better in clothes.
[00:36] They help you move better, lift
[00:38] stronger, and can even help with back
[00:40] tightness and knee pain. So, for the
[00:41] next 90 days, we're on a mission to
[00:44] build our glutes. She'll build hers with
[00:46] no squats, no deadlifts, and no heavy
[00:48] loading on her spine, whereas I'm free
[00:50] to use whatever I want. And if my
[00:53] injured wife outgrows me, I go vegan for
[00:56] 30 days.
[00:56] >> Without crazy heavy weights, without
[00:58] squats, without deadlifts, can she still
[01:01] grow her glutes?
[01:02] >> Yeah, this is a piece of cake. I know it
[01:04] sounds impossible to you because you
[01:07] built your glutes with heavy squats and
[01:09] deads.
[01:09] >> That's Brett Contras, the man who
[01:11] literally invented the hip thrust and
[01:13] has dedicated his life to studying and
[01:15] growing glutes.
[01:16] >> So, first exercise we're going to try is
[01:18] the glute dominant step up. Okay, I want
[01:20] you leaning forward a little more and
[01:22] reach back right there. Tap. Come back
[01:26] up. To build well-rounded glutes, Brett
[01:28] recommends doing four movement patterns.
[01:30] A lower body press, a lower body hinge,
[01:33] a squeeze, and abduction. He's used a
[01:36] simple approach to transform even the
[01:38] flattest of butts. But because of Tonnie
[01:41] sensitive back, we do have to find
[01:42] workarounds for the heavy barbell
[01:44] exercises Brett would normally use.
[01:46] Starting with a lower body press, where
[01:48] most people would simply squat.
[01:50] >> This looks like a squat. This looks like
[01:52] a glute dominant squat, a box squat with
[01:54] mostly vertical shins. So, you're
[01:56] training the glutes as if you were doing
[01:58] a squat. Anyway, so now that we see that
[02:00] body weight was tolerated well, we have
[02:02] a 15lb dumbbell, so about a 7 kg
[02:05] dumbbell. It's a little harder now.
[02:07] >> Yeah.
[02:08] >> Yes. This is great. What I want is shin
[02:10] mostly vertical, thigh parallel. This
[02:13] creates the most requisite hip extension
[02:15] torque being furthest out. So, she's
[02:16] getting the stretch. She's getting the
[02:18] torque loading. And then this foot maybe
[02:20] a little back right there.
[02:22] >> But now we needed a safer hinge movement
[02:24] instead of traditional deadlifts. This
[02:26] is a single leg dumbbell deadlift, which
[02:28] challenges the glutes as much as normal
[02:30] deadlifts, but requires much less
[02:32] weight. But Brett emphasized the key to
[02:34] activating the glutes rather than the
[02:36] hamstrings is to keep that knee slightly
[02:38] bent.
[02:39] >> Yes. Come up. Don't even straighten it
[02:41] out. Yep. Oh, that's
[02:42] >> Yes. Right there. Just like that.
[02:44] Perfect.
[02:45] >> Okay. So, I'm not coming like full
[02:46] stand.
[02:47] >> Yep. Exactly.
[02:48] >> How's it feel, Bab?
[02:49] >> I feel it.
[02:51] >> Another one. Another one.
[02:53] >> I'm so weak.
[02:55] >> So far, we're two for two as we moved
[02:57] into our third type of exercise, the
[02:59] squeeze, which in this case happens to
[03:01] be the exercise Brett actually invented,
[03:03] the barbell hip thrust.
[03:04] >> All right, so already I'm thinking, all
[03:06] right, feet back a little. You want the
[03:08] knee at around a 90° angle. Crawl up a
[03:10] little higher on this bench right there.
[03:12] Okay. Now, bust out a couple reps. Let
[03:14] me see your natural form. I'm watching
[03:16] to see if she naturally has a tendency
[03:18] to hyper extend the spine. She doesn't.
[03:20] So, you might be okay doing regular hip
[03:22] thrust. What Brett's watching for as she
[03:24] reaches the top of each rep is whether
[03:26] she's overextending her hips and
[03:28] creating pressure in her lower back,
[03:30] which is the most common cause of back
[03:31] pain when performing this exercise. To
[03:33] avoid this, Brett recommends trying the
[03:36] scoop method where you tuck your chin
[03:38] down and move from the chest down,
[03:40] tilting your pelvis upwards by squeezing
[03:42] your glutes. Now, you won't be able to
[03:43] get as high, but that's a point.
[03:45] >> Eight. Great form. Good lockouts. Yes.
[03:48] Okay.
[03:49] >> And with Tonnie already lifting heavier
[03:51] than she has in years, we just needed
[03:53] one more exercise to round out her
[03:55] training. A hip abduction movement.
[03:58] >> I always call this penalty-free volume.
[03:59] You add it in, it doesn't beat you up.
[04:01] adds to the glute hypertrophy stimulus
[04:03] without fatiguing you much. We're going
[04:05] to put these pads right here so that you
[04:08] get more active range of motion. Now you
[04:10] can hold on the handles. Let's see how
[04:12] this feels. Tap. Make sure you come in
[04:15] and tap.
[04:16] >> For this exercise, you first target your
[04:18] upper glutes while sitting upright. But
[04:20] if you lean forward at the end of your
[04:21] set, you then switch tension to your
[04:24] lower glutes. So by pairing both sets
[04:26] back to back, you can target multiple
[04:28] areas of your glutes to finish off your
[04:30] workout. General rule of thumb, if you
[04:31] have low back pain, if it feels off, if
[04:34] you feel anything during the movement
[04:35] itself, don't do it. Skip it.
[04:36] >> With the trip to Brett being a success,
[04:38] here is the workout plan Ton is going to
[04:40] now be using, training her glutes twice
[04:42] per week and tracking it all in our
[04:44] Built with Science Plus app. As for me,
[04:46] while I will be stealing some of these
[04:48] exercises, I'll still be doing heavy
[04:50] compound exercises like squats and
[04:52] deadlifts. So, we'll be able to see if
[04:53] that gives me a huge advantage or not
[04:55] after the 90 days of training. On day
[04:57] one, Tony's glute circumference comes in
[04:59] at 92 cm, while mine is just slightly
[05:03] bigger at 92.5. But while most people
[05:05] think glutes are just about making
[05:07] people turn their heads, your glutes are
[05:08] actually one of the biggest drivers of
[05:11] power, speed, and force production. The
[05:13] most explosive athletes almost always
[05:16] have incredibly powerful glutes. And
[05:18] then there's mine.
[05:20] >> Watch out. Watch out. WATCH OUT. WATCH
[05:21] OUT.
[05:23] OKAY. SO, I also want to see if by
[05:25] training my glutes more seriously, it'll
[05:27] lead to any improvement in how high and
[05:30] how far I can jump without actually
[05:32] practicing it, which on day one is
[05:34] coming in at
[05:37] the winner, right? 51.9.
[05:43] >> Oh,
[05:45] okay.
[05:46] >> Wow. Look how far I can jump.
[05:48] >> And with our baselines recorded, it's
[05:50] time to start training.
[05:55] Whenever I get close to failure, I get
[05:57] really angry and really mean. Ow. Ow. I
[06:00] hate this one.
[06:02] >> Week one was rough. For the past 6
[06:04] months, I've honestly just been lazy
[06:06] with my glutes training and so they're
[06:07] struggling to keep up. As for Tonnie,
[06:09] >> I'm a little concerned because I've just
[06:12] finished my first few workouts and my
[06:14] glutes aren't really sore and to me
[06:16] soreness means growth and development.
[06:19] So, I don't know what that's about.
[06:21] >> But multiple studies have actually shown
[06:23] that soreness is not an indicator of
[06:25] growth, which is actually why Brett
[06:27] chose some of these exercises. He's
[06:29] found that they don't lead to nearly as
[06:31] much soreness or muscle damage as
[06:32] squats, deadlifts, or Bulgarians do,
[06:35] helping Tony recover faster and feel
[06:37] less beat up. However, one proposed
[06:39] advantage of heavy squats is they boost
[06:41] your testosterone levels. Sounds like a
[06:43] serious advantage, right? Well, there is
[06:45] some truth to this. Heavy squats do
[06:47] actually provide a 10 to 20% spike in
[06:49] testosterone. And the boost we see with
[06:51] squats is higher than it is with other
[06:53] leg exercises like leg press. However,
[06:56] this boost only lasts about 15 to 45
[06:58] minutes after a workout before returning
[07:00] to baseline. So, while it might explain
[07:02] why heavy squats make me feel like an
[07:04] absolute beast, it's not going to
[07:05] provide me with any hormonal advantage
[07:07] over Tawni. But speaking of hormones, I
[07:10] am noticing a big spike in dopamine as
[07:12] it's the first time in years that Tonnie
[07:14] and I have trained together. Although
[07:16] she says all my enthusiasm can be a bit
[07:18] much.
[07:19] >> You don't want a hug?
[07:20] >> No. Get away from me.
[07:22] >> Which makes it difficult when I offer
[07:23] coaching or push her to train harder.
[07:26] >> Implementing my last set where I did 13
[07:29] reps and I would say I did max effort.
[07:31] Like that was my max.
[07:33] >> I have to tread very carefully. We could
[07:36] put it as max. You did push hard that
[07:38] >> I did. So I pushed to my max. But so
[07:42] far, things weren't going quite as
[07:44] smoothly as we expected. Despite doing
[07:47] every exercise correctly, Tonyie was
[07:49] very scared of pushing harder, just in
[07:51] the fear of hurting her back. Again,
[07:53] >> my left leg, like my glute, it feels
[07:56] like it's cramping, but also my left
[07:58] side is where I have an issue with my SI
[08:02] and parapformis. So, it's hard for me to
[08:04] decipher if I'm having a glute cramp or
[08:07] if I've slightly hurt myself. And on top
[08:10] of that, she was struggling to eat
[08:11] enough. Not because she wasn't hungry,
[08:13] but because she was scared of gaining
[08:15] fat.
[08:15] >> If I'm laying it all out on the table
[08:18] here, I'm on my period. Whenever I'm on
[08:20] my period, I always gain a few pounds.
[08:23] Usually like 2 to 3 lb. Like I can see
[08:25] the water weight. It sits in my stomach.
[08:28] It sits like heavier in my face. So, the
[08:31] thought of having to put weight on isn't
[08:34] a pleasant thought for me. As for me, my
[08:36] glutes were finally getting used to the
[08:38] new volume and actually started boosting
[08:40] my squats, making them feel smoother and
[08:42] much stronger. So, today I got squats on
[08:44] the menu. And one thing that I'm
[08:47] actually doing is just a very subtle
[08:48] tweak with my form to emphasize the
[08:50] glutes a little bit more. And you guys
[08:52] can try this, too. One way of performing
[08:54] the squat is a bit more quad dominant.
[08:56] And so, your back is upright and you let
[08:58] the knees drive forward. But what I'm
[09:00] doing is since I want to focus on the
[09:01] glutes a little bit more, I'm actually
[09:02] going to focus on keeping my shins more
[09:04] vertical and pushing my hips back,
[09:07] leaning forward a little bit. All it
[09:09] does is it shifts the emphasis a little
[09:11] bit from the quads, more so to the
[09:13] glutes. And hopefully that gives me a
[09:15] little bit more of an edge to help win
[09:17] this challenge. And while you might be
[09:18] thinking squats are giving me a huge
[09:21] advantage over Tawni, back in 2023,
[09:23] Brett actually ran a study comparing
[09:26] squats against hip thrust. And while
[09:28] squats did grow the quads and inner
[09:30] thighs more, for glutes growth, they
[09:32] were both equal. And based on Tony's
[09:34] progress so far, it honestly seems like
[09:36] I'm the one that was starting to lag
[09:38] behind.
[09:38] >> I'm telling you, the glutes are popping.
[09:42] Holy.
[09:43] >> I don't see it, so I don't know.
[09:44] >> What do you mean you don't see it? The
[09:46] camera definitely sees it. Look at this.
[09:48] >> By week three, Tonnie was sending mad
[09:50] PRs, and the gains were clearly coming
[09:53] in.
[09:53] >> Bab, you just did 135 lbs. That's a
[09:56] plate. You said
[09:58] >> I know. I'm really proud to be honest
[10:00] cuz I haven't done this weight in like 6
[10:02] years. My girls are proud of me too. And
[10:05] it actually felt really easy. Like that
[10:06] was 12 reps.
[10:08] >> However, Tonnie is not the only one
[10:09] getting the cake.
[10:10] >> Week three.
[10:13] Wo wo wo. Dennis, you see that?
[10:17] >> Wow. If this is week three, can you
[10:20] imagine what week 10 is going to be
[10:22] like? Go.
[10:24] I recently watched Heated Rivalry where
[10:26] the actor's glutes blew up online,
[10:29] showing the world just how much ladies
[10:30] appreciate a strong butt.
[10:32] >> How important would you say glutes are
[10:35] on a guy?
[10:35] >> I like athletic glutes on a guy. I don't
[10:38] want like a big booty, but I want you to
[10:41] have like
[10:43] >> glutes. Yeah.
[10:43] >> Okay.
[10:44] >> Like we don't want a guy that can just
[10:45] do like bicep curls and go do a squat.
[10:48] >> Now, technically, Tony actually has two
[10:50] big advantages over me. First, based on
[10:52] Brett's experience, he's noticed that
[10:54] women seem to recover faster from lower
[10:56] body workouts than men do and can train
[10:58] their glutes with more volume and
[11:00] frequency. And while the heavy weights
[11:01] I'm using may be a factor, I am noticing
[11:04] that by the time Tonnie is ready to go
[11:06] for her next workout, I still need
[11:07] another day or two to recover, and I
[11:09] just can't keep up with how many sets
[11:10] she's been doing. But second, and this
[11:12] is the biggest factor, about 80% of
[11:14] Tony's training right now is dedicated
[11:17] purely to glutes. Meanwhile, I'm still
[11:19] doing a lot of volume for my quads and
[11:21] my upper body. And although this has yet
[11:23] to be actually studied, when I wanted to
[11:25] grow my shoulders in the past, I scaled
[11:27] back everything else and poured more
[11:29] volume into my shoulders, and it led to
[11:31] the fastest growth I've ever seen.
[11:33] Because when your body has fewer
[11:34] competing priorities, it can move more
[11:36] resources towards one area. So, if that
[11:39] same principle applies here, Tonnie
[11:41] should be able to outgrow my glutes,
[11:43] which is concerning because I love my
[11:45] meat. And if she wins, I'm going vegan
[11:48] for 30 days. Let's see what measuring
[11:49] tape says. 30 days, your booty is up
[11:54] exactly 1 cm.
[11:56] >> Oh,
[11:57] >> was that good?
[11:58] >> That's very good.
[11:59] >> And now it's my turn to measure my
[12:00] glutes after 30 days. The result was not
[12:03] what I was expecting. Come on. What are
[12:05] we at?
[12:07] >> 93.5.
[12:08] >> No way. Okay. My glutes have also grown
[12:13] 1 cm.
[12:15] We are tied. But I may start out growing
[12:18] her because based on her tracking in our
[12:20] Bit Science Plus app, she wasn't
[12:21] reaching her target calorie intake. If
[12:23] that continued, her progress might
[12:25] eventually stall. So to motivate her, I
[12:27] decided to do something I honestly
[12:29] hadn't done for her in years. I cooked
[12:31] for her. We'll see what she thinks in
[12:32] just a sec. But Tanya and I actually met
[12:34] about 10 years ago at the gym. But as my
[12:36] work got busier and with her back
[12:37] injury, we started spending less and
[12:39] less time together. So, my hope is this
[12:41] experiment gives us more to do together
[12:42] and rebuild more than just our bodies.
[12:45] Hopefully, I didn't ruin all my chances
[12:46] by butchering this food.
[12:52] >> Oh my god.
[12:53] >> Oh my god. You actually like it?
[12:55] >> Mhm.
[12:56] >> Oh,
[12:57] >> it's really good.
[12:58] >> Like a restaurant.
[12:59] >> Really?
[13:00] >> Mhm. I'm so happy.
[13:02] >> It's the first time in a while that we
[13:04] actually sat down at home and enjoyed a
[13:06] meal together. Now, some of you might be
[13:07] thinking Tonyie has a huge disadvantage
[13:10] with her diet, that you need to live off
[13:12] chicken breast to build muscle. And I
[13:13] used to think that, too. But the latest
[13:15] research is making me rethink that. A
[13:18] new study took two groups of lifters,
[13:20] vegans and meat eaters, and had them
[13:22] both eat 0.7 g of protein per body
[13:26] weight per day. Now, the vegans ate a
[13:28] variety of protein sources like tofu,
[13:30] soy, and lentils. Whereas the meat
[13:31] eaters obviously relied on meat, protein
[13:33] shakes, and eggs. Now, you'd expect the
[13:36] meateers to have at least a small
[13:38] advantage, but after 12 weeks, both
[13:40] groups ended up building the same amount
[13:43] of muscle and strength. So, as long as
[13:44] you're getting enough protein, it
[13:46] doesn't seem to matter too much where
[13:47] that protein is coming from, which
[13:49] honestly makes me slightly less
[13:51] terrified of going vegan for 30 days.
[13:53] But, I still really do not want to give
[13:55] up my favorite foods. And even though
[13:56] we're only 30 days in, I do want to see
[13:58] if we can pass the bar test.
[14:05] I can't even feel it.
[14:12] >> Your back stopped it.
[14:14] >> Unfortunately, we both couldn't stop the
[14:16] bar. But if you watch closely, I kind of
[14:19] did manage to stop it a little bit. And
[14:21] that is when Tonnie decided to take her
[14:23] glute training to the next level. So
[14:25] far, Tony's been doing around 20 sets of
[14:27] glutes per week and seeing some pretty
[14:29] good progress. Holy.
[14:32] Wow, that's crazy.
[14:33] >> But for Brett's clients that wants the
[14:35] most growth possible, he takes this all
[14:38] the way up to 30 to 40 sets per week.
[14:41] That extra volume seems to speed up
[14:43] their growth. And so for Tony, this
[14:45] spends ramping up her glute training
[14:47] from two to 3 days per week.
[14:49] >> And that makes me really nervous because
[14:51] I'm not going to lie, with my back
[14:53] injury. So it's just like a fear thing
[14:55] for me. And I really really hope that I
[14:58] don't hurt myself, hurt my back because
[15:00] I really want to reach my glute goals. I
[15:04] don't want to let Jeremy down. I don't
[15:05] want to like get frustrated and let
[15:07] myself down.
[15:08] >> Now, at first everything felt fine, but
[15:10] slowly tightness started building up in
[15:12] her upper left glute and then into her
[15:15] lower back and eventually this happened.
[15:19] And so we decided to put the challenge
[15:21] on pause for a few days. H. So, I hurt
[15:24] my back at the gym yesterday and I came
[15:26] today to try to work out and it's very
[15:29] clear that I'm going to need a few days
[15:31] off, which is really frustrating for me.
[15:34] >> Connie is at work right now, but she
[15:36] just sent me a text and uh just saying
[15:38] how she's not feeling too well. She's a
[15:40] bit sad and I think what's going on is
[15:42] that this challenge is putting a lot of
[15:46] pressure on her. I think like she not
[15:47] only wants to win obviously, but she
[15:49] just doesn't want to let you guys down.
[15:51] After a few days of rest, thankfully her
[15:53] back started feeling better.
[15:57] >> I feel so good.
[15:59] >> Do you want to go back on the challenge?
[16:01] Totally fine if you want to drop out. No
[16:03] hard feelings.
[16:04] >> Are you scared you're going to lose?
[16:06] >> No, I'm trying to be nice. Okay, but
[16:09] fine. I'll take that as a sign as you
[16:10] are ready to go back and I'm just going
[16:12] to say I'm not going easy on you. Okay.
[16:14] >> Okay.
[16:15] >> All right.
[16:15] >> I want you spicy, too.
[16:17] >> All right. Let's go. But after just a
[16:19] week off of training, Tony's glutes felt
[16:21] and looked a bit flatter than usual. And
[16:23] she started worrying she was losing
[16:24] muscle. And she wasn't just imagining
[16:26] it. When you stop training for a week or
[16:28] two, your muscles store less glycogen.
[16:30] And since glycogen pulls water into your
[16:32] muscles, they'll look less full. It's
[16:34] kind of like letting air out of a
[16:36] balloon. But while your muscles might
[16:37] look flatter and your strength might
[16:39] also dip because you just haven't
[16:41] practiced your exercises, most research
[16:43] suggests it takes at least 3 weeks or
[16:46] more of no training to start losing
[16:48] actual muscle. That said, we definitely
[16:50] do not want her to hurt her back again.
[16:52] So, even though we might see a bit more
[16:54] growth training her glutes three times a
[16:56] week, it was a no-brainer to dial her
[16:58] training back to just two. And to help
[17:00] keep her consistent, we even found some
[17:02] creative ways to do her workouts at
[17:03] home, which we've even added to our Bit
[17:05] with Science Plus app. That way, our
[17:06] members don't need to always rely on the
[17:08] gym to make progress. And with only a
[17:10] few weeks left, Tony's glutes were
[17:12] making the fastest progress ever. And if
[17:14] I'm going to be honest, even if I lose
[17:16] and have to go vegan, this challenge
[17:18] really is a win-win for me. While Tony's
[17:22] glutes were blowing up, all of my glute
[17:24] training was actually leading to some
[17:25] unexpected benefits.
[17:28] today. That felt more like a jog. My
[17:30] treadmill can't even go any faster, but
[17:32] definitely feels like my glutes are
[17:33] contributing more to the run. Like, it's
[17:35] helping me with my run. And all these
[17:37] benefits weren't from actually changing
[17:38] much to my leg workouts. I mainly just
[17:40] started doing hip thrust again and
[17:42] experimented with some of Brett's
[17:43] exercises, which helped my other
[17:45] exercises feel stronger, and more
[17:47] importantly, just help my body move and
[17:49] feel a lot better than it used to. So,
[17:50] if you've been neglecting your glutes
[17:52] like I was, just start by adding three
[17:54] hard sets of hip thrust to your leg
[17:56] days. But with one week before our final
[17:58] results, we decided to take a trip to
[18:00] Hawaii to show off our glucans. Holy
[18:03] moly.
[18:05] What the heck do we have here? And on
[18:09] the final day of the experiment, she
[18:11] didn't just bring the heat to the beach.
[18:12] She broke another PR. First time ever,
[18:15] two plates on the hip thrust.
[18:17] >> I am finally done my glute video with
[18:19] Jeremy. I am so grateful that Brett
[18:21] Ferris let us come into his home. He
[18:24] showed me a bunch of lower back friendly
[18:26] glute exercises and I'm forever grateful
[18:28] for him for that because doing this
[18:30] challenge just showed me that I am
[18:32] capable and there are ways of getting a
[18:35] booty. As for me, I've got one more
[18:37] final test. After 90 days, did these
[18:40] glute gains actually improve my jump
[18:42] performance?
[18:46] So, that is pretty much a 5 cm increase,
[18:48] which is pretty impressive. I wasn't
[18:50] sure if my glute strength growth would
[18:52] impact vertical jump at all. But that
[18:55] honestly motivates me even more than
[18:57] just the growth is seeing the athletic
[18:59] performance there cuz I love playing
[19:00] sports too. So my vertical jump went
[19:02] from just beating average to now being
[19:05] on the high end of above average. Though
[19:08] still not enough for my Asian mom to be
[19:10] proud, but broad jump scored excellent
[19:12] on day one and I still managed to
[19:15] increase it by 2 cm.
[19:17] >> Not bad. Not bad. But now it's time to
[19:19] measure the glutes and see who actually
[19:22] grew them the most in the past 90 days.
[19:24] Final day is here. I am extremely
[19:26] nervous, especially after seeing what
[19:27] I'm what I'm up against today.
[19:32] I'm done.
[19:33] There's no way.
[19:36] So, you started at 92 cm and today you
[19:40] are at 94 cm.
[19:44] 2 cm of growth. Good job, Evie. Good I
[19:46] won a 95 now. Did I win?
[19:52] >> Please, God. There's no way.
[19:55] >> That's where you are.
[19:56] >> Yeah.
[19:57] >> There's no way.
[19:58] >> You can't.
[19:58] >> All right. Do it again.
[19:59] >> You can't eat them.
[20:01] >> You're right here. All right, guys. We
[20:02] have measured and I am what?
[20:06] >> Plus two,
[20:07] >> which means
[20:08] >> I am plus 1.5.
[20:11] >> Which means
[20:12] >> which means I'm I'm cooked. You won. You
[20:16] won. You won. You won. I also won. I
[20:20] also won. But it wasn't until I tried on
[20:22] my wife's shorts that I truly
[20:23] appreciated my new glute gains. So,
[20:25] while this does mean I have to go
[20:27] meatless for 30 days, at least this
[20:28] gives Tonnie and I a chance to enjoy
[20:30] more dinners together. Oh, and she's got
[20:33] some serious cake that I could stare at
[20:35] all day. So, still feels like a win for
[20:37] me. I'm honestly just so proud of
[20:38] Tonnie. She's overcome like some of her
[20:40] biggest fears and she's genuinely
[20:42] enjoying the gym again. and she did all
[20:44] of this without lifting crazy heavy. I
[20:46] think it goes to show you that there's
[20:48] no musdo exercises. What matters the
[20:50] most is good form and choosing exercises
[20:53] that actually fit your body and feel
[20:55] good. And that is actually why we
[20:56] created the Build with Science Plus app.
[20:58] Both mine and Tony's workouts are in
[20:59] there, but the program adjusts based on
[21:02] how your specific body responds to your
[21:04] plan. So, you're not just copying
[21:06] somebody else. And if you want to try
[21:07] it, you can test it out completely free
[21:09] for 2 weeks. Just scan the QR code here
[21:12] or head to builtwithwithscience.com. And
[21:13] if you guys want to simplify your glute
[21:15] training and focus on the only two
[21:17] exercises you actually need to fix your
[21:19] flat butt, give this video a watch next,
[21:21] which we recorded with Brett. Thank you
[21:23] so much for watching.
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