Almost all of my clients use “booty bands” but probably not for the reasons you think.
When do I get my clients to use booty bands? Right at the beginning of their full body or leg day workout.
I incorporate exercises to activate the glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus) to help clients create awareness of how to properly activate these muscles.
Some examples of exercises that I use these bands with are clamshells, bridging, monster walks, and squats.
For exercises like clamshells and bridging, placing a band just above the knees and then pressing outward with the knees, creating tension on the band, helps activate the glutes. You can also put the bands around your ankles or laces of the shoes when doing a monster walk.
When doing squats, I will sometimes get clients to wear the bands around their knees and use the band as a reminder to press the knees outwards and into the bands. In this instance, the bands serve as a teaching tool and a reminder on how to use proper form and glute activation. Eventually, you want yourself or your clients to become aware on their own when they are activating their glutes and when they are not. In the meantime, the bands serve as a nice reminder to activate the glutes.
When should you ditch the bands? In my opinion, it is not necessary to wear the bands on the treadmill (yes I’ve seen it) or when lifting heavy. Think of the bands as a teaching tool to activate the proper muscles prior to your main exercises of the day. If you are lifting heavy, you shouldn’t need the bands. This is because in order to build your way up to heavy lifting you should already know how to activate your glutes properly before getting to that point.
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