Glute Gains Without Disrupting Your Powerlifting Program

Trying to grow your glutes while also training for powerlifting can be very complementary goals. Heavy squats and deadlifts, plus common powerlifting accessory exercises like RDLs, split squats, lunges, back extensions, and leg press are some of the best exercises for building your glutes.

However, if you want to add more glute training to your existing powerlifting program, then something to keep in mind is that many glute exercises also tax the hamstrings, quads, and/or low back to a significant degree. These other muscle groups are often already being pushed near their recoverable capacity in a powerlifting program, so you need to be strategic if you want to add extra glute work. Here are some exercises that will let you add more glute training volume to help you achieve your physique goals, without stressing the other muscles too much and potentially interfering with your powerlifting program.

Exercise 1: Glute Medius Kickback

Here is an excellent tutorial from Ruth Maleski: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9njHZnzqVR8

This exercise is my top recommendation because it trains the glutes through abduction (moving the leg out towards the side). Your powerlifting program already has lots of exercises that train the glutes through hip extension (straightening the hip) such as squats and deadlifts, so this adds something that isn't otherwise being trained.

Also, this exercise effectively trains the glute medius and upper portion of the glute max. Generally, people with glute related physique goals want to develop this region because it helps give a rounder look and more pronounced "shelf" towards the top. No exercise is going to train one isolated area of your glute max without the rest of it; however, the direction of the resistance will determine which muscle fibers are best aligned to produce force against it, and therefore which fibers are recruited and stressed more. This can be thought of similar to how an incline bench prioritizes the upper chest more compared to a flat bench press. When performed correctly, the glute medius kickback aligns the resistance to develop that upper glute region well.

I would consider this the best exercise to train the glute medius muscle and the hip abduction motion. Here is why it beats out the other candidates:

• Seated hip abduction (outward) machine - This isn't as good an exercise for building your butt because the seated abduction machine mostly stresses the piriformis and glute minimus (neither of which contribute as much to the appearance of your butt) rather than working the glute max or medius. This is because of the position - being in around 90 degrees of hip flexion, and moving exclusively through abduction rather than a combination of abduction and hip extension (like the glute medius kickback) puts the emphasis on other muscles.

• Band exercises (lateral walks, clamshells, firehydrants, etc.) - Using a band presents two problems. First, bands aren't nearly as scalable as weight or a cable machine, because you can't progress the load in small, measured increments. Secondly, bands have an uneven resistance profile - the exercise is way harder as the band reaches greater degrees of stretch, and way easier as the band returns to its normal length. This is a problem because we want fairly consistent tension throughout the movement in order to make the exercise more effective. In fact, you probably want the most resistance in the position where the muscle is lengthened in order to maximize muscle growth, and bands do the exact opposite of that.

Exercise 2: Single Leg Glute Bridges/Hip Thrusts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qaa1ZE3SPnA

Hip thrusts and glute bridges also offer something unique for glute training. They both load hip extension horizontally, with the resistance being applied directly at the hips rather than in the hands or on the back. Also, they challenge the shortened/contracted part of the glute's range of motion. Other movements like squats, deadlifts, etc. don't because in those movements, when the glutes are short/contracted, there is very little resistance. For example, at the top of a squat when the glutes are short, there's no real work being done because all your joints are stacked underneath the weight and the moment arm for hip extension is very short.

The only other exercises that load hip extension horizontally and challenge the shortened position are hip extensions (aka back raises) done on either the GHD or 45 degree hyperextension bench. However, I would choose to add hip thrusts or glute bridges to a powerlifting program instead because the back raises stress the low back much more. The hip thrust/glute bridge doesn't stress the low back muscles because the load is trying to pull you into spinal extension. Therefore, it requires you use your abdominal muscles to maintain your torso position. This is in contrast to most other glute exercises where you are resisting spinal flexion and therefore using the low back muscles to maintain torso position.

I would generally recommend the single leg version, as opposed to double leg, because it will require less load to perform each leg separately. This way, your glute muscles can be the limiting factor on the exercise performance rather than your ability to maintain your torso position.

Programming

I would recommend adding these two exercises at the end of days that you are already training lower body. I would start by doing each of them once per week, ideally on separate days, but it's fine if you have to do them on the same day for logistical reasons (if so, do the kickback then the hip thrust/bridge).

I'd start both exercises at 2 sets of 15-20 reps per side at the following intensities:

Week 1: 4 reps in reserve (RIR)

Week 2: 3 RIR

Week 3: 2 RIR

Week 4: 2 RIR

Week 5: 1-2 RIR

After 5 weeks, you could drop to 2 sets of 12-15 reps and repeat that weekly RIR progressions for another 5 weeks. After that, you could drop to 2 sets of 10-12 and repeat once more. That is 15 total weeks of glute training already. At the end of that, it may be time to switch up the exercises for a while.

Conclusion

I would be careful while adding glute exercises to your existing powerlifting program because it may also be adding additional training stress for other muscle groups, which could then impact your powerlifting training. However, these two specific glute exercises should be fine to add to your powerlifting training as described above. They will help you reach your physique goals without negatively impacting anything else.

While it doesn't seem like much, the addition of two sets of these two exercises should be plenty. Glutes are already trained pretty well during squats and deadlifts, so we are just trying to put the cherry on top.

If you like this sort of multi-level thinking about what exercises are best based on their different characteristics (like range of motion, muscular length, resistance profiles and vectors), then consider attending my Accessory Exercises for Powerlifters seminar on Sunday, October 20, 2024, in Huntsville, Alabama. I will be breaking down some of the best movements for different muscle groups and coaching you through how to perform them. Click here to learn more.

Also, if you found this article helpful and you’d like to get notified when I publish more, you can click here to join the Premier newsletter.

Best,

Michael Elrod-Erickson

Founder and Head Coach, Premier Power & Performance

Tendon Rupture - Antibiotic Considerations for Lifters and Athletes

*This is not intended to be medical advice. This article is simply educational. Please talk to your doctor about the best treatment plan for you.

Antibiotics are prescribed to treat bacterial infections (which can be respiratory infections, skin infections, UTI, STI, etc.). One certain class of antibiotics, fluoroquinolones, increases the risk of both tendon ruptures and tendinopathies (a broad term for tendon conditions causing pain, inflammation, and dysfunction).1-2 However, fluoroquinolones are still commonly prescribed. Some examples of fluoroquinolones are ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), gemifloxacin, moxifloxacin, and ofloxacin.3-4 You can ask your doctor for the generic name of the medication rather than the brand name, and if it ends in “-floxacin,” it is almost certainly a fluoroquinolone.

As a lifter or athlete, you put more stress on your tendons than the average person; therefore, this should be a consideration when your doctor is choosing the most appropriate antibiotic to prescribe. However, most doctors are not used to thinking about a patient’s sporting activities while choosing medications, so you may need to advocate for yourself. I suggest that if you are ever prescribed an antibiotic, you ask the doctor if it is a fluoroquinolone. If they say yes, explain that, “I do (insert sport/activity) and therefore I am concerned about the potential tendon rupture risk associated with fluoroquinolones. Are there any other suitable antibiotics that would be an effective alternative?”

Fluoroquinolones and Tendinopathy: A Guide for Athletes and Sports Clinicians and a Systematic Review of the Literature (Lewis & Cook, 2014) recommends the following guidelines for fluoroquinolone use in athletes: “Athletes should avoid the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics if an alternative is available. Oral or injected corticosteroids should not be administered at the same time as fluoroquinolones, athletes and their athletic trainers should be aware of the potential risks of these drugs, and close monitoring is suggested for at least 6 months after cessation of fluoroquinolone use.”

Even when talking about the general population and not specifically athletes, in 2016 the FDA advised healthcare providers that fluoroquinolones should not be used for uncomplicated infections due to their possible serious side effects and that fluoroquinolones “should be reserved for those who do not have alternative treatment options.”4

Some important background information for you to understand as a patient is that all antibiotics are not interchangeable. They have different mechanisms of action, so they won’t treat everything. For example, some antibiotics work by inhibiting bacterial cell wall construction. However, if the bacteria causing your infection doesn’t have a cell wall (for example, mycoplasma), then that type antibiotic would have no effect on treating your infection. There are many factors that go into decisions about what antibiotic is suitable for specific situations, such as the spectrum of activity, tissue penetration, bioavailability, half-life, and potential for antibiotic resistance. Therefore, there may be some cases where it is necessary for your doctor to prescribe a fluoroquinolone, and you should ALWAYS take the antibiotic that your doctor advises. I am simply recommending that you start a discussion around what physical activities you engage in and ask your doctor if there are suitable alternative antibiotics to fluoroquinolones.

For example, I was recently sick as dog water with pneumonia. I was prescribed a fluoroquinolone to treat it. I explained that I was worried about the risk of tendon rupture because I lift weights at an elite level, and the doctor agreed it was a good choice to switch to a different antibiotic instead.

One other thing to be aware of as a lifter or athlete is that taking corticosteroids along with fluoroquinolones resulted in a 46-fold increase in tendon rupture.1 So in the event that the doctor deems a fluoroquinolone necessary, if they also prescribe a corticosteroid, ask if that is absolutely necessary or not. Often corticosteroids are prescribed to reduce inflammation and make the patient feel better, but are not actually necessary to treat the root cause of the infection.

Now, this is not talking about anabolic steroids, the type that can be used for performance enhancement. Corticosteroids are very different. There is not yet research on anabolic steroid use with fluoroquinolones to see if that increases tendon rupture risk. However, anabolic steroid users are already at a higher risk than non-users of tendon rupture.5 So one might speculate that combining fluoroquinolones and anabolic steroids could put you at even greater risk than just one or the other, but again, we don’t currently have any studies on it. Proceed with caution if you are on anabolic steroids and have to take a fluoroquinolone.

There are other associated risk factors that may further increase your risk of tendon rupture or tendinopathy when combined with taking fluoroquinolones. These are older age (specifically defined in the research as >60 years old), renal failure, diabetes, history of tendon rupture, and concurrent corticosteroid use (as discussed above).1 Therefore, if you meet some of these other criteria and you must take fluoroquinolones, then you should be especially cautious since you are at an even greater risk.

According to The Risk of Fluoroquinolone-induced Tendinopathy and Tendon Rupture (Kim, 2010), taking fluoroquinolones increases your risk of tendinopathies 1.7-fold, your risk of tendon rupture 1.3-fold, and your risk of an Achilles tendon rupture specifically 4.1-fold. That risk can also increases if you combine it with an associated risk factor. For example, in those over 60 years old, there’s a 2.7-fold increase in tendon rupture. The most concerning associated risk factor is concurrent corticosteroid use, which resulted in a staggering 46-fold increase in tendon rupture.1

If you do have to take a fluoroquinolone because a doctor deemed it the best option for your situation despite your athletic activities, here are a few things to consider. First off, you want to be even more cautious during your return to sport/training after recovering from your infection than you would be if you hadn’t had a fluoroquinolone, especially if you have associated risk factors. I would recommend that you seek a well-educated coach or trainer to advise your training plan to further reduce your risk.

While the Achilles tendon is most commonly affected (89.8% of cases), other tendons have also been reported.1 The impact of fluoroquinolones and the risk of tendon issues isn’t limited to the Achilles; it is likely that this is just the most common location because it is loaded significantly by bodyweight during activities of daily living like walking. Therefore, in lifters or athletes, there should be attention to any other tendons loaded significantly in the activities they’re performing rather than focusing solely on the Achilles.

Another thing to be aware of is the duration of how long you may be at an elevated risk. You will be at an elevated risk even after the fluoroquinolone is discontinued. Up to 50% of cases of tendinopathies were after the fluoroquinolone was discontinued. The median onset of tendinopathy was 6 days after starting a fluoroquinolone, and 85% of cases were within first month after taking them; however, you could be at an elevated risk for up to 6 months or longer.1

In conclusion, fluoroquinolones seem to increase risk of tendon rupture and tendinopathies.1-2 If you are an athlete, it is recommended that you discuss with your doctor and see if there are any suitable alternative antibiotics for your infection.2,4 If not and you have to take a fluoroquinolone, discuss with your doctor to try and avoid taking it alongside a corticosteroid.2 Be extra cautious with your return to physical activity after your infection resolves. While the return to sport phase is likely the most dangerous period, since you are physically deconditioned and returning to activity, you will continue to be at some elevated risk for up to 6 months or more after discontinuing the drug.2 During this extended time period, continue to be cautious and consider having a well-educated coach, rehab specialist, or trainer guide your training plan to help reduce the risk.

Always take the drugs that your doctor advises – I am simply encouraging you to start the discussion with your doctor that fluoroquinolones may not be the best fit for your situation if you engage in vigorous physical activity due to the increased risk to tendons (especially when combined with corticosteroids). However, there will be times when fluoroquinolones are necessary and you should still take them as prescribed. Just exercise caution afterwards.

References:

1. Kim G. K. (2010). The Risk of Fluoroquinolone-induced Tendinopathy and Tendon Rupture: What Does The Clinician Need To Know? The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 3(4), 49–54.

2. Lewis, T., & Cook, J. (2014). Fluoroquinolones and Tendinopathy: A Guide for Athletes and Sports Clinicians and a Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Athletic Training, 49(3), 422–427. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-49.2.09

3. Pope, C. (2024, February 15). Quinolones and Fluoroquinolones. Drugs.com. https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/quinolones.html#:~:text=Some%20people%20use%20the%20words,be%20used%20from%20now%20on.

4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA Updates Warnings for Oral and Injectable Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Due to Disabling Side Effects. Silver Spring, MD: FDA; 2016. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/media/119537/download

5. Kanayama, G., DeLuca, J., Meehan, W. P., 3rd, Hudson, J. I., Isaacs, S., Baggish, A., Weiner, R., Micheli, L., & Pope, H. G., Jr (2015). Ruptured Tendons in Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Users: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(11), 2638–2644. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546515602010

6 Tips to Avoid Deadlift Disaster

Unfortunately I have seen multiple young deadlift phenoms bomb out at the national championships because they made a few simple mistakes. These were athletes who could have set world records, won their weight class, and/or won best lifter overall at nationals, but instead they went 0/3 on deadlift and went home without a total, had any records they set on squat and bench disqualified, and missed out on thousands of dollars of prize money. Here are six tips so you can learn from their mistakes and avoid having your own deadlift disaster.

1) Don’t try to pull your opener fast

It is very common for lifters to try and pull their opener really quickly, to show everyone how easy it was and how strong they are. However, this drastically increases the likelihood of making some sort of technical error and getting red lights: maybe your knees go soft at lockout because you were trying to be too explosive, the whip of the bar catches up with you at the top and causes downward motion, the whip causes the bar to slip out of your hands at lockout, or you get off balance and can’t hold it long enough to get the down command.

So instead, show everyone how strong you are by lifting the heaviest third attempt you can, not by moving your opener fast. Simply securing a good lift to get you on the board with your opener sets you up to do this, because then you can safely start making big jumps without having to worry about bombing out. Whereas if you get called for some technical problem and get red lights on your opener, you are stuck either repeating it to get on the board or going up and risking bombing out if you can’t get a good lift at the heavier weight.

2) Don’t go up after missing your opener

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone miss their opener, either because they got red lights or because they lost their grip, and still say, “It moved easy though, so I’m going up!” This inevitably ends up with them bombing out.

If you miss your opener, do not go up. There are almost no exceptions to this. It doesn’t matter if you only missed because of technicality or grip – repeat it, get a successful attempt on the board, and then you can go up on your third.

3) Don’t drop your deadlift - fix your grip

First and foremost, holding on to the bar is part of the skill of deadlifting, so it needs to be treated that way. You shouldn’t be using straps for your deadlifts in the gym and just hoping that you can hold on to the bar at the meet. If grip is limiting how heavy you can go in the gym, so be it – grip will limit how heavy you can go at the meet too, so stick to lifting without straps and learn to hold on to the bar better.

I say learn to hold on to the bar better because there is a skill to it. If you pull hook grip, you can change the angle at which and how deeply you tuck your thumb under the bar, how many fingers you put on top of your thumb, and how much pressure you squeeze with. Similarly, for mixed grip you can change how high or low you start the bar in the hand, how hard you squeeze, which hand grips under vs over, and warmup drills to ensure you can fully supinate the under hand.

Holding the bar too high in your hands is one of the most common sources of problems. Whether hook or mixed grip, you want the bar to be in the lowest point of your hand. The reason for this is because if the bar starts too high, it will roll down until it is at the lowest point. Rolling is bad for two reasons: first, it gives the bar momentum and a chance to pry your fingers open that it wouldn’t have if it simply started lower, and second, movement in the hand is what causes hand/skin tears.

Imagine you are lying on your back on the concrete. That wouldn’t tear up the skin on your back… unless someone came along and started dragging you by your ankles. That goes to show that pressure/weight isn’t what causes skin to tear, it is movement that does, because movement causes friction. The same goes for your hands during deadlift. If your hands get torn up from deadlifts, it is because the bar is moving, not because of the weight/pressure, and the bar is moving because you started it too high in your hand.

The other common technique problem that makes grip issues worse is specific to sumo deadlifters. Many sumo pullers will try to use a grip width that is too narrow. I believe the idea behind using a narrow grip is that it will cause more whip in the bar and therefore shorten the range of motion; however, this miniscule reduction in range of motion is not worth the downsides. Gripping inside shoulder width makes locking out much harder because your shoulders are internally rotated. Powerlifting rulebooks stipulate that “the knees, hips, and shoulders shall be locked in a straight position and the lifter is standing erect.” So the shoulders are also part of being locked out – you can’t stay rounded over and have it count.

Also, this harder lockout means more time struggling toward the top, which often exacerbates any existing grip problems because you have to hold on to the bar for longer. The bar may even be dragging on your thighs too, to make things worse.

Gripping super narrow can also sometimes mean that the lifter has their hands on the smooth rather than on the knurling. The knurling makes the bar much easier to hold on to, so gripping on the smooth may further contribute to grip issues.

Lifters should stick to gripping the bar straight down from their shoulders, or slightly wider if necessary to be on the knurling, NOT inside shoulder width.

 

4) Don’t lean back - stand tall

Many lifters think that they need to lean back at the top to help their lockout. However, this is incorrect and causes other problems. It is very common for leaning back at lockout to result in the knees going soft and unlocking, which will get you red lights. Also, the intent to lean back often makes lifters heel heavy by shifting their weight backwards, which reduces their ability to push into the floor with their quads and can limit their ability to express their true strength. In some extreme cases, it can even result in the lifter falling over.

Trying to make your lockout easier by leaning back will only cause other problems. What you should think instead is “stand tall.” Your deadlift lockout should be upright, head to the ceiling. This ensures that your knees and hips are both locked out and that you are balanced.

5) Don’t open too heavy

Many good deadlifters are also unfortunately very aggressive and ambitious with their attempt selection and open too heavy. There are multiple problems with this. First, it puts you at a much higher risk of going 0/3 and bombing out. But also, it kills your ability to hit big weights. Most strong deadlifters tend to gas out after 1-2 really heavy pulls, especially after having already done squat and bench. By opening with something that is already heavy, you are only shooting yourself in the foot for your third attempt. Instead, you should open light, make bigger jumps, and therefore have less fatigue and a better shot at getting that big third deadlift.

Treat your opener more like a final warmup. Your second and third attempts should be the heavy, challenging ones.

Your opener should be something that you have done for a triple. Notice I said “have done,” not “could probably theoretically do.” Another way to think about it is that your opener should be a weight that you could hit if you had the flu, you didn’t sleep last night, and your dog died that morning. Aka, no matter how rough of a day you’re having, you know you can still hit that weight.

There are also percentages that you can use to help choose your opener based on what a realistic third attempt may be. You should stick to a 10-13% total increase from opener to third attempt. That should generally look like a 5-8% increase from first to second, and then a 4-6% increase from second to third. The jump first to second is bigger than second to third so that you can open lighter and save energy, but also this increases predictability. You want to choose a third attempt weight that is right at the max you can do without missing, so by narrowing down the last jump slightly, you have a better ability to predict what weight is possible on that day based on how the second attempt went.

6) Don’t get too hyped up

Being more hyped up isn’t always better. In fact, past a certain point it becomes detrimental.

Arousal is the term that psychologists use for the heightened state of attention that lifters would generally call “hype.” Arousal includes both excitement and anxiety, which are essentially two sides of the same coin (one is positive/seeking whereas the other is negative/avoiding).

The inverted-U model of arousal, also known as the Yerkes-Dodson law, is a psychological concept that applies to everyone and to a wide range of tasks. It states that there is a sweet spot somewhere in the middle where optimal performance happens. Either too little or too much arousal and you’ll start to see performance decrease. See the figure below.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law

Being aroused/hyped enough aids performance because it helps you focus and it gets the nervous system ready for maximal weights. However, being too aroused hurts performance because you may start to forget steps in your setup that you would normally do, or your technique may start to break down. It can also lead to postural changes, like a greater anterior tilt, ribcage flair, and trap/neck tension. These are not the positions we want for deadlifting – we want ribs down, a pelvis that’s stacked underneath the ribcage (to allow for good bracing), and depressed shoulders (to keep our arms long and minimize range of motion). Being too aroused can also cause rapid breathing. I have seen lifters miss heavy deadlifts because they pass out at the top. It is possible that the changes in breathing and posture from being over aroused caused or at least contributed to them passing out during the lift.

I think there are two common causes for lifters getting over aroused. First is simply a lack of awareness that more hype isn’t always better. They know some is good, so they assume more must be better.

The second is that they fail to factor in the environment in which they’re lifting. Like I mentioned earlier, anxiety is a part of arousal. Lifters are generally more anxious when lifting on the platform at a big meet like the National Championship than on a typical Tuesday at their home gym. Also, powerlifting meets are a very stimulative environment. There are lots of people watching and yelling at you. Both of these things can shift your baseline over to the right compared to your default or a typical day at the gym. Therefore, you may not need to consciously hype yourself up as much as you would in a less exciting environment.

This is often compounded upon by other people. For example, if you are 0/2 going into your last deadlift and you need this one to not bomb out of the meet, there will be lots of people trying to support you. However, they may do this by getting in your space, yelling, slapping you, or otherwise trying to hype you up. Often this is counterproductive though, because the pressure of that situation is probably all the hype you need already, and adding more will just over arouse you. So the best solution for this situation is to try and bring yourself back down rather than further excite yourself. Rather than listening to really heavy music and thinking to yourself about how you need this lift or trying to be aggressive, maybe you pick something a little more groovy and chill and think to yourself “This is just like what I do in the gym.”

Also, don’t be afraid to tell people to get lost. While they are well intentioned, they aren’t helping. So if someone is talking to you or touching you (like back slaps) in a way that isn’t helping, you need to tell them to stop (or have your coach/handler divert people from doing this).

Conclusion

The vast majority of bomb outs at a meet are very preventable. Hopefully you can learn from others’ mistakes, implement these six tips, and prevent yourself from ever experiencing that frustrating and embarrassing experience.

If you found this article helpful and you’d like to get notified when I publish more, you can click here to join the Premier newsletter.

If you want an additional resource about deadlifts, you can click this link to download Switching Stances: Your Guide to Transitioning from Conventional to Sumo Deadlift, my free guide to sumo deadlifts.

Best,

Michael Elrod-Erickson

Founder and Head Coach, Premier Power & Performance