Q: You and Doug Brignole seem to agree that a muscle should move the active lever directly toward the muscle’s origin. But the gluteus muscles run diagonal. That would indicate that moving your upper leg straight up and straight back, as with a hip-flexion machine or even step-back lunges, is not ideal. I don’t have the machine, so I’m doing step-back lunges, but only feel them in my quads. Is that why?
A: You’re right. A perfectly designed hip-flexion machine would no doubt have the working femur come up diagonally, angling toward the opposite pec, then drive down, slightly out and back.
I still agree with Doug that the hip-flexion machine is the best option for glute development, however…
Unfortunately, I don’t have one either, so I do step-back lunges and add on one-leg hip thrusts with my upper back on a bench (see OMYM for start/finish of every exercise).
Also for hamstrings and quads I add on semi-stiff-legged deadlifts and dumbbell squats, which also provide a lot of extra glute activation.
To make your step-back lunges feel more glute-centric, try them with your working leg elevated on a riser and keep your upper body tilted forward. Don’t keep your torso perfectly vertical. That should help activate your butt muscles more—like bending forward on a barbell squat…
Also, think of how a horse paws at the ground. That’s the movement—not a one-leg squat. Be sure you’re getting a decent glute stretch at the bottom as well.
One thing you should not do is try to mimic the knee-to-opposite-pec description above during a lunge. While that may be the ideal path for max glute-fiber activation, using a back “courtesy” cross step could torque your knee.
Stick with your leg working in a straight, forward plane. I wouldn’t recommend cross stepping unless you plan to try out for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.
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