5 Ways to Grow Your Glutes in Mixed Reality
The mixed reality (MR) fitness revolution is here, offering an innovative way to achieve your workout goals. And one of the most sought-after workouts is growing those glutes! That’s why we offer a Booty Bootcamp 3-week Program, so you can strengthen that booty just in time for the summer. Curious about what moves you might find in Booty Bootcamp? Here’s Trainer Jill as she shows off her favorite glute exercises to strengthen and tone your glutes right from the comfort of your home. Feel free to join Jill and our other trainers in the Booty Bootcamp 3-week Program, or try these exercises on your own:
Dumbbell Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a powerful exercise for building glute strength and definition. In mixed reality, you can simulate lifting weights in a variety of immersive environments, making the experience more engaging and motivating. Our trainers are right there alongside you, offering motivation and tips to perform the exercise safely.
How to deadlift:
Grab your dumbbells (if you have them) and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend at the hips and knees to lower your body towards the ground, letting the dumbbells slide down your thighs.
As you lower down, keep your back straight, chest up, and shoulders back. Your spine should maintain a neutral position throughout the movement. Engage your core muscles to stabilize your spine.
Push through your heels and engage your glutes and hamstrings as you lift the dumbbells to a standing position.
Keep your back flat as you lift and avoid rounding or arching your spine. You don’t want to use your lower back to lift the weights. Instead, focus on using your glutes and hamstrings to perform the movement. And keep the dumbbells close to your body throughout to maintain balance and stability.
Stand up tall by extending your hips and knees once you've lifted the dumbbells.
Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement for maximum contraction.
Reverse the movement by hinging at your hips and pushing your hips back.
2. Dumbbell Front Loaded Squats
Front-loaded squats are excellent for targeting glutes and quads. They’re similar to traditional squats, but you place your dumbbells in front of your body instead of to your side. This variation places more emphasis on the quads, core, and upper body compared to the back squat.
How to perform a front-loaded squat:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
Position the dumbbells in front of your shoulders, with your elbows pointing down towards the floor. Your upper arms should be parallel to the ground, forming a 90-degree angle with your forearms. Keep your shoulders relaxed and chest up, and maintain a neutral spine.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat position. Keep your weight on your heels and get your thighs parallel to the ground or lower if your mobility allows. Ensure your knees are tracking in line with your toes and your back remains straight without rounding.
Once you've reached the bottom of the squat, engage your quadriceps and glutes to push through your heels and return to a standing position.
As you rise, keep your core tight and maintain the position of the dumbbells in front of your shoulders. Avoid locking out your knees at the top of the movement, and maintain a slight bend to maintain muscle tension.
3. Reverse Lunges
Reverse lunges are an effective exercise for targeting the glutes and helping enhance balance and stability. Better yet, they’re super effective with or without dumbbells. But if you’re looking for an extra challenge, we recommend picking up a set of dumbbells for this exercise.
How to do a reverse lunge:
Start by standing with your feet together.
Step one foot back into a lunge, lowering your hips until both knees are at 90-degree angles. Ensure that the front knee doesn’t go past your front toes.
Align your feet like they’re on train tracks vs. a tightrope. This will help you achieve better balance.
Push through your front heel to return to the starting position.
Alternate legs and repeat.
4. Pulse Squats
Pulse squats are a more challenging variation of the traditional squat. As you can imagine, based on the name, the exercise involves dropping into a squat and performing small bounces or pulses while holding the squat position. Pulsing keeps constant tension on the glutes, making them highly effective for muscle growth. It’s challenging, but in mixed reality, your trainer offers motivation and guidance along the way as they perform the exercise with you. Feel free to drop the dumbbells for this one. Or, if you’re looking for an extra challenge, grab a dumbbell or two and hold them up at your chest or down by your side.
How to do a pulse squat:
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat position. Keep your weight on your heels, and get your thighs parallel to the ground or lower if your mobility allows. Ensure your knees are tracking in line with your toes and your back remains straight without rounding.
Once in the squat position, perform small up-and-down pulses, keeping your glutes engaged.
Maintain the squat position throughout the pulses.
Listen to your trainer for guidance on when to return to a standing position.
5. Tap-to-Squat Jump
The tap-to-squat jump combines cardio and strength, making it a fantastic exercise for glute growth and overall fitness. However, you can always modify this exercise if you’re worried about the impact on your joints. Instead of a jump, you can rise into a standing calf raise instead.
How to perform the tap-to-squat jump:
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat position.
Once in a squat, place your balance on your right leg as you tap your left leg back behind you.
Return to a squat position and repeat with your right leg.
Explode into a jump, extending your legs and straightening your back as you jump up. Modification: Rise into a standing position and lift your heels off the ground for a standing calf raise instead.
Land softly back into your squat and repeat the movement.
Benefits of Strength Training in Mixed Reality
You can perform these movements on your own, or you can pop on your mixed-reality headset and join us in the metaverse for a more immersive and engaging workout experience. Here are some of the benefits of performing these exercises in mixed reality:
Real-time form guidance from your trainer
Visual cues to ensure proper technique
Immersive environments that keep the workout fresh and fun
Progress tracking to monitor improvements
Distraction-free immersion to focus on the burn
Gamified challenges and virtual rewards to keep you motivated
Grow Your Glutes: The Takeaway
Mixed reality is changing the fitness landscape by making workouts more interactive and enjoyable. Incorporating these five glute exercises into your workout routine can help you achieve impressive results while having a blast. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or a beginner, Litesport offers a unique and effective way to grow your glutes (and other important muscle groups!) and enhance your overall workout experience. Plus, we offer a 7-day free trial to test it all out before committing. So, strap on your headset and get ready to sculpt those glutes in a whole new way!
