In this episode of the Eric Roberts Fitness Podcast I cover 4 questions in depth
Does muscle weigh more than fat? 4:30
How to modify workouts with a bad knee 12:00
Losing Weight with PCOS or Menopause 18:20
How to improve a certain body part 24:30
If you enjoyed this style of the podcast let me know in the comments section here, or if you want more podcasts like this feel free to let me know via the comment section or shoot me an email at
In this episode of the Eric Roberts Fitness Podcast I cover
what is more beneficial for fat loss lifting weights or doing cardio
how strength training changes your body
what your calorie burn with exercise has to do with you losing weight
and more.
If you are interested in my 90 day fat loss challenge shoot me an email at coacheric@ericrobertsfitness.com and I would love to chat with you on it :).
If you enjoy the podcast and got value from it let me know in the comment section :).
These are the 3 best glute building exercises that will be all you need to build a strong and defined set of buns.
Your gluteal muscles are often referred to as your glutes, or your butt, or that peach emoji.
They are in my opinion the second most important group of muscles in your body behind your core muscles.
Trust me when I say they are much more than girls wanting to grow them and guys wanting to look at them.
Let’s dive into what makes them so important, why you should care about them no matter your gender, and the 3 best exercises you can do to ensure a strong, sexy pair of buns.
The Best Glute Building Exercises
There are 3 muscles to talk about when looking at your glutes.
The gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus.
Though when you think about the gluteal muscles you probably only think of the glute maximus (because for some reason in elementary school “gluteus maximus” was super funny).
All 3 play a pivotal part in strength, physique building, and long term health.
We know that you can workout your gluteal muscles to improve the shape of your butt yet that is arguably the least important factor to properly training your glutes.
I would like to go over a few reasons to give you out there more incentive to improve your glute strength as opposed to just improving the shape.
Guys, I am especially talking to you here. Ladies will want to train glutes regardless (which sets them up for a serious long term health advantage ).
If you are a male out there reading this and have been neglecting your glute training, time to rethink your training program.
Powerhouse Of Your Body
The picture above is NFL hall of fame James Harrison just casually hip thrusting damn near 700 lbs.
It is no wonder he was one of the most explosive, disruptive, powerful football players to ever live. As much as it pains me to say this being a Cincinnati Bengals fan.
Very simply put your gluteal muscles are the powerhouse of your body.
They make you incredibly stronger.
They make you incredibly faster.
They make you incredibly more explosive.
If you want a strong squat you need strong glutes.
If you want a strong deadlift you need strong glutes.
Heck if you want a strong overhead press or bench press you need strong glutes.
Athletes benefit from strong glutes by being able to sprint faster, jump farther, or cut more explosively.
Any quality training program, for an athlete or not, must include proper and progressive glute training.
This does not look like some glute kick backs with a cable machine.
Or some fire hydrants aka looking like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.
This means programming in specific exercises to ensure you are getting the maximum output from your powerhouse.
More on this to come later.
For now let’s cover the next important function of your gluteal muscles which is protecting your lower back.
Protecting Your Lower Back
Ever heard of something called “sleepy butt”?
And no that is not just what your mom or spouse calls you when you sleep in.
If we look at the picture above, what is directly below your lower back?
Your gluteal muscles.
When your gluteal muscles become either extremely tight or weak it can make your lower back very angry.
Your gluteal muscles will either be too tight to work or too weak to handle the workload. This means the next thing in line is your lower back.
In this instance all of the work your glutes are supposed to be doing (Which is a lot!), your lower back now has to pick up the slack.
Your lower back is not built to handle this much work resulting in pain for you.
Weak or tight glute muscles can also cause imbalances in the lower back muscles / pelvis.
For example if you are constantly over arching your lower back this could be due to you having weak glute muscles.
Basically if you are walking around looking like Kim Kardashian that is not going to be good for your back.
This is especially true if you sit at a desk all day long. If you want some tips on how to stay healthy and lose weight while working a desk, head HERE to listen to my podcast outlining that.
Having a strong and sturdy set of gluteal muscles can save you from lower back pain now and as you age as well.
Protecting Your Knees
Too often when people have knee pain they throw a brace or sleeve on.
As if that is going to fix your body. That is putting a 2” band aid on a 12” flesh wound.
People think “well, if my knee hurts, it must be my knee causing the pain!”.
Even saying that you are probably like “well.. if your knee hurts yes wouldn’t that be the issue?”.
Nope.
Refer to the picture above.
If you have weak or tight glutes that can be the underlying cause of your knee pain.
Your hips control the lower half of your body and your glutes control your hips.
If your glutes are weak that is going to throw off the alignment of your knee causing serious pain.
The next time you go to buy a knee brace or get looked at by a surgeon, look at your glute strength / muscle quality.
** No I am not a doctor and do not claim to be nor prescribe anything for any type of pain. This is simply based off the mechanics of the body I have learned and working with thousands of individuals. **
In short, strengthening your gluteal muscles can improve your total body strength, protect your lower back, and help aid in knee pain.
Now that we are on the same page about the utmost importance of your butt muscles let’s talk about some exercises we can do to get those nice buns.
3 Best Glute Building Exercises
Below are going to be 3 staple exercises I include with my online coaching clients training programs that can massively increase your glute strength and muscle definition.
If you want learn more about my coaching program head HERE.
Hip Thrust
I don’t have 700lbs on my hips here like our friend James Harrison above but none the less the hip thruster is my go to glute builder.
Hip Thruster Technique Points
Position your mid / upper back on a bench. Be sure your back does not slide back and forth but rather acts as a pivot point. Be sure to keep your shoulders down and away from your ears.
Place the bar in the crease of your hips with your hands holding the bar in position throughout the movement. Feel free to use a pad or soft cushioning under the bar to protect your hips.
Set your feet up by walking them up close to your but and creating a vertical shin position.
Take a deep breath into your stomach, brace your core, tuck your chin, push your hips up by driving through your heels.
I strongly urge you to watch the video for this to ensure proper execution.
Hip Thrust Programming Recommendations
Frequency: 1-2x per week
Sets & Reps: 2-4 sets of 4-10 reps
Workout Placement: Best done in the first 1-3 exercises of the session
Single Leg RDL
The single leg RDL is going to light your glutes up. This can build strength and muscle definition like no other.
Single Leg RDL Technique Points
Take a big breath into your stomach and brace your core like I am about to punch you. Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Hinge back by pushing your hips back and your back leg back / up. Keep the weight close to your body as you go down do not reach your arms out. Your hands should stay close to your shins.
Head down to about your mid shin level, keeping your back in a flat position.
Head back up by pulling through your hamstring / glute and locking your hips / legs out as you stand up.
I strongly urge you to watch the video for this to ensure proper execution.
Single Leg RDL Programming Recommendations
Frequency: 1-2x per week
Sets & Reps: 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps
Workout Placement: Best done in the first 1-3 exercises of the session
Curtsy Lunge
This is not just for practicing your curtsy to show off your dress. These can build an incredible powerful and functional pair of gluteal muscles.
Curtsy Lunge Technique Points
Set up feet shoulder width apart. Take a big breath into your core to brace your abs.
Without twisting or rotating your hips, take one leg and put behind and diagonal to your other.
Maintain a slight forward lean in your torso, keep your shin vertical, bend both knees and push back up through the side of your glute.
I strongly urge you to watch the video for this to ensure proper execution.
Curtsy Lunge Programming Recommendations
Frequency: 1-2x per week
Sets & Reps: 3–4 sets of 8-12 reps
Workout Placement: 3rd-5th exercise in the session
Go Implement The 3 Best Glute Building Exercises!
You are now equipped to have impressive buns of steel.
This article has given you what you need to build stronger and more defined gluteal muscles.
Your glutes, lower back, strength, and life partner will thank me.
In this episode of the Eric Roberts Fitness Podcast I cover how to lose weight if you work a desk job.
I get coaching inquiries all day about people who used to be super active, changed careers, and now live a very sedentary lifestyle.
If this is you I give you some immediately actionable ways you can start to turn that around and start seeing your weight loss progress in this podcast.
If you found it helpful please feel free to leave a review on iTunes as that would help me out a ton 🙂
You are probably thinking “How in God’s name could there be ways to make dieting fun?”.
What comes to your head when you think of the word diet?
Eating only salads and chicken?
Skipping out on all the fun social events?
Basically realizing you will have to be hungry 24/7 if you want to drop weight?
Basically, summed up, you think dieting sucks.
Truthfully, dieting can suck. That being said with this article I intend to give you 5 things you can take with you to help aid in your weight loss journey.
These simple tips will make things just a tad bit easer on you, and yes even fun dare I say.
The only thing I need from you is to keep your eyes peeled here.
Don’t blink.
Okay you can blink but seriously read the whole article because each of the 5 ways to make dieting fun hold their own value.
Ready? Get your swimsuit on that you want to fit into this summer and let’s dive in.
5 Ways To Make Dieting Fun
Dieting can be tough for a slew of different reasons.
Below I am going to cover the 5 main issues I have seen coaching thousands of people through their weight loss journey.
Cutting Out Your Favorite Foods
Getting Hungry Enough To Hurt Small Children For Food
Having No Energy
Having No Motivation
Not Having A Clear and Concise Plan
Anyone who has embarked on their weight loss journey has surely come across at least one these five.
You may even be reading this thinking “ Soo what if I am all 5?”.
Don’t worry as I am going to lay out exactly how to tackle each one of these issues that dieting brings.
#1 Do Not Cut Out Your Favorite Foods
To lose weight you do not have to cut out all of your carbs.
You do not have to cut out ice cream, or pizza, or burgers.
You can and still should include your favorite foods while dieting.
This is the most important way to make dieting fun.
The best way I can explain this to you is to tell you a story about my online coaching client Nadia above.
For years Nadia tried multiple “fad diets” that cut out carbs, that only allowed her to drink smoothies, and that called for her favorite foods to be banished.
When she was finally sick and tired of losing weight then immediately gaining it back she came to me looking for a more sustainable approach.
Nadia travels often, works full time as a pharmacist, and is a mom of two which means she is busy running around at night after work.
She cannot and will not be able to prep all her foods and put them into a cute little container with chicken and asparagus.
The best part is she did not have to. She ate chick fil, cheesesteaks, amongst other foods. She was able to still enjoy the foods she loves while still losing weight.
Now was her whole diet cheesesteaks and Chick Fia A? No of course not.
80-90% of her foods came from nutrient dense whole foods. These foods looked like
Lean Meats
Fruits
Veggies
Oatmeal
Rice
Greek Yogurt
Eggs
To name a few.
Yet the point still remains that she was able to work in and include her favorite foods into her diet in moderation, and as a result has lost over 35lbs and multiple pant sizes.
I introduced to her the principle of flexible dieting for weight loss and it has worked amazing for her thus far. ( if you want more information on this head HERE to read my in depth article on that ).
The more you try to cut out your favorite foods the more you will hate your diet.
The more you hate your diet the less likely you are to stick with it.
If you can’t stick with it you won’t be able to see and sustain results.
#2 How To Control Hunger On A Diet
Most of the time you take your diet to the extreme because you want to lose the weight as quickly as possible.
I promise you that strategy has not worked thus far, will not work right now, and never will work in the future.
The more you try to do that the more you will be in this spot you are right now.
My first piece of advice to you would be to stop doing such an aggressive diet.
To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit which just means you need to eat less calories than your body burns on a daily basis.
No matter what diet you do I can assure you the less you try to eat to the point where you are over restricting yourself is not going to work.
Take a more moderate approach.
Be okay with the process taking “longer”. When in reality it won’t take longer because the more moderate you go the longer you will stick with the diet.
Therefore instead of trying to lose weight as fast as possible and falling off track, you will take a more sustainable approach which will lead you to get there faster than if you keep yo yo dieting.
Never forget who won the tortoise and the hare.
10 Foods That Keep You Full On A Diet
So now that I just yelled at you to stop trying to lose weight as fast as possible for the last 3 minutes let’s talk about practical approaches to controlling your hunger on a diet.
I am going to give you 10 foods that can keep you full on a diet. There are more than just these, but these are great because they fill you up for low calories.
This in turns help you stick to your diet longer because you aren’t hurting small children for food.
Greek yogurt. Greek Yogurt is high in protein. Protein is the most satiating nutrient out there to keep you full on a diet.
Spinach. For 3 cups of spinach it is only 20 calories. 3 entire cups!
Eggs. One egg is about 70 calories. The healthy fat, protein, and nutrients in there will keep you full so you eat less throughout the day.
Oatmeal. This is a fiber rich carb source that is slowly digesting so it fills you up for a longer period of time.
Strawberries. For a whole lb of strawberries it is only 160 calories.. A whole pound!
Watermelon. For a whole lb of watermelon it is only 140 calories. A whole pound!
Cottage Cheese. Once again cottage cheese is high in protein and slower digesting so it will leave you fuller for a longer duration of time.
Popcorn. Yep popcorn, just don’t douse it in butter.
Protein Shakes. Not only does the protein fill you up but also the water / milk you use for the shake will be content in your stomach filling you up.
Potatoes. Sweet potatoes or regular potatoes are fine here. Potatoes are just super filling, quite simple.
Again there are more than these, but use these as a start.
#3 How To Keep Your Energy On A Diet
Automatically when you go on a diet you are cutting down your calories which means you are cutting down your energy.
That is what is calorie is, a unit of measurement of energy.
With this being said this is supporting my point even more of not going on such an aggressive diet or aka calorie deficit.
If you want to know how many calories you should be eating to lose weight head HERE .
Beyond that I am about to bring up a subject everyone loves to forget about.. on purpose.
Sleep.
Please don’t scroll past this and hear me out.
Statistics show time and time again that those who skimp on sleep, skimp on their weight loss results as well.
When you don’t get 7-9 hours of sleep you will not be as energized throughout the day.
How does this effect your diet and weight loss? Listen up.
When you sleep there are two hormones that come into play called Leptin and Ghrelin.
Leptin is a hormone that tells your brain when you are full and when you to burn calories.
When you sleep you increase the leptin in your body basically telling your brain you are full and have plenty of energy for the time being. This can be comprised to also meaning there is no need to get more energy from, you guessed it, food.
Ghrelin is a hormone that tells your brain that it needs to eat and that your body needs more energy.
When you lack sleep your Grehlin levels stay elevated essentially telling your body to eat more even when you may not need it.
What does this lead to? You over eating, not sticking to your diet, and gaining weight.
On top of all of that, the more sleep you have the better your willpower will be.
The more likely you are to choose the right foods rather than grabbing something quick and easy.
On a diet some level of willpower and discipline are going to be necessary. The more sleep you can get the better all of these things above can be.
Nutrient Dense Whole Foods
Beyond sleep what I can suggest to you is, like my online coaching client I showed you above Nadia, make sure 80% or more of your foods are coming from nutrient dense whole foods.
This is what I tell people. If the food
Swam in the ocean
Roamed the earth
Flew in the sky
Grew in the ground
That should be making up the majority of your diet as opposed to processed foods.
Why?
These foods offer much more nutritional value to you than processed foods which can help greatly aid in energy levels.
#4 Get Motivated
Everyone is looking for the motivation fairy.
Like someone is going to show up in your bed as you wake up, sprinkle you with magical pixy dust, and you are going to be motivated to kill the day!
Let me tell you something.
No one, including myself, wakes up motivated everyday to go kill their workout or stay on track with their diet.
That is simply not the reality. There will be days that sucks. There will be days that require more effort than others.
Yet everyone is looking for motivation. Let me tell you how motivation actually works.
You probably think it goes
Motivation
Action
Results
You get motivated to lose weight, then you take action (ie following a diet or workout program), then you see the results!
Nope. Not how this works.
In actuality it goes
Action
Results
Motivation
The only way to get motivated is to take action.
The action could simply be walking, starting to track your food, or looking at your portion control.
From that action you will see results.
From seeing the results you will be motivated to keep going.
So I urge you to use this article to take your action.
What action can you take?
Continuing reading below.
Get Motivated By Others
Okay so now you know you have to take action but what can that action be?
A great way to ensure you stay on track and motivated with your fitness is being accountable to someone.
We as humans hate letting people down.
It is also a lot easier to tell ourselves those 3 cookies at night wasn’t that bad as opposed to telling someone else.
So once again I got your back.
I have two options for you.
The first is going to be join my online group coaching program The Clubhouse.
Not only will you get me as your coach to take all of the guess work out of the equation for you, but you also get an entire community of arguably the most supportive, positive group of people around.
I started The Clubhouse not entirely knowing what it would be but I have to say the people in there are the game changer.
They hold each other accountable. They push one another to do more and be better. Hell they push me to be better.
If you want more information on The Clubhouse head HERE .
This is me coaching you, one on one, staying on top of you.
People tell me all the time “ I wish you could just move in and knock the bad foods out of my hands!” Or “ I wish you could be there to wake me up in the morning to tell me to go workout!”.
Well, now I can with my one on one coaching program.
This is not for everyone. We will be checking in everyday, I will be building a plan tailored towards you, providing exact diet guidelines along with my best workout programs.
It is tough, but damn does it get results.
If you would like to know more about my one on one coaching head HERE .
I call accountability the glue that keeps fitness dreams together. Make this the time you take action. This probably should have been number one on ways to make dieting fun because it can make the world of a difference.
#5 Follow A Clear And Concise Plan
One of the biggest mistakes I see is you out there wanting to start a diet do not have a clear plan.
You know you want to lose 30 40 50lbs, but how do you intend on doing that?
What are going to be the actions you take to get you there?
Going on a “diet” is not good enough.
How many calories are you going to eat?
What will your day of eating look like?
What will you do when the office has a party, or your son has a birthday party you have to attend?
All of these go into having a plan.
When you know exactly what you are doing your willpower and discipline automatically increase.
You will have confidence in knowing that no matter what you have to stick to 1800 calories.
Or no matter what you will stick to one plate at the pool party.
As opposed to saying “ Well I will try to eat healthy!”.
That is very fickle and not clear.
Start making clear concise goals for yourself to stick to and watch your results sky rocket.
Again, the two options I laid out above will give you exactly that.
I have given you 5 simple ways you can make this whole dieting thing a little bit easier.
Whether it is including your favorite into your diet or eating foods that fill you up better.
Once more, if you want someone to take out all of the guess work for you and guide you through your weight loss journey feel free to reach out to me at coacheric@ericrobertsfitness.com .
