Strong Curves: A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body

685 Pages·2013·22.49 MB·English

by  Bret Contreras

BRET CONTRERAS & KELLIE DAVIS
STRONG
CURVES
A WOMAN’S
GUIDE TO
BUILDING
A BETTER BUTT
AND BODY
First Published in 2013 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.
Copyright © 2013 Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis All rights reserved No part of this publication may be
reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a database or
retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 13: 978-1-936608-14-0
This book is for educational purposes. The publisher and authors of this instructional book are not
responsible in any manner whatsoever for any adverse effects arising directly or indirectly as a result of the
information provided in this book. If not practiced safely and with caution, working out can be dangerous to
you and to others. It is important to consult with a professional fitness instructor before beginning training.
It is also very important to consult with a physician prior to training due to the intense and strenuous nature
of the techniques in this book.
RRD 01-13
Disclaimer
Strong Curves: A woman’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body
was written with the needs of women in mind, but the Strong Curves
workout program can also greatly benefit men. Women aren’t the only
ones who have weak and underactive glutes—men do as well. I’ve
used all of the methods in this book with male clients, and whether
they were retirees or professional athletes, each one saw incredible
improvements in strength, physique, and mechanics.
The mainstream male workout programs do not adequately strengthen
the glutes through their full range of motion. If you’re a man and you
purchased this book, don’t pass it along to the woman in your life
without giving the program a try. I believe that most men should stick
to the Strong Curves Program as well. After all, it’s very similar to the
way I regularly train.
Table of content
Foreword by Cassandra Forsythe
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Female Anatomy
Chapter 3: The Important Muscles No One Talks About
Chapter 4: Building Booty-ful Muscle
Chapter 5: Nourishing Those Strong Curves
Chapter 6: Where’d You Get Those Moves?
Chapter 7: Ladies, Meet Your Strong Curves Programs
Chapter 8: Become the Ultimate Workout Tracker
Chapter 9: The Strong Curves Warm-Up
Chapter 10: Strong Curves Twelve-Week Booty-ful Beginnings Program for
Beginners
Chapter 11: Strong Curves Twelve-Week Gluteal Goddess Program for
Advanced Lifters
Chapter 12: Twelve-Week Best Butt Bodyweight Program (At-Home)
Chapter 13: Twelve-Week Gorgeous Glutes Program (lower body only)
Chapter 14: Living the Strong Curves Life
GLOSSARY
Strong Curves Exercise Index
Foreword
by Cassandra Forsythe,
PhD, RD, CSCS, FMS
Since Lou Shuler and I wrote The New Rules of Lifting for Women in
late 2007, women have finally begun to understand and embrace the
fact that lifting heavy weights does not make us big and bulky and
will not turn us into men.
Instead, today’s women recognize that getting under the bar, so-to-speak, and
lifting, pressing, and/or pushing heavier weights than they ever thought possible
actually makes their bodies look the way they really want them to look—strong,
sexy, and lean. Lifting weights gives us a feeling of empowerment and strength
when so many parts of our lives are still minimized or weakened. So, women are
now freely stepping away from the treadmill and moving into the weight room,
which was formerly a taboo place for us. (As a teenager, I remember being the
only woman in the weight room; I hated cardio machines but loved the feeling
that lifting weights gave me. If I ever saw another woman in there, I made her
my new best friend because we were the only ones aware at that time of this
great secret.)
With Strong Curves, Bret has moved past the need for convincing women to
lift. Instead, he’s put together a book that shows women how to lift weights in a
way that makes all of their curves stand out. And trust me, there’s nothing
“pink” or “little” about anything in this program.
Bret is one of the most intelligent, wise, and in-tune guys I’ve ever met. He
doesn’t have to interview other people to get the answers he needs; he already
knows it because he has the amazing ability to synthesize research and real-
world information into something we can all use. And he does it with style. He
may be a man, but he knows what women’s bodies need in order to look and feel
great, and it’s far from guesswork. He understands the mechanics of the female
body in a way that not many people will ever grasp, and he knows how to
translate this information into directions and explanations that all women will
understand, not just fellow science nerds.
As you will read, Bret spent years building great glutes in women, and he
As you will read, Bret spent years building great glutes in women, and he
developed and marketed the hip-thrust and glute-bridge exercises. But then, he
did something not many people could or would do: He tested it using credible
scientific methods (EMG). You’d be hard-pressed to find any trainer who puts
his or her money where their mouth is, but Bret did. This is why you should and
will trust that Bret’s methods work and that this program isn’t just something he
threw together to get his name on a published book.
Bret also isn’t just some new kid on the block. In his 36 years on this planet,
he has accomplished and learned more than most of us put together. He isn’t just
a workaholic; he’s a “help-aholic.” His experiences in the real world and in the
lab have helped hundreds, if not thousands, of women to transform their glutes
to perfection and the rest of their bodies into something that other women envy
and work to duplicate. The good news is that with Bret’s help, these inquisitive
women can and do duplicate the results.
Every woman can take part in the program that Bret has outlined in Strong
Curves, which he co-authored with the lovely, talented, and outstanding writer,
Kellie Davis. He and Kellie didn’t write this book only for the super strong, the
ultra skinny, the childless, or unmarried. This program can easily be followed by
your sister, your mother, your niece, and beyond. In fact, I’m taking on this
program myself and loving every second of it. Why? Because it makes me feel
strong, capable, and beautiful, and it’s written in a way that’s easy to
comprehend, thanks to Bret’s extensive research and Kellie’s relatability.
For me, a nice booty has been a long-time goal. I was a gymnast in my
younger years (not anything spectacular, but I gave it my best), and I always
admired women who had well-muscled bodies, including a fantastic, round butt.
Thankfully, I was blessed with a backside (you can look at my mom to know
what I mean), but without exercise, it wasn’t a backside I wanted anyone to see,
especially not in a bikini. It was droopy and flabby, and it definitely produced
some saddle bags in my jeans. So, I made it my goal to make my butt perky,
pretty, and rock solid. Like Bret, I looked for all the ways to make my butt round
and gorgeous. I squatted, I leg-pressed, I lunged, I stepped-up, I leg-curled, I
deadlifted. In fact, I trained my legs and butt more than any other body part
because I wanted and needed them to improve. And they did, but they still
weren’t solid. It wasn’t until I started glute-bridging and hip-thrusting that my
glutes started to look like the ones I admired in the fitness magazines. I finally
realized that I was definitely missing these movements in my former training
programs.
Now, I’m training with Bret full-time (after all, he’s the glute expert), and I’m
so impressed with not only his methods, but also his coaching. He’s an amazing
coach who knows how to help a woman set goals, challenge herself, reach new
heights, and, of course, build the body (and booty) of her dreams. You’re going
to get all of this with the Strong Curves Program.
You’re going to feel your glutes like you’ve never felt them before, and
you’re going to love that the rest of your body will follow suit. In other words,
you’ll see the body transformations that you’ve always wanted. Why? Because
you’ll finally be training the areas that need the most attention but never get it.
Trust me; I’ve been training for as long as I can recall, hitting the gym at age
fifteen, and this program is the perfect complement to The New Rules of Lifting
for Women.
As Bret and Kellie state, they wrote this book with a long-term vision in
mind. This isn’t meant to be a routine that you follow for only a month; it’s a
way of training forever. They address everything women need to know about
training, eating, and living a strong, healthy life. From cellulite, to pelvic floor
strength (can you say Kegels?), to pregnancy, Bret lays it on the line. Both
Kellie and I have had babies, and we both know how important strength training
is for pregnancy and post-partum. And you’ll learn just how amazing the
training is for not only your body, but also for your mind and your soul. Being
strong in the gym brings strength to all areas of your life, including your job,
your marriage, your role as a parent, and your friendships with others (with a
strong booty to complement it all).
You’re going to learn methods in this book that few other books even try to
explain. There are some very advanced glute exercises on its pages because as
Bret says, “While you might not be strong enough right now to perform these
movements, you will continue to gain strength if you stick to the template and
push yourself [and eventually will be doing these exercises all the time, for
life.]”
But the key phrase here is that you have to push yourself. You have to be
willing to make grunting noises in the gym and leave sweat angels on the floor
without hesitation. You can’t hold back just because someone (a guy) might look
at you funny for pushing more weight than he might even attempt. Some of the
strongest women I know are also the most curvy, sexy, and muscular in the most
lean, feminine way. That can be you, too, as long as you commit to this program
fully and give it your strongest effort. You can, and you will, and you’re stronger
than you think you are!
So, if you want a butt that makes women and men turn their heads when you
walk by, plus one that helps move your body in ways it has never moved before,
you’ll soon find out that Strong Curves is the answer you’ve been looking for.
Take pictures, keep notes, and track your progress, because your body is going
to change before your eyes, and you won’t want to miss it.
In strength, and for a great booty,
Live, Love, Laugh and Lift,
Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD, CSCS, FMS
Cassandra Forsythe holds a PhD in Exercise Science and Nutrition and is a
Registered Dietitian. She’s also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
(CSCS) and a Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) and is certified in the
Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
Two of her books for women are, The New Rules of Lifting for Women and
Women’s Health Perfect Body Diet. She has also been featured in major
magazines such as Oxygen, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, and Delta Sky
Magazine, and is an Advisory Board member for Women’s Health magazine,
PrecisionNutrition.com and Livestrong.com.
In Connecticut, Cassandra runs her own group fitness facility, Fitness
Revolution Vernon, which has transformed the bodies of hundreds of women
and men across the state through proven exercise and nutrition methods. You
can find out more about Cassandra and her fitness facility at
www.cassandraforsythe.com.