7x Figure Olympia Cydney Gillon Shares Glutes-Building Workout With or Without Machines – Fitness Volt (2024)

Reigning seven-time Figure Olympia Cydney Gillon continues to prove herself as one of the best champions of the sport. In a recent YouTube video, Gillon walked fans through how she approaches glute training with a ‘how to’ workout.

“We are going to go through how to train glutes. What’s the kind of proper form and what kind of exercises are there outside of machines and with machines,” shares Cydney Gillon.

From 2017 to now, Cydney Gillon has made history as the most successful Figure bodybuilder in the IFBB Pro League. She has earned seven consecutive Figure Olympia titles and in that time, has emerged as a massive star thanks to her symmetry, tight waist, and jaw-dropping aesthetics.

Even though she carries an extraordinary amount of experience, Cydney Gillon takes pride in passing her training knowledge down to fans, regardless of their fitness level. In her latest effort, she guides her viewers through a typical day of glute training, offering tips and insight along the way.

Find Gillon’s glute workout below:

• Hip drives
• Kickbacks
• Band walks
• Glute ham on bench
• Glute/hip extensions using cable

Hip Drives

Gillon offers setup instructions for hip drives, stating that foot placement is key for glute development.

“If we don’t know how to use a machine we are going to learn first and move from there,” said Gillon. “Finding where you are most comfy. I find the most bang for my buck on my glutes when my feet are on the outside of my hips.”

She advises lifters to keep their abs tightened during each rep.

“I’m going to keep my abs tight. I’m going to slide my feet up just a hair. Now, I’m in the middle of the platform. I’m going to thrust up, keep my abs tight, let the machine go. From this moment, my goal is to keep my glutes activated here.”

Kickbacks

A proponent of the standard kickback, Gillon emphasized that this movement can be performed in a variety of ways from using a cable to body weight.

“You can do the same exact movement with ankle weights at your house. You can do this movement with a standing version using a cable. You can do this movement with body weight. You can do this movement with a hip band. There are different options in order to do this same movement.”

“It’s a regular standard kickback. Again, I’m going to focus on my feet. I’m going to start with my weaker glute or the glute that tends to get less activation if you don’t have a weak one. I pay attention to where my foot went so I’m matching on the other side. Abs are tight and I’m pushing up,” shares Cydney Gillon.

Band walks

She favors band walks as an ideal warm-up for her glute training.

“I’m going to go above the knee [with the band] and the whole goal is to get a little activation going before you get those glutes going.”

“There’s a couple different variations you can go. I’m going to go on the sides, you can do a version where you sit lower, some people like to grab the low back and you step. Keeping it wide. So what you want to do when you’re doing these versions unilateral you want to do the same amount on the other side. I’m staying low in the pocket. Making sure my glutes are ready to fire up.”

Glute Ham on bench

Even if you lack the proper equipment, Gillon underscores that lifters can use a bench to strengthen their glutes, offering setup instructions and rep execution tips.

“You’re going to grab here and you can do one where your legs are out to the side and you’re going to push, heels are up to the ceiling. Abs are tight, spine is rounded so that you’re getting all the glutes. That’s your setup first.”

“When you go from here you’re going to drive the heels up to the ceiling and squeeze the glutes at the same time and keep on the pad. If I’m starting this motion here and I have no equipment and just a bench, I’m going to drive my feet up and squeeze.”

Glute/Hip extensions using cable

While performing glute/hip extensions with a cable, Gillon believes ‘staying tall’ will save the lifer from working the lower back.

“If I’m doing this same motion that I did on the bench, I’m just kicking that leg back here. Staying tall because a lot of times you can feel that in your lower back so you want to keep that down. Push it back. That’s another benefit to keeping your hand on the hip too if you want to kind of hold and feel it because you’re going to feel that upper glute engaged.”

For enhanced mind-muscle connection, Gillon says some lifters like placing their hands on their hips.

“If you place your hand there, you can feel when it’s all the way engaged. If I’m on the cable, I’m pushing here, you can also do this with a band and keeping that knee really straight and pushing up and engaging.”

This wasn’t Cydney Gillon’s first enlightening workout demonstration. She recently guided her audience on how to structure an effective leg day routine. Most importantly, Gillon believes a proper leg day workout should be comprised of three hamstring exercises and three quad-focused movements.

Given her physique and expertise, Gillon’s glute training tips are sure to help anyone eager to improve their lower bodies. Fans look forward to catching Gillon at the 60th anniversary of the Mr. Olympia, taking place October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RELATED:7x Figure Olympia Champion Cydney Gillon Offers Natural Bodybuilders 7 Tips for Contest Preps

Watch the full video from Cydney Gillon’s YouTube channel below:

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