The secret to growing your glutes: Fitness coach reveals the five steps to transforming your body by the spring – and the one key mistake you’re making

A fitness coach who managed to build her dream body by eating more and changing how she worked out has revealed the five steps to growing your glutes by spring.

Sophie Allen, from Sydney, used to run or walk for hours and ate as little as she possibly could in her bid to be ‘skinny’ and ‘fit’.

But five years later, the 31-year-old has realised that true fitness and health is about more than what the numbers show on the scales, like how you look in the mirror and how clothes fit, as well as how you feel on any given day. 

‘These are the five secrets to growing your glutes,’ Sophie said in a recent Instagram video.

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A fitness coach who managed to build her dream body by eating more and changing how she worked out revealed the five steps to growing your glutes by spring (Sophie Allen pictured)

The first thing Sophie (pictured) said you absolutely must do if you want to grow your glutes and get your dream body is get your lifting technique right

‘Prioritise compound lifts, make sure your technique is amazing and focus on getting stronger over time,’ Sophie (pictured) said

1. Get your lifting right

The first thing Sophie said you absolutely must do if you want to grow your glutes and get your dream body is get your lifting technique right.

‘Prioritise compound lifts, make sure your technique is amazing and focus on getting stronger over time,’ Sophie said.

Compound exercises are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time, like squats, which work the quadriceps, glutes, and calves simultaneously. 

These are much better for your body than exercises that aim to target a single muscle group.

People that are new to working out often make the key mistake of thinking they have to do ‘booty’ exercises to get visible glute muscles. 

The fitness coach recommends you start light and work your way up to lifting heavy.

Not only will this compound your success, but you’ll also be able to see yourself getting stronger over time.

While exercise is vital for changing your body shape, diet is the biggest thing to make a difference, and Sophie (pictured) said you need to eat in a calorie surplus or maintenance

2. Eat in maintenance or surplus

While exercise is vital for changing your body shape, diet is the biggest thing to make a difference.

‘Building muscle is an energy-costly process,’ Sophie explained.  

‘You need to be eating in a maintenance or in a surplus to build muscle.’

Maintenance calories are precisely the number of calories your body needs to support energy expenditure, and they can be calculated online.

Eating in a calorie surplus means consuming more calories than you burn, which can lead to weight gain in the form of muscle or fat. 

Sophie does this by eating lots of small, nutrient-dense meals, ideally timed around her workouts.

The 31-year-old (pictured five years ago and now) said you need to be consistent as building your body takes time; take photos to track progress

3. Rest and recover

Rest and recovery is as important for assisting muscle growth as any time in the gym.

Sophie said the reason why you need to take time out for baths and eight hours of sleep every day is to ‘allow your body to repair the damage done to the muscle during the day so it can grow’.

The 31-year-old likes to unwind with baths filled with Epsom salts, meditation and plenty of shut-eye.

Try setting a goodnight phone alarm if you struggle to switch off in the evenings.

4. Be consistent

The fitness coach said you shouldn’t be expecting anything to happen overnight, and results take patience and consistency.

‘Five years ago, I was skinny, over-exercising and under-eating,’ Sophie said.

‘And this is where I am today,’ she said alongside a snap of her new body. 

If you end up falling off the wagon and over-eating one day, she said you simply need to get back on and get back to working out and eating healthily the next.

Rest and recovery is as important for assisting muscle growth as any time in the gym, according to Sophie (pictured)

5. Track your progress

Finally, progress is about more than the numbers on the scales moving.

Instead, Sophie said you should track your progress with photos, how your clothes are fitting or even measurements around your waist, glutes and hips.

‘This way, you’ll be able to see how you’re getting stronger,’ she said.  

For more information about Sophie Allen, you can visit her Instagram profile here.