With the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, right around the corner, I'm putting my butt on the line.  Literally.  Here's why I'm taking a 30-day hiatus from the supposed king of all exercises.

Complaints of loose skin, flabby bellies, and stubborn extra pounds are common after giving birth.  What no one talks about is your sad, sad ass.  After a lengthy bed rest, six weeks recovering from a C-section, and a sedentary winter, my once healthy bottom was an embarrassment.  Don't feel too sorry for me - I also ended up ten pounds lighter and with a smaller waist postpartum - but after two very, very focused years in the gym pre-pregnancy, it was hard to watch all my hard work disappear.  

At 20 months postpartum, I've ALMOST worked my butt back into it's previous condition.  Along the way I reached a long sought-after goal: 145 pound back squats for reps (parallel - not quite "in the bucket" with as little as 65 pounds, but I digress).  And then something happened: the last time I got under the bar, it felt more like work than fun.  Moreover, I didn't feel anything in my glutes the next day, and my left knee seemed a bit ticked off.  

I've been following the Glute Guy for several years and am a HUGE fan.  Between the promising science behind the thrust and my enthusiasm for glute accessory work, I predict that my hip circumference will remain the same, if not larger, at the end of the challenge.  Just to make things a little more interesting, I'm also eliminating deadlifts from my training protocol.  So, what does that leave me with besides hip thrusts, you may ask?  Here's a little taste of what you could do to build glutes in the absence of squats and deadlifts:

-Barbell hipthrusts

-Barbell bridges

-Donkey kicks (on the Smith Machine, with ankle weights)

-Cable kickbacks

-Standing and seated abduction work with mini band

-Monster walks with mini band

-Back extensions

-Weighted and banded fire hydrant kicks

...and the list goes on.  Mind you, the first two items on the list, hipthrusts and bridges, can each be performed in numerous ways - unilaterally, with bands, with feel elevated, with a mini band around the knees...again, the list goes on.  

With all other things remaining more or less the same as far as nutrition, sleep, and cardio, I'm curious to see the affect of this 30 day no squat challenge on my waist and hip circumference.  Moreover, I'm looking forward to assessing my squat strength upon reintroducing it to my training regimen. 

It's day 11 and I'm having a blast.  And workouts should be just that: fun.  Looking forward to reporting back on day 30!  

Enjoy the thrust, enjoy your life!