Glute Lab, by T Nation contributor Bret Contreras, is more than just a book on booty training. These principles and methods help you maximize muscle growth and strength, improve body composition, overcome training and physique plateaus, train around injuries, determine ideal training frequency and exercise selection, design periodized programs, and much more. Of course, it’ll also teach you everything you ever need to know about building a great butt.
Bret Contreras has had is “ass” handed to him on multiple occasions by coaches regarding his glute training. Kassem Hanson tore him a new one in a podcast. It seems Brett does not understand biomechanics. He just preys on housewives who do not know better, up to 36 sets of glutes per week?? C’mon now.
Bret has a PhD in Biomechanics and everyone who works with him builds a strong, great looking butt. Maybe these other coaches are a wee bit jealous and feel the need to attack since they can’t beat Bret with their results or attract much of a following?
Even if that may be true, getting caught up with what’s optimal instead of what works seems like a nonsense path. I’m pretty sure any oversights in his understanding are irrelevant for 99.99% of us.
If there’s anything I learned from listening to the top guys in the industry it’s that they all disagree on a ton of stuff and all have gaps in their learning. What’s important here is making sure you follow the main pillars, and I’m pretty sure that the book probably has those.
Anyone can take a non-trained individual (which is why he mostly works with woman or perhaps there is truth to all those allegations of misconduct throughout the years) and make them do a lot of glute work, they will build some muscle. He was just the first to focus on it. That is why he is the “Glute Guy”.
It is quite easy to search for the videos. Some of the coaches work with professional sports teams. How is it jealousy when you are debating a topic and you are proven wrong and sink to straw-manning??
I do not care for what is optimal BUT, someone who markets themselves as the “GLUTE GUY” is/should be. Otherwise, what is the point of the hyper focus? Why write a book? Why not just do a few sets of glute work? He builds programs around the glutes. Understanding recovery and what works best, etc, etc, should be required, not just throwing in set after set and multiple exercises.
I’m not trying to defend the guy (I’m not fond of him personally) but his material includes recovery and appropriate exercise selection and rep schemes.
I just meant that if you are the “glute guy” than you are obviously focused on what is optimal. You should be the authority. It was in response to the comment “getting caught up with what’s optimal instead of what works seems like a nonsense path”.
Not a great argument. Partly because Bret works with pro competitors and athletes too. But mostly because you can easily flip this around if you’re looking to criticize any successful coach. It works like this:
He only works with untrained newbies, so OF COURSE they get great results!
…or
He only works with the genetically elite who are already pros, so OF COURSE they look/perform great!
Those looking to criticize will just pick whichever one works for said coach/trainer.
Bret, like him or not, has had success with pros and newbies. He does have a funny voice though. Let’s attack him for that.
I have this whole book. Read through it, found very little that was actually different than anything else you’d see out there.
Paul Carter’s Valkyrie program is more suited to build a kickass physique by FAR.
I have to give him credit where it’s due:
Gym girls would still have flat booties if it weren’t for him. He popularized butt stuff in the gym.
Wait, that came out wrong…
