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It may seem like the only equation you need for figuring out how much pie to have for Thanksgiving is pie + more pie = enough pie. After all, extra pie is the easiest way to ensure there’s enough for a slice the next morning. We’re with you — next-day pie for breakfast is always a good idea.

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While browsing through the new restaurant-based cookbook This Is Camino, I stumbled on an intriguing new way to cook vegetables that promised to bring them to absolute perfection without all the waste of blanching. Of course, it’s November and everyone is roasting their vegetables, but sometimes I want a less sweet, less chewy vegetable; one that is moist and tender all the way through, but still firm and tasting deeply of itself. Camino’s Oil and Water Method sparked my curiosity, so I donned an apron and gave it a test. Bottom line: it’s fabulous!

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Hip Thrusts are quickly gaining popularity in gyms around the country (thanks to our buddy Bret Contreras), and with good reason. The Hip Thrust and its variations are great for:

• Improving glute strength
• Increasing glute size
• Improving aesthetics of glutes (higher, rounder, firmer)
• Improving performance in athletics
• Improving performance in the weight room
• Reducing overall risk of injury, as strong glutes can help take stress off the lower back and also positively affect the mechanics of the hips, knees, ankles, and feet

They train the quads and hamstrings as well, but to a much lesser degree, making them especially useful for women who want to increase the size of their glutes, without affecting the size of their legs.

That said, there are a number of reasons why women shy away from performing Hip Thrusts in the gym:

1. They feel awkward.
2. They don’t know how to perform them correctly.
3. They struggle with getting into the right position.
4. They have lower back or hip pain when they perform Hip Thrusts.

While there’s not much we can do to help you get over feeling awkward or shy about performing Hip Thrusts in a crowded gym (besides encouraging you to wear headphones, and zone out!) we can help you perform the correctly, get in the right position, and hopefully eliminate any extra stress you feel on your lower back or hips during the movement.

Before I dive into how to perform a proper weighted hip thrust, I’d be remiss not to make sure that you know how to perform a bodyweight hip thrust first (also known as a Back-Elevated Glute Bridge). You can see a demo at 2:28 in the video above.

How To Perform A Bodyweight Hip Thrust (a.k.a. Back-Elevated Glute Bridge)

This movement is exactly the same as the Glute Bridge, except that your back is elevated, which will increase your range of motion and prepare you for a weighted hip thrust.

1. Start with your shoulder blades against a bench, and your arms spread across it for stability.  If your shoulders don’t reach the bench, you may need to start with your butt slightly off the floor.  Bend your knees to about 90 degrees, and make sure your feet are flat on the floor.
2. Take a big breath in, blow your air out fully, and brace your core.
3. Squeeze your glutes, lift up your hips, and hold a second or two.  It’s very important that you don’t hyperextend your lower back at the top.

Tip:  Make sure your neck stays neutral as you lift yourself off the floor. Don’t let your head drop back.

You can do this same exercise with a single leg.  Just lift one foot off the floor, and complete the same Hip Thrust motion.  If you struggle doing this with good form, here’s a simple trick that may help: do a normal Hip Thrust with your feet narrow, and once you get to the top, lift one foot off the ground, and do your Single Leg Hip Thrusts from there. This will help you start the exercise with a nice, square pelvis.

Hip Thrust With Chains

If you want to add some weight to the Hip Thrust, but you’re not ready to put a heavy bar across your hips, the Hip Thrust with Chains is a great progression toward that.

1. Set yourself up for a normal Hip Thrust, then drape some chains across your lap
2. Take a big breath in, blow your air out fully, and brace your core.
3. Come up and squeeze your glutes for 1-2 seconds, and then smoothly come back down, moving your whole body as a unit.

Hip Thrust with Bands

If you don’t have chains, or want to mix it up, try using a band over your hips. There are several different ways to do this. The way I’m demonstrating here is by securing a band to very heavy dumbbells.

1. Set yourself up for a Hip Thrust, making sure the band is directly across your hip bones.
2. Take a big breath in, blow your air out fully, and brace your core.
3. Come up, squeezing your glutes, then slowly and smoothly come back down.

There are a few variations on this one as well:

Band Around Knees: Just like with the variation described above, place a band right above your knees, and drive your knees out slightly against the band as you lift hips up, and squeeze your glutes at the top.

Knee Crush:  If you have a foam roller or a ball, you can put it between your knees, and think about crushing it between them as you lift your hips.

Barbell Hip Thrust

After you have mastered the basic movement, you may be ready to progress to the Barbell Hip Thrust! In this exercise, like the ones above it, it’s really important that your body functions as a unit, making sure that your core stays braced, your spine stays neutral, and there are no jerky movements.  It’s better to do this properly at a lower weight, than to use a higher weight and risk an injury.

1. Set up the barbell parallel to the bench.
2. Position yourself on the floor, with your shoulders and shoulder blades against the bench. Again, if they don’t reach the bench when you are sitting on the floor you can raise your butt a little bit off the floor.
3. Roll the barbell toward you, over your legs until it’s directly over your hips.
4. Put your elbows on the bench and your hands on the bar to steady it.  It is very important that your body is aligned and your spine is neutral.
5. Take a deep breath in, then exhale all the air out through your mouth and brace your core.
6. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips (and the barbell).
7. Come down smoothly, with your core still braced.

Tip: If you find Barbell Hip Thrusts painful, definitely put some padding between your hips and the bar.  You can roll up a yoga mat or a sweatshirt, or whatever else is handy, and put it under the barbell to “pad” the weight.  Or you can get yourself a Squat Sponge.  I’ve done Hip Thrusts with 315 pounds using one of these puppies with no pain or bruising on my hips afterward. It’s much, much more effective and simple to use than anything else I’ve tried.

Now you can hit your glutes with any variation, from a bodyweight glute bridge to a 300-pound hip thrust!  These booty-building and booty-strengthening exercises are really versatile, and you can do them anywhere—whether you’re someplace with no equipment, or in a fully-equipped gym.  Happy Hip Thrusting!

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Crispy turkey skin is quite possibly the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. We know that brining a turkey will yield a roast turkey with moist, juicy meat, but what about the skin? Everybody loves crispy skin. Here are three key steps you need to take to ensure perfectly crispy skin.

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“Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows.” — Alcoholics Anonymous

So true, especially for the person who is new to recovery. And at no time is this adage more deeply felt by the newly sober than during the holidays.

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If you’ve been following the conversation about genetically modified food, you’ll remember news that genetically modified salmon was in the first stage of development as far as five years ago. That fish, named AquaAdvantage Salmon, was officially approved for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 18.

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My story is not as huge of a success story as other people I have read about, but then again, I did not start out completely unhealthy.

I was always really active growing up and I was a dancer as well. I never ever struggled with my weight and ate whatever I wanted. I never could understand how people could get overweight—after all it was easy for me! I stayed slim and lean through dance and just a generally active lifestyle.

I danced for most of my early years, and stopped when I reached college. I had terrible eating habits by then. I ate anything I wanted at the time, because that was what I always did when I danced. However, when I was eating the same way at college, I started to gain weight. Then I started to get cravings that would not go away until I had said item. Cheeseburgers, french fries, and everything else bad for me, were my staples.

After I entered grad school, I developed severe IBS. Every day I would get terrible cramps that would not go away. I would get constipated for three days at a time, every two weeks or so, then have horrible diarrhea. I wore sweat pants all the time because it hurt too much to wear tight pants. I actually landed in the ER with colitis and was quite literally filled with crap. I could not eat for three days. In sum, I was really sick most days and I had gained 40 lbs since college. I was shocked when I looked at the scale. After that I stopped looking.

I actually started paleo because my parents did. Their story is actually much better than mine. They kept sending pictures of themselves and they had lost a ton of weight (my dad lost 50 lbs) and I asked what they had been doing. Their eating habits had drastically changed as well. So I checked into this whole paleo thing. I did not get it to begin with and it made no sense to me. My mom actually came for a visit with my husband and I. She made a paleo dinner for us and it all clicked. After that I was hooked.

I did research constantly that first week. My mom was the one who got me started on some basic research to help me understand everything. She told me about Mark’s Daily Apple. I fondly call it my “paleo bible.” It was my “go to” for any questions I had regarding paleo and what I should eat and what could cause harm if I did. In one week I had cut out bread, gluten, starches (like potatoes and corn), and reduced my sugar intake to almost nothing.

For a while I had fruit with my lunch everyday, especially apples and pears. I actually got stomach cramps and I found out I have a fructose sensitivity. I then reduced any fruit that I would normally have to either half, or consumed fruits or veggies with a lower sugar content. As for carbs, I cannot cut them out completely because it causes too many problems with my system, especially as a woman. I did it at first, but my system went into complete shock and things started to go awry. As a result, I only consume healthy carbs but I do not go overboard. After being on paleo for a while, I noticed that consuming any unhealthy carbs causing mild swelling in my body and especially my face. I try to avoid them. Corn also caused itchiness all over – so I try to avoid it.

My IBS is completely under control now. It is not completely gone, but it takes some time for the gut to heal. I stopped having most cravings – though they were intense for the first week and a half. I definitely had “carb fever” at the beginning! When or if I have cravings, I try to retrain my brain that I want that good time associated with eating that particular food, not the food itself. I actually prefer a general empty feeling in my stomach, rather than the over-full feeling that I had after eating—a 100% change from before paleo. I also noticed that I need less sleep than I used to and have so much more energy. I eat at home a lot now, and I have to get creative to avoid the foods I used to eat. I enjoy different things now, and I have lost 30 lbs altogether.

Thanks so much for all you do,

Elizabeth