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Top 5 exercises for a firm and toned butt

Every woman I’ve trained, consulted, or even talked to once they found out I’m a personal trainer has told me they want a better butt.

They want to know how they can get a better butt. They want to get rid of cellulite and dimples. They want a rounder butt. They want a higher butt, etc.

There has never been an exception to any lady that I have dealt with in my training business. It’s like guys want to get rid of their instincts.

I am willing to bet that you are no different than any lady I have ever trained. You want a better butt.

You may have tried those little “sculpting” routines you’ve seen in popular magazines and they didn’t quite work. Those routines were developed by someone who has never had to train a woman in the real world, by the way.

So this is what I make every woman in my workout business do when they tell me they want a better butt. These are my top 5 loot workers.

1. Hip Extension or Single Leg Hip Extension – This is a great isolation move for your glute muscles, plus it works your core at the same time.

To do this, lie on your back with your knees bent, about 90 degrees, and your feet flat on the floor. Contract your abdomen and activate your glute muscles, then press up with your heels, lifting your butt off the floor as high as you can.

When you’ve raised your butt off the ground to the highest point, hold it for 1 count, then slowly lower it to the ground, but don’t let your butt touch the ground. Perform 12-15 reps. Once these get too easy, I want you to try a single leg hip extension. It’s the same movement, except before you start, you extend one leg out in front of you to press up with one leg on the floor, instead of 2. Perform 10 to 15 reps per leg and then switch.

2. Squats – This is truly one of the best glute exercises out there … when done correctly. Too many women leave the butt out of the exercise and focus too much on the front of the legs. That is a recipe for disaster and limited results.

To perform a squat, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, while standing tall and straight, with your shoulders back and your stomach tight. First bend your hips forward as if you were sitting in a chair (stick your butt out), then bend your knees and lower yourself until your upper legs are slightly lower than parallel to the floor. Press in with your heels and squeeze your butt down hard as you press up to the starting position.

Always make sure your heels stay on the ground throughout the movement. Once your form is down, add some weight to it by holding dumbbells or using a barbell. Keep your reps low for this one, say around 8-10 for best booty results.

3. Walking lunge or walking lunge: These are a great lower body move, but they can be an especially good exercise for your glutes, you just have to tweak it a bit.
To perform this movement, stand tall and straight with your shoulders back and a tight stomach. Take a step forward and lower yourself until the top of the front leg is parallel to the floor (make sure to keep the entire foot of the front leg on the floor), hold down for a count, and then press up through the muscles of your glutes. the front leg and bring the back leg forward and repeat until you have completed 8 to 10 reps on each leg.

To make sure you really hit your glute muscles hard, make your steps a little bigger than normal. This really stretches your hamstrings and glutes with every step. Once your shape is good enough, add some weight.

4. Step-ups: These are also an excellent exercise for the glutes, when done correctly. Too many women put all the emphasis on the front of their legs, rather than intensifying the muscles in their glutes.

Grab a high bench or step and place it in front of you while standing tall and straight, with your shoulders back and your abs tight. Place one foot on the step that is high enough so that your leg is at a 90 degree angle. Press through your heel and actively flex your glute muscles until your front leg is almost straight.

Lower yourself slowly and repeat on the same leg, or you can alternate legs. Once your form is down you can add weight and again keep the reps low to really hit your glute muscles hard. Let’s say around 8-10.

5. Hill Running: When it comes to cardio, nothing will give you a good butt faster than hill running. Running, or even walking, on an incline will really affect your glute muscles and help give you the firm, round butt you are looking for.

You can also do this on a treadmill, if the incline is high enough; otherwise choose a steep hill or steep stair and run.

Just make sure that with each step you take you are actively flexing your glute muscles. Once it becomes second nature, you won’t have to think much about it.

There you go. There are my top 5 loot workers. Try them in your workouts for the next 4 weeks and I guarantee you will see the results you are looking for.

However, a side note. The reason I kept you actively flexing your glute muscles is because a lot of women don’t do that. As a population we sit too much and this causes our glute muscles to “go to sleep”, and to wake them up while exercising, you should think about flexing them until it becomes second nature. Once you’ve done it for a while, it will become a habit and you will work your glute muscles hard with each rep thereafter.

But thinking about flexing those butt muscles is paramount if you really want to see results.

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