Written By : Denise Vitola
No one ever dedicated a song to small butts so don’t ignore the largest muscle in your body, girlfriends. Just like your significant other, it wants some love too. So instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day with a box of chocolates, why not take your partner to the gym for some booty blasting exercises instead? You’ll both enjoy the rewards of a beautiful bum just in time for spring.
But first, let’s get to know your behind a bit better. Did you know your butt is made up of a few different muscles? Three to be exact. The gluteus maximus is the largest and makes up the prominence of your buttocks. One of its biggest jobs is holding the rear end in an erect posture, and for that, it is regarded as one of the strongest muscles in the human body.
A big muscle means it is waiting to be built into a gorgeous, head-turning rear-end with just five simple moves. In fact, you can fall in love with your booty with this perfectly “rounded out” routine if you commit to doing it 1 – 2 times a week.
Let’s be clear; I could offer you a million different exercises to work that butt, but these five are the most regarded when it comes to building an enviable derriere.
Squat – There is no other exercise you can do that will work your lower body as hard as the squat does. That means, it can do wonders for your booty. There are many ways to do a squat like with free weight dumbbells – hold them at your shoulders or at your thighs and pretend you are sitting on a chair; get low, but don’t fall; stand tall and do 12-15 repetitions. You can also use the barbell across your shoulders. If the free bar scares you, you can use the Smith Machine to give you a bit more guidance during the exercise. Load the bar up with the weight you are able to handle, keeping in mind, lifting heavy weight is good for you. It builds muscle and muscle burns fat. Once the bar is loaded, sit back as if sitting in a chair. Squat till your knees are perpendicular to the floor; raise up and do 12-15 repetitions for 4 sets.
Lunge (standing or walking) – The only difference between a standing or a walking lunge is elevating your heart rate with a walking lunge. Either way, to do a lunge properly, extend your leg (one at a time) behind you, nearly touching your back knee to the floor while your front knee never extends past your toes. Do this 15 times each leg for 4 sets. For a little extra muscle building, on your last rep, stay low and pulse up and down 15 times. Your booty will feel the burn.
Deadlift – One of my favorite exercises. You can just feel the butt muscle building when you do these. Like other exercises, there are a number of ways to do these. You can use something like a Free Motion machine, dumbbells or a barbell. What you need to keep in mind is to hold the weight in front of you, almost letting it rub the front of your legs as you bend to the floor, keeping your back flat and straight like a table (don’t let your back round) while pushing your hips back. Once you are about an inch from the floor stand straight back up and do 15 reps for 4 sets. Your feet should be shoulder width apart.
Hip Thrust – In order to have perfectly shaped buns, you have to work all the muscles in your backside. Although the biggest, the gluteus maximus is not the only muscle in your butt. Squats and deadlifts hit that muscle really well, but hip thrusts get at the upper glutes more effectively. To do a hip thrust, you can sit on the floor laying on your back and pull your knees and feet in close to your butt, raising your hips as high as you can, doing this movement for about 15 reps. However, if you really want to shape that booty, you need to do this with some weight so get yourself lying on a bench with only your upper back on the bench. Lay a dumbbell or free weight bar (with weights on it) across your pelvic bone. You may want to place a matt under it for comfort. When you have the weight in place, lower your hips as close to the floor as you can go and raise them up so your whole body is in one straight line. Do this for 15 repetitions for 4 sets.
Pistol Squats – If you thought the traditional squat was rough on your legs and glutes, this one is really going to kill you. It is true, squatting on one leg is tough. It requires balance and flexibility. It also fires other muscles like your core. If you have impeccable balance, you can try the pistol squat without holding on to something, but I would suggest trying to master your technique first by holding on to a TRX or Smith Machine bar. Something that can hold you up and is not going to move. To do a pistol squat, keep all the principles of a squat in mind, but you are doing it on one leg. Hold the other leg out in front of you and lower yourself to a seated position where you butt is almost touching the floor. Do 12-15 reps per leg for 4 sets.
