The "Get a Great Butt" Workouts
by Mandy
Do you dread the summer months knowing that you are going to have to, sooner or later, bare your butt in those new shorts or the new swimwear you’ve just purchased?
Well if your rear needs some lifting, toning and re-shaping then the following butt exercises may be just the answer you’re looking for…
a. Walking Lunge
Stand with your feet together. Keep your chest out and your midsection firm, do not arch your back. Place your hands on your hips or by your sides. Step forward with a large stride. Bend both your knees. Your front leg should be at a 90 degree angle (your knee and shin should be in a straight line with your ankle). Your back knee should be nearly touching the floor and extended behind you. As you are pushing up, and at the top of your lunge movement, lunge forward with the other leg repeating the same movement. Continue with this sequence, alternating from one leg to the other until you have finished the required amount of reps.
b. Plie` Squat
Stand with your legs wide apart – (wider than shoulder width apart). Have your toes pointed outwards. Keep your chest out, your midsection firm and head facing frontwards. Hold a dumbbell at arms length in front of you (dumbbell should be in front of your pelvis) the other end of the dumbbell should be facing the floor. Ensure your back is straight and don’t lean too far forward. (Keep the weights light to start with) Now bending your knees squat leaning into your heels then push yourself back up again squeezing your butt and inner thighs. Make sure you don’t lift your toes up off the floor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c. Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
Beginners start with a light weight (or no weights) until you can perform this exercise with correct form.
Stand with your feet only slightly apart. With a dumbbell in each hand at arms length, bend over from your hips so that your dumbbells are in front of your ankles, beginners – have your dumbbells at your shins.
Your palms should now be facing your lower legs. Keep your body stable with your chest out, midsection firm, knees slightly bent for beginners and legs straight for advanced.
Squeezing your butt and hamstrings raise your body back up to standing position, while also keeping your chest out, midsection firm and shoulders back. Keep the dumbbells at arms length so when returning to starting position the dumbbells should be in front of your thighs.
d. Reverse Lunges
Stand with your feet together. Keep your chest out and your midsection firm, do not arch your back. Place your hands on your hips or by your sides.
Step backward with your left leg. Bend both your knees. Your front leg should be at a 90 degree angle (your knee and shin should be in a straight line with your ankle). Your left leg should be extended behind you and your knee should be nearly touching the floor. Now with your left foot push up carefully until you are back to starting position. Then swap legs and perform the exercise again this time stepping back with your right leg. Take your time and keep yourself sturdy. Alternate from one leg to the other.
e. Machine Leg Press
Beginners keep your weights very light to none at all. Sit in the Leg Press machine. Place your feet high on the plate and wider than shoulder width apart. Have your toes pointing slightly outwards. Keep your chest out, back snug into the back pad and your midsection firm.
There should be a lever either side of your seat which you will need to unlatch to lower the plate down. Keeping your feet stable, lowering the plate down towards you controlling it slowly. Depending on your flexibility, lower it gradually until you feel the pull / stretch in the back of your thigh.
If your heels lift off the plate when lowering the plate down then your feet are positioned way too low on the plate. Push, don’t bounce, the plate back up to starting position. And repeat the exercise.
f. Butt Tightener – Exercise Ball…
Lie face down on the exercise ball with your abs and hips resting on the top of the ball.
With your arms reaching out directly in front of you, hold onto a machine frame or a nearby bench with both hands to keep you sturdy.
Now with your legs and feet together raise them off the floor while also squeezing your butt holding, if you can, for a count of 2. Your legs shouldn’t raise any higher than your hips and abs.
Lower your legs back down until your feet are nearly touching the floor then raise your legs again, continue this movement – not touching the ground with your feet – until you’ve completed the required amount of reps. Note: If you’re a beginner to this exercise you can touch your feet on the floor between each rep.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
g. Step Ups off a Bench or Step
Standing in front of your step or bench, start with your right foot first stepping up onto the step or bench, bringing your left foot up behind you, making sure that both of your feet are securely on the bench at the top of the movement.
Now lower your right foot down again, followed by your left foot. Now swap feet starting with your left foot up first, followed by your right foot and so on. Alternating from one leg to the other.
Don’t stomp your feet when stepping up and down. Keep it soft and control your movement up and down, don’t just let yourself drop back down to the floor.
h. Smith Machine Squat
Position yourself in the Smith machine, resting the bar across your traps and upper shoulders.
Place your feet about 8-12 inches in front of your body, just wider than shoulder width apart. Have your toes pointing slightly outwards.
Now lower yourself downwards keeping your midsection firm, inhaling on the way down, keeping your feet and heels pushed into the floor. When your thighs are approximately parallel to the floor squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to push yourself back up again. Exhale on the way up.
Do not bounce the squat when pushing yourself back up. Keep the movement controlled throughout the exercise.
NOTE: To emphasize your glutes in the exercise keep the weights lighter and squat slightly lower than the 90 degree angle.
Quality over quantity. If you can only get 3 good reps out that’s fine.
i. Cable Hip Extension
Place the ankle cuff around your right ankle on the low pulley on the cable crossovers (or the cable machine).
Facing the weight stack and holding onto the bar provided (you will need something stable to hang onto directly in front of you to keep you sturdy) lean forwards slightly, turning your right foot outwards slightly. Now push your foot up and back behind you, squeezing your butt. Have your left knee (your supporting leg) slightly bent so it can support your weight sufficiently.
Now lower your leg down to starting position. Complete your reps and then swap legs.
j. Glute Extension
This looks totally weird but works.
Lie flat on a bench with your legs bent and hanging off the edge. (Your abs and hips should be resting on the end of the bench). Adjust the bench so that your bent knees can touch the floor. If not they can hang there.
You have two options for this exercise:
You can use ankle weights with the soles of your feet facing upwards or you can hold a dumbbell between the soles of your feet with the soles of your feet facing upwards.
Hold onto the bench with your arms. Now with your knees pointing downwards but slightly outwards and your heels facing the ceiling push your feet upwards squeezing your butt. Do not raise your thighs higher than your hips and abs.
If you have lower back problems this exercise can also be performed on the fitball without using any weights. Beginners should not use any weights until they have got used to performing this exercise.
k. Lunges
Stand with your feet together. Keep your chest out and midsection firm, do not arch your back. With your hands on your hips or by your sides, step forward with a large stride. Bend both your knees. Your front leg should be at a 90 degree angle (your knee and shin should be in a straight line with your ankle). Your back leg should be extended behind you and your knee should be nearly touching the floor. Now with your front foot push up carefully to starting position. Keep yourself steady throughout the exercise. After you have performed the required amount of reps on that leg, swap to the other leg.
l. Squats
Stand with your legs about shoulder width apart. Have your hands either out in front or folded in front of your chest. Have your toes pointed slightly outwards. Keep your chest out, your midsection firm and head facing frontwards. Now squat as if you were going to sit down, leaning into your heels, until your backside is inline or parallel to the floor. Then using your thighs and butt push yourself back up again. Do not lock your knees out when returning to standing position. Keep your knees soft and the movement flowing. Continue with the second squat, then third etc until you have completed the set.
