A strong butt not only looks great, but it also protects your lower back by doing most of the work when you exercise. So let’s build that booty with the most effective exercises that can be done at home or at the gym.
Before I get into the exercises, here’s a little secret… nutrition plays a BIG role in growing your booty. After all, ‘glutes’ are the largest muscles in your body. They need to be fed in order to grow. So make sure you’re eating slightly more than you burn in order to see progress. For more details on eating correctly for your goals check out my post on Flexible Dieting here.
You can do these exercises at home, however, you will need either resistance bands or some kind of weight (dumbbell, kettlebell, backpack filled with rice etc.) to increase the intensity.
Resistance bands or Booty bands are seriously one of the BEST pieces of home/gym equipment you can own. They’re very cheap and really target your Glutes like nothing else! If you’re serious about building your booty, make sure you invest in these! Click here to view it
If you always wake up with sore ‘legs’ instead of a sore ‘butt’ the next day, it is possible that your glutes are not working as they should. Check out my post here on how to activate your butt properly prior to your leg or butt workout.
So here we go… the six most effective exercises to grow that booty, in no order of importance.
#1 HIP THRUSTS
There are many variations of hip thrusts such as Glute bridges, Single-leg Glute bridges, Frog pumps or Barbell/Weighted hip thrusts. Increase the challenge by adding a resistance band just above your knees.
Key points:
*Don’t overarch your lower back as you lift up
*Squeeze for 2 seconds at the top of the movement
#2 REVERSE LUNGES
You can do these on the Smith machine, or use weights and do Static lunges. Lunges really target your booty if done correctly.
Key points:
*Push from the heel of your front foot as you lift up. That’s your working side.
*Don’t let your knee go over your front toe
*The wider you lunge, the more you target those glutes
#3 SUMO SQUATS
Regular squats are quite useless to grow your booty as they are more ‘Quad-focused’.
So don’t waste your time with those 30-day Squat challenges.
Sumo squats, on the other hand, are really effective to target your butt. Hold a weight in front of you with arms straight down to increase the intensity.
Some variations are Sumo squat pulses, Elevated Sumo squats, Cable squats (very effective) and Sumo deadlifts.
Key points:
*Focus on your Glute muscle contracting throughout the move
*Sit back when you lower, don’t lean forward
#4 CABLE KICKBACKS
These should be included in every butt workout as they are very effective and really isolate those booty muscles. Some variations are Kneeling kick-backs and Resistance band kick-backs.
If you don’t have ankle straps, I highly recommend investing in a pair. They are very versatile and can be used with resistance bands or cable machines. Click here to view ankle straps
Key points:
*Don’t arch your lower back when you lift your leg
*Squeeze at the top of the move for 1 sec
*Don’t swing or use momentum
#5 ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS
If your lower back hurts while doing these, then try Sumo deadlifts. If done correctly, deadlifts are one of the best exercises to work your posterior chain. Some variations of these are Straight leg deadlifts and Cable pull-throughs.
Key points:
*Use light weights until your form is on-point or you will seriously injure your lower back
*Squeeze for 1 sec at the top of the move without arching your lower back
*Focus on contracting your butt throughout the move
#6 MACHINE ABDUCTOR PULSES
Do these at the end of your workout as a ‘finisher’ to really challenge the side of your booty to shape up.
Variations include Fire Hydrants, Clams or Side leg raises.
Use a resistance band above your knees to isolate those booty muscles.
Key points:
*Use a shorter range of motion, like short pulses
*Lean forward to really target those glutes
Click here to view Machine abductors
Click here to view Fire hydrants
Click here to view Clams (with or without bands)
I have personally used these exercises in my workouts and have had AMAZING results in a very short time. The best Bikini Athlete coaches also recommend these exercises, so they actually work!
Here is a sample workout so you can get started right away:
If you don’t have access to a gym, do the variations mentioned above. For best results, do these workouts at least 2-3x times a week. Mix and match the exercises to create variety in your workouts.
Warm-up (20 reps x 2 sets) – with or without resistance bands
Glute bridges
Standing kick-backs
Workout (15 reps x 3-4 sets)
Hip Thrusts
Reverse Lunges
Sumo Squat
Cable/Regular kick-backs
Finisher (20reps x 3-4 sets)
Abductor machine pulses
There you have it! Try these out and let me know if you notice a difference =)
If you are looking for a strength routine to shape your body and grow your curves, make sure to take a look at the Strong Curves Guide. It was written by a Glute expert and his workouts are followed by many popular fitness experts.
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