Our glutes do more than just help us look good in our clothes. The butt consists of three main muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. They work together to help us move our legs in all directions. Because they're connected to the hips, the lower back, and the legs, strengthening the glutes can help to stabilize the back.
What many of us really want to know is this: Is there a butt workout that can actually help us get those round, lifted, and chiseled derrieres we covet?
If you are a 45 year old mother, and you start doing glute exercises, you're not going to look like a 20-year-old woman who's never had kids.
Fat cells the body has deposited around the hips and thighs are less responsive than in other parts of the body. Progress is still possible, it just takes a lot of attention to nutrition and exercise.
The Butt Workout: Five Exercises for Your Glutes
Aerobically, walking hills is a great butt workout. Indoors, use a 5% to 7% incline grade on your treadmill or in a cycling class. Climbing stairs is another great choice for working the glutes. Find a stadium, or use a stair machine, elliptical, or arc trainer to help define the butt. For variety, dust off those inline skates and hit the pavement.
After working up a sweat aerobically, try these six butt-busting strength exercises:
1. Squats. One of the best exercises you can do for your butt, hips, and thighs is the squat, say experts. Stand with feet parallel and hip-distance apart. Slowly lower your hips, making sure not to let your knees go out past your toes. When squatting, keep knees over ankles; press through the feet and squeeze the glutes as you come up to standing.
2. Lunges. Beginning with your feet parallel and hip-distance apart, take a giant step forward or backward. Slowly lower your body, bending both knees. Bend your knees no farther than 90 degrees, keeping your front knee aligned over your front ankle. Step together and repeat.
3. Bridges. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor, hip-width apart. Slowly peel your spine off the floor from the bottom, one vertebra at a time, tightening the glutes and hamstrings (backs of the thighs) until you've created a diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees. Return to the floor slowly, one vertebra at a time.
You can also do a one-legged bridge: Hold the knees tightly together and extend one leg at knee level while in the bridge position. Do all repetitions on one side, then switch.
To take it to the next level, try the bridge on a stability ball. With the head and tops of shoulders balanced on the ball, lift the hips into a tabletop position, level with the shoulders, then lower slightly and repeat.
4. Step-ups. Using a step stool or bench (a step would work, too), step one foot on top, then push through the top leg and glute to lift the bottom leg up and tap the bench. Lower and repeat using the same leg. Add hand weights or a knee lift with the tapping leg for a greater challenge.
5. Leg/hip extensions. Reaching a leg behind your body is a great way to work the glutes. In Pilates, it's done while lying on your side, but you can also do it while lying over a stability ball or standing. Using a slow, controlled motion, extend the leg behind the body while squeezing the glutes and keeping the torso stable. Do three sets of 15 repetitions, switch legs, and repeat.
Having a goal in mind will help you to stay committed to your workouts and enable you to get to the place where you see results. When adding a fitness routine to your lifestyle, weight loss seems obvious, but should only be part of a goal. Getting fit and strong are quality of life benefits, and will make life better as the aging process happens…… and it will!
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