Would you rather have a tight butt or a six-pack? If you answered a tight butt, then you are in the right spot. If you answered a six-pack then this workout is not for you. However, we bet we could convince you that this is still a great workout to do and a balance of all muscles in the body is key. No need for huge arms and tiny legs kinda look. If you are ready to feel your booty burn, then we highly recommend putting your butt through these 5 exercises all in one workout, one right after the other! It will burn so good.
Squat Series
It really isn’t much of a secret anymore, but one key exercise to getting a well-developed butt is to perform squats. And not just one type of squat but all of the variations of squats.
Regular Squats for 20
Half Way Down and Up for 20
1/4 of the Way Down and Pause, 1/2 Way Down and Pause, All the Way Down and Pause for 20
Sumo Squats for 20
Sumo Squat Pulses for 20
Sumo Squat Hold for 20
You have just now completed 120 repetitions. To really up the challenge, repeat 1 or 2 more times without stopping.
Greater than Knee Height Step-Ups
Step-ups are one of those exercises that with heavy enough weights it will get you every time. A fun challenge to add into a regular step-up though is to actually step on something that is taller than knee height. By doing so you really will fire up the lower glute and top of the hamstring to really feel those muscles lift in the exercise. This exercise is what we like to call the ‘instant butt lift’.
How to do it: Stand upright with one foot on a bench or step, holding dumbbells by your sides with your arms straight. Push off your top foot, by pressing your heel into the bench and step up onto the bench with both feet. You can also add an extra challenge by not placing your ground food on the bench and keep it floating to challenge your balance too. Step down onto one foot, keeping the other foot on the bench and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps on each leg.
Pistols
Just like the step-ups, this exercise makes your booty feel like it is instantly lifted afterward. This exercise is no walk in the park. If we had to guess, we’d say that only 95% of the population can do a pistol squat. If you find this one extremely challenging, then don’t worry. Building strength and mobility in the leg and foot is most likely what is preventing you from getting low into that pistol squat.
How to do it: from a standing position, raise one foot off the floor. You should be looking directly forward, with your chest up, knees and hips slightly bent, and your back straight. Descend into a squat by flexing your hips and knee. As you squat, extend the non-working leg forward to allow clearance for your movement. Descend slowly, paying close attention to balance and proper movement mechanics, going as far as your flexibility allows. Some people like to hold their floating foot when performing for balance assistance, while others like to hold a weight out in front of them too. If you are finding you aren’t getting much depth, then feel free to put a box behind you too and lower to the box and back up. Otherwise, hold the bottom position briefly and then return to the start by extending through the hips and knee, driving through the heel of your working foot.
Repeat for 10 repetitions on each side. Complete 3 sets, resting in between.
Skating Lunges
This is a great exercise to work the outer glutes. It also helps to challenge the explosive ability of the glutes as well.
How to do it: Start in a small squat. Jump sideways to the left, landing on your left leg. Bring your right leg behind to your left ankle reaching left as far as you can without letting it touch the floor. Reverse direction by jumping to the right with your right leg. This completes one rep. Try two sets of 20.
Single-leg Deadlift
You can perform a regular deadlift too, but singling these out gives more isolation to the muscle and really makes your brain think about the muscles and engaging them throughout the exercise.
How to do it: Standing on one leg, on the same side that you hold a weight, a lot of people like to use a kettlebell. Keeping that knee slightly bent, perform a stiff-legged deadlift by bending at the hip, extending your free leg behind you for balance. Your body should move like a pendulum. Continue lowering the weight until your chest is parallel to the ground, and then return to the upright position. This is one repetition. Complete 10 on one leg before moving to the other leg. Complete 2-3 sets on each leg.
Phew, now let us know how your booty feels tomorrow morning (or the next day if you have more of a DOMS kind of body).
