Whether you want to bump up the size of your booty or give it that bubble-butt lift, all you need is 20 minutes in your day dedicated to this workout. The butt comprises of a number of different muscles such as the gluteus minimus, medius, and maximus. When it comes to the shape of your booty, every single one of these muscles plays a distinct role.
A traditional squat routine is enough for you to feel the burn, but the truth is that basic squats just are not enough. You could do any number of repetitions but you would only be working on your butt from one angle. To give your booty the lift you want, you have to mix up a few different exercises that work on different muscles and your booty as a whole. If you are ready to booty lift like there is no tomorrow, let us get you started.
Please note: Alternate each of these exercises with 5 jump squats. Not only does this routine burn maximum calories per minute, but you will also continue burning calories effectively post-workout.
Lie flat on your back, bend your knees with your feet firmly on the floor, and raise one leg. Inhale as you extend, and exhale while squeezing your booty and pushing your hips toward the ceiling. Go as high as you can, and hold the position. Lower your butt till you almost touch the floor, and repeat the move to finish one repetition. Do not touch the ground when you lower yourself in the repetition. Do two sets of eight repetitions with each leg.
Get on all fours. Keep your knees about hip width apart and your palms flat on the ground under your shoulders. Extend one leg, pushing the foot towards the ceiling, and toes pointed. Lower the leg to tap the floor with your toes. Ensure that you squeeze your booty when you raise your leg back to the initial position, and lower the leg to cross over the other leg and tap the floor. Get back to starting position to finish one repetition. Do two sets of eight repetitions with each leg.
Get on all fours with knees bent. Raise one leg up straight sideways to open your hips while squeezing your glutes. Hold the position, then lower your leg back to starting position. Complete eight repetitions with one leg, and then the other. The Fire Hydrant exercise engages the gluteus medius, adductors, abductors, and hamstrings. Finish two sets of eight repetitions with each leg.
Since both your feet are placed flat on the floor during squats, the exercise offers plenty of support. Lunges require a split stance which means that you have to continuously adjust your weight. Other than the conventional lunge, there are a number of variations to try. Try walking lunges, reverse lunges, lateral lunges, and curtsy lunges to start off.
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width. With your toes pointing away from your body, raise on heel so you are on your tiptoes. Slowly lower down into the squat position while balancing your core. Hold the position, then push off with the same heel to get back to starting position. While doing any squat variation, remember to use a wide stance (125-150% of shoulder-width) as studies show that this increases the activation levels of your glutes. Complete two sets with eight repetitions each.
You do not need to use weights to do this exercise. Stand with your weight on one leg only. Keep the knee slightly bent, and back flat as you bend forward at the hip getting into a deadlift stance. As you bend, extend the raised leg out straight and arms down below you. Ensure that you are not curving your back. Squeeze your hamstring and glutes when you get back to starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
You can use a chair, or stand near a wall or doorway to get some support. Hold on with your right hand, and lift your right leg off the ground and extend it straight ahead while performing a squat with support. Get back to standing position to finish one repetition. Complete two sets of eight repetitions with each leg. Make this exercise more challenging by doing single-leg squats minus the support.
Use a workout brick, stool, or a chair that is secured in place to do step-ups. These exercises use your glutes and hamstrings so you feel the burn. While doing a straight step-up, start by getting down on your knees, stand up and step up on the chair with one leg and raise the other knee up. Get back down with the same foot and into the starting kneeling position. You can also do a side step-up. Make sure that you are using the muscles of the leg you step up with and not pushing off the ground with the other leg. Do two sets with eight repetitions on each side.
Your glutes are the largest muscle group in the body. While you work on giving your booty that gorgeous lift, you get a number of other benefits, too – reduced low back pain, healthy knees, and better posture. Completely transform your booty with this simple and effective 20-minute workout routine.
ReferencesAndersen V, Fimland MS, Mo DA, Iversen VM, Vederhus T, Rockland Hellebø LR, Nordaune KI, Saeterbakken AH.J Strength Cond Res. 2018 Mar; 32(3):587-593.
Contreras B, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ, Beardsley C, Cronin J.J Appl Biomech. 2016 Jun; 32(3):254-60. Epub 2015 Dec 22.