The best exercises for the buttocks

 The best exercises to strengthen the buttocks

Barbell Squat

You already know that squats are one of the best butt exercises of all time, and adding heavy weight makes them even more effective, says Elizabeth Hendrix Burwell, co-owner of High Performance Gym in Greenville, South Carolina. "A good goal would be to squat your own body weight," says Hendrix Burwell. But don't worry: If that sounds intimidating you can absolutely work your way up safely.

A. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance, toes slightly turned out. Note: Biomechanically, everyone's squat stance will be slightly different, so if it feels better to go wider for you or to have less of an externally rotation, do you.  

B. Leading with your hips, lower your butt down and back to your low point (thighs parallel to ground is a good goal, you don't have to feel pushed to go passed there) then press through heels to return to starting position, squeezing glutes at the top. 

Try: 3 sets of 8 reps

Barbell Hip Thrust

Get ready to burn out those muscles with this butt exercise.Mix up your reps and sets for the best booty challenge. Some days you can go heavy for lower reps, some days you can go lighter for higher reps, and some days you can do both.

I will warn you though, high-rep hip thrusts are brutal. The booty-burn is excruciating!

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A. Sit on the ground with your back against a bench, feet planted firmly in front of you, and a barbell fitted with a pad (trust us, you'll want this) in your lap. (No barbell? Try one heavy dumbbell instead.)

B. Keeping lower back and knees stable, push through your heels and raise the barbell by extending your hips, making sure to use the force of your glutes rather than your back. 

C. Rise until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees (full hip extension), and then slowly descend back to the ground.

Try: 3 sets of 6 to 20 reps, depending on the weight used

Step-Up

The step-up is one of the best butt workout exercises you can do to focus on strength, power, and balance in a unilateral fashion (one side at a time), says Declan Condron, an exercise physiologist for PumpOne. (BTW, here’s how to test your balance for real.) We all perform this basic functional movement many times a day, every day," says Condron. "It targets all the main large muscles of the legs, particularly the glutes and hamstrings, and really helps develop a nice toned rear end.

A. Stand with right foot on a platform such as a bench or step, holding dumbbells by your sides with your arms straight. 

B. Push through right heel and step up onto platform with both feet. 

C. Step down to floor with your right foot first, then left.

Butt workout tip: To burn out one side, continue this same pattern of right then left, or alternate which side comes up and down first with each rep. 

Try: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per leg

Quadruped Hip Extension

While this exercise may seem simple, research has actually shown that the glute kickback or donkey kick, as some also call this butt exercise, causes more muscle activation in the gluteus maximus and the gluteus medius when compared to other common butt workout exercises (yep, even squats). Plus, the flexed heel curling toward your butt activates your hamstrings nicely. Plus, this bodyweight butt move workout can be done anywhere for ease or made more challenging with the use of resistance bands or even a light dumbbell behind the knee.

A. Start on hands and knees with knees directly below hips and wrists directly below shoulders, fingers pointing forward. 

B. Keeping the core engaged to avoid arching your back, as you lift your right bent leg to the sky. Foot should be flexed so the sole of foot is facing the ceiling. Avoid rotating your hips by keeping the shoulders and hips squared to the floor during the entire exercise.

Try: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per leg

Barre Kickback Pulse

Don't let the small range of motion fool you. You're about to build your best booty with this mico movement crafted by Tracey Mallett, a certified Pilates instructor and creator of the Booty Barre Workout. Throughout this butt workout exercise, you want to think about keeping the body pitched forward from the hips so that the work is in the gluteus, not the lower back, says Mallett.

A. Stand facing the barre, or back of a chair or sturdy countertop. Place your right forearm down on the barre and bend both knees slightly.

B. Keeping your knees bent, lift your outside leg behind your body until your thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Externally rotate hip slightly to engage the glute med as well as glute max. Point toes, and place the outside hand on your hip.

C. Lift bent raised leg up and down in small 1-inch pulses, keeping the hip elevated the entirely time to increase time under tension.

Butt workout tip: Make this move harder and challenge your balance by coming into relevé on the standing leg (rise to the ball of your foot and stay there while pulsing the back leg).

Try: 3 sets of 20 small pulses per leg

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift (RDL) is an awesome booty-builder, says Nick Tumminello, owner of Performance University in Baltimore. Bonus: You can use just about any weight, such as a mini barbell, or kebelttlel (as shown) for this butt workout exercise.

A. Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand or a pair of dumbbells in both hands, palms facing thighs.

B. Keeping your spine neutral, hinge at the hips (push your hips toward the wall behind you), and allow the weight to lower towards your shins.

C. As you lower, bend your right knee slightly and lift your left leg behind you to counter your balance. If using a kettlebell, you'll transfer to your right hand. 

D. Press through right heel to return back to standing. Repeat on same side to burn out those muscles before switching.

Try: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side