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The Best Butt Exercises You Can Do

Let the booty building commence!

butt exercises

Why Perform Butt Exercises?

If you were to turn time back by 10 years, you would be reminded of the lack of emphasis placed on the buttocks, let alone butt exercises. In fact, the female booty was popularized as a growing body part about 5-6 years ago. Girls began strutting their behinds like trophies on social media — and with good reason.

As this trend grew in popularity, so did the desire for more information. This lead to an uprise of a sort of ‘booty culture’ on the interwebs. As a result, women have been selling butt exercise programs on Instagram. Good for them!

It’s clear that capitalizing on the butt is a profitable business, however, you shouldn’t have to spend a few bucks for a magical program that might not even work. Instead, you’re reading this article and not paying a single dime for the information contained therein.

Building a better rear is great! However, the benefits of owning a strong backside are many. So, let’s have a look at the muscles that make up the gluteal region.

There are three muscles make up the glutes:

  • Gluteus maximus
  • Gluteus medius
  • Minimus

Gluteus anatomy for butt exercises

These three muscles are the primary components for movement involving hip rotation and abduction of the hips. To improve overall balance, having strong glutes are essential! Strong glutes promote proper pelvic alignment, propulsion while running, they support the lower back during lifting movements. It also aids knee stability, which plays a role in injury prevention.

3 Reasons to Have a Strong Butt

1. Reduced knee pain

Strong glutes increase your pelvic stability. You need this because of your bottom half functioning as a closed chain. That’s to say if something goes wrong at your ankle, it would cause imbalances at your knee and hip. The reverse is also true.

If you experience instability at the hip, it could cause instability and excess force on the knee and ankle. This often ends with you having knee pain or discomfort. Hip instability can cause medial rotation of the femur. The result is usually lateral patellar tracking. Lateral patellar tracking is a common denominator for knee pain in individuals.

2. Reduced back pain

A strong butt results in a stable pelvis and good support for your lower back. Glutes assist in movements that require an individual to raise their chest/lift their back from the ground, similar to a deadlift.

When the glutes are strong, any load becomes evenly distributed between the lower back and buttocks, provided the individual to keep their back straight. Often, a sign of weak glutes can be a rounded lower back during deadlifts.

3. Increased power and performance

If you’re a cyclist or casual marathon runner who’s keen on improving their performance, then it’s clear that having a strong butt is essential to attaining that goal.

Strong glutes improve strength, stability in the knees and ankles, acceleration, and even jumping. That being said, the glutes form one of the biggest and strongest muscles of the body, thus playing an important part in strength and performance.

How to spot a weak butt

A simple, yet effective, method of checking the glute strength is by performing the Trendelenburg Test.

It starts by having the individual stand on one leg while lifting the other foot off the floor. If the pelvis remains level, then the glutes are up to scratch. However, if the pelvis dips on the side of the elevated leg, then it shows that the gluteus medius is weak.

The Ultimate Butt Building Kit

The Best Butt Exercise You Should Do

Next, we’ll provide you with a list of butt exercises you should be doing for an overall better-looking and healthier bum!

1. Barbell Hip Thrust

Illustration of a barbell hip thrust for butt exercises

A super popular exercise, the barbell hip thrust is used by booty-builders and powerlifters alike. This exercise can be done with or without a barbell. If you don’t have access to a barbell, you can follow along but just without the use of a barbell.

How to do it:

Sit on the ground with your back to a bench and your feet placed in front of you with a barbell placed on your lap. You could use a towel or a pad on the barbell to protect yourself from being pinched.

Raise the barbell by lifting your hips upwards. This should engage your glutes as well as your hamstrings, to some extent. Raise your hips to where your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, and then lower your hips again.

You may perform anywhere between 4-6 sets of 12-20 reps.

2. Romanian Deadlifts

Woman performing romanian deadlifts for butt exercises

Romanian deadlifts are a combination of stiff-legged deadlifts and regular deadlifts. The biggest thing to note is that the knees only bend partially. This places more emphasis on the glutes.

How to do it:

With either a barbell or dumbbells in-hand, place your feet hip-width apart. Begin by lowering your upper body by bending at the hips. Remember to keep your back straight throughout the entire movement.

As you lower the weight down, bend your knees slightly to engage your butt. Once you’ve lowered the weight down to mid-shin height, begin to come back up in a controlled motion.

You may perform anywhere between 3-5 sets of 8-15 reps.

3. Lateral Band Steps

Woman performing lateral band steps for butt exercises

An especially good butt exercise for the gluteus medius!

How to do it:

First, you’ll need a rubber resistance band or tube. Next, position it above or below your knees. Bend your knees as though you were doing a squat, but don’t drop all the way down.

To start, step your right foot out to the side (be sure to take a fairly wide step), and then take half a step in with your left leg. Then take a wide step out with your left leg and bring your right leg in with a half-step. This counts as one repetition.

You may perform anywhere between 4-5 sets of 12-20 reps.

4. Uni-leg Chair Squat

Illustration of a single leg chair squat for butt exercises

This exercise is fairly common as a rehabilitation exercise, nevertheless, it’s an excellent butt builder!

How to do it:

All you need is yourself and a chair. Start by sitting on the edge of a chair and extending your left leg out. Keep your back straight and your chest up. Next, press yourself up with your right leg. You may slightly bend your torso forward to help raise yourself up. But don’t use your upper body to create momentum.

From here, slowly lower yourself back onto the edge of the chair. It is essential that you keep your motion controlled throughout the movement.

You may perform anywhere between 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps.

5. Bridge with Leg Extension

Illustration of a single leg bridge

This exercise is similar to the first one, however, it isolates one glute at a time for maximum effect.

How to do it:

Lay on your back with your knees bent. Extend your left leg out in front of you and raise your pelvis off the floor using your right leg. At the top of the movement, your left leg should create a straight line with your torso.

When you’re at the top of the movement, clench your butt and hold for two seconds before lowering down again.

You may perform anywhere between 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.

6. Stationary Lunges

Woman performing a stationary lunge

When performing this butt-building exercise, you will do one set per leg instead of alternating between your legs every rep.

How to do it:

Take one step forward with your right foot while keeping your left foot planted in place. Slowly lower yourself down until your back knee touches the ground. Bring yourself back up and repeat.

You may perform anywhere between 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

So get to work –  and keep at it – one day you can look this great!!

May we also suggest these:

The Only Article You Need For Ultra Toned Thighs

Best Way To Lose Weight After 50

The Complete Guide to Getting Toned Arms

What do you think?

Written by Jon Leonard

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