5 Great Butt Exercises

SQUATS


Squats are one of the best exercises you can do for your hips, butt and thighs and they're also a functional exercise, helping us build strength for a variety of daily activities


How to:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and, for added intensity, hold weights at shoulder level or at your sides.
2. Bend the knees, and lower into a squat, keeping the knees behind the toes. Imagine that you're sticking your butt out behind you, but keep the torso upright and contracted.
3. Press into the heels to stand up.
4. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-16 reps

LUNGES


Lunges are a challenging exercise because they work so many muscles at the same time


On the front leg, you'll work the glutes and hamstrings and, on the back leg, you'll work the quads and calves. What's nice about lunges is that there are a variety to choose from such as:

* Static Lunges
* Side to Side Lunges
* Sliding Lunges
* Low Lunges
* One-Legged Lunge
* Wheel lunges (front, side, reverse)
* Step by Step: Lunges 

STEP UPS


Step ups are another great exercise for the glutes. For step ups, place one foot on a step or platform and push through the heel to lift the body up. This is an excellent exercise for the glutes, providing you use a step that's high enough, although you may need to work up to a higher step if you're a beginner. You eventually want a height were your knee is at about a 90-degree angle.


The other key is to concentrate all your weight on the stepping leg. In other words, lower down gently, barely touching the toes of the other leg to the ground. You'll really feel this when you take it slow and concentrate on the working leg.

More Step Ups

* Side step ups
* Crossover step ups
* Resistance Band step ups


HIP EXTENSIONS


While I'm fond of more compound moves (like the squats, lunges and step ups listed above) since they work more muscle groups, the hip extension is an exercise that specifically targets the largest muscle in the body...the gluteus maximus.

For this move, you can hold a dumbbell behind the knee or use ankle weights for added intensity.

More Variations:

* Hip lift on the ball
* Hyperextension on the ball

ONE LEGGED DEADLIFT


Deadlifts are great for your hamstrings, butt and lower back, but this one-legged version is a great way to add intensity to the exercise and engage your stabilizer muscles to keep your body balanced. Form is critical and you should skip this exercise if you have any back problems.


To do this move, take the left leg back just a bit, lightly resting on the toe. With the weights in front of the thighs, tip from the hips and lower the weights as low as your flexibility allows. Keep your back flat or with a natural arch and make sure you keep the abs contracted to protect the back. Squeeze the glutes of the working leg to raise back up. Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

More Variations

* One-Legged Deadlift with Balance
* One-Legged Deadlift on the Ball

The Facts on Muscle (it's really not that scary after all)

Ok so I am pretty pumped from training on the weekend, got to see the new Les Mills stuff coming out as well as do a education session with the trainers. One of the things discussed was building muscle.

Ok so how many boys think that the only way they can get bulk is to lift heavy weights for short reps????
Well studies have shown that you can in fact lift lighter weight but just increase the reps and get the same results. Now the reason in this is FATIGUE. The idea is that you should get to the end of a session of working a particular muscle and be tiered but still be able to have correct form.

Another thing people believe is that they only need to do aerobic training in order to loose weight. In fact lifting some weights and training where you build muscle is in fact a great way to reduce fat. The reason is that building muscle means you burn fat even when you rest, as muscle needs energy from fat to survive!!!!! So no need to slog out and sweat your guts out running on a treadmill just talk to a trainer about working some muscles!

Another bonus of muscle is that it protects the joint. In fact the reason that people as they get older need to have things replaced, ie. hip knees etc is that they have lost muscle in these areas, which is something that happens as we get older, however if we practice to build and continue to look after our muscles we may in fact have better spine and peripheral joints as the muscle will help keep the stress off them!

Ok so now the last thing I will fill your head with is especially for the ladies that say they don't want to bulk up! Well guess what you wont bulk up doing weights as women do not generally produce enough testosterone to bulk up. However if your genetics are that your family has a list of fat bums or legs then your going to still have these the question is do you want a jelly bum or do you want a toned bum! Women build lean muscle and that lean muscle strips away the fat!

So now you know a little more about why muscle training is good for you and may I just add that as a Body Pump instructor I can say that this program is one of the best programs for both men and women to help strengthen, and shape your body. Plus the bonus is that in a one hour class you can work your whole body and not slog out one hour doing really heavy weights! So if you haven't tried Body Pump maybe you should.