Bottoms Up! 10 Best Butt Exercises

Ask Glen:

If we were to look into the imaginary dictionary of honesty, we might find the following definition for the butt:

BUTT (but) n.

a. female -- The body part that every item of clothing manufactured makes "look bigger."

b. male -- What you slap when someone's scored a touchdown, home run, or goal. Also good for mooning.

Did I strike a nerve?

I want to make your life a whole lot easier by giving you my 10 best butt exercises. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that all you have to do is perform some of these exercises to get a great butt -- it takes a little more than that.

To get a dazzling booty, you still need to follow the rules of a calorie-reduced diet to lose body fat, cardiovascular exercise to burn calories and strength training for the entire body to stimulate the metabolism and tighten your muscles.

If you’re following the above guidelines, then the following exercises will help tighten and firm your valuable assets.

Some of the exercises may take the entire leg muscles into consideration, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The key is to make an impact on the glutes so we change our butt definition to, “the body part that every item of clothing manufactured makes bodacious looking."

THE 10 BEST BUTT EXERCISES:

1. Walking Lunges -- Stand with your feet hip width apart, grasp a pair of dumbbells with your arms straight at your sides, palms in. Take a large step forward and lower your body so that your front knee lines up with your ankle. The back knee is almost touching the floor. Push off with your back foot and take a large step forward with your other foot. Walk lunge 15 to 20 steps and then turn around and return to the start, using the same form. You should contract your glutes on the lowering of each movement.

2. Extension Step Ups -- Grasp a pair of dumbbells by your sides with palms facing the side of the body. Stand behind a 6- to 12-inch high step (normally used in aerobic step classes) and keep your arms straight. Step onto the middle of the step with your right foot and then lift your left knee high (to hip height). Step down with your left foot, then repeat on the right side. This is a great one and you’ll really feel it.

3. Bent Leg Reverse Kick Up -- Start this exercise on your hands and knees on a mat. Raise your left leg up until it is parallel with the floor with a slight bend in the knee. Support your weight with your arms and right leg. While contracting the butt, lift your left leg up and toward the ceiling, maintaining a bend in the knee. Slowly return to the starting position. After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side. To increase the difficulty, you may want to add an ankle weight to the working leg.

4. Lying Gluteus Lift -- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your arms at your sides for support. Contracting the glutes, project your hips up toward the ceiling as you lift your glutes off the floor. Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your glutes touching the floor. Exhale while lifting your butt, and inhale while returning to the starting position.

5. Smith Machine Rear Squat -- I prefer free weights, but for safety reasons, a Smith machine will work just fine. Place the bar across the back of your shoulders. Be sure it’s not resting on your neck. Your feet should be shoulder-distance apart. Lower the weight, keeping your knees behind the toes at all times. Think of sitting back into a chair and contract the glutes on the lowering phase. Stop when the knees are at a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat. Inhale while lowering the weight, and exhale while returning to the starting position. Do not let the knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see your feet at all times), and don’t arch your back.

6. Cycling -- Riding a bike is great for your glutes, hips and thighs. Get your glutes involved by leading with your heels when you push down on the pedals. On the upswing, pull up on the pedal (providing you've got foot straps) to make sure you're using every part of your legs during your workout. For brief periods, lift your butt off the seat and slowly pedal as you contract the butt.

7. Stepmill -- This is one of my favorite cardio exercises, and it works the glutes with absolute precision. This machine is not to be confused with the Stairmaster. The stepmill actually has revolving steps and is extremely difficult. When I go into the gym these units are always available, and the elliptical machines are unavailable -- what does that tell you? Yep, it’s hard, but it will turn your butt into a J-Lo lookalike.

8. Running -- I’ve never trained a female who didn’t get a smaller butt from a running program. If you have excessive body fat to lose, then this may not be your best bet due to the stress it places on the knees. However, a gradual program works great for those who have less than 25 pounds to lose. Try to build to four days per week for 30 minutes, and remember to invest in high quality running shoes.

9. Leg Press/Feet High -- It’s amazing what a simple change of foot positioning can do. Try the leg press with your feet placed high on the platform. This simple change of positioning will activate the butt and hamstrings as well. Lower the weight until you feel the glutes contract. You’ll definitely feel this one.

10. Ankle Weight Butt Blaster -- Get on the floor on your hands and knees. Relax your shoulders and find a neutral spine position with your head at a natural extension of your neck. Extend the left leg up with a 90-degree angle at the knee. Your foot should be parallel with the ceiling. Contracting the glutes, push your foot up toward the ceiling. Stop when your leg is at a full extension from the hip maintaining the 90- degree angle at the knee. Return to the starting position. After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side.

Glen says: Please consult your physician before starting any exercise program!