Go to any fitness Pinterest board or look at the most popular online workout videos for women and you’ll notice one thing: it’s all about the butt. On top of that, try to count the amount of fitness “gurus” and influencers on Instagram showing how to do butt exercises. All of this information can be overwhelming, though, and you may not know which exercises are best for a shapely booty.
The gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus are the muscles in your butt. Not only do they help stabilize your pelvis, but they also keep your knees and hips aligned. Weak gluteus muscles make it difficult to go up stairs, walk, stand, have proper posture, or engage in numerous activities.
The common sedentary lifestyle, which involves hours on end in a seated position, the gluteus muscles start to shut down. If you don’t regularly exercise those muscles, you may experience back pain or an inability to workout out properly. All of this is to say that butt workouts are very important. The following exercises are very simple and can be done from the comfort of your home.
Pop Squat
Stand upright with your feet together and hands at your chest. Jump your feet out to the sides (a little wider than shoulder-width apart) and squat down, engaging your glutes as you bend both knees. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor in the squat position. Tap the ground with your right hand and extend your left arm behind you. Jump back to the starting position and immediately jump back down into a squat, this time touching the ground with your left hand and extending your right hand behind you. Continue to alternate which hand touches the floor with each squat. Complete 3 sets of 10-12 squats.
Reverse Lunge
Start in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart. Engage your core and step back with your left foot, landing on the ball of your foot with your heel off the ground. Bend both knees until your left knee kisses the ground. Try not to bounce off the ground with your knee because you don’t want to injure it. Push off the ball of your left foot and engage your right glute and thigh as you return back to the starting position. Now step back with the right foot and repeat the lunge motion. Continue to alternate legs. Complete three sets of 8-10 reps per leg.
Lunge Pulses
Get ready to feel the burn! Step into a lunge position and keep your back knee a few inches above the ground. Make sure your front knee doesn’t pass your toes. Keep your core and glutes engaged as you pulse up and down a few inches. Do not raise up completely. Stay in this low position and continue to pulse up and down for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. Complete 2 more sets.
Side Step Wide Squat
Start in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold your hands at chest height and step your right foot out to the side. Hinge at your hips and sink your butt back into a wide squat. Engage your glutes and return to the starting position. Do three sets of ten reps per leg. Do all your reps on a single side and then follow on the other side.
Glute Bridge
Lie face up and bend your knees, keeping your feet flat on the ground with your heels about six inches from your butt. Place your arms by your sides with your palms facing down. Engage your hamstrings and glutes as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. When you reach the top, hold the position for a second before returning to the floor. Complete three sets of 12 reps.
Romanian Deadlifts
Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms in front of you, extending them out so they are parallel to the ground. Keep your legs slightly bent, hinge at the hips, and push your butt back a little as you lean forward. You essentially create a right angle with your body at the middle point of the movement. You should feel a little tension in your hamstrings. Contract your hamstrings and glutes and return to the starting position. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
