It’s been said a thousand times that the number one way to achieve a big booty is squats. Squats are a great exercise that work not only your glutes, but also your hamstrings and quadriceps. However, squats tend to engage the leg muscles more than the glute muscles, so—as fantastic as squats are—you can’t create, shape, lift and grow a booty that could mimic Beyonce’s on squats alone.
Your backside is made up of three different muscles: the gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle in the body and the main component of your butt, and the gluteus medius and minimus, which can be more difficult to work.
These two muscles sit above the gluteus maximus and are what the top part of your butt consists of; so, if you have a smaller or flatter booty, these are two prime muscles to work—in addition to the gluteus maximus—to create more shape and curve. These exercises target these three muscle groups while also working your quadriceps and hamstrings.
In addition to your regular workout routine, or even just doing these seven exercises alone, these exercises will help you on your journey to creating your best bikini booty ever—one that you’ll be so proud of, you’ll be dying to show off at the beach.
1. Glute Bridge / Single-Legged Glute Bridge
Glute bridges are great for lifting, shaping and building your rear. They’re also easy on your knees and back and easy to perform.
To start this exercise, lay on your back on a mat or another soft surface, then lift yourself up by planting your feet on the ground, legs bent, creating a bridge with your back and butt off the ground.
Keep your arms on the floor beside you for stability. Lower yourself towards the ground using your leg and glute muscles, but don’t let your butt touch the ground. Come down low, hover against the ground, and then push yourself back up into the bridge position. That’s one rep. Do three sets of 12-15 reps or as many as possible depending on your skill level.
For faster results, add weights—the heavier the better, but not too heavy that you feel uncomfortable. Try a moderate level weight that will allow you to perform at least 8-12 reps of this exercise. Most importantly, go slow and steady.
If this is too easy, try alternating single-legged glute bridges. To perform this upgraded exercise, get into your glute bridge position, and instead of having both feet planted on the ground, raise one leg into the air. Follow through the movements of lowering and pushing yourself up using just one leg and your arms for balance. To make this more challenging, add weights.
2. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a fantastic full-body exercise that work every major muscle in the body. The deadlift is also known to be one of the fastest ways to add muscle mass to your booty with noticeable results in four weeks.
Start with your feet a little more than shoulder length apart, toes pointed forward or slightly outward. Keep your knees slightly bent, and have a wide set grip with your hands on the bar just on the outside of your legs.
Keep the bar close to your shins and hold it firmly. Posture is important with this exercise so keep your chest out, back flat, chin up, and eyes forward. Keeping the bar close, go slowly and straighten out your legs as you bring the bar up past your knees.
Try to keep your core engaged throughout this exercise, which will help to protect you from injury, and thrust your hips into their usual upright position aligned with your feet. Your arms should be straight, with the bar at your thighs.
Hold this position for a few seconds, then slowly bend forward at the hips bending your knees slightly as you go, moving through the motion, and lowering the bar while keeping it close to your body; then, lower it back to the ground. That’s one rep. Do three sets of 8-12 reps.
If you’re just learning this exercise, start with low or no weights at all until you’re fully comfortable. Once comfortable, add weights and gradually add more as you get more confident. To achieve quicker results, heavier weights are better, but always remember to go slow and keep a flat back through the entire exercise.
3. Single-Legged Deadlift
This one is a killer, especially for those who aren’t the most graceful when it comes to balance, but it will really whip you into shape. You can choose to do this exercise with or without weights, but using weights will help you to achieve results faster.
You don’t have to go super heavy if you don’t want to; if the weights are too heavy, it could throw off your balance and you won’t reap all the benefits of this exercise. Two 5 to 10 pound weights work well for most people.
To start, begin by holding the weights in each hand or no weights if you prefer. Then, start to lower your upper body and the weights towards the ground while slowly raising one of your legs behind you at the same time.
Keep your back flat and knees slightly bent; your chest should also never be lower than your hips. Hold that bent position for a moment, then slowly return to your standing position with your arms at your sides, still keeping the lifted leg off the ground, knee slightly bent and focusing your weight onto your supporting leg. Do three sets of 12-15 reps on each leg for maximum results.
This can be a challenging exercise due to the flexibility and balance involved, so if you’re new to this exercise, don’t worry about using weights. Focus on the movement and using proper form. This exercise can be challenging enough on its’ own.
4. One Leg Lunge on Bench
This is one of the best workouts for lifting your buns fast. This exercise also requires balance and flexibility and can be quite challenging by just using body weight alone. However, for more experienced people, adding weights is encouraged.
To begin this exercise, stand in front of a bench or chair and stand far enough to complete a full lunge. Raise one of your legs behind you onto the bench, and then go down into a lunge position so that both of your knees are at 90 degree angles.
Hold for a few seconds, then rise up into your starting position. That’s one rep. Do three sets of 12-15 reps on each for maximum results, and add weights to make it more challenging. You’ll be feeling this one in the morning.
5. Step Ups / Step Ups with Kickbacks
Steps ups are also great for lifting and shaping and can really get your heart pumping, especially when they’re done with weights. To begin, stand in front of a bench or chair, with either no weights or weights in both hands.
Then, simply step up onto the bench and raise the other leg as well and bend as if you were going to step up onto another bench. Then, go back down onto the ground and do three sets of 15-20 reps on each leg for the best results.
To make it more challenging, include a kick back with your step up. Once you step up onto the bench, kick out the other leg behind you, step back down and repeat. This is a great move for firming, tightening and lifting your derriere and toning your legs. It’s even been said to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
6. One-Legged Cable Kickbacks
This exercise involves using the cable machines at your gym, and will not only give you a toned, curvy backside, but also build killer leg strength. At the gym, you’ll most likely find a cable machine where you’re able to lower one side down as far as you’d like and attach a strap that can fit your foot. Set the weight to an easy or moderate weight until you get the hang of the movement.
You can place your hands on the bars of the machine or you can bend down and put your hands on the pole, or where you put the peg into the machine—whatever feels comfortable to you.
Make sure to keep the knee of the supporting leg just slightly bent, and kick your foot that’s in the strap out and backwards then bring it back with your knee slightly tucked in. That’s one rep. Do three sets of 12-15 reps on each leg for the best results, increasing the weight on the machine as your performance and strength improves.
7. Donkey Kicks
Sometimes the best way to shape a booty is to get on the floor and do it.
For this exercise, you’ll start on your hands and knees and simply kick one of your legs back and up into the air, keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle and your foot as flat as possible. Think of it as awkwardly trying to put your footprint on the ceiling.
Try and get your foot up as high as possible, squeeze your glutes, and then bring it back down to the floor. That’s one rep. Do three sets of 15-20 reps on each leg for maximum results. To make it more challenging, up the amount of reps or add ankle weights.
Reminders
Remember that your best bikini booty isn’t only built in the gym, but also the kitchen. Eat a healthy and balanced diet with lots of protein; when it comes to building and backside shaping, protein is your best friend. After a vigorous workout—especially if you’ve been lifting weights, deadlifting and squatting—try to eat within 30-45 minutes of your workout.
Another thing to take note of is that when an exercise starts to feel too easy, it’s probably time to increase the amount of weights you’re using. Going slow, deep and heavy with proper form is the key to ultimate results. With this knowledge, don’t push yourself too hard to the point of where you might injure or over-exert yourself. Take your time and be patient—the changes in your body will start to be noticeable within 3 to 4 weeks.
Stretching is also extremely important, so make sure that you take at least 5 to 10 minutes to stretch properly every time you exercise. This will help to prevent injury as well as increase recovery time and flexibility.
A great way to stretch is foam rolling.
Foam rollers can be purchased from most fitness retailers, and big name stores like Wal-Mart, as well as many gyms. Foam rolling is a great way to relieve tension that’s built up in your muscles, but make sure to go slow and to never roll over a joint, just around it, massaging it out. To improve your recovery time with sore muscles, you may also want to consider a glucosamine supplement, which will help ease joint pain.
What’re your favorite booty popping workouts and tush enhancing secrets? Add to this list in the comment section below.
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