Buns, bum, booty or backside. Whatever you call it, we all like looking good from behind when we strut our stuff, whether it be in jeans, shorts, a little black dress, bikini or business suit.
Here well give you workouts designed to get your bottom firm which is great not just for appearance, but for the overall wellbeing and strength of your spine, pelvis and hips.
The Glutes
Gluteus maximus, the glutes, are the largest muscle in the body and only the quads are stronger. The middle and smaller gluteal muscles sit under the gluteal muscle. The technical terms are gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. Anatomists refer to this stacked structure as the encapsulation principle. All three muscles work together as a team. Their main functions are hip extension, making it possible for walk upright. They also hold the thigh in position and prevent the upper body from tilting forward. Without gluteus muscles, we wouldn’t be able to align our pelvis.
Training the glutes for the perfect butt?
The best training method for a firmer butt is hypertrophy training, which is all about building bigger, better looking and more defined muscles. But, beginners need to build a strong base and the best way to do that is with strength training. What’s the difference?
Hypertrophy training
With hypertrophy training, you do more sets and reps with less weight intensity. Your break between sets is 1-3 minutes.
Strength training
With strength training you pump out fewer reps in a set but with heavier weights. Your break between sets is 3-5 minutes.
After 6-8 weeks of strength training to build a base, you can switch to hypertrophy training to build bigger, great looking glutes.
— Tip 1: A great guide for setting the right weight for an exercise is if you can still perform the last rep, in a technically correct manner, without becoming extremely short of breath.
— Tip 2 : Only do hypertrophy training when you’ve done 6-8 weeks of solid strength training.
— Tip 3: Don’t just focus on the glutes. You should always aim for balanced, full body workouts.
This equipment will get that butt in great shape
- Dumbbells and barbells
- Kettlebells
- Sandbags
- Medicine ball
- Fitness bands
Mix it up
We all have our favorite equipment and exercises, but mixing it up brings the best results. The advantage of varying your training with a wide range of equipment is that not only are the main muscles targeted, but also many auxiliary muscles. Depending on what gear you’re using, your body is forced into balancing, which targets different sets of muscles. Its a win win.
With the following exercises you’ll mainly train the glutes and the front and rear thigh muscles, but many also build the abdominal and back muscles.
BEGINNER TRAINING FOR THE PERFECT BUTT
What exercises do I use to start my glute workout?
Here are two exercises you can do with dumbbell, kettlebells, medicine balls or sandbags, as well as two exercises you can do with fitness bands.
1 Squats with dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls or sandbags
Targets all the glute muscles, quads and hamstrings
Place the barbell behind your head on your shoulder. With a dumbbell in each hand and hold them on the side of your body. Grab the kettlebell, sandbag or medicine ball with both hands from below and hold them in front of your chest.
— Execution: Stand shoulder width apart, then bend your knees with your back straight until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold briefly and then press up steadily without fully extending your knees.
2 Step up
Targets the glutes, quadsand secondary hamstrings
Hold the barbell behind your head on your shoulder.
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold them on the side of your body.
Grab the sandbag, kettlebell or the medicine ball with both hands from below and hold them in front of your chest.
— Execution: For these exercises you need a stable box, a step board, a weight bench or a higher step. A height of 20 to 40cm is ideal. Stand upright and with your back straight in front of the elevation, place one foot on the elevation, press yourself up steadily with this foot and then place the other foot on the elevation. Then descend again. Always alternating the first foot.
Two exercises with the fitness band
Fitness bands have different strengths. The darker the color, the greater the resistance. Of course, you can also increase the resistance by building up more tension.
3 Stretched quadruped with a fitness band
Targets the glutes, hamstring and the back extensor
Get into the quadruped position and hold the ends of the fitness band in your right and left hands. Then place the middle of the fitness band in the middle of the sole of the right foot. From this position, stretch your right leg straight back, hold briefly, then bend again, but only so far that the fitness band is always under tension. Switch legs.
4 leg curl with fitness band
Targets the glutes, hamstrings, the back extensor and the deep back muscles.
Wrap the fitness band around your right foot and hold the ends with both hands. Stand on the belt with your left foot. Then pull the fitness band up with your hands, building up a lot of tension. Bend your right foot and then stretch it back and up. Switch feet.
If you’re already in good shape and workout regularly, these exercises are designed for you. You can do both strength endurance training and hypertrophy training with these.
ADVANCED TRAINING FOR THE PERFECT BUTT
For those who have already established a certain basis, the following exercises are also possible. You can do strength endurance training as well as hypertrophy training with you.
1 Lunges
Targets the glutes, adductors, lats and lateralis and quads.
You can also do this exercise with a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, medicine ball and sandbags.
Place the barbell behind your head on your shoulder.
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold them on the side of your body.
Grab the kettlebell, medicine ball or sandbag with both hands from below and hold them in front of your chest.
— Execution:
Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, then you take a big step forward. Putting your front foot on the floor, bend your front knee first and then your back knee. Ideally, the back leg should roughly be at a right angle.
2 Deadlift
Targets the glutes, hamstrings, quads, lats and quads. A barbell is best for this exercise. Stand in front of the barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart and the tips of your feet pointing slightly outwards. Bend your knees with your back straight and cross the barbell with your elbows to the side of the knee. Tensing
all your muscles at the same time, straighten your arms and upper body, pulling your shoulders backwards.
3 Pool lift with fitness band
Targets the glutes, hamstrings, the back extensor and the deep back muscles.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and wrap the fitness band around your right leg below the knee. With your arms beside you, hold the fitness band in each hand. Bending your legs, hold the fitness band so that you are already building up slight tension. Next, lift your pelvis off the floor so a straight line is created between the back of your thigh and back. From this position, lift your right foot off the floor and move your right knee up against the resistance of the fitness band. Hold briefly and lower again without putting your foot back on. Switch feet.
Pro workouts
Here are three more exercises for gym rats who are already in top shape but want to tighten those glutes even more.
1 Hackenschmidt squats with a barbell
Targets glutes, quads, hamstrings, back extensors and the adductors
Hold a barbell about shoulder-width apart on your arms, stretched downwards behind your body. Your legs should be about shoulder-width apart too with your upper body straight and your lower back forming a slightly hollow back. Look straight ahead and tense your abdominal muscles.
Next, lower your buttocks while you bend your upper as much as you can while keeping your balance as you lower the barbell. Make sure your lower back remains in the slightly hollow back position and your abdominal muscles are tight. When the weight plates are almost touching the floor, you have reached the end point of the first phase.
Then, lift your buttocks again and straighten your upper body again. The barbell is now pulled straight up again, but without bending your arms. During the first exercise phase, breathe in, during the second exercise phase, breathe out.
2 Side lunge with barbell
Targets glutes, quads, adductors and hamstrings
Hold the barbell behind your head on your shoulder. With a straight upper body and tense abdominal muscles, do a long lunge to the side. The bent knee should always stay behind the tip of your foot. The other leg remains straight and should remain as passive as possible. Using just the strength of your glutes, push yourself back into an upright position and then take a long lunge step with the other leg, always alternating.
3 Kettlebell Sumo Squats with sandbag, kettlebell or medicine ball
Targets the glutes, adductors and quads You can do this exercise with a barbell behind your head or with a sufficiently heavy sandbag, kettlebell or medicine ball in front of your chest. Stand more than shoulder width apart, turning your feet 45 degrees outwards. Then bend your knees and bring your buttocks down as far as you can with your back remaining straight. Hold briefly and then come back steadily without stretching your legs completely.
