Want to get to the bottom of the secret to lift and sculpt your booty?
Besides looking great in a pair of jeans or a skirt, having a strong butt and toned thighs can lead to better fat burning, in all areas of your body. They are the foundations to support us with all over movements every day, such as bending lifting and twisting and can help you reach your weight loss goals.
Thankfully there are some specific lower body exercises that really isolate and activate the glute muscles, to strengthen and tone for a strong perky butt.
Check out these awesome 6 booty exercises below plus Trainer Wendy’s Top TIPS
Benefits of a Working your glutes
When the butt and thighs are strengthened, the glutes are able to balance and stabilise the hips, allowing the hip flexors to move with ease, reducing the risk of back pain and reducing the chance of injury. A strong butt and thighs also means a stronger pelvis and better supported knees and ankles.
Which exercises work this area?
Many exercises work these important muscles, however squats and lunges are often favourites among athletes and trainers, as they activate a variety of muscles in the butt and thighs while strengthening the entire lower body and core at the same time.
Try these 6 Booty Busting Exercises with Wendy’s Top Tips!
1. Curtsy Lunges
Just like any lunge, the Curtsy Lunge activates the glute muscles but also engages the quads and inner thigh making it a great strengthening exercise for stability.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart arms extended out at shoulder height. Take a large step back with your right leg crossing it behind your left as if you were about to do a curtsy. Keeping your weight in your left foot, bend your knees lowering your body close to the ground. Slowly return to the start position.
Tips
- Engage your abs and butt muscles.
- Keep your front toe in line with your knee.
- Ensure your front leg is completely pointing forward.
- Slow technique is very important to protect your joints
- Remember to breathe deeply.
2. Frogger Extensions
Frogger Extensions are a great all over exercise to work the lower body and target the glute and leg muscles.
Begin in a squat position with feet should-width apart (take care not to go too wide after having a baby). Place your pointer fingers together and hold your arms and hands straight down towards the floor. Squat and as you come back up, raise up onto your toes to perform a calf raise keeping in the same position.
Tips
- To avoid injury, bend from the knees, not your back.
- Remember to breathe deeply
3. Side Plank Leg Lifts
The side plank targets the glute medius – this is often an under-worked muscle on the side of the pelvis that helps stabilize your hip joint.
Starting on your side, with bottom leg bent at the knee, place one elbow on the ground directly under your shoulder. Keeping your spine lengthened and abdominals engaged, extend the top leg straight out ensuring it is in line with your spine and toes are pointed.
Extend your top arm straight up towards the ceiling and lift the top leg straight up just higher than your hip, then back down so it is hovering off the floor.
Tips
- Ensure your bottom elbow is directly under your shoulder.
- Make sure you stabilise your torso and keep pelvic bone still.
- Keep hips lifted.
- Keep your neck in line with your spine, chin slightly tucked under and eyeline straight ahead.
- Relax your head, neck and shoulders.
- Remember to breath deeply.
4. Squat to Chair with Claps
If you haven’t quite mastered a proper squat, the chair squat is a great practising technique for working on balance. It strengthens your entire lower body including your glutes as well as engaging your core.
Standing in front of a chair with your feet hip-width apart, slowly lower your butt toward the chair until it taps it. Return to a standing position and clap above your head. Before performing the next squat, wiggle your toes to ensure your weight is placed in your heels.
Tips
- Squat as low as the seat of the chair.
- Tighten your core and keep your chest proud.
- Ensure toes and knees are slightly pointing outwards
- Look straight but keep chin tucked down.
5. Slow Skaters
This is exercise is also really good for strengthening your legs and improving stability along with activating your outer thigh and glutes.
Starting in a squat position with feet hip-width apart, step sideways landing with one foot behind the other in a mini lunge position, swinging your arms in a skating motion at the same time.
Tips
- Tighten core.
- Try to keep hips square to the front.
- Keep toes on the ground to help with stability each time.
- Remember to breathe deeply.
6. Single Leg Hip Bridge
Just like squats and lunges, the single leg hip bridge is a great booty burner as it targets all your glute muscles as well as your abdominals and hamstrings.
Lie on your back and tighten your abdominal, butt and thigh muscles. Raise your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to shoulders and slowly raise and extend one leg while keeping pelvis raised.
Tips
- Squeeze your core and pull your belly button up and in towards your spine.
- Keep pelvic bone stable and horizontal in line with your shoulders.
- Tuck chin under and lengthen the back of your next
Wendy’s Top Tips To Tone your Booty at Home!
1. Every time you eat, do 10 squats first (to associate a good habit at least 3 times per day)
2. Every time you stand at the kitchen bench, do standing donkey kicks (so you can get a BONUS workout, when you don’t even think about it, to firm your butt!!)
3. Every time you put clothes away, do lunge walks to the baby/children/s rooms as you go (burn extra calories as you walk and do home chores)
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