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If you ask women which part of a man’s anatomy they like to oggle at most, the vast majority are guaranteed to answer “His bum!” What they’re looking for is a cute, firm, round and eminently slappable little bee-hind. Big, floppy bottoms or that flat, no-bum-in-pants look are definite no-nos.
Most guys tend to concentrate a little too much on their abs and biceps in their exercise regimes. Of course a good six-pack and smoking upper arm guns are sexy – just don’t forget about you butt while you’re working out.
To remedy the situation and to raucous applause from women across the globe, we have compiled a list of the most effective exercises to get your glutes – the three main muscles in each of you butt cheeks are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus - into shape.
Remember that these workouts will only have the desired effect if you combine them with a healthy diet and a goodly amount of fat-burning aerobic and cardiovascular exercise. Bum muscles of steel hidden below a thick layer of flabby fat still make for a big butt.
1. Squats
Squats of all varieties make for a great all-body workout that engages various muscle groups, but they are especially effective for shaping your bum muscles.
- Stand up straight with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, arms crossed in front of you.
- While keeping your head up and your back straight and without letting your knees extend over your toes, squad down as if you were about to sit on a chair until your thighs are almost parallel with the floor.
- Slowly stand up again concentrating on using your bum, thighs and hips instead of your legs.
Repeat.
- For variety you can hold dumbbells in both hands - arms along the side of your body - palms facing inward, while doing your squads, or you can do jumping squads, jumping up from the squatting position each time.
2. Gluteus kickbacks
- Get into the doggy position: on your hands and knees with your head slightly raised.
- Slowly and in turn lift each of your legs backwards, raising the foot above head level while keeping the leg bent 90o at the knee until the thigh is parallel with your torso and hold it there for a few seconds.
- Repeat.
- The trick is to really squeeze your buttocks hard while lifting your leg.
3. Step ups
Repeatedly stepping onto a raised platform, alternating legs and concentrating on using both your legs and your bum to push yourself upward, makes for a great butt-firming activity. To increase the intensity, hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended on the side of your body, palms facing inward.
Of course you can always do this exercise by accident by choosing to take stairs instead of lifts and elevators. Walking up an incline, whether it’s a hill or a treadmill angled at 10 to 15o, is equally good.
4. Buttock squeezes
- These are easy and can be done just about anywhere:
- Stand up straight and really squeeze those cheeks and hold for as long as you can without cramping up.
- Release and repeat.
5. Leg abductions
- Stand up straight, legs hip-width apart and toes facing forward.
- Slowly raise one straight leg outward to the side as high as you can while balancing carefully. Hold steady for a few seconds while squeezing your bum cheeks.
- Lower and repeat with the other leg.
6. Single-leg pelvic lifts
- Lie on the ground with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and your arms at your sides, hands flat on the floor.
- Cross your left leg over the right so that the ankle rests just above the knee.
- Slowly lift your pelvis up towards the ceiling until your back is straight, but not arched upward, clenching your butt while doing so.
- Hold for a few seconds, slowly lower your torso back to the ground, swap legs and repeat.
7. Lunges
- From a standing position step forward with one leg while bending the knees and lowering the back knee towards the floor. Keep your torso straight, your abs in, your front heel on the ground and the knee directly over the foot.
- Push up through the front heel to a standing position, but don’t lock your knees at the top of the movement. Hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase the intensity.
- Repeat.
Read more:
Exercises that bring out the best in your body shape
