Top 5 Exercises For a Firm, Toned Butt

Every lady I have ever trained, or consulted with, or even talked to once they find out I'm a personal trainer has told me they want a better butt.

They want to know how can they get a nicer butt. They want to get rid of the cellulite and dimples. They want a rounder butt. They want a higher butt, etc.

There has never been an exception with any lady I have ever dealt with in my training business. It's just like guys wanting to get rid of their gut.

I'm willing to bet that you're no different than any lady I have ever trained. You want a better butt.

You may have tried those little "sculpting" routines you've seen in the popular magazines, and they didn't quite work out. Those routines were developed by someone who has never had to actually train a woman in the real world, by the way.

So here's what I have every lady in my training business do when they tell me they want a better butt. These are my Top 5 Booty Workers.

1. Hip Extension, or Single Leg Hip Extension - This is an excellent isolation movement for the butt muscles, plus it works your core at the same time.

To do it, lie on your back with your knees bent, close to 90 degrees, and feet flat on the floor. Contract your abdomen and activate the butt muscles, then press up through your heels, lifting your butt off the floor as high as you can.

When you've raised your butt off the floor to the highest point, hold it for 1 count, then slowly lower to the floor, but don't allow your butt to touch the floor. Perform 12-15 repetitions. Once these get too easy, I want you to try a single-leg hip extension. It's the same movement, except before you begin, you extend one leg straight out in front of you so you press up with one leg on the floor, rather than 2. Perform 10-15 repetitions per leg then switch.

2. Squat - This really is one of the best butt exercises around...when done properly. Too many ladies leave their butts out of the exercise and focus too much on the front of their legs. That is a recipe for disaster and limited results.

To perform a squat, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, while standing up straight and tall with your shoulders pulled back and your stomach tight. First bend forward at the hips like you're sitting in a chair (stick your butt out), then bend the knees and lower yourself till your upper legs are slightly lower than parallel to the floor. Press through your heels and squeeze the butt hard as you press back up to the starting position.

Always make sure that your heels stay on the floor throughout the movement. Once you get your form down, add some weight to it by holding dumbbells or using a barbell. Keep your repetitions low for this one, say around 8-10 for best booty results.

3. Walking Lunge or Traveling Lunge - These are an excellent lower body move, but can be an especially good butt exercise, you just have to tweak it a little.
To perform this movement, stand up straight and tall with your shoulders pulled back and stomach tight. Take a step forward and lower yourself until the upper leg of the front leg is parallel to the floor (make sure you keep your entire foot of the front leg on the floor), hold for a count, then press up through your butt muscles of the front leg and bring the back leg forward and repeat until you have completed 8-10 repetitions with each leg.

To make sure you really hit the butt muscles hard, make your steps slightly bigger than normal. This really stretches your hamstring and butt muscles with each step. Once your form is good enough, add some weight.

4. Step-ups - These are also an excellent butt exercise, when done properly. Too many ladies put all the emphasis on the front of their legs, rather than stepping up with their butt muscles.

Grab a bench or a high step and place it in front of you while standing up straight and tall with your shoulders pulled back and abs tight. Place one foot on the step that's high enough that your leg forms a 90 degree angle. Press through your heel and actively flex your butt muscles until your front leg is nearly straight.

Slowly lower yourself and repeat with same leg, or you can alternate legs. Once your form is down, you can add weight and, again, keep the repetitions low to really hit the butt muscles hard. Say around 8-10.

5. Hill Running - As far as cardio is concerned, nothing will give you a nice butt faster than hill running. Running, or even walking, at an incline will really hit the butt muscles and help give you the firm, round booty you're after.

You can also do this on a treadmill, if the incline goes high enough, otherwise pick a nice steep hill or steep staircase and run.

Just make sure that with every step you take you are actively flexing your butt muscles. Once it becomes second nature, you won't have to think about it that much.

There you have it. There are my Top 5 Booty Workers. Give them a try in your workouts for the next 4 weeks and I guarantee that you'll see the results you're after.

One side note, though. The reason I kept telling you to actively flex your butt muscles is because so many ladies don't do that. As a population, we sit too much and this makes our butt muscles "go to sleep", and in order to wake them up while exercising, you need to actually think about flexing them until it becomes second nature. Once you've done that for a while, it'll become a habit and you'll work your butt muscles hard with every repetition from then on.

But thinking about flexing those booty muscles is paramount if you really want to see results.