The 10 Best Exercises for Your Behind

Wondering what to do about your flabby backside? Right before you decide that whipping your behind back into shape would be too much work and go back to finishing that bowl of ice cream, stop and check out our list of the best glute-toning exercises that really work.

We can guarantee you this much: given the right tools, building a strong, firm and perfectly round backside can be simpler than you ever thought.

For best results, perform the following exercises in consecutive order, completing 3 sets of 15 reps of each exercise before you move on to the next one. Rest for 60 seconds between each set. Go!

1. SINGLE-LEG SMITH MACHINE BOX SQUAT

Set up a box or an aerobic step inside a Smith machine. Position the bar across your upper traps and place one foot on the platform while the other should hang straight down off the floor.

Unrack the bar and extend the non-working leg forward at a 45-degree angle. Keeping your back neutral, lower yourself down until your working quad is slightly past parallel to the floor.

Squeeze your glutes and drive through the heel to return to a standing position and repeat.

single-leg-smith-squat

SINGLE-LEG SMITH MACHINE BOX SQUAT

2. LATERAL STEP-UP WITH KICKBACK

Stand to the left side of a box. Step sideways onto the box with your right leg, keeping the left leg straight. Squeeze your abs and left glute and bring your left leg behind you in a kickback motion.

Perform the movement in a controlled manner and avoid bouncing. Hold for a second, then step off the box. Complete all reps with the right leg before switching legs.

lateral-stepup

LATERAL STEP-UP WITH KICKBACK

3. UNILATERAL STIFF-LEG DEADLIFT

Bring your feet close together as you hold a dumbbell in your right hand with an overhand grip. Keeping your head up, extend your right arm.

Maintain a tight arch in the lower back. Slightly bend your right knee while keeping your left leg straight and hinge at the hips to lower your torso toward the floor.

Your left leg should come up in a straight line behind you. Keep your abs and your right glute as tight as possible through the movement. Slowly return to a standing position and complete all remaining reps before switching legs.

Unilateral-stiffleg-deadlift

UNILATERAL STIFF-LEG DEADLIFT

4. SPLIT SQUAT

As you stand in front of a bench, extend and elevate one foot back and place it on the top of the bench so that the sole of your shoe is almost parallel to the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang at the sides.

Flex your front knee and lower your body toward the ground, while keeping your back neutral, until your thigh is almost parallel to the ground.

Make sure that your front knee is in line with the foot. At the bottom, squeeze your glute and drive through the heel to extend the knee and hip and return to standing position.

split-squat

SPLIT SQUAT

5. SIDE BAND WALKING

Tie a resistance band just below your knees in a standing position.

Slightly bend the hips and knees and get into a quarter-squat position but place your feet a bit more than shoulder width apart and keep your head and chest up and your toes pointed forward.

Keeping your abs tensed and staying low, slowly step to the right with your right leg first, then your left, keeping the tension on the band.

Complete all reps with your right leg, then switch sides and lead with your left leg.

band-side-walk

SIDE BAND WALKING

 

6. MEDICINE BALL HIP THRUSTS

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands at your sides.

Bend the knees and place your heels on a small medicine ball. Squeeze your abs and glutes and thrust your hips upward, but keep your head on the floor.

Hold for a second, then lower yourself about three-quarters of the way back to the floor and repeat. To up the challenge, place a dumbbell or a weight plate on your pelvis.

Medicine-ball-hip-thrust

MEDICINE BALL HIP THRUSTS

7. WIDE-STANCE LEG PRESS

Sit on the leg press machine and place your feet high on the platform, spaced widely apart so that only your heels are resting on it at the top outside corners.

Keep your back neutral and your head and chest up and make sure to push your knees out all through the movement. Lower the weight as far as possible by flexing the hips and knees.

Avoid moving your pelvis and keep your glutes from coming up. Hold for a second, then squeeze your glutes and hams and extend at the hips and knees to press the weight back up.

wide-stance-leg-press

WIDE-STANCE LEG PRESS

8. LEG PRESS KICKBACK

Turn yourself around in a 45-degrees leg press machine so that your stomach and elbows are resting on the back pad and put one foot in the middle of the platform.

As you unhinge the weight, engage your abs and press your foot back at a 45-degree angle by extending the leg in a slow and controlled manner.

Keeping your back neutral, contract your glutes at the top and hold for a second, then return halfway to the starting position and repeat.

leg-press-kickback

LEG PRESS KICKBACK

9. STABILITY BALL SQUAT

Place a stability ball against a wall and lean against it, positioning the top of the ball into the small of your back. Your toes should be facing forward or turned slightly out.

Pull your shoulder blades down and back without allowing your lower back to pull away from the ball and place your hands on the front of your thighs.

Bend your knees and slowly lower your body down as far as you can while pushing back with your hips.

The ball should roll up your back. Hold for a moment, then push your body back into a standing position and repeat.

ball-wall-squat

STABILITY BALL SQUAT

10. SINGLE-LEG STABILITY BALL GLUTE CABLE KICKBACK

Begin by attaching an ankle collar to a cable pulley at the lowest setting, then wrap the strap around one ankle and step a few feet away from the pole.

Lie face-down on a stability ball so that your stomach and hips rest on it and place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor in front of you.

The toes of your non-working foot should be placed on the floor behind you. Keeping your knee slightly bent, curl the heel toward the ceiling. Make sure that your head and neck are parallel with the floor throughout the entire movement.

Hold for a second, then slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

single-leg-stability-ball-glute-cable-kickback

SINGLE-LEG STABILITY BALL GLUTE CABLE KICKBACK

 

You might find it incredibly challenging to climb the stairs or even walk normally after this hardcore routine, but you can be sure that your self-confidence will appreciate the effort once you realize how fabulous your bum looks in your favorite pair of jeans!


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