Want a Booty Lift? Here’s How to Lift Your Buttock with Exercise
We all want a good booty. Sure, toned arms, a flatter stomach, and muscular legs are important, but these days, a strong, tight butt is high on the list of fitness goals for most women. Not only does a toned booty look good, but strong glute muscles also keep your pelvis aligned properly, protecting your lower back. These powerful muscles also help propel you forward when you are walking, running, or going through the Curves circuit.
Admittedly, a toned butt is no easy feat. Some women have “gluteal amnesia,” which is the medical term for lazy butt muscles. We sit too much behind desks and in front of computers, which leads to weak glutes and overworked hamstrings and muscles in the lower back. Not only do our booty muscles become weak when we don’t use them, but we can also start to develop the dreaded pancake butt. 1
The best butt lifting exercises for women
If you’re one of the many women who are wondering how to lift your butt, here are the best butt lifting exercises. You can perform all these booty lift moves at Curves during the Curves circuit. And you can do the booty lifting exercises that don’t involve Curves equipment on your own on the days you can’t make it to a Curves ladies’ gym.
Squats
In addition to helping to tighten your glutes, squats strengthen your bones, tendons, ligaments, and leg muscles. If you do squats, you’ll be less likely to injure your knees and ankles, and you’ll get a natural booty lift.
To do squats: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your toes pointing slightly outward. Keeping your head in line with your spine, shift your hips back slightly. Bend your knees and lower down until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Make sure your knees don’t go forward past your toes. With most of the weight on your heels, drive upward and return to standing. Do three sets of 15 reps.2
Squat machine at Curves: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Grasp the machine handles lightly and slowly extend your butt backward as you lower yourself to a comfortable position. Try to go down until your legs are parallel with the ground, or as close as you can get. Power back up to standing quickly. Avoid locking your knee joints as you stand.3
Leg press machine at Curves: Sit on the machine with your back and hips resting against the back of the seat. Place both feet on the foot pad. Make sure that your bent knees are not higher than your toes. Pull your knees as close to your body as you comfortably can. Keep your knees perpendicular to the floor and avoid collapsing them together. Quickly and powerfully push toward and against the resistance. Then slowly bend your knees to return to the starting position. 4
Lunges
Lunges are unilateral (one-sided) movements that not only tighten glutes, they work the hamstrings, hips, core, calves, and quads as well.
To do a lunge for butt lifting: Start standing, feet hip width apart. Step your right foot two to three feet ahead of your left foot, maintaining the hip-width distance between your feet. Keeping a long spine, engage your core and tuck your hips so your pelvis is in line with your ribs. With your hands resting on your hips, as you breathe in, bend both your knees to a 90-degree angle until your right thigh is parallel with the floor. Your right shin should be nearly perpendicular to the floor and your left heel should be lifted off the floor. As you exhale, push on both feet, and squeeze your glutes to return to the starting position. 5
Glute bridges
Glute bridges work to tighten glutes and strengthen your core at the same time.
To do a glute bridge: Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Your feet should be hip-width apart and about arm’s length from your butt. Put your arms straight at your sides, your palms facing toward the ceiling. While squeezing your glutes and engaging your core lift your hips toward the ceiling as high as you can. Your body should be in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. If you can’t raise this high, go as high as you can without arching your back. Squeeze your glutes as tightly as you can and hold for two seconds. Slowly lower your hips back down to the floor, keeping your glutes and abs flexed until you reach the ground. If you feel your hamstrings while doing this butt lifting exercise, move your feet closer to your glutes. 6
In addition to performing the best butt lifting exercises, you can help lift your butt while improving your speed, strength, flexibility, stability, and balance with the Boxing and Cardio classes on the Curves Circuit. For more info, visit our Programs page today.
Sources:
- 5 Major Perks of a Strong, Toned Butt (womenshealthmag.com)
- 30 Squat Variations That Level Up Any Leg Or Butt Workout (womenshealthmag.com)
- December Featured Machine: Squat | Curves
- April Featured Machine: Leg Press | Curves
- How to Do Lunges Correctly | SELF
- How to Do a Glute Bridge: Form, Workouts, and More – NASM – NASM
