The booty is in! And yes, if you want to be on the front page of magazines it’s going to take a long time to build it. But even basic exercises that build your booty can improve your posture and range of motion. Did you know they can also increase your flexibility and energy levels, and quite literally putting the spring back in your step?
Today we’re going to look at the muscles that make up the coveted booty, why they’re so important to our physical wellbeing, and how you can use these simple techniques to keep your booty engaged throughout the day- not just in the gym!
Is the Booty Really All It’s Cracked up to Be?
Booty, bottom, bum. It doesn’t matter how you refer to it, the fact is that the booty comprises one of the largest muscle groups in your body. Learning the proper techniques to strengthen and build these muscles are the key to increasing your power, improving your posture and giving you the dynamic strength it requires to keep moving all day long.
Breaking Down the Booty
Your backside is actually comprised of 3 separate muscles, with a few tendons and ligaments thrown in for good measure. We have the gluteus:
- Maximus- this is the largest muscle in the body, and controls our thigh extensions (like when rising from a squat/sitting position), or generating the power and drive we use to run.
- Medius- controls the movements of the hips and external rotators, as well as the movement of your upper leg, like being able to lift your legs out to the side of your body (abduction).
- Minimus- this is the internal rotator of the hip, which along with the medius helps in lifting your legs away from your body, but also controls the inward rotation of your hips.
When it comes to building that peach-shaped butt, however, you need to take into account the supporting muscle groups too! That means to really accelerate your results (and to do it safely) you need to actively engage the quads, hamstrings, core, and stabilizers. You also need to perform movements that support a full range of motion- that’s why building a bouncy butt is so good for you in the first place!
When you train these large muscle groups properly, the body releases positive endorphins. This can help to regulate fatigue and give you more bounce in your step every day! At the same time, they can help to facilitate improved rest and rates of recovery– two vital components in maintaining physical homeostasis. The flow-on effects from these improved states of being can also make it easier to manage:
- Stress
- Weight
- Motivation
Convinced it’s a good move to get moving?
Give Your Butt a Boost With These 5 Exercises!
Before we get into the exercises themselves, let’s take a moment to really emphasize a few parts:
1. Building your booty takes time. Because of this, it is very easy for people to quickly increase the resistance level and try to shortcut their way there. You need to remember that to really build your backside you need to also strengthen the muscle groups around it. Namely your quads, hamstrings, lower back, core, and adductors.
Change exercises and repetitions often to keep things fresh. Otherwise you’ll slow your results and potentially increase the risk of strain and injury.
So step one, go SLOW, and use the correct form.
2. A simple way to increase the resistance level, rather than with weights, is to use a booty band. Trust us when we say they really do work!
3. Once you have the movements and posture correct, you’ll begin to notice other ways to engage these muscles throughout your day.
You can train your booty almost every time you walk outside!
If you take the time to learn the correct technique, you will learn how to engage these muscles all day long!
Not only will you feel better, but you’ll also find opportunities to perform the same movements throughout your day. Whether it’s something simple like standing or sitting or converting your new butt-lifting power into better choices- like taking the stairs instead of the escalator- you can revel in the fact that you’re doing your body a huge favor!
Now that you understand the importance of these muscles and using the correct technique, let’s dive into 5 simple exercises so that you can build a boss booty!
1. Squats/ box squat
2. Hip thrusts
3. Walking Lunges (with or without dumbells)
4. Step-Ups
5. Leg lifts/clams
Bonus!
If you’re looking for something more challenging, or simply wanting to change up the movements you can do at home, try adding bands into the mix! As a bonus, we’ve included a few bonus exercises for you to try.