3 Steps to a Better Booty
Let’s face it, if you’re working hard in the gym, you’re probably hoping it pays off in the form of you looking better and feeling better. Whether you’re looking to rock a bikini for the first time since, like, ever, or are just trying to feel comfortable putting on shorts since your second baby was born, building a booty is important to your end game goal.
The reality is that building a butt yields some amazing benefits that go way beyond just getting casted as a background dancer in a Beyoncé music video. Strong glute muscles mean your low back has to work and move less, leading to less low back pain. Cool, huh?
Here are four of the best ways to build a better booty for summer and beyond:
Step 1: Warm it up!
The days of a 10 minute workout bike for a warm up, or skipping one altogether, are looooong gone. So, what to do instead? At Edge, we like to opt for quality movement mobility and activation moves to get your body primed and ready for action. You don’t have to know what this means other than when you warm up this way, you not only get warm, you stretch and relax muscles that are too tight, and get muscles that usually don’t work well, to well, work!
Here’s what ya gotta do to ensure you’re warm and ready for a lower body workout:
1. 2-3 minutes fast walk/light jog
2. Glute bridge x 20
Lie on your back with feet and knees close together. Bring your hips to the sky by squeezing your butt tight.
3. Plank x 30 seconds
Get in a pushup position on your elbows. Keep a straight line from the back of your head to your heels. Keep your abs braced (keep breathing air into your belly) and butt clenched.
4. Long lunge w/twist
Take a step forward like you’re going to lunge really, really long. Let your back knee gently touch the ground with hips traveling forward until you feel a stretch in your back hip flexor. Twist your arms to the left, then the right, then overhead.
5. Glute lunge x10 each side
Start in a lunge position and bring your back knee toward the ground. on the way up, squeeze the back glute (butt cheek, for those following along at home) all the way up. **Bonus points if you feel a stretch on the front side of that hip.
Step 2: Train your butt like you would work any other muscle
At this point, we know strength training/working with weights plain works to make a muscle look nicer. We know that it doesn’t make women she-hulk out. We know that, when done right, it gives them curves and a butt that builds confidence to boot. So, what moves build a nice booty? Here’s four of our favorites at Edge (click for a video!) :
1. Goblet Squat: We like 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions on one day, then 5 sets of 5-8 repetitions two-three days later.
2. Hip Thrust: We like 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions one day, then 4 sets of 15-20 repetitions later
3. Forward lean elevated Split Squats: We like 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per leg, per workout.
4. Plank with weight: Just like the warm up, but add a weight to your lower back. While this doesn’t directly work the butt muscles, having strong abs are an important part of better posture, and there is no better way to look and feel better than working on your posture muscles! We like 3 sets of 20-40 seconds each day you workout (2-3 times per week with weights, ideally!)
Step 3: Feel it burnnnn, baby!
Do me a favor and put your palm up with your arm straight out to your side. Now touch your shoulder by bending your elbow.
Now, go back to the straight arm, and try again; only this time, really squeeze your bicep as you bring your hand to your shoulder. Which one did you feel more? Obviously the second one! It goes without saying that there’s doing a thing, then doing something well.
When it comes to building maximum butt muscles to look and feel good this summer, it starts with a concentrated focus. Did the muscle you tried to work “feel it” each set? If not, it may be time to refocus your efforts and see if that makes a difference or time to talk with your trainer and see if there’s tips and tricks s/he can help with.
