7 of the Best Booty-Lifting Glute Exercises, According to Trainers
It’s your money-maker, your peach, your tukhus, your bum… whatever you call it, your butt is getting a lot of attention these days. In the age of the Kardashian-Jenner derriere, glutes have come front and center — where they belong! It may not seem like it when you’re sitting on them at your desk job all day, but your glute muscles put in a lot of work every day. Your gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus all work together to help you balance, walk and run, sit and stand, and climb stairs, and more. So your backside deserves a lot of praise.
The best way to show your booty some love is to regularly work it out. You can do this on the various cardio machines or with glute-focused bodyweight moves. Incorporating glute exercises into your weekly workouts will help keep your muscles sculpted and strong so your body can perform daily tasks and other workouts at its optimal level. Not to mention that you’ll keep your butt lifted and toned, which is definitely a plus.
To help give your booty workouts a boost, we asked Aaptiv trainers to share their absolute favorite glute exercises. Keep reading to learn their moves and then work their exercises into your regular workout routine. If you’re looking for more ways to diversify your lower body routine, check out the leg and glute workouts in the strength training section of the Aaptiv app. Sign up here.
Aaptiv Trainer Jaime McFaden
1. Glute Bridges: Start flat on your back with your hands by your side, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart, and knees bent. Lift your hips upward by pushing down with your heels. Keep your back straight — your body should form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Hold for one count and lower back down. You can also extend this exercise by holding the bridge longer.
Complete 10 reps.
2. Donkey Kicks: Start on all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Lift your right leg and kick it up behind you with a flexed foot, keeping your hips stable. Squeeze at the top of the kick before returning to all fours.
Complete 10 reps on each side.
Aaptiv Trainer Ben Green
3. Single-Leg Bridge: Follow the above directions for traditional glute bridges, but extend your right leg into the air. Perform the same movement, lifting your hips to create a line from your knees to your shoulders.
Complete 10 reps on each side.
4. Side-Lying Leg Lifts: Start on your right side with both legs extended straight out, one on top of the other. Engage your core and lift your left leg up, keep your hips stacked on top of each other and stable. Hold for one count before lowering the leg back down, but don’t let your legs touch. Repeat.
Complete 10 reps on each side.
Aaptiv Trainer Candice Cunningham
5. Split Squats: Take a staggered stance: one foot positioned in front of your body and the other behind. Tighten your core and lower your upper body so that your front knee bends and your back knee bends and almost touches the ground. You should be in a traditional lunge position. Hold for one count at the bottom of the movement before driving through your front heel to push up to the starting position.
Complete 10 reps on each side.
6. Cable Kickbacks: Secure one end of a resistance band to the base of a wall or closed door and secure the other end to your ankle. Stand about two feet back from the wall so that your palms can rest comfortably against it. Bend your knees and hips slightly, contract your abs, and kick back as high as it will comfortably go. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the kick. Slowly lower your leg to the starting position.
Complete 10 reps on each side.
Aaptiv Trainer Jessica Muenster
7. Fire Hydrants: Start on all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Hold your core still and keep your right knee bent as raise your right leg to the side. It should mimic a dog marking his territory. Lower the knee, keeping your core still, and repeat. Add a resistance band around mid-thigh for an added challenge.
Complete 10 reps on each side.
Do you have a favorite glute exercise? Share it with us @Aaptiv and @BritandCo.
(Photos via Getty)
