Jun085 Butt Dominate Exercises For a Better Backside
The derriere. Perhaps the most sought after muscle group to train by women, fit models, and even guys, and for good reason.
Building a better butt has become the goal for many, for aesthetic and athletic reasons; the glutes are a wondrous muscle group, one with much potential. It’s surprising then, to hear that most people are not utilizing their glutes to their full potential, thanks in large part to our modern lifestyles. With a weaker backside, we leave ourselves open for injury and dysfunction, weaker athletic performance, and just don’t look as sexy as we could be.
So maybe I’ve gotten you interested, wondering, “So what are the best exercises for a better butt?” While there is no one exercise that is best, we do have some favorites. In this post, we are going to go over 5 exercises for a better butt. Butt first (see what I did there?) let me explain the important role of the booty a bit more.
The Powerhouse Muscle
The glutes are a powerhouse muscle group, one of the largest in your body, and have the potential to be one the the strongest. Think of the butt as the engine of your body, the thing that provides power and speed; without a good engine, you’re going to have subpar performance.
In almost any athletic endeavor, this muscle group is used. When we sprint, we generate power through the hips to push us forward, which is called hip extension. The stronger the butt, the faster you’re going to run. When we jump, the same thing happens, albeit slightly different. Of course other muscle groups are used as well, but the glutes carry the team. In most traditional sports, you use the glutes for explosive power.
The Glutes and Injury Prevention
To have a stronger anything is one that is more resistant to injury, and in this case strong glutes can help with many issues. Stronger glutes can help guard against low back, hip, and knee pain. They can help improve posture, and when working in tandem with the core, help keep torso stability during exercises.
Having a stronger butt will make you more badass, and keep you in this game longer. Plus, it will just look good.
The Exercises
Now we are coming to the meat and bones of this blog post. There are numerous exercises that you can do that are great at building a better butt, and there’s no way we can list them all. So below are some really great ones that we’ve compiled. These are not listed from best to worst, just in random order; we recommend using the ones’ that are best for you, depending on ability.
Hip Thrust
The first movement on this list is called the hip thrust, and one rule about this exercise is that you should never make eye contact with someone while performing it. Jokes aside, this is a great movement that involves a lot of hip extension, and it works the glutes and hamstrings primarily. This is a great move that helps people learn how to use their glutes effectively, as most people who are sedentary have under-active glute muscles.
To do this exercise, find a suitable surface to raise the upper back on, and have the feet close (but not too close) to your butt. Push through the heels and drive your hips to the ceiling, until you are level from knee to chest. Make sure that your shins are vertical, with no forward or backward knee movement. You can load this movement by placing a weight on the front side of the hips, like a dumbbell or sandbag.
Single Leg Glute Bridge
This exercise is pretty much identical to the hip thrust, save for the fact that it’s performed with one leg. This is a great alternative if you don’t have any equipment, as it’s fairly challenging in it’s own right. To make this one harder, you can also add load. I personally like to add a pause on reps to make it harder, without increasing weight. In the video below, it’s shown with feet elevated, but you can also do it with shoulders elevated.
RFE Split Squat
Squats usually get all the limelight when it comes to exercises that build the butt, but we want to give some attention to some lesser known movements; one in particular is the RFE Split Squat, RFE meaning rear-foot-elevated. Not only will it hit the glutes, but pretty much the entire leg.
To do this one correctly, place the non-working leg behind you, with the foot elevated on a surface (preferably something comfy, like a sofa) and the front leg right in front. lower yourself to the floor while keeping your front foot flat, not letting your heel come off the floor. You can also load this movement by holding some dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand, or you can add a pulse to make bodyweight much harder. To make it more glute-dominant, simply add a small forward lean at the hips.
Romanian Deadlift
Leave it to those Eastern Europeans to create one of the best strength builders for the posterior chain. The RDL (aka romanian deadlift) is a fantastic move that primarily strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, but also works the lower and upper back, the core, and plenty of other little muscles. Now while this is is great at bulletproofing the entire body, it has to be done correctly. If you can bang out single leg glute bridges and hip thrusts all day long, you can probably graduate to this exercise. In the video below is a great demonstration by Girls Gone Strong.
To perform it, start with just bodyweight. Start by standing with a tall posture, with shoulders down and back. Initiate the move by hinging at the hips, sitting the butt backward; imagine a string tied around your waist, pulling your hips back like a hinge. The knees should only bend a small amount (but don’t keep them super straight), which recuits the hamstrings to a greater degree. Once you feel a good stretch in the hamstrings, squeeze your glutes forward and come back to standing. If you are loading the movement, you can start with a kettlebell or dumbbell in between your feet, and keep the weight close to your body throughout the movement.
Lateral Band Walks (Straight Leg)
The glute muscles work in more than one plane of motion; you need to work them in other directions as well. One easy – but effective – exercise is lateral band walks. This exercise strengthens the glutes and hips, and also helps build up stability in the hips and knees. There are a few different variations of this movement, so we’re just going to stick with something quick and simple.
The way to do this move is easy: simply grab one of those small mini bands and place them around your legs, right on the ankle. Stand tall with good posture, and keep the legs pretty straight (soft bend in the knee is fine). Simple walk sideways, like you’re shimmying. Perform the same number of reps on each side.
Now that we’ve explained these exercises, try some of them out in your next workout. These movements will help you not only build a better looking butt, but also a strong one, with well-functioning athletic performance.