A great butt can stop traffic and even score you a few free drinks at the bar, but a person’s butt is also the window to their fitness. Chances are, if your glutes are in great shape, so is the rest of you. In addition to having a well rounded fitness routine, a tight and firm butt is also a great indicator that someone has a healthy and clean diet.
Most people think that the shape of their butt is the shape of their butt and there is nothing they can do about it. Some people are born without that crease under their tush, some are destined to always have it, some have cellulite, and some are smooth as a baby, right? Wrong.
Men tend to gain weight around their middles, and women tend to gain weight around their butt and hips. It’s just science. No one, however, is born with a high tight, bullet bouncing tush- it takes work. Therefore, you should work your glutes like they are a badge of honor.
Whether you want to get rid of your cellulite, wear boy short undies with confidence or add a little shape to your flat-as-a-pancake tush, we’ve got your plan to whip your butt into shape.
Eat Clean to Boost Your Caboose
Diet is actually a bigger part of achieving buns of steel than exercise. You can build as much tushy-tightening muscle as you want, but if you still have excess fat on your rear, you will still have that saggy, giggly look. Unfortunately, cutting calories is not the answer. Getting the results you want isn’t a matter of calories, it’s a matter of the quality of food you are eating.
Eating clean is the answer. Processed carbs, sugars and saturated fats are the quickest way to derail your butt boosting efforts. Protein, healthy fats and leafy greens are the key to burning fat and keeping the glute muscles you work so hard for. Stock your kitchen with healthy, unsaturated fats like olive oil and walnuts, power packed protein sources like eggs (watch those yolks!) and lean meats like turkey and top sirloin steak and leafy greens packed with fiber and iron like spinach and kale and see your fat melt and glutes raise and tighten almost before your eyes.
Best Exercises for a Bangin’ Booty
Diet will melt fat, but exercise is the only way to actually change the shape of your rear view. There is a bigger importance to working your glutes than just looking great in a pair of jeans, however. Your glutes are the link between your back and your legs, so aside from aesthetic benefits, strong glute muscles can increase the strength of your lower back to prevent injury and help improve your posture, and help you gain well rounded, even strength in your legs and core.
The leg press machine is tops for your bottom
Plyometrics are the quickest and easiest way to burn fat and gain muscle at the same time. According to Oxygen magazine, a Finnish study determined that “plyo exercises increase blood flow to your leg muscles by 25 percent– and increased blood flow helps power your metabolism and fuels working muscles.” The explosive movements of plyometerics also recruits more muscle groups to give you faster results and burn more calories in less time.
Jump squats and jump lunges will target all the muscles in your glutes and and legs so incorporate them into your workout routine 2-3 times a week. If you are new to plyos, check out A Beginner’s Guide to Plyometrics.
Cardio can also target your glutes and melt fat without having to overhaul your whole routine. Run stairs at your local school or stadium, or give the stair stepper machine at your gym a try. If the stair stepper is not your thing (I can’t seem to use it without stumbling around like an idiot), slow your treadmill speed down and crank up the incline to get the same effect.
Strength Training is the easiest way to build shapely muscles in your backside. Lunges with dumbbells, dumbbell squats and bench step ups can be performed anywhere. If you are a fan of machines at your gym, double and single leg presses and kickbacks on a cable machine are awesome at effectively hitting your glutes, hamstrings and quad muscles.
Sadly, glutes are an often ignored part of a well rounded workout routine, but to truly acheive the fit and healthy look everyone craves, you can’t skip it. I guarantee if you give training your glutes a go, you’ll see your body change in ways you never thought were possible- and you’ll be slipping into summer daisy dukes you never dreamed you could wear with pride.