Well, nothing beats a perfectly toned butt and a lot of people do squats to the extreme to get results. But they aren’t that easy for everyone to do. Besides, there are so many other exercises that can give you toned glutes without all the hard work.
1. THE BRIDGE UP
Steps:
- Lay on your back.
- Bend both knees while keeping your hands parallel to your body and flat on the floor, and make sure your feet have a tight grip on the floor.
- Raise your hips while squeezing your buttocks toward the ceiling, make sure your hands stay flat on the floor.
- Slowly bring your hips back to the floor returning to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise as many times as you can.
The main movement of this exercise is to lift the back so that you can get results with your core and thighs while strengthening your lower body. You not only work your glutes, but by pushing your hips toward the ceiling, you work on your hips and thighs. During the same movement, your rib cage is pushed to the front of your body and your spine takes some load too. It’s an overall exercise for some major parts of the body.
2. THE BRIDGE UP, WITH LEG LIFTS
Steps:
- Lay on your back.
- Bend both knees while keeping your hands parallel to your body and flat on the floor, and make sure your feet have a tight grip on the floor.
- Raise one leg perpendicular to your body and follow the Bridge Up movement.
- Make sure you take turns using both the legs.
- It’s a little harder than the first exercise, but it’s worth it.
The Bridge Up with a lifted leg has the same benefits as the previous exercise. The difference happens when you lift the leg, which makes the exercise focus entirely on your core, hips, and hamstrings. Apart from that, this exercise encourages balance in the body.
3. SINGLE LEG SQUAT
Steps:
- Sit on a chair.
- Keep both the legs straight and in front of you.
- Raise your hip from the chair using just one leg and make sure you keep the other leg straight and not touching the floor.
- Stand all the way up and make sure your other leg is straight and not moving.
- When you’re all up, pause, and slowly sit back down in the chair.
- Repeat on both legs one by one, doing 2 sets of 10 reps.
The single leg squat improves lower body strength and affects related muscle groups like your core, hips, and hamstrings. Using one leg can be pretty hard which is why we’re using the chair here, but as you get into the practice try doing it without the chair. It improves your core stability and if you’re an athlete, it improves the muscles that help you with running and leg movements.
4. CURTSY KICK
Steps:
- Stand up using hand weights held up at shoulder height.
- Step your left leg diagonally behind your right leg, bend your knees, make sure the back knee doesn’t touch the floor, and that the hips are parallel to the floor.
- Keep your body straight, and your hips and abs tight during the movement.
- Return to the starting position using the left heel and while coming back to the position make sure you sweep the floor with the pointed left leg in the same line as the right leg.
- Repeat this movement doing 2 sets of 10 reps on both legs.
- If you’re a beginner or you feel like it’s too hard please do it without the weights, like in the image.
The cross-section of the leg followed by the half squat and the kick helps to shape the glutes. Not only that, but when you’re doing the exercise make sure the movement is comfortable for you. Give it 2 or 3 tries to find the perfect, most comfortable position and movement, and then follow it during the reps.
5. SINGLE LEG DEAD LIFT
Steps:
- Stand straight with dumbbells in both hands.
- Move all of your body weight to your right leg while pulling the left one back as high as you can.
- Make sure your left leg is straight while going up.
- The left leg should be at a height so that your upper body and left leg are parallel to the floor.
- Repeat the process with both legs doing 2 sets of 10 reps.
This exercise is done by runners and athletes, and the idea is to strengthen the core and lower body. Using the proper weights increases your resistance and endurance. This exercise is known to activate the hamstrings and quadriceps.
6. FIRE HYDRANT
Steps:
- Get on your hands and knees. Make sure your elbows are locked and your torso is parallel to the ground with your head facing down. This is the starting position.
- Keeping the knee in the bent position, part the thigh from the midline of the body and make a 90 degree angle between the thighs.
- Pause when you’re at 90 degrees and then slowly return to the initial position. Make sure you pull your belly in during this movement.
- Repeat using both thighs doing 3 sets of 10 reps.
The fire hydrant is great lower body exercise that helps to tone the glutes and shape the outer thighs. The lower body, especially the thighs and glutes, is an area where the body holds excess weight that is kind of hard to shed and maintain. In addition to your daily routine, fire hydrant tightens your glutes and shreds the extra layer of fat from your thighs.
The remaining moves are some yoga poses that are suggested by Dr Padmavati Maharana, PhD in Yoga and also the Director of Rangiora Yoga Studio, in New Zealand. According to her, these poses are helpful for the butt, core, and general muscle growth and since they’re yoga poses, they come with several other benefits that we will discuss here.
7. TIGER STRETCH
Benefits:
It stretches the back muscles and the spine and loosens up the hips and thighs. It can also help with joint pains in the targeted area and it stimulates the nervous, lymphatic, and reproductive systems. Apart from that, it tones up the muscles of the digestive system, boosting metabolism and promoting digestion.
Steps:
- Get on the floor on all fours on your hands and knees and make sure your elbows are locked and straight.
- Now bend your left knee trying to touch your nose to your knee (if you can’t reach, just get it as close as possible).
- Take your bent leg as high as it will go for a positive effect on your hip and back. Use your hand if it seems a little hard to hold that position. (as shown in the image)
- Don’t forget to inhale when you touch your knee to your nose and exhale when you extend your leg.
- Now repeat the movement back and forth slowly, without pause.
- Do 5 reps on both legs.
8. CRESCENT LUNGE
Benefits:
This pose stretches your hips, legs, and groin area, and expands the front of your body. It reduces stress and fatigue, and improves your concentration. It works on skills like stability, strength, and flexibility for your body and also helps with Sciatica pain.
Steps:
- Stand straight.
- Make the transition to a downward facing dog (both of your hands on the floor while keeping your hips and body up in the shape of a triangle).
- Come into a high lunge moving one of your feet between your hands, and raise your torso upward while inhaling.
- Keep your palms close to achieving the proper position.
- Make sure you keep your body straight and there should be no curve to your back. And also the legs should be vertical to the ground at 90 degrees.
- Hold this pose as long as possible. if you can’t go that extreme, follow the 2nd image.
9. MALASANA (DEEP SQUAT)
Benefits:
It helps with the stretching of the hips and groin area and stretches your neck, hamstrings, spine, and ankles. It’s a delight for pelvic and hip joints while aiding digestion and improving metabolism.
Steps:
- Sit in the staff pose, like in the first image above.
- Bend your knees one by one, make sure your calves are touching your thighs. At the beginning it might be little hard, so don’t push it — you’ll get there.
- Lean forward so that your torso is between your thighs and raise up into a squat.
- Squat on your feet and move your hips outward as much as you can.
- Move your toes diagonally in opposite directions and move your palms together in front of your chest (pranama position).
- Hold this for as long as you can.
10. UTKATASANA (AWKWARD POSE)
Benefits:
This pose corrects the posture and improves the balance of your body. It reduces stress and helps with depression. It tones up the leg muscles, strengthens the ankles, and shapes up the butt and thigh muscles. It also stimulates the function of the heart. If you have flat feet, it can help you with that too.
Steps:
- Stand straight.
- Raise your arms vertical to the ground while keeping your palms together.
- Bend your knees and exhale, try going down as much as you can by taking your tailbone toward the floor.
- Come back to the starting pose in reverse with an inhalation.
- Hold the position for as long as you can and repeat it 5 times.
- Use a support just like the other pic, if it’s hard for you to hold the position.