Everybody wants a great posterior, a butt that will stop traffic and cause people to crash their bicycles as they track you while riding past. They want a bum that’s curvy and firm, but not too large, a butt that’s well defined and smooth and that fill out a pair of jeans like a gust of wind fills out a sail. Toward that end people invest their time in countless exercises of dubious efficacy, seeking to tone and tighten up their butts without always knowing exactly what they’re doing. The easiest way to figure out what the best way to firm up that butt is to take a closer look at butt anatomy, to understand what muscles are at play, and how best to target them with exercises.
The major muscle that defines the shape of your butt is the Gluteus Maximus. It’s the large muscle that forms the butt cheek, attaching to the back of the pelvic cradle and connecting it to the upper, outward side of the femur (thigh bone). It’s function is to contract and bring your leg down so that it is vertical with your trunk; thus it is activated whenever you rise from a squat, or push down on something with your foot.
Try these three key exercises to get a delicious butt burn:
Squat
This is an excellent exercise that works out much more than just your glutes, but focuses primarily on them. The trick is to be careful with how much weight you’re squatting; be careful, start light. Back into the squat cage so that the barbell is lying across your shoulders, and place your feet shoulder width apart, toes slightly opened. Grip the bar at shoulder width, and then shrug it off and onto your shoulders. Keeping a straight back (it can help to look up as you go down), bend your knees and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, ensuring that your knees never float further forward than your toes. Inhale as you go down, and exhale as your rise to a standing position once more.
Lunges
Start by standing vertically, weights held in each hand, and then take a large step forward and sink until your shin is parallel to the ground. Keeping your back straight and head up and making sure that your knee does not extend beyond your toes, push back into your starting position to work the other leg.
Leg Press
Position yourself comfortably on the leg press machine. Put your feet up on the push plate, and grip the side handle bars with your hands. The key to this exercise is not to allow the weight to come to close to your body—never allow your legs to bend more than at a ninety degree angle. Keep your back straight, head relaxed, and use your heels instead of the balls of your feet to push the weight back up.
Author Resource:
Philip Tucker is a Fitness Product Review specialist for Miami based Get Moving Catalog. He is a huge fan of the upcoming http://www.getmovingcatalog.com/brazil-butt-lift.com Brazil Butt Lift, and is constantly being asked of Debbie Sieber's revolutionary fitness exercise: "http://www.getmovingcatalog.com/slim-in-6-debbie-siebers.html Does slim in 6 really work?"
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