This Super Easy At-Home Butt Workout Takes Just 10 Minutes
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For a lifted and toned behind, women turn to gizmos, boutique studios, and Kim Kardashian’s Instagram feed. But none of these are necessarily going to get you a strong, healthy, sculpted booty. In fact, they may be a bill of goods.
It may surprise you to learn that what you really need to understand is your hips. By knowing how the hips function, you unlock the answer to how you can kick your own keister into tip top shape using the best butt exercises possible—and this easy butt workout will get you there. No gimmicks, expense, nor equipment necessary.
Your hips are among the most mobile joints in your entire body, second only to shoulders. To strengthen your butt, you initiate movement patterns with your hips. The problem is, most people stick to one movement pattern, and that is flexion/extension. What’s that? Think walking, running, lunging, stair climbing, squatting. In all of these common movement patterns, you are just flexing and extending at your hips. What’s good about these things is that they work one part of the butt. What’s not so good is that there are three parts of the butt. There are three planes of motion that the hips must travel through in order to work the full caboose.
How to work out all parts of your butt
Let’s keep talking about those flexion and extension movements, which happen on the sagittal plane, which divides the body into right and left halves. When the hips perform this movement, the super strong middle part of your butt gets stronger. That part of the butt is called the gluteus maximus.
But we also have to think about the frontal plane, which divides the body into front and back. You’re working out this plane when your limbs move away from the midline of the body, like with abduction and adduction. When the hips perform this movement (taking the leg out to the side), the smaller side parts of your butt gets stronger. These parts of the butt are called the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.
Finally, anytime the body twists and turns, work is performed in the transverse plane. The transverse plane divides the body into top and bottom. When the hips rotate, all three parts of the butt get stronger.
To build happy hips and a strong-all-over booty, you need to do work in all three planes. That’s why we’ve designed three moves to do just that!
The best warmup to do before a butt workout
Before beginning any workout, it’s important to prepare the tissue through a quality warm-up. Here are the moves we suggest before this butt-blasting workout:
Hip Hulas
Why: Hip Hulas reduce tightness in the lower back, hip flexors, and hip rotators
How: Circle your hips around in a clockwise direction, slowly and while maintaining a flat back, for 4-5 repetitions. Pause. Repeat the movement in a counterclockwise direction for 4-5 repetitions.
Sprinter Kickbacks
Why: To maximize the front-back range of motion available at the hips
How: Swing one leg forward into a knee raise, then back as far as you can behind you. Plant your foot to regain your balance. Repeat 4x. Switch legs.
Lateral Lunges Side-to-Side
Why: To warm-up the side parts of the butt and thighs that do not work when you’re sitting, standing, walking, etc. They may feel tight and stiff initially, but give it some time, and they should ease up.
How: Step side to side, bending at your hip and knee and sinking your butt out and back. Repeat 8x.
Hacky Sack
Why: To warm-up the part of the butt in-between the middle and sides. This is called the piriformis. It may feel tight and stiff initially, but give it some time, and it should ease up.
How: Raise the inside of your right foot to touch your left hand. Then, raise the inside of your left foot to touch your right hand. Repeat 8x.
How to do the 10-minute butt workout
Pad your floor with a yoga mat, or a Ruggable with classic pad (as demonstrated).
Move 1: Glute Kickbacks
Focus: Gluteus Maximus
Plane: Sagittal
How to do glute kickbacks:
Assume quadruped (all-4s) position. Draw a knee in toward your tummy.
Kick that leg straight out to align shoulder, hip, and ankle. Pause momentarily and repeat.
Perform 12 repetitions, then “light a fire” by adding 3 pulses in “Step 2” and perform another 12 repetitions.
Move 2: Hydrants
Focus: Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Minimus
Plane: Frontal
How to do hydrants:
Assume quadruped (all-4s) position. Abduct a leg away from the body, keeping the knee bent– ehem, like a dog on a fire hydrant. Pause momentarily, then draw the knee back in to touch the stable/supporting knee.
Perform 12 repetitions, then “light a fire” by adding a knee extension at the top of the hydrant, kicking the leg out. Perform another 12 repetitions.
Move 3: Curtsy Lunges
Focus: Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus, and Gluteus Maximus
Plane(s): Transverse, Sagittal
How to do curtsy lunges:
From standing, balance on one leg. Weave the other leg back and grip the floor with knee down to the (padded) ground.
Rise up to a standing knee hold balance.
Perform 8 repetitions. “Light a fire” by taking the option of pointing your toes on the lunge down (shoelaces to floor), as opposed to gripping the floor with the bottom of the toe box on your shoe.
Follow along with the video instructions for butt strengthening in all three planes, targeting all three parts of the booty. If you’re feeling strong, repeat for a second set. Add the optional equipment to spice things up a little more. Attempt this workout 3x/week with ample rest between sessions.
Set by Ruggable, wardrobe by WOD Bottom, shoes by Ryka, and music by Power Music Workout.
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