Even though most people want a nice round rock hard butt, the fact is many of us are actually walking around with the exact opposite. We have a soft, mushy marshmallow butt which is screaming to be tightened and toned up! Having a big round booty like many of music and movie stars is a goal of millions of women so I’m going to try to help you work toward this goal with a few simple exercises performed twice per week.
Along with this butt hardening workout plan, you will want to add cardio training to the regimen. I highly recommend using the step mill or the StairMaster at level 8-10 for around 30-40 minutes 4-5 days per week. Try to avoid leaning on the rails and focus on taking long deep strides to really hit those lower butt cheeks! Adding this type of cardio each week is critical for toning up a loose booty and it works extremely well for developing leaner, glutes that are rock hard. Of course, your overall diet is critical also and will help you attain your goals faster. You will see much faster results by eating a well-balanced meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day with lean protein, clean carbs and healthy fats.
For a warm-up exercise, start with 20-degree squats. This exercise breaks all of the squat rules about form because you will start off in a full squat with your butt at your heels, knees fully bent and your upper body way over the toes. Perform 2 sets of 12 reps with this movement and you will definitely be feeling the burn. Make sure to squat down to where the quads are parallel to the ground and hold this position for 5 seconds, then repeat.
Stretch your quadriceps and glutes a little and then move onto the next exercise. Using an exercise ball, you will perform 2 sets of 15 reps using single leg squats with the ball against a wall and your body against the ball. Watch the knees on this one and do not let them flare out or in too far and never let them go over your toes. Make sure you step out far enough to get a nice “box shape” bend at the knee when performing this movement.
For the third exercise you will bridge yourself on the exercise ball with only your head and shoulders on the ball and your hips high with the weight across them. Drop your glutes down until they graze the ball and then lift up to thrust the hips back up into a bridge. Repeat this movement for 3 sets of 20 reps and make sure to watch your lower back by engaging the transverse abs during this movement. Pull your belly button into your lower back to engage the core and your abdominals.
The last movement is performed with ankle weights while facing down on a mat. Bend one leg while flexing the foot so that it is parallel to the ceiling and then lift the thigh off the mat as if you are placing a foot print on the ceiling. This is a very short movement and performed “pulse style” for 50 reps on each leg. Perform 2-3 sets of this exercise while doing each leg individually. Increase the ankle weights as you get stronger and make sure to keep both of your hips firmly on the mat. This exercise is pretty easy so you should notice when you will need to add more weight as it gets easier and easier.
Stretch your legs, including the hamstrings and glutes while holding these stretches for 15 seconds minimum and up to 30 seconds maximum. Do not force the stretch and focus on holding them for a comfortable pain-free stretch.
For those of you who are advanced, you can perform this program up to 3 times per week along with your other workouts that cover different body parts. Try this program out for a month and you should start to see a bigger, rounder and harder butt popping out of your jeans!
