Women are beautiful in all shapes and sizes. But the truth is, most women, if not all, would like to have a curvaceous body – like that of Instagram models with millions of followers. While you might not have the genes of Kim Kardashian or Beyoncé, every woman can build a bigger and stronger butt through exercises. Apart from helping you to effortlessly to look good in jeans, a rounder, stronger backside will also improve your athletic performance, minimize injuries and help you to maintain the right posture, even as you age. Whether you want to fill out your favorite pair of summer jeans, or you simply want to improve your overall fitness, here are some exercises that can help you to get a bigger butt.
Lunges
Lunges is one of the most effective butt building exercises. What makes them more effective than other butt building exercises is that they target most of the major muscles in your hips and legs. And most importantly, the glutes. The glute is made of 3 main muscles: gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus. Just like its name suggests, the maximus is the largest muscle among the 3 while the minimus is the smallest. The gluteus maximus helps to extend your leg back and outwards. On the other hand, the minimus and the medius oppose the maximus, meaning they turn your legs inwards.
Lunges can help to work all these muscle groups. It involves stepping either forward, backward or sideways. You can perform lunges either using your body weight or with a set of weights. Regardless of the style you choose, you will definitely hit all the 3 muscles to some degree. However, some variations of this exercise tend to push the muscles harder, leading to better results. Using different variations will help to create a well-rounded, firmer butt. For instance, when you perform walking lunges, you will be working the gluteus medius and the maximus. On the other hand, lateral lunges will work the medius and minimums. Adding weight to the different variations will increase stress on your glutes, helping them to grow faster.
Squats
Squats are a staple when it comes to building a bigger butt. Therefore, they should be part of your workout of the day, if building a bigger, firmer butt is your goal. Squats are easy to perform, and you don’t even need any equipment. And just like lunges, you can do them almost anywhere, whether you are at home or in the office. Squats generally work the entire lower body. They also strengthen your core, thus helping you to maintain proper posture, whether you are sitting, walking, standing, running or doing other activities that engage the whole body.
When doing squats, your thighs, glutes, calves, and hamstrings will all be used. Lower back, obliques and abdominal muscles also play a supportive role. But since you are performing this exercise with the goal of building a bigger butt, then you should focus on the glutes and thigh muscles. If your feet are rotated outward when you are performing squats, then your external hip muscles will be forced to work harder. And if your feet are rotated inwards, then you will be using the internal thigh muscles.
The number of squats that you should do per day, will mainly depend on your overall fitness levels. If you are introducing them in your workout for the first time, then it’s highly advisable to start with 20, and then increase the number gradually. You should also note that your muscles will need time to heal. Therefore, if you experience any form of soreness or pain after doing squats, you should take some rest to allow the butt muscles to recover. Every person has different fitness goals. So, make sure you identify a squat routine that can work for you and then stick to it.
Glute Bridge
The Glute Bridge is another great exercise for people who want to build a bigger, rounder butt. One of the biggest advantages of this floor-based exercise is that you don’t require any weights to do it. Also, you can do it anywhere, as long as you have ample space where you can lie on the floor. To perform this exercise, you first need to lie on your back and place your arms down by the sides. After that, you should bend your knees and then place your feet firmly on the floor. Once you’ve obtained a stable position, you should then raise your back and then press your hips and butt muscles. You should form a straight line as you do this exercise, from the knees to the shoulders. Avoid any arching as it might injure your back and even render the whole exercise useless. Maintain that position for a few seconds and then repeat. You can make this exercise harder by raising yourself using one leg instead of two.
Cardio Exercises
Cardio workouts can also help to shape and tone your butt. However, you need to choose the right cardio exercises if you want to build a bigger butt. As you might probably know, most cardio exercises burn massive amounts of calories. And this means that they might end up decreasing the size of your butt, instead of increasing it. Some of the best cardio workouts that can enhance and tone your backside include stair climbing, hill running, kickboxing and elliptical training.
- Stair climbing: Apart from helping to develop your butt and tone your butt, stair climbing can also work your lungs and heart. The number of sets and reps that you will do, will depend on your overall fitness levels. If you are a beginner, then you can start with 6 to 10 flights of stairs, and then rest for up to 3 minutes. Stair machines in the gym can also help you to achieve similar results, in case you don’t have access to flights of stairs.
- Hill running: Running uphill or climbing a hill will engage your thighs and glutes more, compared to walking or running on a flat plane. And the good news is that you don’t have to go outdoors to hill running since you can perform it in the gym. You simply need to increase the incline of your treadmill. And when you do that, you will force your butt muscles to work harder.
- Elliptical training: You can also get a firmer and bigger butt by training on the elliptical machine at least 4 times per week. When you increase the incline of the elliptical machine, it will mimic the movement of stair climbing, thus recruiting and engaging your glute muscles.
Deadlifts
If you are looking for a versatile exercise that can help you to build a bigger backside, then deadlifts should be part of your training program. When performing deadlifts, your hamstrings, quads, and glutes are all involved. So, they will not only enhance your strength but they will also help you to fill out your backside naturally. But before you start performing deadlifts, you should first undertake lower back and leg resistance training exercises for approximately 6 weeks. Your workouts should include lunges, leg curls, leg extensions, and barbell back squats. These exercises will strengthen the muscles that you will need to perform deadlifts, thus helping to minimize injuries. Also, it’s highly advisable to do deadlifts as the second exercise in your workout for the day. For instance, you can do them after squats. After doing deaf lifts, you should then add cable hip extensions and lunges to boost your backside development.
The weight that you choose for your deadlifts should only allow you to perform 6 to 12 reps for a maximum of six sets. If you can perform more reps or sets, then it’s not heavy enough. Also, make sure you are wearing the right weightlifting shoes when performing the deadlifts. As much as the right pair of weightlifting shoes will not turn instantly turn you into a renowned world-class athlete, they will increase your ankle’s range of motion, thus helping you to achieve greater lifting depth. Weightlifting shoes will also give you a stable solid platform, thus helping you to generate more power for your lifts.
Get Your Nutrition Right
You might have probably heard that 80% of your gains in the gym will depend on your nutrition. While that figure might be exaggerated, there is no denying the fact that nutrition plays a significant role when it comes to building muscle. It doesn’t matter how much time you spend in the gym doing squats and lunges. If you are not eating the right types of foods, then you will struggle to make any gains. So, which are the right foods for a bigger butt?
First, make sure you eat lots of lean protein. Apart from building lean muscle mass, protein intake will also help your body to burn calories more efficiently. However, make sure that you get your protein from healthy sources such as eggs, chicken, red meat and fish. The amount of protein you will take will depend on the intensity of your training sessions, your body weight, and lifestyle. It’s also advisable that you stick to healthy carbs and avoid junk food as much as possible. Healthy carbs will provide your body with the energy it needs to go through your workout sessions and remain active. Your carbs should come from sources such as brown rice, whole grains, legumes as well as sweet potatoes. Stay away from processed foods as much as you can. Also, make sure you drink enough water, whether you are working out or not.
Closing Remarks
Your butt muscles are often the biggest and strongest muscles in the body. Unfortunately, they sometimes tend to be hidden under thick layers of fat, making your butt look flabby. Fortunately, you can make your butt appear rounder, firmer and even bigger, with the right combination of exercises and nutrition. If a bigger and shapelier butt is your goal, then you should know it’s possible with consistency and hard work. While it will not happen overnight, you can tone your butt and hips over time and achieve a rounder firm look.
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