02 Mar No ‘Buts’ About It – Here’s Your Best Butt Workout

No ‘Buts’ About It – Here’s Your Best Butt Workout

Listen, we all secretly loathe those 20-something year old girls with cellulite-free, perfect asses! (In fact, some of us loathe them not so secretly!) Well don’t dismay: one day even those girls will have less-than-stellar backsides. No one is immune to the aging process. And those once-perfectly shaped bums will have to begin to work their asses off, so to speak, in order to keep those buns lifted to perky perfection.

Big, round, larger-than-life derrieres seem to be all the rage these days. Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj are among those who have taken their butts to new freakishly large heights. (literally). And although, in some cases, I do support cosmetic surgery to enhance one’s appearance, I think the Brazilian Butt Lift is a fad that many will live to regret. If you think gravity and the aging process are taking a toll on your ass now, just imagine what happens to it when you are 80 years old and its three times its original size!

I think, in many cases,  it’s like that tattoo you eventually live to regret. One day, you are probably going to want it removed…both the tattoo AND the extra large ass! (believe me, the tattoo comes off a lot easier than a gigantic butt).

I do believe that a firm, lifted, youthful derriere can be achieved naturally… if you know which exercises to do. Here is a sure-fire way to fight the gravity of Mother Earth and the effects of Father Time and get back that nice round ass of yesteryear. And if you’ve never had a “nice round ass,” well then, there is no time like the present to start building one. (We are not getting any younger here, folks.)

So, without further ado – here it is:
Your Best Butt Workout:

1. SQUATS: Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder distance apart. Hold either two dumbbells at your sides, or one dumbbell between your legs. Squat down low, as if you are sitting on a chair. Keep your chest lifted, and your butt sticking out. Press through your heels to rise.
Repeat 30 times.

2. LUNGES: Stand with feet hip distance apart and dumbbells at your sides. Step one foot forward as if you are walking. Your front knee should not extend beyond your toes, and your back knee should be touching (or almost touching) the floor. Be sure to keep your chest up. Press through your front heel and push yourself back to your starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
Do 30 reps total.

3. CURTSY LUNGES: Stand with your feet hip distance apart and dumbbells at your sides. Step one foot backward, behind you, in a diagonal direction so that you assume the curtsy position. Make sure your front knee does not extend beyond your toes and your back knee should briefly touch the ground. Push through your front foot to rise and bring your back foot to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
Do a total of 30 reps.

4. STRAIGHT LEG DEAD LIFTS: Stand with you feet hip distance apart and weights resting on the front of your thighs. Keeping your back flat, chest up, and legs straight (or with a slight bent), hinge at the waist and lower the weights toward your feet. Go as far as down as you can without compromising your form. Then, push through your heels to rise.
Repeat 30 times.

5. PLIE SQUATS: Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders, with your toes turned out. Hold one weight in both hands between your legs. With your chest up, bend your legs into a plie position. Bend deep enough so that the weight briefly touches the ground. Push through your heels to stand.
Repeat 30 times.

6. DONKEY KICKS: You can do this exercise with, or  without, weights. To use added weight (and I always recommend added weight) place a weight behind your knee, or use strap-on ankle weights. Position yourself on the floor on all fours. Place a dumbbell behind the leg you’ll be working, or strap on a 5-8 pound ankle weight. Bend one leg so that the bottom of your foot is parallel to the ceiling. Touch your knee to the floor and then push up to the ceiling as high as you can, without dropping the weight. To make this exercise more difficult, pause at the highest point and squeeze your glute.
Repeat 30 times per leg.

7. BRIDGE: Lie on your back, knees bent to 90 degrees, feet resting on the floor. Hold the weights on your upper thighs, just below your pubic bone. Lift your butt off of the floor until your body is in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Squeeze your butt, and pause at the top  before lowering back down to the floor.
Repeat 30 times.

8. ONE LEG BRIDGE: Follow the instructions given above for the regular bridge exercise. However, to do the one leg bridge, keep one leg elevated while you raise and lower your hips. Squeeze your glutes as you raise your hips. Then lower your hips to complete the exercise.
Do 20 on each leg.

9. DUMBBELL SWING: Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder distance apart. Hold the dumbbell at one end with  both hands, so that it hangs vertically between your legs. (Normally this exercise is done with a kettlebell, but a dumbbell works just as well). Squat deeply and swing the dumbbell between your legs. Then thrust forward with your hips and squeeze your glutes tightly until the dumbbell is chest-high. Then swing the weight back down between your legs. *Do NOT use your arms to move the dumbbell. The weight should swing due to the movement of your hips and the squeezing of your glutes.

So there you have it. No matter what your original shape or size, these simple exercises will get your butt back into tip-top shape. Do these exercises at least 3 times per week. The more you do these, the easier they will become. When the exercises become less challenging, you need to push yourself. Increase your weight, increase your repetitions, or repeat the whole cycle 2-3 times.

Listen ladies, we have a choice. Although some of us are more genetically blessed than others, a great butt doesn’t just happen to anybody over the age of 40. It takes WORK!

So, what are YOU going to do?

I choose squats!

Live Young,
Darnell 🙂