Your darling derriere isn't the only thing that should be well-rounded: Your training plan should be, too. Which is why WH asked a variety of fitness experts for their favorite glute-shaping moves. Do the exercises twice a week, and add 30 minutes of cardio three times each week to burn fat and make sure your back-porch swing remains a two-seater.
Method: Strength
Bottom Benefit "You need to build muscle in order to lose inches," says New York trainer Dolores Munoz, creator of Trainer's Edge: Killer Butt (VHS/DVD). Adding muscle will lift your glutes and make them rounder not bigger. When you have more muscle, you'll burn more calories and fat; you might weigh more, but your body will look leaner.
The Move: Squat Kick
Strengthens glutes and legs, and the high reps increase your heart rate, so you'll burn extra calories and fat.
Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width and squat, bending your knees to 90 degrees, while keeping them behind your toes. Press up, and as you near the start position, kick with your right leg, keeping it straight and your right foot flexed. Step back and perform another squat, then kick with your left leg. Do three sets of 20 repetitions.
Method: Pilates
Bottom Benefit "Pilates builds muscles, but it makes them long and lean," says Pilates instructor Lara Hudson, star of 10 Minute Solution: Pilates (VHS/DVD). "When you contract your glutes, you're pulling the muscles in toward the bone. It keeps them looking tight and small."
The Move: Grasshopper Beats
Tones and tightens legs and glutes especially upper thighs, erasing "panty lines."
Lie face down on the floor with your head resting gently on the backs of your hands. Pull your abs in toward your spine and raise your legs 3 inches off the floor (keep them straight no bending at the knee). Rotate your hips so that your toes turn out, and quickly open and close your legs 6 to 8 inches, keeping them straight. Vigorously beat your heels together for two sets of 30 repetitions.
Method: Plyometrics
Bottom Benefit According to a recent study published in the Journal of Athletic Training, plyometric jumps improve strength and corresponding jumps by 5.8 percent. What does this mean for you? More muscle and more fat loss. "Jumping stretches and then shortens your muscles, making them stronger and more explosive," says Nicole Chimera, an athletic trainer at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Plyometrics may also help your muscles fire in a way that better protects your hips and knees from injury.
The Move: Lateral Bounds
Targets inner and outer thighs, hips, and the outer sides of your glutes, making the whole package look slim.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees and hips poised to jump. Push off with your left leg, jumping to the right, and land softly on the ball of your right foot (below left). Next, load and spring to the left, pushing off with your right leg. Do two sets of 10 jumps, giving maximum effort each time.
Method: Flexibility
Bottom Benefit "You should always stretch when doing strength training to keep muscles balanced," says Tracy York, creator of Shaping Up with Weights for Dummies (VHS/DVD). Flexibility work won't necessarily tone your glutes, but it will keep the muscles long and improve your range of motion so that you can work muscles in their complete capacity. Stretching after a workout also allows your muscles to relax, making postworkout soreness less likely.
The Move: Lying Glute
Release Stretches and relaxes glutes and outer thighs.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Next, place the outside of your right foot on your left thigh to form a triangle with your right leg. Gently pull your left leg toward you to stretch the right side of your buttocks. Hold for 30 seconds, release, and repeat on the other side.
Method: Strength
Bottom Benefit "You need to build muscle in order to lose inches," says New York trainer Dolores Munoz, creator of Trainer's Edge: Killer Butt (VHS/DVD). Adding muscle will lift your glutes and make them rounder not bigger. When you have more muscle, you'll burn more calories and fat; you might weigh more, but your body will look leaner.
The Move: Squat Kick
Strengthens glutes and legs, and the high reps increase your heart rate, so you'll burn extra calories and fat.
Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width and squat, bending your knees to 90 degrees, while keeping them behind your toes. Press up, and as you near the start position, kick with your right leg, keeping it straight and your right foot flexed. Step back and perform another squat, then kick with your left leg. Do three sets of 20 repetitions.
Method: Pilates
Bottom Benefit "Pilates builds muscles, but it makes them long and lean," says Pilates instructor Lara Hudson, star of 10 Minute Solution: Pilates (VHS/DVD). "When you contract your glutes, you're pulling the muscles in toward the bone. It keeps them looking tight and small."
The Move: Grasshopper Beats
Tones and tightens legs and glutes especially upper thighs, erasing "panty lines."
Lie face down on the floor with your head resting gently on the backs of your hands. Pull your abs in toward your spine and raise your legs 3 inches off the floor (keep them straight no bending at the knee). Rotate your hips so that your toes turn out, and quickly open and close your legs 6 to 8 inches, keeping them straight. Vigorously beat your heels together for two sets of 30 repetitions.
Method: Plyometrics
Bottom Benefit According to a recent study published in the Journal of Athletic Training, plyometric jumps improve strength and corresponding jumps by 5.8 percent. What does this mean for you? More muscle and more fat loss. "Jumping stretches and then shortens your muscles, making them stronger and more explosive," says Nicole Chimera, an athletic trainer at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Plyometrics may also help your muscles fire in a way that better protects your hips and knees from injury.
The Move: Lateral Bounds
Targets inner and outer thighs, hips, and the outer sides of your glutes, making the whole package look slim.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees and hips poised to jump. Push off with your left leg, jumping to the right, and land softly on the ball of your right foot (below left). Next, load and spring to the left, pushing off with your right leg. Do two sets of 10 jumps, giving maximum effort each time.
Method: Flexibility
Bottom Benefit "You should always stretch when doing strength training to keep muscles balanced," says Tracy York, creator of Shaping Up with Weights for Dummies (VHS/DVD). Flexibility work won't necessarily tone your glutes, but it will keep the muscles long and improve your range of motion so that you can work muscles in their complete capacity. Stretching after a workout also allows your muscles to relax, making postworkout soreness less likely.
The Move: Lying Glute
Release Stretches and relaxes glutes and outer thighs.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Next, place the outside of your right foot on your left thigh to form a triangle with your right leg. Gently pull your left leg toward you to stretch the right side of your buttocks. Hold for 30 seconds, release, and repeat on the other side.
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Last Updated: 12/01/2006 09:18:26
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