When the New Year rolled around, a lot of us gave ourselves (and probably our friends/family) that infamous “I’m going to get my summer body!” speech. While the gyms were open, we took them for granted. Now, with COVID-19 around and the summer lurking right over our shoulder, gyms have been closed. For those of us who wished to see a bigger, better bum this summer, there’s still some hope left. Try a few cycles of these butt exercises and you’ll be on the starting track:
Lunges
Starting in a standing position, place one foot as far in front of the other as you can. Leaving your torso vertical, drop your body straight down. Make sure you are moving down, not down and forward. Once the knee reaches about a 90 degree angle, bring the body back up and repeat.
Squats
Place your hands straight out in front of you and place your feet shoulder length apart. Using your stance for support, slowly sit down and back as if you were going to sit on a chair. As you come back up, lightly squeeze the butt muscles together to enhance the experience.
Glute Kickbacks/Donkey Kicks
On a mat or padded surface, place yourself into a table-top position. Flex one foot, and bring the corresponding knee into the air. Freeze the knee in that position for 1-2 seconds and bring it back to its resting position. You can do this motion repeatedly or switch knees back and forth.
Step-Ups
Using a stack of books, a workout step, or any elevated surface, use one leg to step up. With the other leg, bring your knee up as high as you can to stretch the hamstring and glute muscles. Once complete, step back down and repeat or switch legs.
Glute Bridges
Laying on your back on a mat or padded surface, rest your arms vertically beside you. Bring your legs up into a 90-degree angle to provide support. Using your core, lift your pelvis toward the ceiling and squeeze your glute muscles together before resting back onto the mat.
