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Jul 23, 2018

Best Home Workouts for Women

Updated: Apr 14, 2020


As a fitness professional for 32 years, one of the MAIN questions women tend to ask is "what are the best Butt exercises to do?"

With the right workout routine, you can increase the size or shape of your glutes, which helps create the appearance of a tighter, more lifted derriere. After all, a shapely rear is timeless.

Because we are sitting more every day, we tend to have a memory loss of out gluts! They need to stay firing all day to maintain their shape and ability to prevent back pain.

Additionally, weak glutes may be what’s preventing you from improving your 5K time or getting through a game of tennis by rolling your ankle. The glutes are the powerhouse for most of our lower- and full-body movements, from squats to jumping. If you want to increase your strength, power, stability, and limit the likelihood for injury, it is important to incorporate glute exercises into your workout. As a trainer and personal to women all over the US, I use some of the following workouts and ideas in my classes. Here are 10 great ones you can do below.

Add These Exercises to Your Workouts at Home or the Gym

You can get stronger, shapelier glutes with a few pieces of basic equipment and a handful of carefully selected butt exercises you can do at home — no gym membership or machines required. We sifted through dozens of Beachbody’s fitness programs and hand-picked some of the best exercises for glutes, including moves to tighten the buttocks and thighs as well as exercises to augment them.

If you are working out at home.. here are some of my most favorite workouts and links to home equipment below and what they do!

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and

arms at your sides.

  • Keeping your chest up, back flat, and, core engaged, take a large step forward with your right foot. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and your left knee is bent 90 degrees.

  • Extend your right arm out to the right, and bend your left elbow in front of your chest so that your left forearm points in the same direction as your right. This is the starting position.

  • Raise your body several inches then lower it, pulsing yourself upward a total of 3 times.

  • “Ginga,” or swing, to the left by pushing off your right foot and laterally jumping to the left. Land softly in a reverse orientation of the starting position: left foot forward, right foot back, arms pointing left. Follow with 3 pulses, and ginga right.

  • Repeat the sequence, completing equal reps on both sides.

Single-leg hinge with loop

Appears in: 80 Day Obsession – Booty Month 3

  • Loop a resistance band around your left foot, and grip it with your right hand as you rise up to stand, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.

  • Keeping your back flat, your core engaged, and your left knee slightly bent, raise your right leg off the floor and hinge forward at your hips until your torso is as close to parallel with the floor as possible.

  • Return to a single-leg standing position and repeat the move, completing all reps on your left leg before switching sides.

Squat with pulses

Appears in: PiYo – Buns

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.

  • Keeping your back flat and core engaged, bend your knees and push your hips back as if closing a car door with your butt, and lower into a squat as you raise your arms in front of you.

  • At the bottom of your squat, use a pulsing motion to raise and lower your hips a few inches. Complete three pulses before standing up. This is one rep.

  • Repeat the sequence, coming to a three-quarter standing position between each rep.

Curtsy lunge wood chops
Appears in: Shift Shop – Super Strength: 50 (as the “Double Cross”)

  • Stand upright, feet hip-width apart, holding a sandbag or dumbbell in both hands at your right shoulder. This is the starting position.

  • Step back with your right foot, crossing it behind your left leg as you lower in to a curtsey lunge. Simultaneously, bring the weight across your body to the outside of your left hip.

  • Reverse the motion, bringing the weight back to your right shoulder as you step back to the starting position, then repeat.

  • Perform equal reps on both sides.

Clamshell
Appears in: Brazil Butt Lift – High and Tight

  • Loop a resistance band around your legs just above your knees, and lie on your left side with your hips, knees, and feet stacked. Rest your head on your left arm, and place your right palm on the floor in front of your chest.

  • Bend at the hips, swinging your legs out to a 45 degree angle, then bend your knees to 90 degrees. This is your starting position.

  • Keeping your core engaged and your heels together, raise your right knee as far as you can without rotating your hip or lifting your left knee off the floor.

  • Hold for 1 second before returning to the starting position.

  • Repeat the move, completing all reps on one side, then switch sides, performing equal reps on both.

Calf raise bridge
Appears in: Clean Week – Resistance- search BARRE at www.beachbodycoach.com/suzimckee

  • Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells on your hips. This is the starting position.

  • Lift your hips as high as possible, squeezing your glutes as you rise up on the balls of your feet.

  • Reverse the movement to return to the starting position, and repeat for reps.

Bowler
Appears in: PiYo – Buns

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend both knees slightly and shift your weight to your left leg. This is your starting position.

  • Step your right foot behind and outside your left foot in a curtsy lunge, pumping your left arm back and your right arm forward.

  • Raise your body several inches then lower it, pulsing yourself upward a total of 3 times.

  • Return to the starting position, lightly tapping the floor with your right toes before repeating the movement.

  • Complete all reps on one side then switch, performing equal reps on both.


Squat arabesque
Appears in: Brazil Butt Lift – Bum Bum

  • From a standing, hip-width position, push your hips back, and bend your knees into a squat. As you lower your body, place your hands on your thighs, which should be parallel with the floor.

  • As you return to a standing position, extend your arms overhead and your right leg behind you, squeezing your glutes at the top of the move while keeping your core engaged throughout.

  • Lower again into a squat, returning your hands to your thighs, and repeat the move, this time extending your left leg.

  • Continue alternating legs, performing equal reps on both.

Attitude, 21DF
Appears in: 21 Day Fix – Barre Legs

• Stand tall, hands on your hips, with your heels together and your toes turned out slightly.

• Move your right foot back, lightly touching the floor behind you with your big toe and letting your heel drop slightly inward. This is your starting position.

• Keeping your torso tall, lift your right leg behind you as high as you can, squeezing your right glute.

• Return to the starting position, gently tapping the toes of your right foot to the floor, and repeat.

• Perform equal reps on both sides.

“For more specific glute programs, you can check out the Brazil Butt Lift series or 80 Day Obsession, which places a strong emphasis on the glutes.

For HOME equipment, I love all of these

You can grab ALL of the following workouts at www.beachbodycoach.com/suzimckee or direct links provided to make it easier below.

Choose SHOP and type in the workout in the search that sounds like the best fit for you! I will then be your coach on this journey.

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