Firm Your Butt And Legs With This Dynamic Routine

If you’re looking to sculpt a strong backside, look no further! Get ready to build out that booty and strengthen your body from the bottom up (get it?) with these at-home and gym-ready exercises. We’ve got your bases covered in a way that’ll leave beginners and experts alike with a serious burn in the glutes.

The best way to get the booty of your dreams? Get off it and work for it. And while lifting heavy is a surefire way to build gorgeous glutes, sometimes you want to get a little booty burn at home using your bodyweight alone. That’s where these best butt exercises for women come into play.

1. Plank With Leg Lift

Performance Perk: Yes, this is a great tummy toner, but it also helps activate your glutes. Learning to turn on those muscles is just as essential for athletes (to help prevent knee injuries) as it is for women who spend most of their time sitting behind a desk.

How to:

Start at the top of a push-up, then bend your elbows to lower yourself and shift your weight onto your forearms; your body should form a straight line.
Brace your abs and glutes (a).
Lift one foot three inches, foot flexed (b).
Hold for a few seconds, then lower and repeat on the other side.
Continue alternating.
Work up to holding for one minute.

Keep It Straight: Your hips should always stay parallel to the floor, even when you’re raising a leg.

2. Inverted Hamstring

How to:

Stand with your knees slightly bent (a).
Raise your right foot slightly off the floor.
Without changing the angle of your left knee, bend from your hips and lower your torso as far forward as you comfortably can.
As you bend over, raise your arms straight out to your sides until they’re in line with your torso, palms facing down.
Your right leg should stay in line with your body as you lower your torso (b).
Return to start.
That’s one rep. Do 10, then switch sides and repeat.

3. Box Squat

Performance Perk: This builds strength in the anterior leg muscles (the front side, i.e., quads), the ones used most in skiing. Performing the move slowly improves muscular endurance, meaning the muscles take longer to fatigue.

How to:

Stand with your back facing a knee-high box or bench about a foot behind you and hold a pair of light dumbbells at your sides (a).
In one motion, take three seconds to raise the dumbbells straight out in front of you as you sit back into a squat until your glutes nearly graze the box (b).
Take two seconds to reverse the movement and return to start.
That’s one rep.
Do 10.

Start Light: Do this exercise without dumbbells the first time to nail proper form. Add weight slowly from there.

4. Stability-ball Pike

Performance Perk: This move creates strength and stability from every angle, so you get a tight, trim waist. Leg strength actually starts in the core, where the legs are connected to the spine via the hip flexors.

How to:

Start in a push-up position with your arms straight, hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, and shins resting on top of a stability ball (a).
Brace your abs and keep your legs straight as you raise your hips as high as you can toward the ceiling, drawing the ball toward your arms (b).
Pause, then roll back to start.
That’s one rep.
Do 10.

5. Offset Reverse Lunge

Performance Perk: Most of the time when we move (including when we ski), our weight is unevenly distributed on one side of the body. Because you’re holding a weight in only one hand, this move challenges your balance and core stability.

How to:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in your left hand at shoulder height, elbow bent (a).
Step your right foot backward into a reverse lunge and lower your body until your right knee almost touches the floor (b).
Push back to start. That’s one rep.
Do 10, then switch sides and repeat.

Toughen Up: Make this move more challenging by either using a heavier weight or extending the weight directly overhead.

6. Box Jump

How to:

Stand six to eight inches back from a six-inch step (beginners can start with a lower step; work up to 14 inches).
Get into an athletic stance with your knees slightly bent and your weight on the balls of your feet (a).
Quickly jump onto the centre of the step (b), then immediately jump back down to start, landing softly on the balls of your feet.
Do as many reps as you can in 20 seconds, working your way up to one minute.