A nicely-toned tush is one of the top confidence boosts, but making sure your jeans fit isn’t the only reason to take up hip and glute exercises. Let’s learn more about the underlying benefits of a firm behind.

While many care about the glutes, the hips are often left forgotten about. Alongside your glutes and core muscles, your hips play a vital role in your fitness and well-being. Undertaking exercises to strengthen your glutes and hips can have numerous benefits.

Your hips play a significant role in your overall flexibility. Ensuring the muscles in this area are tones prepares your body not only for day-to-day life but in your other exercise activities too. Building up your glutes and strengthening your hips supports the surrounding areas and this includes your lower back.

Now that you’re convinced hip and glute are the way to go, let us introduce you to the best exercises for glutes and hip that you can do anywhere.

1. Single leg squats

How to:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, ensure your base is stead and then raise one leg up, holding the thigh level with your hip while leaving the lower leg to hang down.
  • With the other leg squat downward slowly, bending at the knee, before rising up again.
  • Repeat with this leg four to five times, then switch your legs to ensure you build tone evenly.

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2. Side-lying leg lifts

How to:

  • Grab your yoga mat and lie on your side, your arm should be bent at the elbow under you, supporting your upper body.
  • Now, using your top leg, raise it up as straight and high as you can, before lowing it back down.
  • You should feel a pull in your hips and inner thigh muscles.
  • For this exercise, you can add ankle weights or an exercise band to increase the intensity of the workout.

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3. Hip bridges

How to:

  • Perfect for building those lower back muscles.
  • Lie flat on your back on an exercise mat.
  • Next, bend your knee, while keeping your feet on the floor, as if preparing to do a sit up.
  • Now, slowly raise your hips towards the sky, you should feel a stretch in your lower back and tightness across your thigh.
  • Hold this position for six to ten second, breathe and release.
  • Repeat several times, as often as possible.

Related article: Perfect Your Posterior And Lift Your Tush With These 5 Simple Exercises

4. Squats

How to:

  • This one is a classic for a reason. No matter which squat you choose to do––wide, narrow, classic––you’ll be working your lower back, glute, and hip muscles all at once.
  • For a classic squat, stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, keeping your back straight, lower yourself down into a seated position.
  • Hold for two to three seconds before rising again.
  • Repeat as necessary.

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5. Lunges

How to:

  • One of the quintessential exercises that should make up part of any routine, the key to a lunge is ensuring your back remains straight at all times.
  • Start by standing with your feet together, keeping your core strong.
  • Step forward with the first leg, so both knees are bent at a 90º angle––one with the thigh parallel to the floor, the other with the lower leg parallel to the floor.
  • Then step back into the standing position and repeat for 10-12 reps on each leg.