We rounded up our favourite butt-lifting exercises because gravity is relentless. Plus, sitting all day can make your glutes go to sleep and stop functioning properly. And a sleepy butt is most likely a droopy butt. All that being said, it's time to strengthen, tone, and lift your butt. Here are 11 effective exercises; add one to three of these moves to your next full-body workout or leg-day routine and build some muscle to start defying gravity.
This classic move, also known as a squat to overhead press, will fire up the glutes and the back of the legs.
Stand with your legs just slightly wider than hip-distance apart, arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears.
Bend your knees, squatting down low, as if you were sitting in a chair, keeping weight on your heels.
Press the dumbbells overhead as you straighten your knees to return to standing.
We recommend completing three sets of 10 to 15 reps.
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3Glute Bridge
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This beginner-friendly exercise works the glutes and hamstrings, giving a lift to the area.
On your mat, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Be sure to keep your feet underneath your knees, not in front. Plant your palms by each side, facing down.
Press through your heels to raise your hips up to the ceiling, tensing your abs and squeezing your butt as you do. You should be making a long diagonal line with your body, from shoulders to knees.
Hold for a few seconds, making sure your spine doesn't round and your hips don't sag. Keep your abs and butt muscles engaged.
Lower down to the ground; this is considered one rep. Do at least two sets of 12 to 15 reps.
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4Booty Kick With Resistance Band
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Feel the burn with this move — your butt and outer thighs will be feeling it in no time!
Hold onto either end of your resistance band, and place the centre of the band around the sole of your right foot. Then place your elbows and knees on the ground so your back is straight.
Hold the band firmly, draw your belly in, and extend your right leg straight out behind you. Then draw your knee forward, but don't let it touch the ground.
Repeat for a total of 15 to 20 reps, then repeat with your left leg. Do two sets with each leg.
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5Lying Hamstring Curl
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A perennial favourite, this move sculpts the hamstrings and glutes and the area where those two muscle groups meet.
Start by lying flat on your back with an exercise ball under your heels. Bridge your hips up, and hold that position through the entire exercise.
Flex your feet, and dig your heels into the ball. Place your arms straight out to your sides — don't use them, though; they are just for support.
Slowly roll the ball toward your body as you curl your heels. Keep your hips in the bridge position; don't thrust them toward the ceiling as you do the move.
Then slowly return to the start position (straight legs, hips bridged) to complete one rep.
Aim to do three sets of 10 to 15.
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6Dolphin on the Stability Ball
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This lower-back and glute exercise is a favourite of celeb trainer Harley Pasternak — sometimes called a reverse hyperextension. It targets the upper fibres of the glute max to give your booty a lifted look.
Lie face-down on a stability ball with your arms bent slightly, abs tight, and legs straight.
Keep your abs engaged, and slowly lift both legs toward the ceiling.
Pause for three seconds (or at least one second), then lower your legs back to the floor.
Try to do two sets of 10 reps each, and stretch your lower back with a Child's Pose after this one!
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7Single-Leg Bridge
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Working one leg at a time takes the bridge to an entirely new level.
Lie on your back, and place your hands on the floor for stability as you bend one leg and lift the other leg toward the ceiling.
Pressing your heel into the floor, lift your pelvis up, keeping your body in a stiff bridge position.
Slowly lower your body to the floor and repeat three sets of 15 reps on each side.
This move is an oldie but a goodie when it comes to toning and lifting your backside
Stand upright holding a pair of medium-weight dumbbells in each hand, arms at your sides, with your knees slightly bent.
Keeping your arms straight and knees slightly bent, slowly bend at the hips (not your waist) and lower the weights as far as possible without rounding your back, which should remain straight.
Now squeeze your glutes to slowly pull yourself up (don't use your back).
Go for three sets of 15 reps.
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9Advanced Single-Leg Bridge
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This move really targets the glutes nicely.
Start seated, with your hands about a foot from your butt and your fingers pointed away from you. Your feet should be about 18 inches from your butt, with your right heel pressed into the mat and your left foot hovering just off the mat.
Press your right heel into the floor to activate your glutes as you lift into a tabletop position, and straighten your left leg, keeping your thighs parallel. Resist the urge to throw your head back as you do this. Do not lock your elbows, either.
Slowly lower your butt to the floor, returning to the start position. This completes one rep.
We recommend two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps on each leg.
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10Single-Leg Touch
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You will feel your glutes lifting and burning after just a few reps of this move.
Holding a 10-pound dumbbell in your right hand, stand on your left leg with your right foot lifted.
Keeping your back flat, bend your left knee while bending forward at your hips to lightly touch the dumbbell to the ground. Keep your right knee bent and your right leg close to your body.
Push through your left heel and return to the starting position to complete one rep; try to keep your right foot off the ground as you complete all your reps.
Start with 12 reps on each leg for a set, and do two to three sets.
If you're new to strength training, try this exercise without a dumbbell and work up to adding weight.
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11Curtsy Lunge
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This lunge variation works the glutes from a different angle, helping to lift and sculpt the panty-line area.
Start from standing, and step your left leg behind you and to the right so your thighs cross, bending both knees as if you were curtsying. Make sure your front knee is aligned with your front ankle.
Return to standing, and switch sides to complete one rep.
