Resistance bands are cheap, portable, and a game changer for your butt. None more so than booty bands, the smaller resistance bands you've probably spotted on Instagram — they're typically used around the thighs to fire up the glutes. While the name may sound more like a toy than a fitness phenomenon, there's nothing that will lift and strengthen those muscles faster.
And firming your butt may be more crucial than ever. "Glute amnesia is becoming more and more of an issue because our jobs literally keep us sitting on our butts behind a desk all day," trainer Sarah Chadwell, NASM, CPT, told POPSUGAR. "One way to counteract glute amnesia is to use glute-focussed exercises combined with bands two to three times per week. Not only are you keeping your glutes strong and healthy, but you'll also sculpt the most sought-after fitness asset: a round booty."
Chadwell shared her favourite and most effective banded glute exercises, and here's how she suggests using them:
- You can do two of the following exercises as a warmup before you hit the weights on legs day.
- You can simply swap your legs-day workout for two to three sets of each of these exercises at 15-20 reps per set.
- Or, if you sit most of the day at work, try doing three of these exercises three times per week when you get home.