The next time you go to the gym, observe how people are training, specifically what lifts they're doing. Chances are you'll see a lot of traditional lifts like squats [1] and training "mirror muscles" (the ones you can see when you look in the mirror like our abs and arms [2]). Because of this, we often forget one of the most important parts of our bodies — our posterior chain. The posterior chain encompasses all of the muscles starting at the base of your skull down to your heel. Start implementing exercises like hamstring curls into your routine to really isolate and target muscles in the back of the thigh. Not only will this help give you a natural butt lift [3], it can also help power explosive movement like running and jumping.

Here's how to do it:

• Start by lying face down on the hamstring curl machine. The pad of the machine should be on the back of your legs at the bottom of your calves.
• Keeping your body flat on the bench, lightly grasp the handles near the front to stabilize your upper body. Bend your knees to bring your heels toward your glutes stopping once your knees have reached a 90 degree angle. Hold for one second.
• Slowly lower down for three seconds.
• That's one rep.
• Do three sets of 12.