Evolutionary design:
The size and shape of your behind is part of your physical condition and it does influence your sexual appeal. Throughout most of western history, women were expected to be curvy, soft and voluptuous, characteristics that are harbingers of fertility. With the advent of jogging and highly competitive sports, today our ideal of beauty and fashion for women may be thin, toned and tall; and for men, muscled, toned and strong. But whatever your subjective preference may be, Paul Sorace, a trainer from New Jersey says that, “At the very least, 99% of the women I train want to work with the glutes.”
STEP 1
The Dream:
Are we realistic in thinking about having round, chiseled and lifted derrieres or is this just a pipe dream? In reality, a large part of our shape is inherited and depends on our family genes. And, unfortunately there is no such thing as "spot-reducing" so if your backside is too big, you are probably big all over.
The Plan:
But there are things we can do to tone, lift, and camouflage our butts to look great in clothes and to feel more fit overall. To begin, alternate doing Pilates (core-building exercises), Yoga (balance and stretch workouts), strength-training (read this as weight-lifting) along with a dose of ballet barre (targeted stretching). Two or three times a week with any of these with a rest in between is optimum.
STEP 2
May I Suggest:
First warm up by working-up a sweat aerobically.
The glutes are large motor muscles and every time you take a step, you use glutes. Consequently, walking is great and, if you can tackle hills or take the incline on a treadmill, even better. Hiking is another workout that requires leg energy and really eats the calories. Experts say that a 140-pound person can burn about 390 calories an hour hiking. Another great glute warm-up is biking, which uses every muscle in your thighs, hips and butt. Running just naturally propels those legs and makes you feel good, eliminates stress. Not everyone can kickbox, but complex punches will target your abs as well as your trunk.
Stair machines, and arc or elliptical trainers are great butt-shaping equipment and, for variety, don’t forget in-line skating.
Tip: Walking backwards helps to target those rear end muscles (try walking backwards uphill!)
STEP 3
The Best Exercises:
In order to physically exercise these muscles, you need to apply strenuous resistance throughout the full range of motion of your hip joint—from a fully flexed position to a fully extended position that covers an arc of up to 165 degrees. Certain machines will do this but freehand exercises with no equipment, using just the force of gravity against your muscles will do the same thing; and you can do them privately and cheaply.
For example, in a sitting position, an ordinary soccer ball can do some of the things a machine can. Simply sit comfortably on the floor with your legs out in front of you, your hands providing support extended behind, palms flat, fingers extended. Place the ball between your knees and while squeezing your glutes, also squeeze the ball between your knees. Count to ten slowly and repeat. Do as many repetitions you can until you fatigue. (This can also be done sitting in a chair.)
STEP4
The Frog:
Another exercise to target those areas of resistance is "the frog." It's just like its name. You assume a frog position by squatting down. Make sure that your knees are not pitched forward over your toes. You can balance using the tips of your hands. Now jack your hips in an up and down motion s-l-o-w-l-y and in a controlled way using your thighs and glutes to raise and lower your rear end. This is done deliberately and with caution. You will develop quite a heat but do as many as you can to fatigue. (There is a YouTube video link below to show you proper form.)
STEP 5
Warmed-up:
Now that you are warm, you can work on the target toning exercises that rely on gravity and working your own weight against itself. The best are squats, ball squats against the wall, and sumo squats.
Basic squat: squat as if you were sitting in a chair but before you hit the "seat" bring yourself back up (you can use a chair to begin). Keep a flat back. Repeat with deliberation. The addition of small weights held in each hand will augment this exercise later on.
Lunges: (one version)
Standing front and back lunges and stepping lunges are great too (concentrate on long steps no farther than 90 degrees). Do this: Try lunges using >steps< and you will help to protect your knees. Stand a foot or so in front of a set of steps. Pick the third step as your target. Lunge forward placing your arch and heel area on the top of the step; push and then return the leg. Do the other side. Alternate and work both hips and legs until fatigued.(Correct form with the stepping variety is key.)
STEP 6
The bridge:
The bridge is a hard exercise, really defining your booty against gravity. To begin, lay down on your back. Bend both knees and place feet flat on the floor with a wide stance no larger than your hips. Now slowly lift your vertebrae off the floor and arch your back using your glutes to help pull you up. (It looks like a backward bend at completion.) Repeat as often as you comfortably can.
Wall walk:
Another old-fashioned version is to use the lower half of your body to >walk up the wall.< Lay in front of the wall, feet facing. Scooch up until your legs bend. Lay back down. Now using your feet, walk up the wall using both legs until you are extended; your shoulders will support you on the floor. At the top, walk back down.
Other good exercises to lookup and try: hip lifts, prone ball leg lifts, and side leg raises. For correct form: videos and examples of these exercises can be found in the links below.
STEP7
Inner Thighs:
Don't neglect the inner thighs as toning the inside of your legs helps to support the rest of your behind. A great exercise for this is the crab. (For this you will need to purchase an exercise band.) Tie the band around both ankles. Now squat slightly and take four steps to the right, extending the band tautly. Your step should be at least a full 12-inch step. Feel the slight pull on both the inside and outside of your thigh. Now take four steps to the left to complete the move. Do as many sets of these as you can before you tired.
feel
