Fitness and body image trends come and go but one that seems set to be around for a long time is the desire for a bigger butt. That bootylicious Brazilian butt has been desired for decades but it was the entry of the Kardashian girls onto our TV screens nearly two decades ago that really pumped up the desire of women around the world to get a bigger butt.
In this article, we reveal the best bigger bum workout that we have ever tried.
Butt Anatomy
When we talk about the butt, we are actually referring to the glutes. The glutes are made up of three major muscles:
- Gluteus maximus
- Gluteus medialis
- Gluteus minimus
The gluteus maximus covers the vast majority of the visible part of the butt and is the muscle we focus on when we exercise to build the butt. The job of the gluteus maximus is to extend the hip joint. It does this by pulling the femur (the upper leg muscles) down and back. This moves the body upward from a seated position and propels us forward when we walk or run.
The primary action of the gluteus maximus is hip extension, which can be performed either by moving the femur or the torso. An example of the torso being the main mover would be the stiff legged deadlift while the hip extension on the multi hip machine is an example where the upper body is stationary while the lower body moves. Both types of exercise should be included in an effective bigger butt exercises workout.
You can also do exercises for the glutes in which both the torso and the femur are moving. This is the case with squats, even though the femur moves more than the torso in this exercise. You should also include these types of movements in an effective bigger butt workout.
The Exercises
- Jump Squat with Pause from Bottom
- Glute Ham Raise
- Floor Hip Thrust
- Box Jumps
Jump Squat With Pause From Bottom
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms by your sides. Hinge at the hips to descend into a full squat position. Pause in the bottom position for a two count. Then jump up out of the squat so that your feet come up off the floor. You will find this more effective than split squats.
Glute Ham Raise
This exercise is done on a glute ham raise machine, which can be found in most gyms. The machine will have an adjustable foot plate and ankle pads so start by adjusting them for your height and comfort. Get in position on the machine so that your body is facedown and parallel to the floor.
In the start position your quads will be resting on the torso pad in the middle of the machine. From the parallel body position, push your quads into the pad and tense your glutes as you pull your torso back to an upright position. Keep your back neutral and have your hands crossed in front of your chest throughout this movement.
Floor Hip Thrusts (Glute Bridges)
Lie flat on the floor on your back and bend your knees. Place your hands on the floor alongside you. Now lift your hips and pelvis into the air as high as you can. Hold the top position for a count of five seconds, squeezing your glutes as you do so. Slowly lower, which returns to the starting position, and repeat.
Box Jumps
Stand in front of a box that is either 12, 8 or 24 inches in height. Load your body by bending at the knees and swinging through with your arms and then jumping with both feet to the top of the box. Step down and repeat for the required number of reps.
The Workout
Perform the following glute exercises twice per week to effectively target the glute muscle group. Move quite rapidly through the program with around 30 seconds rest between each set.
- Jump Squat with Pause from Bottom – 3 sets of 15
- Glute Ham Raise – 3 sets of 12
- Floor Hip Thrust – 3 sets of 15
- Box Jumps – 2 sets of 15 jumps
You can increase the intensity of these exercises by using resistance bands
Cardio
Your beautiful butt program should include a cardio workout, a couple of sessions per week. Do this on the days that you are not doing your glute workout. An excellent home gym equipment is a stair stepper, which should be used for 20-30 minutes for a great home workout. This machine directly targets the glutes as it helps to burn off calories for weight loss. Set a resistance that will challenge you to the point that you can feel your glutes working after about 10 minutes.
The Rest of your Body
Training your butt muscles without also working the rest of your body is never a good idea. Doing so will lead to an imbalance in both muscular development and strength. A strength imbalance can lead to injury.
We suggest working your upper body (chest, back, arms and shoulders) separately on one day and your lower body (quads, calves, glute and hamstring) and core on another day. Do these workouts once per week.
The Importance of Nutrition
You will not get a bigger butt by exercise alone. You need to be eating for health as well. Here are ten key foods that you need to be eating regularly in order to support your bigger butt workout:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Avocado
- Quinoa
- Lean Meats
- Nuts
- Beans
- Milk
- Greek Yogurt
These foods will provide you with a healthy balance of proteins, fats and fibrous and starchy carbohydrates. We suggest following a ratio of 40 percent fats, 30 percent protein and 30 percent carbohydrates. In addition, you should also be drinking around half a gallon of water each day.
Wrap Up
Building a bigger butt won’t happen overnight – but it will happen following our workout tip, provided that you are training consistently with the exercises and workout that we have described here. Do this workout twice per week, with at least a 48 hour gap between each workout. You will notice the difference with these butt building exercises
Be sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, follow our healthy food guidelines and keep working to increase the intensity of your training and you will be rewarded with the bootylicious butt of your dreams.
We hope you enjoyed this article and put it into action to bulild strong glutes and achieve muscle growth. We have many other exercise routines you can do, there have been designed by personal trainers for men and women (for example leg exercises, shoulder exercises). Whether your target is to build muscle, losing fat, getting toned or increasing stamina we have the relevant workouts you can use.
