Floor exercise and exercise with fitness equipment for gluteus muscles
Most weight-bearing leg exercises will work out your gluteus muscles to a degree. The same is true with various gym classes, running, rollerblading and ice skating. You can decide to omit targeted exercises for your gluteus muscles from your regular workouts entirely, but I feel that it’s good to stretch (particularly if you have a day job which requires sitting on a chair), to strengthen and to tone this muscle group from time-to-time. You will not only look much better and sexier, but your muscles will be stronger.
I have two types of exercises for your gluteus muscles, I’ll use butt for short.
Floor Exercise for the Butt
This floor exercise is an extremely effective one for strengthening and toning your butt. It really targets these muscles and can be done anywhere and without any exercise equipment.
Method of Performance
Put your hands and knees on the floor, in everyday language - the doggy position or you can bend your elbows and rest your arms on the floor.
Keep your back flat in either of these starting positions.
With your legs bent at a right angle, push your leg upwards just a little above your waist, hips. The movement is as if you had something resting on the flat part of your foot and you are pressing on it upwards.
On the downward part of the movement you have a choice. You can either bring the leg to hip or waist level or you can bring your leg in towards and close to your chest, not touching it.
Remember to breathe. Exhale as you push your leg up, inhale as you bring your leg down.
Do about 12-15 repetitions then repeat for the other leg.
Do 3 to 4 sets of this, once a week or every other week provided you are doing your regular leg exercises or workouts on your legs.
LifeFitness Glute Machine
This is my favorite exercise machine for the gluteus muscles. I like this exercise because although it works your butt muscles, it also is a great full-leg exercise, especially if you don’t have much time to do your legs. It’s done on a LifeFitness exercise machine or any other make of this type of glute machine.
Adjust the weights to the appropriate level. If this is your first time on this machine, you may want to set it at very low weights to get the feel of the exercise.
Lean forward a little with your chest on the adjustable pad and grasp the handles in front of you.
Keep your left leg and foot flat on the floor while the right leg you will be using will be pressed against the foot rest.
Push your right leg backwards and outwards, as far as you can go.
Now bring the leg in as close to you as you feel comfortable or as close as you can.
Do this for about 12-15 repetitions then repeat for the other leg.
3 to 4 sets of this exercise is fine, once a week or every other week.
Remember to breathe. Exhale as you push your leg out, inhale as you bring your leg in.
There are also plenty of other exercises that will tone, stretch and strengthen your butt muscles like fitness classes, Yoga, Pilates, ice skating and rollerblading.
