To get a butt this great, you need to do lots of dead lifts and lunges.
By photo& co via Wikimedia Commons

Who doesn’t want a great rear end? I know I do, so I take great care of my butt:). Not only does a strong, firm butt look great, but it has many other benefits. It makes you walk more efficiently, as strong glutes propel the body forward. It improves your posture and makes it easier to bend forward, sit down and stand back up. It makes you a better athlete and decreases your risk for injuries. Last, it helps to fend off back pain. Well developed butt cheeks supports your pelvis from behind, while a strong core supports this area from the front. (Read this article to learn more about this.) More often than not do I find that people who have flat, underdeveloped buttocks suffer from lower back pain.

Here are my tips to develop a well-rounded behind:

1. Do single-leg Romanian dead lifts using a heavy weight. This exercise is probably the most efficient exercise you can do to get a great butt. Because it strengthens your buttock and hamstring simultaneously, you work that all-important area under the butt. In other words, this exercise strengthens AND lifts your butt, preventing the dreaded sagging-butt syndrome.  Start with a very light weight if you have never before done this exercise and remember to bend the leg on which you’re standing. As you get more confident, increase the weight. If you can do more than twelve reps with good form, it’s time to use a heavier weight.

2. Include multi-directional lunges into your workouts, especially forward lunges, side lunges and curtsies. Make the lunges as long and as deep as your knees can handle with good form. Also, if you bend forward about three inches more than the person on the photo doing the front lunge—but still keeping your chest up—you’ll get more glute activation and your quads work less. Do twelve to fifteen lunges with each leg. When you get stronger, hold weights in your hands or put them on your shoulders to make the lunges harder.

3. Add a few squats with weight on your shoulders. If you’re fairly de-conditioned, start by doing the squats without any weights. When you do a squat, lead with your butt, meaning stick it out as you bend in the knees and the hips. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your toes pointing forward. Another good image to ensure you’re squatting properly is to picture yourself sitting down on a couch. You’re leading with your butt then, right:)? When you master 20 squats without weights, place five-pound weights on your shoulders—or hold them in your hands, your arms by your sides—and squat. Gradually increase the weight and lower the amount of repetitions. Eventually you should be able to have fifteen to twenty pounds in your hands or on your shoulders—on each shoulder—while completing ten to twelve reps.

I bet you this Brazilian dancer does not have any lower back pain…By Savaman via Wikimedia Commons

4. Tie a theraband around your lower legs—mid-calf—squat and walk sideways like a crab. Make sure your feet are pointed forward, meaning in the same direction as your nose and knees as you’re walking. People tend to turn the feet out to the sides, using their quads, since the gluteus medius is a small muscle and gets tired much fasted than the quads. You’re doing this exercise correctly if the sides of your butt burn. Fifteen steps walking in one direction and back again (thirty steps total), repeat one more time (another thirty steps) should be enough. Use a heavier theraband if it gets too easy. Remember, you need to use a lot of resistance and lower reps to develop strong glutes.

5.  Take the stairs as often as you can. And take two steps at a time if you can. Or three. The closer to the chest you get your knee/leg as you climb the stairs, the more you activate your buttock on that side. You will also burn more calories if you get into the habit of walking as many stairs as possible, burning the fat that’s on top your beautiful butt muscles:).

Bonus Butt Joke: What did one butt cheek say to the other? We can’t stop this sh*t… (By Comedy Central)