Do you ever feel like your glutes are unbalanced? No matter what the reason is, you have probably investigated how to get a shelf of muscle on your upper butt. In the process of trying to grow your glutes, you will likely find that squats, lunges, or an intense side butt workout are the best exercises. How often are you actually getting a decent upper glute workout when you’re doing your favorite booty workouts? Holly Roser, certified personal trainer, and owner of Holly Roser Fitness state that this area is often ignored. And that’s a shame. The gluteus medius is a muscle located in the upper gluteal area. It is responsible for the internal and external rotation of the hip joint, abduction, and stabilizing of the hip while working out.
What are the benefits of an upper glute workout?
If you work on strengthening your upper glutes, you will see many benefits in how you feel and your athletic abilities, says Roser. According to the text, exercising the gluteus medius muscle will help reduce lower back pain, knee pain, and the risk of ankle sprains. This text is saying that you will be able to run faster and work out harder if you use this product.
Your Butt-Lifting Workout Plan
1. Glute Bridge
To do this exercise, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor 12 to 16 inches from your butt. Tighten your abs and glutes, then press down into your heels to raise your hips up towards the ceiling. To start, lower yourself two seconds after you’ve assumed the position. That’s one rep.
2. Donkey Kick
How to: Get on all fours on top of your mat. As you lift your leg into the air, keep your right knee bent at 90 degrees until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knee. Your right toe should be kicking toward the ceiling. Reverse the movement to return to the start. That’s one rep.
3. Single-Leg Deadlift
To do this exercise, stand on your left leg with your right-hand palm facing your thighs. Extend your left arm to the side for balance. Keep your left leg slightly bent. One leg should be extended straight behind you with your torso parallel to the floor. Your other hand should be extended in front of you and almost touching the floor. Use your left heel to return to a standing position. That’s one rep.
4. Bridge Hip Cook Lift
How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Bring your right knee up to your chest and hold on to it. Putting your weight in your heels, press your left glute to raise your left hip until your thigh is in line with your back. Lower down to the mat. That’s one rep.
5. Squat Pulse
To do this exercise, stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest. To perform a squat, begin by pushing your hips backward and bending your knees to lower your body into a squatting position. Raise your body up a few inches from the ground, then lower it down again. That’s one rep.
6. Banded Leg Lift
To do this exercise, start by getting on your hands and knees. Then, wrap a resistance band around your thighs. Lift your left leg behind you, keeping your foot flexed. Stop when it’s parallel with your hips. To engage your glutes, lift your leg up a few inches and then lower it back down until your hip is at the same level. That’s one rep.
7. Dumbbell Deadlift
To properly execute this move, hold two dumbbells in your hands and stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Rest your palms on the weights in front of your thighs, with your palms facing your body. Keeping your knees bent slightly, press your hips back as you hinge at the waist and lower the dumbbells toward the floor. Squeeze your glutes to return to standing. That’s one rep.
8. Modified Pistol Squat
Sit on a chair and hold a dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest. Place your right foot on the floor. Rising on one leg, bring your right leg up to a 90-degree angle at hip height. Reverse the movement and lower back to start. That’s one rep.
9. Weighted Fire Hydrant
Position yourself on your hands and knees on top of your mat. Put a dumbbell that weighs between two and five pounds in the crease of your right knee. Lift your leg out to the side at hip height, keeping your leg bent at a 90-degree angle. Return to start. That’s one rep.
10. Lateral Squat Walk
How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Keeping your core tight, step your left foot out to the side and then your right foot. Then step back to the left; that’s one rep.
11. Bird Dog
Start by getting on all fours, with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Put your left arm in front of you, and your right leg behind you, so that your body forms a straight line from your left hand to your right foot. Hold for a second, then return to start. That’s one rep.
12. Supported Single-Leg Deadlift
This is your starting position To begin, stand on your left leg with a dumbbell in your right hand. Your palm should be facing your thigh and your left arm should be by your side. To balance, step your right leg a few feet behind your body, lift your heel, and press your right toes into the ground. Keep your left leg slightly bent. Hinge at the hips and lower the weight toward the floor, keeping your back flat. Use your left heel to push off and return to the standing position. That’s one rep.
13. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
To do this exercise, start by lying on your back with your arms out to the side and your knees bent. Your feet should be flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Keeping your thighs aligned, raise one leg so that your toes point up. tighten your butt muscles to raise your hips up evenly from the floor, then lower them back down. That’s one rep.
14. Banded Glute Bridge with Hip Abduction
To perform this exercise, wrap a resistance band around your thighs and lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your arms by your sides and press into the mat. This is your starting position. Tighten your abdominal muscles and tuck your butt under, then raise your hips towards the ceiling. Pause, then press your knees out wide. Return to start. That’s one rep.
15. Stability Ball Hamstring Rollout
To do this exercise, start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet on top of a stability ball. Tighten your abdominal muscles and press down into your heels to raise your hips off the ground. Lift your left leg straight up into the air. Hold the position as you straighten your right leg. Next, tighten your hamstrings and bend your right knee to bring your foot closer to your butt. That’s one rep.
16. Kang Squat
To stand correctly, have your feet wider than hip-distance apart with your toes pointed slightly outward. Place your hands behind your head. Bend your knees and hips, lowering your torso until it is almost parallel to the ground. Sit on your heels, then bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Push through the heels to return to standing. That’s one rep.
17. Banded Hamstring Walk Out
1. Loop a resistance band around your thighs 2. Lie down on your back with your knees bent 3. Plant your feet on the ground 4. Lift your hips into the air so your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees Lifting the left foot a couple of inches forward, then followed by the right, while keeping the hips still. Do the following until your legs are almost fully extended, then take small steps back to the starting position. That’s one rep.
18. Isometric Lunge
Bring your right arm through, and punch the ball, keeping your eyes on the ball at all times Stand up tall, take a large step forward with your right foot, coming on to the ball of your left, bring your right arm through and punch the ball, keeping your eyes on the ball at all times. Arms are by sides. Your starting position is with your knees bent to 90-degree angles and your hands clasped in front of your chest. From here, bend your knees and lower your body until your knees are bent to 90-degree angles. Hold for up to 30 seconds. That’s one rep.
19. Hip CARs
How to: Get on all fours on top of your mat. Bend your right knee at 90 degrees and lift your leg away from your body. Then, rotate your leg until your knee is behind your body in a donkey kick position. Return to start. That’s one rep.
20. Jump Squat
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, and arms at the sides. To do a squat, bend your knees, stick your butt back, and lower yourself down. Bring your hands together in front of your chest. Then jump up as high as possible off the floor, swinging your arms straight behind your body for momentum. Get ready to squat by landing on the balls of your feet. As soon as you land, lower your body into the next squat. That’s one rep.
21. Resistance Band Deadlift
To begin, stand with your feet hip-distance apart, and wrap a resistance band around your arches. To begin the exercise, reach your hands up and grab the band. Make sure to keep your arms straight and your hips back in a hinge position. Drive down through heels to stand up straight, squeezing your glutes at the top. That’s one rep.
22. Banded Single-Leg Tempo Deadlift
How to: Start standing on your left leg with your foot over the middle of a long resistance band and one end of the band in either hand. keeping the spine straight, bending forward at the waist, and lifting the leg straight up behind the body until both are parallel to the floor. Push through your left heel to go back to the starting position. That’s one rep.
Frequently Asked Questions
To give your upper butt a natural curve, you can do exercises that target the muscles in that area, like lunges and squats. You can also try wearing a compression garment or shapewear to help give your butt a lifted appearance.
Be consistent—and patient. If you want to build a bigger and stronger butt, it’s going to take some time, admits Bianca Vesco, a certified personal trainer from Nashville. ” In order to lift heavy weights, you need to have a plan, eat more to fuel your lifts, be consistent in the gym, and be patient with yourself. You can’t expect to achieve an impressive booty overnight – it takes time and effort.
How do I know if my upper glute workout is working?
Remember: upper glute gains take time. You may feel like your hard work isn’t paying off, but it takes 18 months to 2 years to see results from glute training. She states that the work is never done and that being consistent provides opportunities to make progress. ” Although working out may seem like it is only a temporary fix, it is actually something that you should do your whole life. Strength Training, especially for your legs and glutes, will help to make sure that your body is still strong and healthy when you are older. Strong glutes, strong legs, strong life.”
Is working out your glutes twice in a row possible?
In other words, it depends on your skill level and overall fitness. When discussing exercise recovery, there are many aspects to consider, including training or exercise volume and frequency, adequate sleep, proper nutrition, training periodization, rest days, and more, explains Dr. Rachelle Reed, Senior Director of Health Science and Research for Orangetheory Fitness. The purpose of recovery in a training program is to allow the body to return to a state of balance, which happens during the periods when you are not working out.
Reed says that if you’re new to resistance training, a 24- to 48-hour rest period between sessions is ideal in order to allow your muscles to recover properly. This is especially important for exercises that target large muscle groups and multiple joints, such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, and hip thrusts. “Basically, monitor your perceived soreness levels,” she says. Age, the intensity of activity, nutrition, and hydration levels all play a part in how quickly your body can recover from a workout.” DOMS can start anywhere from 24 to 72 hours after a workout and can last for a similar amount of time. Age, the intensity of activity, nutrition, and hydration levels can all affect how quickly your body can recover from a workout. If you want the best chance of success, it is best to start slowly and monitor your feelings. After a few sessions, you will understand how your body is reacting to the treatments.
Though it is fine to train the upper glute muscles back-to-back, Reed recommends alternating exercises for the most noticeable gains, once you have more experience. “The best programs will use a variety of different exercises, weights, and other methods to make progress safely and effectively,” she says. Some things to keep in mind when trying to improve your butt size are that you should focus on muscle hypertrophy (increasing muscle size/volume) and appropriate loading based on your fitness level.
To grow a butt, you should work out three to four times a week.
There’s no one set answer. According to Vesco, the frequency of these exercises depends on how heavy the lifting is. Lighter loads for toning can be done up to three times per week.” For muscle growth and strength, you should only do heavy lifts one to two times per week. For toning, you can do lighter loads up to three times per week. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how often people should exercise since everyone has different fitness levels and goals.
The shape of your glutes cannot be changed through exercise.
Yes, but it will take time. According to Vesco, anyone can change the shape of their butt, but the extent of the change depends on the individual’s goals. ” Your goal may be to have a bigger booty, but in order to achieve that, you need to focus on working all the muscles in your backside, not just the upper glutes. Increasing the strength of your gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles will help you improve your performance much more quicker.
Working your glutes too hard will not help you achieve your goals any faster. training the muscles is necessary for growth, but too much training can be harmful if there is not enough time for the muscles to rest, repair, and rebuild.
