If you’re serious about putting some sass in that ass, then you need to know the best exercises to lift, shape and sculpt that bee-hind.
Whilst “She Squats Bro” has convinced most people that squats are the be all and end all of booty building (find out why they’re not in this article), there’s a ton of other exercises out there that arguably do a better job of building your butt than the back squat.
Squats are great, but if you really want to make that booty grow, you better start adding these 6 exercises for a bigger butt into your workouts.
Warning: Do these exercises and you’ll have groups of guys swivelling in the street to get a second look at your ass every time your out and about.
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1. Paused goblet squat
Goblet squats, aka goblin squats (‘cos you look like your squatting in the corner of a cave cradling “my previous”), are a bit different to your normal squats — the pause at the bottom gives you no option but to really work your ass off.
Exercise tips:
- Take it slow and stay controlled on the way down
- Your hips should be below your knees at the bottom
- Pause for 2 seconds at the bottom
- Explode back up to standing
How to do it in detail:
- Stand with your legs just wider than shoulder-width apart holding a dumbbell against your chest. Your palms should be facing each other on either side of the end of the dumbbell.
- Squat down between your legs and go as low as you can whilst keeping your weight on your heels (don’t come up onto your toes).
- When you reach the bottom, pause for two seconds, then drive up through your heels back to a standing position.
- Keep your chest and head up, your abs contracted and your back flat throughout.
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2. Glute split squat
These “glute lunges” are a killer bubble butt-buildier if you do ’em right. You’ve gotta keep that front shin vertical and your back up at all times otherwise you’ll just work your thighs.
Exercise tips:
- Keep your front shin vertical
- Try to keep your back upright
- Squeeze your butt as you stand back up
How to do it in detail:
- Hold a pair of light dumbbells in your hands and stand with your legs one in front of the other about a metre apart with a slight bend in both legs. Your front foot should be flat and your rear foot on its toes.
- Slowly lower your body vertically by bending the rear leg and go as low as you can go, ideally until your back knee is just off the floor.
- Try to keep your front shin vertical to the floor throughout the exercise.
- Squeeze your butt and leg muscles to raise your body back to the start position.
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3. Bulgarian split squat
This is an awesome exercise for building a butt AND it’s a fantastic fat-burner too — so you get a two-for-one with this bad boy!
And why am I on a balcony on a chair? Well, I didn’t have a decent photo of the exercise so had to freestyle this one whilst staying in Croatia!
Exercise tips:
- Place your rear foot on chair, step or bench
- Keep your back upright (don’t lean forwards)
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase the difficulty
How to do it in detail:
- Stand about a metre in front of a bench, step or chair holding a pair of light dumbbells in your hands.
- Place your back foot up on the bench, step or chair.
- Your front foot should be flat and your rear foot either on its toes or resting on the top of the foot.
- Slowly lower your body vertically by bending the rear leg and go as low as you can go whilst still keeping your back upright.
- Squeeze your butt and leg muscles to raise your body back to the start position.
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5. Barbell hip thrust
This one does look a bit sexual, but it’ll make your butt look pretty sexual too (remember when “sexual” was a saying?).
The key with this one is to explode up by squeezing your butt. I was once told that for any butt exercise in the gym, you want “do it like you’re f**king, NOT like you’re making love” — funnily enough I’ve never forgotten that one!
Exercise tips:
- Use a pad on the bar (or wrap your gym towel around it)
- Position the bar on the top of your thighs (below hip bones)
- Keep your abs braced to avoid working your lower back instead of your glutes
- If you can’t feel it in your legs, move your legs further away from your body
- Explode back up to the top position by squeezing your bum hard
How to do it in detail:
- Lie with your shoulders resting on a bench or box (approximately 1.5-2 foot high), with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Rest a barbell across your body, just below your hip bones (if it hurts it’s too high!).
- Brace your abs hard to avoid working your lower back instead of your glutes.
- thrust your hips toward the ceiling explosively, lifting the barbell as you push your feet and shoulders into the floor, squeezing your glutes at the same time.
- Lower the bar by slightly releasing the tension in your legs until the bar is just off the floor, then repeat.
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6. Glute-ham raise
Not all gyms have this piece of equipment, but if you’re lucky enough to have it then you and your butt are in luck — it’s time to grow!
Exercise tips:
- Place your hands on your butt to make sure you’re contracting it and working it properly
- Don’t over-do it at the top — this will just work your lower back
- Hold a weight in your hands to increase the difficulty
How to do it in detail:
- Position the thigh-rest on a roman chair at mid-thigh height.
- Set yourself up – there should be a slight bend in your legs. Lower your torso down until it’s at about 90 degrees to your legs.
- Lift your torso by squeezing your butt and hamstrings until your upper body is roughly horizontal and then slowly lower your torso back to the starting position.
- Your back should stay flat and keep your abs contracted. Avoid arching your lower back – this is not a lower back exercise!
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