“What do I need to do to get a nice butt?”

I hear that question nearly as often as, “How do I get a nice, flat stomach?”  Especially, from my female clients.

Build it and they will come!  When you address the needs and wants of your clients they will be much more likely to rave about their results to friends which means more clients for you.

When implemented with well rounded boot camp routines, they exercises will develop strong, toned backsides that will look good in bikinis and board shorts alike!

1) 1-leg squats sitting back onto a bench into a forward lunge

-  This is pretty much exactly as it sounds.  Ideally, you’ll have a bench of some sort to aid in the 1-leg squat which is a difficult exercise without.  Have your clients perform a single 1-leg squat immediately followed by a single forward lunge.  Perform 8-10 reps before switching legs.  This one is a killer and will add some variety to your arsenal.

2) Overhead Squats

-  A barbell overhead squat is an advanced exercise that takes great flexibility and strength to perform properly.  A scaled back, “barbell-less” version is a great way to increase flexibility and squat form…not to mention a glute killer!  Simply instruct your clients to clasp their hands together and extend their arms (palms up, reaching for the sky) straight up behind their ears.  Perform 8-12 reps.

The key to good glute activation is proper form.  Hands high, arms behind the ears, and weight on the heels throughout the entire motion.  Squats performed with heels off the ground reduce glute activation and work primarily the quads in addition to putting excessive stress on the knees.

3)  Crossover Lunges

-  Again, this is just as it sounds.  Instead of bringing the lead leg straight forward, cross the lead leg over the rear leg.  Push off from the heel for maximum glute activation.  Perform 8-12 reps.

4)  Squat Jumps

-  Squat jumps not only blast the legs and glutes, they also get the heart rate going.  Proper technique is important here as well.  Majority of the movement occurs through the heels and hips with ankle extension occurring only during the jump.  Upon landing, it’s important to drive the hips down and back to really hit the buns.  My clients love to hate squat jumps!

5)  Jumping Lunges

-  Just as effective as jumping squats and a whole lot tougher (according to some).  Start in a lunge position with one foot forward and one behind.  Jump as high as possible and alternate legs in the air landing with the opposite foot in front.  Perform 10-12 reps on each leg.

6)  Bounding

-  There a number of variations of bounds that can be performed, but the two most basic are the two-legged “frog jump” and one-legged forward jump.  These are basically squat jumps, but instead of jumping straight up and down the goal is to jump as far forward as possible.  The landing and deceleration phase are important.  Use the legs, hips, and butt to absorb the landing keeping the knees behind the toes as best as possible.  Bounds are great for overall leg and glute development.

I can’t stress the importance of proper technique enough!  Squats and lunges performed on the toes will do very little for the glutes and are only good for burning quads.  Also, many people have weak glutes due to inactivity and poor posture which leads to buckling knees during the upward motion during squats and lunges.  Instruct your clients to push their knees outwards if you see that their knees are buckling inwards.  This will lead to much greater glute activation.

To Your Success and Nice Butts,

Adam Jay