Squatting at the gym is fun and all, but like, that requires getting ready and going to the gym. *Shudders*. I don't know about you, but to me, some days that just sounds like a lot. And by a lot, I mean too much. Still, the grind is the grind, so if you can't stomach the idea of leaving your house, luckily, there are lots of butt workouts you can do at home, no effort of journeying to the gym required.
Honestly guys, the majority of the butt workouts listed below can easily be done while you're watching your favorite show on Netflix, which may or may not be the best news you've heard all year. Ha. Ha. Nothing like a quality New Year's dad joke, amirite?
Anyway, when it comes to working out your derrière, there's so much more to it than just strengthening and shaping. According to CentraCare Health, workouts like squats count as functional fitness, which refers to a type of training that helps you carry out basic, everyday activities and movements more safely, efficiently, and with better mobility — think climbing the stairs in your apartment building without getting winded after just one flight, lifting heavy boxes (and actually not dropping them) when you move into a new place, etc.
So, are you up for the challenge? Try these expert-recommended butt workouts, all of which you can do in the comfort of your own home.
Courtney Roselle, a personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist, is all about tempo squats when you're chilling at home and looking to squeeze in a quick butt workout. "These are traditional squats, but with a slow count to the bottom and back up to the top," she tells me in an email. "Try three seconds for each."
These bad boys work because, according to Roselle, the slower descent and ascent create more time under tension for your muscles. "You will feel the burn after fewer squats, and it will help build your overall endurance," she explains.
Try tempo squats with weights for an even greater challenge.
Another of Roselle's favorite home butt workouts? Pistol squats. (BTW, Jessica Biel is all about them, too.)
TBH, this move is hard AF, but once you get the hang of it, you'll feel so accomplished. Plus, pistol squats are great for a balanced lower body: "Similar to the effects with lunges, by using one leg, you don't allow your body to compensate for a weaker side like in a traditional squat, says Roselle. "This requires you to build up the strength and muscle of each side of your glutes."
You can also scale these movements by sitting down on a chair and getting back up using one leg, Roselle suggests. Baby steps, fam.
"Although most people think of leg circles as a simple warm-up exercise, they can actually do wonders for toning your glutes," Samantha Morrison, a personal trainer and health and wellness expert for Glacier Wellness, tells Elite Daily. "Even more, leg circles can be done anywhere, any time, and without any equipment." Bless.
According to Morrison, leg circles are a surprisingly effective butt workout since your stabilizing muscles are forced to maintain your balance and support your pelvis. "All you have to do is stand on one leg with your other leg slightly elevated and rotate your elevated leg in small circles, both clockwise and counterclockwise," she explains.
You can switch it up by circling your leg in front of you and to the side if you want a more complete glute workout, Morrison adds.
According to Sadie Kurzban, founder and CEO of 305 Fitness, this move is great to save for the end of a workout, when you’re feeling mostly tired and out of breath, but ready to push yourself just a little more. "This supine move works the muscles of the glutes and hamstrings, and is also great for opening up flexibility in the spine," she tells Elite Daily.
Here's how to do single leg bridges, as per Kurzban's instructions: Start by lying down, supine, with your knees bent and your feet on the ground. Your feet should be relatively close to your body, so that your hands can touch your heels. Raise your hips up off the ground, until you feel it in your spine (if you do, according to Kurzban, you’ve gone too far).
Then, carefully raise one leg off the ground, keeping the knee bent 90 degrees. Make small pulses up and down with the hips, engaging the muscles of your pelvic floor and your glutes. Try doing this for 20 seconds, says Kurzban, then switch legs to complete the set.
Clamshells are an awesome way to build your butt muscles, says Latoya Julce, a trainer and instructor at 305 Fitness.
According to Julce, the gluteus medius (which basically connects your leg to the top of your thigh bone) is often overlooked in most butt workouts, but it's a super important part of the body, and clamshells can help you target it more easily. "[The gluteus medius] is responsible for abduction, internal and external rotation of the hip, and stabilization of the hip and pelvis during weight-bearing activities," the trainer tells me. "This move will shape the sides of your booty."
To do them, Julce suggests putting an elastic band above the knees and lying on your side with your bottom hand extended. "Bend both knees in toward your stomach and rotate the top leg to the ceiling," she explains. "Bring the top leg back down without resting it on the bottom leg." Do this 20 times with 20 pulses at the end, and repeat four times, Julce says.
Boom. You are ready for that fourth-floor walk-up.
