How to Tone Glutes

You can achieve toned glutes by mastering a few exercises that you can do at home or at the gym. Follow these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Tone Glutes With Squats

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands at your sides and weight on your heels.
2. Lower your body as if you were going to sit in a chair and raise your arms straight out in front of you until they are parallel with the floor. Get down as low as you can go without letting your knees move forward. Look straight ahead.
3. Stand up, pulling your hands down to your sides.
4. Do sets of 15 to 20 repetitions. You should feel a burn in the back of your legs and glutes.
5. Add weight when you feel more confident. Hold a 3 to 5 pound barbell in each hand and rest the weights on your shoulders, or place a 9 to 12 pound bar across the fleshy part of the back of your neck. Be careful not to lean forward.

Modify Your Squats to Tone Glutes

6. Squat as above, but instead of standing up right away, do 15 to 20 mini-squats or "pulses" at the bottom of your squat.
7. Do a one-legged squat by crossing one leg in front of the other and resting that foot on top of the other foot. Do 15 to 20 squats, keeping your weight on your heel.
8. Try a squat with one leg on top of a step about curb-high. Your feet should be a couple of feet apart. Drop straight down into a squat, being careful to balance your bodyweight centered on your heels.

Tone Glutes with Kickbacks

9. Get on to your hands and knees.
10. Keep one knee at a 90-degree angle and move the leg straight up as one unit, alternately pointing the toe and keeping the foot flat.
11. Do two sets of 10 repetitions, being careful not to arch your back.

Tips & Warnings

• Tighten your abdominal muscles while doing squats to support your back and engage more muscle groups in your workout.
• See a doctor before beginning any workout routine.
• Performing an exercise or lifting a weight incorrectly can cause injury. If you're unfamiliar with weights or weighted bars, ask a qualified gym professional or trainer to show you what to do.
• Use a mirror to monitor the position of your knees while you squat. They should never move in front of your toe.

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