How to Tone Your Glutes

Learn how to tone your glutes and make your back end your best asset. Your gluteus maximus muscle, the buttocks, bum, rear end or whatever you like to refer to it as, is one of the largest muscles in your lower body and by far the largest muscle in your rear end. It is important to keep this muscle strengthened and toned to help support your posture, not to mention how great you will look leaving a room. You can tone your glutes with these simple exercises; squats, lunges and kickbacks. You should aim to do these exercises 3 times a week for about 10 minutes a session.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Resistance Band

1. Squats - Using a resistance band, grab the band in both hands and step on the band with your feet about hip width apart. Make sure the resistance band is under the arches of your feet to prevent it from slipping out during your exercise.

2. Bend your elbows and bring both hands up to your shoulders placing the resistance band slightly behind you.

3. Slowly bend as if sitting down in a chair until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Make sure your weight is on your heels and you are sitting back and not arching the back.

4. Return to starting position. Repeat for 10 to 20 repetitions.

5. Lunges - Place the band under the arch of your right foot and put your left foot behind you.

6. Grabbing both ends of the resistance band, bring your hands up to your shoulders.

7. Now bend down as if you are going to kneel on your right knee. Do not go all the way to the ground but stop when your right thigh is parallel with the ground.

8. Slowly and deliberately return to starting position and squeeze your glutes as you come up. Repeat this for 10 to 20 repetitions.

9. Kickbacks - Kneel down on the floor and place your hands flat on the floor holding both ends of the band in your right hand.
   
   Repeat on the other side.

10. Place the band around your right foot at the arch. Now bend your right knee and raise your right leg off the floor.

11. With a kicking motion, kick back your right leg and extend it up towards the ceiling while straightening your knee.

12. Return to starting position and repeat for 6 to 12 reps. Repeat on the other side

Tips & Warnings

• You can do these exercises without a band and just use your body weight or use dumbbell and ankle weights.
• Remember to warm up your muscles before you do your strengthening exercises.

Resources

• Find out how to tone other parts of your body using resistance band exercises