The buttock is made up of 3 different muscles; gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Collectively called the glutes.

The glutes are difficult to build and tone for a couple of reasons; not stretching the muscles, not allowing them to activate before exercise, not incorporating resistance training and cardio, and finally, not following the right diet plan.

As women, we also tend to naturally carry extra fat on our backsides, making it even harder to tone the area up. If your booty is your problem area, put these tips to use and you’ll be dying to get in that bikini!

 

Always Stretch Your Glutes

The key to proper muscle function and building is keeping the muscle loose and lengthened. The same is true for your glutes. Whether you’re a novice weight lifter, an experienced bodybuilder, or you don’t work out at all, it is still important to take the time to stretch your glutes. The tighter your muscles become, the more likely you are to sustain an injury and less likely you are to use that muscle properly. If you have tight glutes, you may notice low back pain, knee pain, poor posture, or hamstring pain. When the glutes are tight and can’t work sufficiently, other muscles are more likely to strain.

 

Activate Your Glutes

Before doing glute exercises, make sure you have them activated. When working glutes, it’s easy for the hamstrings or quads to take over. This is why mind to muscle connection is so important when trying to build a booty. Start by doing some stretches and some no weight/light weight exercises to “wake up” the glutes and make sure they are working properly. If you are performing a glute exercise and feeling it elsewhere (hamstrings, quads, back), that can be a sign of weak glutes and you may need to lower the weight. Or, it may be a sign that you have not yet activated the glutes so surrounding muscles are taking over.

 

Resistance Training

Resistance training is one of the best ways to tone any part of your body. It will be what defines and sculpts your booty, giving it that youthful appearance you desire. Weight lifting, resistance bands, and cable machines are all great forms of resistance training to help build your butt. Remember, glute training won’t do you any good without stretching and activating the muscles first.

 

Cardio

Cardio is an important component in building and toning glutes because it helps remove any excess fat you may have hanging on in that area. Some types of cardio, however, can be damaging to your glutes. For example, long distance runs are great for endurance and building speed but bad for growing your glutes. Running tears down your glutes, making it hard for them to grow. Sprints, on the other hand, are great. If you sprint 30 seconds/walk 30 seconds that’s just enough to get you in fat-burning mode without tearing into your glutes.

 

Diet

Yes, diet does play a role in toning up your rear end. Eating 5-6 small meals a day will boost your metabolism, which will help burn any unwanted fat you have around the butt. Water is also important not only to help flush out any toxins from the body, but it will also keep the skin hydrated and allow the butt to appear shapely and firm. Replace processed foods with lean proteins, veggies, and complex carbs to allow your muscles and metabolism to work better. Lastly, avoid alcohol. Alcohol is destructive to our metabolism and will practically stop the body’s fat-burning process.

 

 

Why Strong Glutes Are Important

Along with having a great looking backside, strong glutes are important for many more reasons. We need our glutes to sit, stand, walk, bend over, squat down, and several other daily activities. Without strong glutes, we risk the chance of developing balance issues, lower and upper body muscle pain, and limited mobility. Work your glutes while you can! Not only for the voluptuous, full booty, but also for your long-term health!

 

Start toning and strengthening your booty NOW!

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