We’ve entered a golden age for backside-related jams: Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” Jennifer Lopez’s “Booty” and Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” are all in regular rotation on our workout playlists. And as Khloe Kardashian recently pointed out on her Instagram while doing a squat, “No one ever wrote a song about a small ass, right?” Looking to get your glute in gear a la Khloe? Try one of our all-time favorite butt-boosting moves.
Rear Raiser
“The squat is the best exercise for a sexy lower body because it targets the glutes and quads better than many other moves,” Dianne Sykes Scope, an exercise physiologist in East Rockaway, New York, told us. She likes this move: With feet shoulder-width apart, squat all the way down, fingertips on floor slightly in front of feet. Keeping fingertips on floor, lift hips, extending butt toward ceiling with knees slightly bent (as shown). Return to start for 1 rep. Repeat.
Works butt, thighs
Photo credit: Larsen & Talbert
Burpee Bonus
Bet you had no idea you could work this hard with no equipment. Crouch, place hands on floor and jump into a plank. Lift and extend left leg (as shown), then lower back to plank. Lift and extend right leg; lower to plank. Jump feet toward hands, then jump up, reaching arms overhead, for 1 rep. Do 20 reps.
Works butt, thighs, shoulders, arms, chest, abs
Photo credit: Larsen & Talbert
Rush It
Channel your inner NFL running back with this move: with a resistance band around your ankles, bend forward at hips, right arm forward, left arm back, extending right leg back to create a line from heel to head. Drive right knee forward and jump, swinging left arm to front, right arm back (as shown). Land in start position. Continue for 30 seconds. Switch sides; repeat.
Works butt, thighs, back, calves
Photo credit: Larsen & Talbert
Glute Pop
Get the benefits of bridge pose with a little extra push: Sit on a Swiss ball and walk feet out until shoulders rest on top of it; lift hips (as shown). Slowly lower hips to hover just above floor. Return to start for 1 rep. Do 12 reps.
Works butt, hamstrings
Photo credit: Larsen & Talbert
Skater Lunge
Celeb trainer Harley Pasternak swears by this simple, no-equipment butt-toning move. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step your left leg back and across your body then drop your left knee just behind and outside your right foot (top). Return to your start position. Switch legs (bottom) and keep alternating doing as many reps as you can until you feel fatigued.
Photo credit: Harley Pasternak
The Ass-Assinator
Jessica Biel’s trainer shared this tough martial-arts move with us: Start with left foot slightly in front of right, arms at chin level, elbows bent and hands in fists facing each other. Push off right foot, rising up on left tiptoes and driving right knee up and across body toward left, while rotating arms and torso to right (as shown). Return to start for 1 rep. Perform 15 reps quickly, then repeat on opposite side, for 1 set. Do 3 sets.
Photo credit: Michael Larse, Steve Granitz/WireImages
Horse Stance
This yoga pose challenges your balance and your butt. Start on floor with knees under hips, hands under shoulders and back flat. Extend left arm forward, fingers separated and right leg back, parallel to floor with foot flexed (as shown). Hold for five breaths.
Works butt, back, abs
Photo credit: Matthew Rodgers for Wincreps.com
The Plow
Yes, sitting on a chair does damage to your rear, but you can also use a chair to reverse it. Sit with legs extended, feet flexed, heels on floor. Loop a resistance band around soles of feet and hold a handle in each hand at sides, palms up. Sit up straight and draw arms behind your hips, squeezing shoulder blades together (as shown). Return to start. Do three sets of 12 reps. Focus on keeping arms straight and glutes engaged.
Target: The latissimus dorsi
Photo credit: Arthur Belebeau
Kick-Backs
Graceland actress Serinda Swan shared this butt-busting move with us—it’s her go-to for bikini season. Start on the floor on all fours. Raise one leg up, keeping your knee at 90 degrees so that your quad is parallel to the ground (as pictured), being sure to squeeze your glutes. Return your knee to the ground position. Repeat 30 times on the same leg, then do 20 pulses without lowering. Repeat on both sides 3 times.
Photo credit: Gregg DeGuire
