The path to a balanced physique starts with fortifying the foundation of the body, the lower body. A strong lower body is necessary to maintaining a functional and active lifestyle as well as facilitating the body’s metabolism to burn unwanted fat.
Here are some effective exercises courtesy of Jenna de Leon that help build the glutes and the legs, to not only build strength but also build the appealing look you want.
The Barbell Squat
The barbell squat is one of the best compound movements to build strength, especially in the legs. For the goal of building strength while toning up, aim to do 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.
This exercise will help build the quadriceps, the hamstrings, as well as the glutes, and lower back.
Hip Thrust
A workout specifically tailored to target your glutes. This is the key if you want a butt others aspire to attain. The hip thrust targets the butt as well as the hamstring and lower back. This exercise should be done with a decent amount of weight as the glute is a very strong muscle and can bear a lot of weight to facilitate muscle hypertrophy to build a nice sculpted butt. Target 3 to 4 sets of 12.
It is optional and more advanced to add a resistance band by the knees to further isolate the glutes through abduction.
Single Leg Dumbbell Squat
Single leg dumbbell squats are a great unilateral exercise for the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. The exercise can be tailored to focus on a target muscle by adjusting how far back you step during the exercise. The shorter the step back, the more quad focused, the further back the more it targets the glutes and hamstrings.
Aim to do 3 set of 12 repetitions of the single leg dumbbell squats.
Dumbbell Front Squat
Front squat predominately targets the quads. While doing this, the narrower the stance the more quad-focused it is. However, the wider the stance, the more glute-focused the workout and the more it targets the inside of the thigh (the gracilis and sartorius muscles). Aim to do 4 sets of 12 as well for muscle hypertrophy.
Pulsing Dumbbell Lunges
This particular workout hits primarily the quads but also hits the outside of the glutes (gluteus medius) as well. The glutes act to maintain balance in this position which further amplifies the burn. However, the rewards are well worth it with the results you will attain with doing this workout consistently. Aim to do 4 sets of 12 on each leg.
Single Leg Step-Ups
Single leg step-ups are a good workout to build both the legs and the glutes. This one hits the back and lower area of the butt. This also gets a bit of the hamstrings as well as the quads. This is a good overall exercise to sculpt the legs and butt you want. Aim to do 3 to 4 sets of 12 reps.
Hip Abduction
This solely targets the glutes. The hip abduction exercise is a great way to isolate and build a firm and complete butt. The workout hits the side of the butt (the tensor fasciae and gluteus medius) as well as the back and lower butt region (gluteus maximus). Aim to do 4 sets of 12 of this exercise as a finisher to workout.
This workout regimen done twice a week, consistently is guaranteed to give you the results you aim for.
Health Life Fitness 