(please clear any kind of exercise program with your physician and fitness professional especially if you have any physical disability or restrictions. ) 1. squats: squats are your mainstay for building and strengthening your buns. stand with feet hip-width apart and hold weights at shoulder level or at your sides. bend the knees and lower into a squat keeping the knees behind the toes. imagine that you’re sticking your butt out behind you but keep the torso upright and contracted. press into the heels to stand up. repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-16 reps. 2. wall sit: stand about 2 feet in front of a wall and lean against it. slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles and hold keeping the abs contracted for 20-60 seconds. come back to start and repeat holding the squat at different angles to work the lower body in different ways. to add intensity hold weights or squeeze a ball between the knees. 3. leg press: here you’ll be pushing a weight or resistance away from yourself using your legs. this can be done with gym equipment or bands. 4. lunges: these exercises come in a variety of forms. the traditional lunge goes forward with weights and a bent knee or there is the assisted lunge with no weight and you can hold onto a wall or chair. or you can try a lunge that requires a much smaller range of motion lowering your body only part way. 5. dead lift: this exercise is not meant for everyone. it targets the lower back glutes and hamstrings. if you have any problems with these muscles don’t do a dead lift. this exercise simulates what we do all day long as we bend over and pick things up. 6. hip extension: this is one of my favorite exercises to strengthen the glutes. stand facing a wall placing both palms on the wall and with a straight back simply push one leg out behind you as high as you can go keeping the back and leg straight. do this 10 times switching legs each time. or you can get on the floor on all fours and take one leg and simply stretch it straight behind you. do this 10 times switching legs each time. if you use ankle weights you can add more intensity for a real glute challenge.
what are good strength-training exercises for the glutes?