Best Butt Exercises to Pump Up Your Booty Fast

Want a great butt? Then you have to work your ass off. Literally. It’s not like the butt fairy will come to you at night and say: Girl, I give you a perfect butt for life. That won’t happen. The truth is that squats and lunges are not enough for building firm, round glutes and shapely legs. Not only you must do the best butt exercises out there, but also follow a specific order and train your muscles to failure. You have to feel your muscles working, squeeze your butt for a peak contraction, and use proper form.

I’m not the slimmest person in the world. I don’t have a six pack or a perfect body. But I do have a great butt and muscular legs. And no, I’m not genetically gifted with a big, round booty. As a matter of fact, I had a flat butt during my childhood and adolescence. Kids were actually making fun of my flat booty. Things have changed now. My booty has actually become one of my best features. If you’re wondering how I did it, check out my favorite leg and butt exercises:

The Squat

This is quite self-explanatory. Everyone knows that squats are the best leg and butt exercises out there. The problem is that most people either use bad form or skip them altogether. Some complain about knee and back pain, using it as an excuse to avoid squats. Let me tell you a secret: you don’t have to go heavy when squatting to get results.

I’ve been dealing with knee pain for over a decade. As a result, I’ve stopped doing squats a few years ago. However, I still got great results doing other butt exercises like the glute bridge and single-leg squats. About two years ago, I’ve started to do squats again. Currently, I do a few sets almost daily, including five sets of 15 reps on leg day. My knee still hurts, so I use medium weights when squatting, but I go heavy on leg presses, leg extensions, and calf raises. I also do lots of squat variations, such as the goblet squat, front squats, sumo squats, and Bulgarian or single leg squats.

Different squat variations target different muscles. The goblet squat targets your hamstrings as well as your quads and glutes. Single-leg squats hit your glutes and quads. Sumo squats with kettlebells can help you build a sexy rear. Basically, you have to add different types of squats to your workout to activate your glutes. As an added bonus, your legs will look amazing and your abs will become firmer.

If you use heavy weights, do six to eight reps. For light and medium weights, complete up to 15 reps. In general, it recommended to use high reps (12-15) when training your legs and glutes.

The Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is my go-to move for a perfect booty. There are days when I do as many as 500 reps. I know it’s crazy, but it works. The key is to squeeze your glutes hard and push through your heels to increase glute muscle contraction. Keep your feet as close to your butt as possible and lift your hips with an explosive move. Maintain the contraction for at least 10 seconds at every 50 reps.

After rep #100, place a weight plate or a barbell on your hips. When you’re done, do another 50 reps with your own body weight. As you progress, you can try the unilateral glute bridge, which also works your quads really well. In my opinion, the glute bridge is one of the best butt exercises out there, and the results are almost immediate.

The Leg Press

I never skip the leg press when training my legs and glutes. It’s one of the few exercises where I go really heavy, up to 600 pounds. I’ve actually dedicated an entire post to the debate squats vs. leg press. In my opinion, it’s no need to choose between the two. Why not do them both? If you want to target your glutes, use a narrow stance and place your feet high on the foot pad.

Kickbacks

Kickbacks or donkey kicks are a great choice for glute training. This move produces a higher degree of muscle activation in both the gluteus minimums and gluteus maximus than most butt exercises out there. The secret is to push through your heels to place more tension on your hams and glutes. This exercise can also be performed at the glute kickback machine. Personally, I find it more effective when done with my own body weight. Try both versions to see what works best for you.

I usually do kickbacks along with the fire hydrant (which works on the gluteus medius) at the end of my workout. This way, the muscles are already exhausted, so you’ll feel them burning during the entire range of motion.

Romanian Deadlifts

The Romanian deadlift is one of the best butt exercises for hitting the glutes and hamstrings. This move allows you to train your glute and leg muscles without straining your knees. Compared to regular deadlifts, it requires you to hinge at the hips rather than bending your knees. Just make sure you squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement. Pay attention to your form.

Brazilian Butt Workout for Head-Turning Glutes

I usually train my glutes, legs, and calves on the same day, once a week. However, I do squats and calf raises almost daily (two or sets), and glute bridges two or three times a week. So, here is my Brazilian butt workout for head-turning glutes and amazing legs:

• Squats (5 X 15-20 reps)
• Leg press (4 x 15 reps with wide stance)
• Leg press (4 X 15 reps with narrow stance, feet high)
• Glute bridge (400-500 reps)
• Donkey kickbacks (4 x 35 reps)
• Fire hydrant (4 x 35 reps)
• Leg extensions (5 x 10-15 reps)
• Hamstring curls (5 x 10-15 reps; at the leg curl machine)
• Calf raises (5 x 8-12 reps with heavy weight, or 3 x 40 reps with low weight)

Sometimes I also do:

• Single leg squats (4 x 15 reps)
• Abductor/adductor exercises
• Romanian deadlifts (5 x 12-15 reps)
• Hack squats (5 x 15 reps)

From this list, the following exercises are best for glutes: the squat, the glute bridge, donkey kickbacks, fire hydrant, leg presses, and Romanian deadlifts.

This Brazilian butt workout has given me the best and quickest results. By now you’ve got more than enough artillery to build a gorgeous, toned bum and sculpt your legs, so go ahead and work your ass off in the gym!