The buttocks, or glutes, set off the appearance of the body when looking at it from behind. More specifically, a tight, toned butt can make you feel self-confident in jeans and swimming attire. The trick to making this happen revolves around your exercise habits. If you train properly and take certain things into consideration, you will find success.
Anatomy
The gluteus maximus, medius and minimus make up the buttocks.These muscles function to move the thigh in a backward direction called hip extension. For training to be effective at tightening your butt, you need to do exercises that involve hip extension.
Specific Exercises
You have the option of doing compound and isolation exercises to tighten the butt. Compound exercises involve more than one joint and muscle working simultaneously. Isolation exercises primarily work one muscle at a time. Both work the same way to tighten the butt, but compound exercises will lead to more overall muscle fiber recruitment throughout the body. A squat for example, works the glutes, but it also works the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abs and lower back. Include squats, stiff leg deadlifts, lunges, stepups, glute kickbacks and lying hip extensions in your workouts to tighten your butt.
Proper Exercise Form
Using proper technique is a pivotal point that will make or break your progress. If you do not have proper body alignment and fail to forcefully contract your glutes, your progress will be compromised. For stiff leg deadlifts, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with your palms about shoulder width apart. Keeping your back straight, bend forward at the waist and slowly lower the bar toward the floor. As you do this, push your butt back and stop when you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Steadily rise back up and squeeze your glutes forcefully at the top of the movement. Hold for a second and begin your next repetition.
Resistance with Exercises
Your goal with exercise is to max out your glute muscles. You will achieve this goal by using a heavy resistance. Aim for a weight that will only enable you to do eight to 12 reps with proper form. With glute kickbacks and lying hip extensions, wear ankle weights to increase the resistance. You also have the option of doing kickbacks from a standing position with your lower leg attached to a cable machine.
Notes About Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise burns calories and promotes weight loss throughout the body. Although this will not make your butt bigger, it will help tighten it up. You are best served choosing a form that places a high amount of emphasis on the butt, such as running, walking sideways, stair climbing or elliptical training.
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