While it’s true that squats can work your glutes from every angle, they get pretty boring. It’s why you really can’t sustain a tight tush on squats alone. Besides, there are plenty of variations which, when performed together, could put the basic squat out of business.
Your glutes exist for better reasons than just looking good in jeans. This major muscle group (made up of your gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) is a key player in explosive movements like jumping and sprinting.
Ready to round out your glute routine? Try these five moves. Repeat each exercise for 45 seconds to one minute in the order listed below, and repeat the entire set up to three times to seriously feel the burn.
1. Curtsy Lunges:
How to:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips.
- Keeping your hips square, cross your right leg behind you and step backward as you lower your right knee toward the floor.
- Your left knee should remain directly above your left ankle.
- Pause, then press into your left heel as you stand and extend your right leg into a side kick.
- Repeat for 45 to 60 seconds before you switch legs.
2. Heel-Lifted Squat :
How to:
- Begin with your feet hip-width apart and your left heel lifted. (For an extra challenge, lift the whole foot off the ground and extend your leg in front of you.)
- With control, push your hips back as you lower your bum toward the floor, bracing your core to help you balance.
- Don’t let your standing knee come out over your toes.
- Pause, then press into your right heel to stand up into the starting position.
- That’s one rep.
- Repeat for 45 to 60 seconds before you switch legs.
3. Single Leg Dead Lift:
How to:
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your right foot a few inches in front of your left.
- The left knee should be slightly bent.
- Draw your abs in and slowly fold forward, keeping your left foot in line with your spine as you reach toward the floor with both hands.
- Pause, then return to starting position.
- Repeat 45 to 60 seconds before switching sides.
4. Sumo Squat to Calf Raise:
How to:
- Begin with your feet about twice hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward.
- Keeping your knees above your ankles and abs drawn in tight, push your knees back as far as you can and lower your hips toward the floor until your thighs are parallel with the ground.
- Raise both heels off the ground slowly and with control.
- Pause, then slowly lower your heels.
- That’s one rep.
5. Squat to Sumo
How to:
- Begin with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
- Keeping your knees directly above your ankles, sit back into a squat.
- Press into your heels and pulse in this position as you turn both feet out about 45 degrees, then back to the starting position.
