You may simply want to fill out your jeans or turn heads while you’re wearing your bikini this summer. Well, do you have about a quarter of an hour to zero in on your glutes? If so, we have a plan that involves just two common fitness tools: dumbbells and a stability ball.
This workout is designed to blast your gluteus maximus and the surrounding gluteal muscles while pulling you out of your butt-training rut. These fresh moves are done with a couple of inexpensive but time-tested fitness tools and will raise your motivation along with your behind.
For best results, do this glutes plan two or three times per week using the chart, following the prescribed reps, sets and rest periods. Incorporate just the stability ball at first, and once you’ve mastered that, add dumbbells where applicable. Stick to the plan while eating a clean, nutrient-rich diet, and say hello to a firmer behind before swimsuit season is over.
Adding dumbbells to traditional bodyweight exercises provides multiple benefits. Dumbbells help you develop firmer, rounder glutes by increasing the intensity in moves you love but no longer feel are challenging to you. And in order to see results, you must resist grabbing light weights that you might use for hammer curls or kickbacks.
Try using 10- to 15-pound dumbbells to start, or a weight that you can safely lift off the racks and carry comfortably with your arms by your sides.
A stability ball added to your exercise mix will help keep your posture well aligned during standing moves like wall squats and lunges. And incorporating the ball into isolated, floor-based exercises instantly bumps up the intensity while recruiting additional stabilising muscles in your lower body.
Perfect Posterior Programme
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest Between Sets |
| Wall Squat | 2-3 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
| Wall Lunge | 2 (per leg) | 12-15 | 10 seconds |
| Stability-Ball Split Squat | 2 (per leg) | 12-15 | 10 seconds |
| Stability-Ball Hip Extension | 2-3 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
| Stability-Ball Leg Curl | 2-3 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
Wall Squat
Muscles Emphasised: quadriceps, gluteus maximus
Tip: Turn up the heat on your glutes by holding your last rep for 10 seconds.
How to:
- With dumbbells in your hands, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in front of a wall.
- Position a stability ball between your back and the wall; press against the ball to hold it in place.
- Grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees to go into a squat, rolling the ball along the wall behind you as you descend.
- Stop when your thighs become parallel to the floor.
- Keep your knees behind your toes.
- Hold for one count, then press through your heels to return to standing.
- Repeat.
Wall Lunge
Muscles Emphasised: quadriceps, gluteus maximus
Tip: Switch up this move by holding the weights near your collarbone.
How To:
- Stand near a wall, holding dumbbells and pressing a stability ball lightly between your back and the wall.
- Position one foot behind you under the ball, and step the other foot forward.
- Bend both knees as if you were doing a lunge.
- Keep your back tight against the ball. Hold, then press through your front heel to return to the start.
- Complete all reps on one side before switching legs.
Stability-Ball Split Squat
Muscles Emphasised: quadriceps, gluteus maximus
Tip: As you get better at this move, take a larger step forward — that will really target your glutes.
How To:
- Stand 2 or 3 feet in front of a stability ball, holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip.
- Step one foot back and place it on top of the ball, with your sole facing upward.
- Bend your front leg to lower your body toward the ground.
- Keep your front knee behind your toes.
- Pause, then press through your heel to return to standing.
- Complete all reps on one leg, then switch and repeat.
Stability-Ball Hip Extension
Muscles Emphasised: gluteus maximus, hip flexors, erector spinae
Tip: Increase the intensity by alternating lifting and lowering each leg.
How To:
- Lie face-down on a stability ball with your core supported.
- Place your hands on the floor under your shoulders and spread your legs in a shallow V position.
- Contract your glutes and raise your legs until they are in line with your torso.
- Pause, then lower back to the starting position without touching your toes to the ground.
- Repeat.
Stability-Ball Leg Curl
Muscles Emphasised: gluteus maximus, hamstrings
Tip: Slow the tempo of your reps or make the move unilateral by only using one leg at a time.
How To:
- Lie face-up on the floor, resting your calves on a stability ball.
- Keep your back in contact with the ground, and extend your arms alongside your body, palms touching the floor.
- Lift your hips by pressing through your palms until your body forms a straight line from your head to your toes.
- Bend your knees, bringing the ball within inches of your glutes.
- Hold for one count, then extend your legs without touching your hips to the floor.
- Repeat from the top.
