4 Ultimate Booty-Boosting Exercises

Take your tush to the next level with a little help from our pro.

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Tracy Anderson
March 12, 2015
Let's clear something up: A beautiful butt is not dependant on just your basic lunges and squats. There are so many exercises that are much more dynamic (like the sculptors on the next page) and that will actually hoist your bum higher and firm you up a lot faster back there. (They'll also help you get that "boom" my client J.Lo has been singing about recently!)

The important thing is to find exercises that target the deep six muscles—the piriformis, gemellus superior, obturator internus, gemellus inferior, obturator externus and quadratus femoris. Located underneath the glute, these small muscles not only strengthen your backside but are responsible for pulling everything back there in and up. Without them, you may succeed in stopping the dreaded jiggle, but you'll never get uplift.

See this workout: 4 Booty-Boosting Butt Exercises  
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Butt-lifting exercises

Let's clear something up: A beautiful butt is not dependant on just your basic lunges and squats. There are so many exercises that are much more dynamic (like the sculptors on the next page) and that will actually hoist your bum higher and firm you up a lot faster back there. (They'll also help you get that "boom" my client J.Lo has been singing about recently!)

The important thing is to find exercises that target the deep six muscles—the piriformis, gemellus superior, obturator internus, gemellus inferior, obturator externus and quadratus femoris. Located underneath the glute, these small muscles not only strengthen your backside but are responsible for pulling everything back there in and up. Without them, you may succeed in stopping the dreaded jiggle, but you'll never get uplift.

See this workout: 4 Booty-Boosting Butt Exercises  
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Working your butt from all angles, which these sculptors do, ensures that your backside not only gets round and firm but lifted, too. And the recurring motion of extending the leg up and out calls upon those deep six muscles we talked about, while also adding a lever of resistance. (Make it harder: Add ankle weights.) Do them six times a week, plus 30 to 60 minutes of cardio.

Do moves 1 to 3 on the right, then the left; end with 1 set of move 4.

See this workout: 4 Booty-Boosting Butt Exercises  
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Start toning

Working your butt from all angles, which these sculptors do, ensures that your backside not only gets round and firm but lifted, too. And the recurring motion of extending the leg up and out calls upon those deep six muscles we talked about, while also adding a lever of resistance. (Make it harder: Add ankle weights.) Do them six times a week, plus 30 to 60 minutes of cardio.

Do moves 1 to 3 on the right, then the left; end with 1 set of move 4.

See this workout: 4 Booty-Boosting Butt Exercises  
Start on right hip, legs extended and right hand down. Bend right leg and tuck knee. Raise left leg (A). Roll onto left knee, place left elbow down and extend right leg back and up (B). Return to "A." Do 30 reps.

Pro tip: Hips should be stacked here.

See how to do this move: Alternating Back Kicks  
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Alternating Back Kicks

Start on right hip, legs extended and right hand down. Bend right leg and tuck knee. Raise left leg (A). Roll onto left knee, place left elbow down and extend right leg back and up (B). Return to "A." Do 30 reps.

Pro tip: Hips should be stacked here.

See how to do this move: Alternating Back Kicks  
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Start on left hip, sitting with hips stacked, both legs bent and left forearm on the floor (A). Roll onto left knee and place right hand on the floor; kick right leg back and up (B). Return to hip. Repeat move 30 times.

Pro tip: Work to extend leg as high as possible.

See how to do this move: Sitting Stack Arabesque Kick  
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Sitting Stack Arabesque Kick

Start on left hip, sitting with hips stacked, both legs bent and left forearm on the floor (A). Roll onto left knee and place right hand on the floor; kick right leg back and up (B). Return to hip. Repeat move 30 times.

Pro tip: Work to extend leg as high as possible.

See how to do this move: Sitting Stack Arabesque Kick  
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Start on all fours. Raise right foot off the floor, flex it and swing leg out to side, pulling knee forward and down toward right wrist (A). Bring leg back in, and then extend it back and up (B). Do 30 reps.

Pro tip: By turning leg out, you should feel your outer hip working.

See how to do this move: Flex-Foot Arabesque Kick  
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Flex-Foot Arabesque Kick

Start on all fours. Raise right foot off the floor, flex it and swing leg out to side, pulling knee forward and down toward right wrist (A). Bring leg back in, and then extend it back and up (B). Do 30 reps.

Pro tip: By turning leg out, you should feel your outer hip working.

See how to do this move: Flex-Foot Arabesque Kick  
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Start with feet wider than hip-width apart, hands on hips (A). With a slight bend in knees, squat down, leaning torso forward as far as possible; stick butt out (B). Return to standing; curl pelvis in and then pop butt out. Repeat pelvis curl, then repeat "B" move. Do 30 reps.

Pro tip: Don't forget to pull belly button back to spine.

See how to do this move: Body-Roll Squat  
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Body-Roll Squat

Start with feet wider than hip-width apart, hands on hips (A). With a slight bend in knees, squat down, leaning torso forward as far as possible; stick butt out (B). Return to standing; curl pelvis in and then pop butt out. Repeat pelvis curl, then repeat "B" move. Do 30 reps.

Pro tip: Don't forget to pull belly button back to spine.

See how to do this move: Body-Roll Squat  

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