5 Booty Exercises To Help You Burn Fat

You sit to eat breakfast. You sit on the commute to work. You walk into work, then sit until you go to lunch, then you sit to eat lunch. Finally, you come home so you can sit on the couch. Sound familiar? This kind of routine can make your derriere the most used, yet underused muscle group.

If it sounds like you, be warned: condemning your butt to a life of bench warming can take it out the game for good. Not only do your glutes top the men’s most-wanted lists but they’re also your most valuable full-body, fat-burning asset. If they’re kaput, not only will your posterior look more yurt than pert, you’ll burn fewer calories in everything you do. That’s because your glutes are the most powerful collection of muscles in your body and weak glutes negatively impact all your muscles.

This exercise plan will switch on your glutes and maximize your body’s potential to burn fat while making you the center of attention whenever you leave a room. Do this workout once or twice a week, making sure you leave at least one day’s rest between sessions.

1. Plank with alternating leg lift

What to do: One set of 35 seconds, two sets of 30 seconds. Use your bodyweight.

A) Get into a prone position on the floor, supporting your weight on your toes and your forearms. Your arms should be directly below your shoulders.

B) Keep your body straight and hold this position. Engage your glutes to lift and hold one foot a few inches off the floor, foot flexed, then switch legs.

2. Dumbbell squats

What to do: One set of 10 reps, two sets of 8 reps. Use a heavy amount of weight

Muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs

A) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells in your hands.

B) Bend your hips and knees to lower yourself towards the ground. Stop when the bottoms of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Go deeper if you’re comfortable. Keep your back straight and knees in-line with your feet. Rise by straightening your knees. 

3. Barbell hip thrust

What to do: One set of 12 reps, Two sets of 10 reps. Use a challenging amount of weight

Muscles: glutes, hamstrings, calves

A) Sit on the ground with a bench behind you. Put a loaded barbell over your legs. Roll the bar so it’s directly above your hips and lean back against the bench so your shoulder blades are near the top of it. 

B) Drive through your feet, extend your hips up through the bar as far as you can, then reverse the motion back to the start. Your weight should be supported by your feet and shoulder blades.

4. Standing reverse dumbbell lunge

What to do: One set of 15 reps, two sets of 12 reps. Use a light amount of weight

Muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs

A) Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold dumbbells by your side.

B) Take a giant step back with your left foot and bend your left knee until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and your knee form is at 90 degrees. Keep your back straight. Reverse the motion and step back to the start. 

5. Barbell squats

What to do: One set of 12 reps, two sets of 10 reps. Use a moderate amount of weight. Pause for two seconds in the descended position on the last two reps of each set.

Muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs

A) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Rest a barbell on the back of your shoulders. 

B) Use the same technique as the dumbbell squats. 

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