Small ball (a rubber ball, Pilates ball or soccer ball are ideal)
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Best Butt Workouts: Step Backs
• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Hold one 15-pound weight in your right hand and hold it at your shoulder (parallel to your body).
• Step back with your left foot bending your knees until you're in a lunge position. Make sure your front knee doesn't extend over your toes.
• Step back up and squeeze your glutes.
• Repeat nine more times, for a total of 10.
• Switch sides; place the weight in your left hand and step back on your right. Again, do 10 repetitions.
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Best Butt Workouts: Deadlifts
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body. Weights should be resting on your thighs.
• With your back and legs very slightly bent, reach toward the ground with your weights. Be sure to keep your back flat. Only go as far as your flexibility will allow.
• Stand back up and repeat nine more times for a total of 10 repetitions.
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Best Butt Workouts: Step Ups
• Step up onto a bench/step and back down with your right foot 10 times. Make sure your knee is directly above your ankle as you step up.
• Switch feet and step up with your left foot 10 times.
• Want to challenge your abs while you do this? Interlace your hands behind your head.
Note: If you are collapsing into your back (meaning that your spine is curving) when you step up, the bench/step you're using is likely too high.
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Best Butt Workouts: Single Leg Sit Backs
• Step into your exercise band loop and slide it up your legs until it's above your knees. This will help you maintain balance as you do this move, says Borden.
• Raise your right leg and sit back into a squat position (while standing only on your left foot) like you're about to sit in a chair (you can place a bench or chair behind you so you'll know about how far to squat down). Hold this pose for 30 seconds.
• Do 14 more reps with your right leg lifted -- for a total of 15 and then repeat with your left leg lifted.
Butt workouts are one of the most worthwhile physical endeavors you can undertake. Not only does a toned butt help ensure that you aren't placing undue strain on your knees or back, but it leaves a lasting impression whenever you walk away.
To make your rear view is one worth doing a double-take over, add these six butt workouts, courtesy of fitness and lifestyle consultant Ashley Borden, to your routine. Aim to do four sets of these easy-to-follow butt exercises two to three times a week.
The best part about this butt workout is, it doesn't require fancy gym machines so you can do it pretty much anywhere -- at home, at a park or at the gym. Bonus: Most of these moves also work your legs. So don't be surprised if your hamstrings, inner thighs and quads also feel the burn as you do these.
