Booty Buster Fit: The Easy-to-Follow Guide to the Perfect Booty

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When you’re ready to get out and work those glutes, these activities can activate your butt, legs, and upper body—all without heavy weight lifting at the gym:

While there are a myriad of butt-centric and full-body exercises that strengthen the glutes, paying attention to form and challenging yourself with repetitions of the home exercises above, or adding resistance (i.e., using a resistance band or weights) at the gym will get you the derriere you desire, Schultz says. Whether you describe your butt as saggy, flat, or full, butt workouts can help you sculpt and strengthen your glutes, i.e., the group of three muscles that make up your booty: Although full butts may be a popular aesthetic, what’s more important than size is functionality: how well your glute muscles serve you while you’re performing daily activities like walking up steps and standing after sitting at your desk for hours, Gilles says.Cycling engages lower body muscles, including your hamstrings, quads, calves, and core, Gilles says. If you want to intensify the booty burn, Olson recommends holding onto the handle bars of your bicycle or stationary bike and standing up while you peddle—just imagine you’re building momentum to get uphill. Note: You may need to amp up the resistance or shift into a higher gear to maintain control in this position. A sled you see at the gym isn’t the same type of sled you’d use to cruise down a snowy hill: It’s an object designed to carry weight and slide across a surface when pushed or pulled. The benefits of pulling and pushing a sled include strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and abdominals, as well as overall conditioning, Gilles says.

She says that even if you're born with a tiny butt, you can still hold out hope if you want a bubble butt like hers.This lunge variation challenges your balance and works the outer area of your glutes, including the gluteus medius, Olson says. I post glutes exercise videos day after day to show people that while genetics do play an important role in determining the size of your glutes, significantly growing the muscles is absolutely possible," she told Cosmo.

Fire hydrants work your hip abductors and your gluteus medius specifically, Peterson says, adding that the moves can contribute to the overall “roundness” of the booty. Tip: Varying the length of your steps can affect which muscles are activated: Shorter steps will target the quads, while longer steps will target your glutes.Walking lunges not only target your glutes and hamstrings, they’re another great exercise for improving your balance, Gilles says. Finding ways to enjoy the process will make reaching your goal far more rewarding, Peterson continues. A few ways to sprinkle in some fun: Hire a trainer, ask some friends to join you during home workouts or at the gym, and vary your workouts. Placing your feet on an elevated surface while performing a bridge increases your range of motion, activates your hip flexors and stretches your glutes at the same time, Gilles says.

Not only does Abby have a killer booty, but she's got an inspiring transformation story to go along with it. While she was in engineering school, she was under a lot of pressure from classes, family health issues and relationship drama. She told Cosmopolitan that her diet was the one thing she felt like she could control — so she began obsessing over counting and burning calories, eating only 1,000 calories per day. If you’re still working on proper squat form, wall squats are a safe way for beginners to practice. Incorporating wall squats into your routine may also benefit your posture, according to a small 2015 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science . Fitness model and certified personal trainer Anna Victoria can pose with the best of 'em, but that doesn't mean she's out of touch with reality, either. She's well known for her body-positive attitude online and frequently posts photos revealing what goes on behind the scenes to maker her look as good as possible. While running at any incline can benefit your overall health , running uphill calls for greater hip extension, activating the gluteus maximus and hamstrings, Olson says. How to do it: Kneel on your hands and knees with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Keeping your tummy tight, spine neutral (not arched), and knees bent 90-degrees, engage your glutes as you raise one heel behind you and toward the ceiling until your thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Return to your starting position with control to complete one rep. Repeat 15 to 20 times, then switch sides. Start with two sets per side and build up to three or four.Whether you’re looking to improve your athletic ability, reduce your risk of injury, or maintain mobility as you age, squats are a critical exercise. Using a chair to guide the movement can activate the hips and help beginners progress to air squats, according to Gilles. Jessica DiGiacinto is an associate editor at WW. A health and wellness writer and editor based out of New York, she’s contributed to Popsugar, Bulletproof 360, and Galvanized Media, among other media outlets. Gluteus maximus: The largest muscle in the butt, the gluteus maximus is largely responsible for the shape of your butt. More importantly, it facilitates hip mobility to help you stand up from a chair or walk up a hill and supports the pelvis to keep you upright. How to do it: Stand in front of the chair as though you’re about to sit down, feet hips-width apart. Keep tummy tight as you bend your knees, keeping them behind the toes. Just before your butt graces the seat, engage your butt and thighs to return to standing. Do this for two sets,10 to 15 reps per set.