Strengthening your lower body can give your butt and legs the aesthetic boost you’re looking for, but it’s also a key component to being fit and healthy. That’s because your lower half—hips, glutes, thighs, and legs—contain some of the largest muscle groups in your body (the gluteus maximus, or glutes, are the largest). These powerful muscles are responsible for stabilizing and supporting your entire body, and conditioning them can help you maintain balance and move freely and easily in your daily life.
Exercising your lower half also has many additional benefits, including:
Here are 19 exercises to help you work your lower body and build strength. You can do each on its own or combine them as part of a workout routine and aim to do them at least twice a week. This is the time of a 2016 study Sports medicine found to maximize muscle growth.
Follow along with the personal trainer Kelsey Wells to get your heart rate up and watch your backside look better than ever. Wear a heart rate monitor to track your beats per minute and try to stay in your ideal zone.
Tone your legs and core with this quick workout from Lauren Kleban, who founded LEKfit, a dance-inspired fitness method. As you work through these exercises, remember to keep your core engaged to target these important muscles.
Boost your booty with these three butt sculpting moves from a fitness artist Nicole Winhofer. The glutes, which are the three muscle groups in your butt, help with walking, running and posture. Strong glutes also help you avoid knee injuries, so squat.
Standing with your feet hip-width apart, step your right leg diagonally behind you and into a 7 o’clock position. Bend both knees so that you are in a rollover position. Lean your torso forward 30 degrees and pulse up and down 10 to 15 times. Straighten the body and rotate 180 degrees so that your right leg comes forward. Again, lower to a walk.
Pulse up and down 10 to 15 times on each side to complete a set. do three sets.
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This standing move works both the legs and the butt.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart before stepping your right foot back and lowering into a standing position with your left knee over your ankle. Bring your arms above your head and lean forward from the waist. Lower the chest forward toward the thighs as your arms reach forward. Lift the right leg while straightening the left. Hold for three breaths before returning to the starting launch position.
Do three repetitions. switch legs and repeat.
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Megan Ruppan exerciser who owns the home fitness app Sculpt Society does a 10-minute full-body workout.
This move works the inner thighs and starts in the same stance as the skater’s lunge.
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms down at your sides. Take a diagonal step back with the right foot. Then bend sideways from the waist to the side where your right leg is extended and reach your right arm up and your left arm down and back towards your right calf. Return the arms to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Do 10 reps, then switch sides and repeat.
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This move targets the quadriceps, which are the muscle group at the front of your thigh.
While standing in front of a chair, lift your right leg, knee up, leg bent, and place your heel on the seat. Make sure you don’t lock your standing knee as you lift your right leg off the chair and straighten it until you feel your quad tighten. Keeping your lifted leg in the air, bend the leg slightly on the floor and then straighten it again.
Do 10 to 15 reps, then switch sides and repeat for a full set. do three sets.
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Want a leg lift exercise to work your glutes? Watch this video to learn how to do it right.
So is the fitness trainer and founder of the Fit Body app Anna Victoria works her glutes (and abs). Your abs surround your mid-body and are important in helping you balance and prevent injury.
This V position is similar to a ballet plié, and just like this classic move, it works the thighs, hips and glutes.
Stand holding the back of a chair with one hand. Place your feet in a V position, toes should be about four inches apart and heels should remain pressed together. Bend your knees and lift your heels a few inches off the floor. Then lower your hips until you feel your quads working hard. Pulse up and down.
Ten to 15 pulses up and down complete a set. do three sets.
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Start sculpting your booty with this quick one minute workout from Katie Austincertified fitness trainer and health coach.
This move is a modified bridge and targets the glutes.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Plant your heels on the floor and lift your toes toward your shins. Lift your buttocks off the ground until your back forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Hold for a second before downloading.
Repeat for 15 reps.
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This squat incorporates dumbbells and tones the thighs.
With a five-pound dumbbell in each hand at your sides, stand with your left foot forward and your right foot back in a wide stance. Bend both knees keeping the left knee over your ankle while lowering the right knee almost to the floor. Return to standing position.
Do eight to 10 repetitions on each side.
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This move works more than the legs. targets the back, arms and core in addition to the butt and hamstrings.
Begin standing with your left foot in front of your right foot. Hold a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in the right hand and hold both arms at the side. Leaning forward, lift the right leg off the ground and bring it straight up to hip height. At the same time, bring the weight towards the ground and then lift it up to the level of the hips.
Do 12 to 15 reps on the right side before switching arms and legs to repeat on the left side.
This movement fights cellulite and works the quad muscles.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and lean forward at the hips. Keep your knees slightly bent, bring your chest to the top of your thighs, and let your head fall forward toward the ground. Keep the quads engaged and slowly work to straighten the legs without locking the knees. The hips should stay centered over the legs.
Stay for five to eight slow, deep breaths.
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This move works the butt and legs, and even though the chair is on the title, no equipment or props are needed.
Start by standing with your feet together. Bend the knees and push the hips back while keeping the knees behind the toes. Lower the thighs until they are almost parallel to the floor and raise the arms forward and up. Next, rotate the torso to the right side and place the left elbow on the outside of the right knee. Hold for three breaths and return to the starting position.
Repeat on the left side to complete one rep. do three repetitions.
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This yoga move is great for the legs.
Start on all fours on the ground. Take a deep breath, release, and push into downward dog, straightening your legs and lifting your hips and butt into the air. Push your hands and feet into the ground and relax the head between your hands. Exhale and raise one leg as high as you can while keeping it straight with one leg bent. Lower the leg and repeat on the other side.
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This move is quite challenging. If you can’t complete the recommended reps, feel free to do less and work your way up until you’ve completed the entire set.
Lie on your right side with your upper body supported by your right elbow and triceps, which should be flat on the mat at your side. Stack the legs and hip and bend the knees. Raise the upper bent leg, keeping it flat, and lower it. Straighten both legs and let them drop into a small split position (with one leg split over the other). Place the lower leg about 1 to 2 inches off the floor with the knees pointing forward. Return to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Do 30 to 40 repetitions, then switch sides and repeat.
These lower body exercises are designed to shape your butt, thighs and legs, but will also help you stay strong, flexible and healthy. Try them all to see which ones work best for you and stick to a regular routine to see faster results.
