Sexy Butt Exercises: Lunges

A firm, round butt doesn’t happen overnight. It can take months to produce buns of steel, or something very close to it. When that happens, not only your butt transforms. Your confidence grows and you can’t wait to show off your new and improved backside.

You’re comfortable walking around naked at the gym and in front of you man with the lights on. You start to plan your next beach getaway and buy your first bikini thong. You love looking at your butt in the mirror, turning right and left to catch a glimpse of its full glory. You see postcards of sexy beach bums and you’re not jealous. You can take them on!

What’s the secret? Target the stubborn areas that you want lifted and toned with the most effective exercises. Of course, don’t forget about balancing cardio, diet and a full weight-training program to get the results you want. But really, let’s focus on lunges.

Walking, stationary, and cross-over lunges are guaranteed to make your butt, quads and hamstrings feel firmer. Start off performing lunges with no weights to ensure correct technique then add more weight and more reps – you can never do enough lunges!

Follow these steps to do the basic drop-knee version:

1. After warming up, grab two medium weight dumbbells (start with a low weight). For more intensity, increase the weight and/or place a barbell behind the neck.

2. Stand in a split stance, with feet about 3 feet apart in front of a mirror. Lunge forward with a step slightly bigger than a normal step and lower down by squeezing your hamstrings and butt muscles. Keep your back straight and take a deep breath, tightening your core muscles.

3. Lower until your back knee is almost touching the ground and is about two to three inches behind your leading foot that you lunged with. Both knees should be at about 90 degree angles at the bottom of the movement, so adjust accordingly. Keep the heel down and the front knee directly over the center of the foot.

4. Keep your torso straight and squeeze your abdominals as you push through the front heel. Stand up slowly back to starting position and repeat with the other leg. Don’t lock the knees at the top of the movement.

5. Build on this exercise by adding heavier weights, lunging further forward and lowering deeper as long as you don’t sacrifice technique. Also, do one leg at a time to stress the muscle in a shorter time period, and vary the pace and tempo.

Variations of a Lunge

Walking Lunges – Lunge forward around the gym, alternating legs and adding weights.

Step-Ups – Climb stairs one or two at a time. Do it continuously for 15 to 20 minutes, which can count as your cardio for the day. Or use an elevated platform (the step) at the gym. Start with one platform then add two or three. With step-ups, you can lunge up and down, sideways and cross over. Try a step aerobics class. Once you master the coordination of this exercise, you will see a difference.

Alternating Lunges – Rather than lunging one leg at a time, alternate legs moving forwards and then backwards for a more intense workout. This one can also count as an effective cardio workout if you do more sets and reps.

Cable Lunges – Hold onto a low cable with both hands, keeping your toes in slightly and your body upright. Lunge down then push back into the starting position. Perform this stationary one leg at a time, or switch legs and alternate the movement.

Smith Machine Lunges – Position the body underneath the bar and rest the bar on the meaty part of the upper back and shoulders (use a towel or shirt for more cushioning). Take a step back and forward so there is about twice your normal walk pace between your legs. Squeeze your abdominals and keep your back straight, no leaning allowed. Lunge as described above but you will notice a difference using a Smith Machine. You will feel more in control and be able to balance the weight more easily.

Author: Sarka Kocicka

For more butt exercises, read Best Butt Exercises: Squats.