What Exercise Machines Build Up Butt Muscles?

Butt Muscles

Whether it's tight and toned, or flabby and droopy, your butt contains three muscles -- the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus makes up the bulk of your rear, while the medius is located up toward your hip and the minimus is tucked in between the two. While up to 70 percent of your butt's shape can be attributed to genes, the remaining 30 percent relies on the amount of exercise you do, your nutrition, posture and the amount of sleep you get. Strengthening your glute muscles with weight machines and losing excess fat from all over your body with cardio machines can help you defy genetics and gravity as you age.

Strength Training Machines

The glute muscle group is engaged in many lower body strength training exercises, but certain machines target the butt muscles more than others. A weighted squat machine gets your butt muscles fired up as you use your glutes to power your body on the upward phase. Standing low hip cable abduction works the butt and hip area for that sexy, hourglass curve. A leg press machine will work your butt muscles while also giving you the added benefit of toned thighs. While on the leg press, position your feet wider than hip width apart with your toes pointing outward for an extra challenge.

Cardio Machines

No amount of butt-toning machines are going to improve your rear view if you don't include some cardio into the equation. Spot-reduction is a myth, but a combo of strength training and aerobics will yield the results you're after Cardio equipment such as the stair climber, recumbent bike, treadmill or elliptical can be used to help you lose some of that excess fat and reach your weight loss goals.

Training Considerations

Plan on two to three weekly strength training sessions, each lasting approximately 20 minutes to build up your butt muscles. Include upper body exercises in your strength training workout for all-over toning and increased muscle mass. To lose the extra junk in your trunk, engage in at least 150 minutes of heart-pumping exercise on a cardio machine. Rest is as important for building bigger muscles as exercise is. Take one day off in between strength training sessions to prevent injury or muscle fatigue and allow the muscles to repair themselves. Also give yourself a one-day break from the cardio so your body can rest and rejuvenate.