There are countless reasons why you might want to hit the gym, from losing weight to improving speed for a triathlon. You may also wish to exercise to improve specific parts of your body, such as your butt. Gaining a bigger butt can give you more self-confidence and a greater sense of self-esteem. In addition, building the muscles in your butt can help improve your performance in sports that require running and jumping.
Barbells
Barbells are among the most common pieces of exercise equipment at gyms, so you should be able to incorporate barbell exercises into your big-butt routine no matter where you work out. Barbells also allow you to perform many effective butt-building exercises, including step-ups, lunges and deadlifts. Additionally, you can use a barbell to perform the squat, a highly effective exercise at recruiting muscle fibers in your glutes, or butt muscles, according to the American Council on Exercise. The more fibers you recruit, the better the quality of your workout, which means you'll see results more quickly.
Dumbbells
You can also boost the butt-building potential of your workout with dumbbells. Fitness Magazine notes that dumbbell squats are among the top 10 butt exercises, and you can also use dumbbells for lunges, step-ups and one-legged squats. Dumbbells are also more portable than barbells if you plan to work out on the road. There's also no risk of getting stuck under dumbbells like you could with a barbell, so this type of equipment is safer.
Horizontal Leg Press
Another highly effective exercise for building a big butt identified by the American Council on Exercise is the horizontal leg press. This exercise can be a good choice if you are uncomfortable with the idea of having to hold a barbell and maintain your balance while performing an exercise such as the squat. The horizontal leg press also puts less pressure on your knees, since you don't have to support your entire body weight throughout the exercise due to the seated posture of the exercise.
Treadmill
The treadmill may seem like a simple, unsophisticated machine, but it can give your butt quite a workout. Performing a treadmill workout on an incline can be especially challenging, and Fitness Magazine recommends performing an interval workout by varying both your speed and the machine incline to truly get your butt in gear. As with barbells and dumbbells, treadmills tend to be staples at most exercise facilities, so you shouldn't have problems finding one for your workouts.
References
Writer Bio
Brian Willett began writing in 2005. He has been published in the "Buffalo News," the "Daytona Times" and "Natural Muscle Magazine." Willett also writes for Bloginity.com and Bodybuilding.com. He is an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer and earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of North Carolina.