Jumps, Kicks and Burners
If you’re not a fan of squats, lunges or glute bridges, we’ve got plenty more butt exercises for you to try. These bodyweight-focused butt exercises work your booty in unique ways, while strengthening your core, inner thighs and quads. Plus, by recruiting muscles in your arms and upper body, you’ll get a total-body workout in one move. Quicken the pace to increase your heart rate. But how many reps can you do? Try a few of these moves to find out!
35. Jump Squats
Get your heart rate up and your booty burning with this plyometric variation of the squat — one of the best for creating powerful movements. As you explode up, be sure to land back softly on your heels with your knees bent.
36. Roundhouse Kicks
You’ll feel like a kickboxing pro with this butt-sculpting exercise. In a shallow squat position, kick with your left leg to the side, while punching your left arm out.
37. The Clam
This Pilates move sounds gentle, but a few reps can do a number on your glutes and inner thighs. For an added challenge, place a looped resistance band above the knees.
38. Treadmill Skate
If you thought treadmills were only meant for running, you were wrong. Working one leg at a time, prepare to torch your glutes, hamstrings and calves with this dynamic move.
39. Donkey Kick
Donkey kicks target the meatiest muscle in your backside: the gluteus maximus. When you kick it up, tighten your lower abs to avoid sagging your hips.
40. Butterfly Booty Booster
The butterfly can be a savasana option in yoga, but in a strength workout, it’s far from relaxing. Place the soles of your feet together and keep your knees pointed out as you pulse your booty off the floor to sculpt every angle of your glutes.
41. Forward Bounds
This explosive move turns up the intensity as you jump forward and back into squat position. Use a cone, medicine ball or weight as a marker for how far you need to jump. It’s a good way to see how you’ve progressed, too.
42. Frog Leaps
When done correctly, frog leaps are as much of a butt burner as they’re cardio torchers. Sitting deep into a sumo squat with your butt back and down is key to getting the explosive force you need to drive up from you heels and jump off the floor.
43. Star Jump Burpee
Whether you love or hate burpees, this star jump is a great way to close out a Tabata or HIIT workout. Instead of jumping straight up, you’ll jump into a star (seriously, you are one, so channel it), extending your arms and legs away from your body.
44. Single-Leg Skip
If you’re not a fan of plyo lunges, this single-leg skip is a great modification. From the shallow lunge position, push off your back foot and hop to it. Be sure to swing your arms to get your heart rate up.
45. Candlesticks
Grab a swole mate to make a date of this one. You can use some momentum to help roll up to standing, but the majority of action should come from your legs, glutes and core.
46. Chair Pose with a Twist
Chair pose is known for its glute-building benefits in yoga. Add a twist, and you’ll also sculpt your obliques. As you sit deeper into the pose, concentrate on sinking down into your heels and sitting your butt back.
47. Star Jump / Horse with Oblique Twist
This HIIT-meets-yoga move takes you from a star jump to a sumo squat oblique twist. Quicken the pace to ramp up your calorie burn.
48. Donkey Kick Through
It might take some practice to nail down this heart-pumping move, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel it all over — but especially in your butt and abs.
49. Lateral Band Walk-Out
Targeting the sides of your butt (or the gluteus medius), this exercise is the secret to a serious butt lift. Sidestepping like this is also a key move to get your body prepped for runs, WODs or whatever lies ahead.
50. Dolphin Kick
While this exercise mostly targets your back, you’ll engage your glutes, hips and abs, too. Instead of pulsing, consider doing a static hold after raising your hips and legs up towards the ceiling.
Originally published June 2017. Updated January 2018 and September 2021.
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