The Best Butt-Burning Exercise: Hip-Thrusts

  / bjgaddour  

The glutes are like hot dogs- they plump when you cook ‘em. And the best butt-burning move on the planet is the hip-thrust! To do it, set your upper/mid-back on a box, bench, or even a couch or ottoman at home. With your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, lift your hips until there is a straight line from your hips through shoulders. Pause for a count, reverse the movement, and repeat for reps or time. This move creates max glute activation at terminal hip extension and results in greater range of motion than the traditional glute bridge you do on the floor at your yoga class. And besides building your butt, it also stretches your hip flexors (these muscles get tight when you sit all day) and bulletproofs your back. Just make sure to keep your abs crunched throughout the move so you don’t get unwanted motion at the lower back. Start with the two-legged version and gradually progress to doing it on one leg a time. Still not convinced you can smoke your hips with just your bodyweight? Then try the 4-Minute Butt-Quake! Perform 20 seconds of hip-thrusts and then immediately hold the top position for 10 seconds. That’s 1 round. Do 8 total rounds. At about 4 rounds in, you’ll be screaming “MERCY!, MERCY!” And you know what MERCY means in French, right? Thank you. You’re welcome ;)

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  / bjgaddour