My 4 Favorite Smart Strength Exercises To Build A Better Booty

If you know me at all, you know I am all about the glutes. Developing strong glutes can prevent low back pain, knee pain and well…

There is a bit more to my glute obsession, here is a  bit of my backstory on how I got into strength training!
I was one of those people born with NO ASS to speak of. My lack of glutes ended up getting me into a lot of trouble seeing as I was an avid runner, lacrosse and soccer player. As a young female this a dangerous combination. I was so quad dominant and possessed zero body awareness that by my senior year of high school my orthopedic surgeon told me that I was well on my way to a double knee replacement.
This was the straw that broke the camels back AND the start of my journey into #smartstrength training, yoga and working tirelessly to understand the ins and outs of the human body.

These days there are all sorts of “squat challenges” and high repetition bodyweight programming promising to “tone and sculpt” DAT ASS, the badonkadonk, booty, junk in the trunk, tukus.. whatever you want to call it .  Don’t believe everything you hear. Many of these ads and challenges aren’t based on FACTS. Not only are a great set of glutes easy on the eyes, did you know it can also increase performance and prevent low back pain?!

Here is a email I receive quite often from mamas:
“Can you reassure me that you can help me build an ass once I do have a little more time to dedicate to eating well and working out?! Can you teach someone to turn a flat pancake ass into something round?! I never had an ass, but it’s even more atrophied post pregnancy! My sweats won’t even stay up right now!”
As a newish mama myself I can attest to the truth of this phenomenon. It’s not an illusion! As a result of pregnancy, birth, sitting, nursing, rocking and “momming” in general our hormones shift, our posture shifts and we have to actively work to get our glutes back!
Whether you sit all day, are an athlete, a mother, an avid lifter, or someone simply looking to have a higher and tighter backside, the following four exercises can get you well on your way to GLUTE CITY.

I know a lot of you do not have access to crazy amounts of equipment  or countless hours of gym time, the fact remains that you don’t need much! I love training with a kettlebell and a suspension trainer to get the job done. ALL of the following exercises can be done within the comfort of your home!

Talk about WIN- WIN

I don’t have all sort of fancy equipment and I don’t train athletes.
I train REAL WOMEN and the fact is …they’ve gotten themselves some nice booties by following just 3 simple rules!

1. Nutrition-what you eat is going to effect the way you look. The majority of women would see better results if they drank more water, upped their protein intake using REAL FOOD and aimed to eat vegetables at every meal!
2.  If you have ANY hopes of growing your booty you need to be in proper alignment in order to access the glutes properly.
3. Your warmup can make all the difference in the world.

Smart Strength gets you going with a SEQUENCED warm-up.
Smart Strength will teach you how to release your tight areas.  Open up the hips and quads with exercises like this, as well as get your glutes revving and ready to go, with this.
Here are 4 of my favorite Smart Strength Booty Builders!

(In each of the following exercises, maintain a stable core (not extend thru the ribs or lower back) and keep the hips square.  These two simple cues can ensure a neutral pelvis and allow you to the reap the benefits of the exercise.)

Back on Bench Feet Elevated Hip Thrusts (perform 15-20 reps)

Kickstand Deadlift– (perform 10 reps per leg)

Deficit Reverse Lunge (perform 10 reps per leg)

Step Up to Lunge (perform 10 reps per leg)