7 Butt-Busting Workouts (Other Than Squats)

Work that booty.

butt-busting workouts

Is one of your fitness goals to get just a little extra bootylicious? We respect it.

Are you sick of doing squats to get there? We get it.

The good news is that there are plenty of other butt-busting workouts that will help you tone your glutes (and other muscles, too). To sweeten the deal even further, many of them can be done outside of a gym with absolutely no equipment. This means there’s little room for workout excuses and plenty of opportunity to make moving your booty a regular part of your fitness routine.

butt-busting workouts

Start with these seven butt-busting, non-squat exercise moves and see how strong that bass can get!

1.Reverse Leg Lifts 

In addition to building strength in your booty, reverse leg lifts work your hip, leg, and core muscles… so what’s not to love?

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then slowly bend forward at your hips while keeping your torso as straight as possible. Your goal is to get your upper body parallel with the floor. Once you get there, lift one leg, keeping it straight until it’s in line with your upper body. Raise that leg an inch or two and hold for ten seconds, then lower it again. Work up to the point where you can repeat this ten times per side.

If you need extra support during this exercise, you can brace yourself by holding on to a table or chair.

You might not feel the burn on this one right away, but after a few reps, it will become abundantly clear that this is a butt-busting workout. Best of all? You can do it almost anywhere!

2. Donkey Kicks 

OK, so maybe this particular donkey isn’t doing much in the way of butt-busting exercise, but a donkey kick workout can go a long way toward toning your tush. (Also, he’s really darn cute. Maybe he deserves a break from all that donkey kicking he did earlier.)

To do your own donkey kick, get on all fours with your hands stacked under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Keep your back as flat as possible! Tuck your chin under a bit so the back of your neck faces the ceiling. Slowly lift one leg straight back and toward the ceiling, keeping a 90-degree angle in your knee. Once your back begins to arch or you feel your hip starting to rotate, stop! Slowly return to the starting position on all fours. Do as many reps as you can with one leg, then switch to the other side.

According to Healthline, donkey kicks target those glute muscles in a way many other exercises can’t, so get on it!

3. Hip Raises 

Yogis out there might be familiar with this move as a bridge pose, but you can incorporate it into pretty much any workout if you want to give your glutes a little TLC.

Start on your back on the floor with your arms flat on the ground at your side, your knees bent, and your feet planted on the ground. Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Pause there, then lower back to the starting position. Squeeze your booty at the top of each rep for maximum results. Do as many reps as you can, maybe even pushing yourself just a littttttle further than feels comfortable to work your butt muscles that much more.

4. Reverse Lunges 

butt-busting workouts

Lunges are right up there with squats among the exercises most often recommended to people who want to strengthen their lower body — and for good reason! According to personal training certification company NASM, lunges are an especially effective lower body training move because they’re versatile and adaptable. “Lunges are the gift that keeps on giving,” per NASM. Love it.

One great butt-busting lunge exercise to start with is the reverse lunge. Start with your feet hip-width apart, then step back with one leg until your knees are both at roughly 90-degree angles. The knee of the leg you stepped back with should be pointing toward the ground and in line with your toes. Pause there, then step that leg forward to the starting position before stepping back on the opposite foot. See how many reps you can do!

Like many of these other butt-busting exercises, reverse lunges can be executed almost anywhere, making it easy for you to get some toning in at some point in your busy schedule.

5. Dynamic Yogi Squats

butt-busting workoutsWe know, we know — we kind of promised that we would give you some suggestions other than squats. But we hope you’ll let us make an exception for this one, because we’re talking about dynamic yogi squats here and that’s, like, a totally different thing. Let us show you our moves!

To complete a dynamic yogi squat, start by standing with your feet wide and your hands together at your chest. Squat down slowly into your seat until your booty is as close to parallel to the ground as possible. Once you’re there, push off of one foot, lifting the other leg to your side while your knee maintains a 90-degree angle. Alternate sides for as many reps as you can!

6. Running 

Running strengthens pretty much all of the muscles in your lower body, as well as your core. And you don’t have to be a super-fast marathoner to cash in on these benefits! Adding a light jog or two to your weekly wellness routine might give your booty the boost it needs.

POPSUGAR Fitness recommends adding a few quick variations to your runs for increased toning. You can try jogging up and down hills, running with high knees or baby steps, testing out various surfaces (sand, for instance, will give your butt a better workout!), and adding resistance with a heavier vest or a stroller full of kids.

7. Yoga butt-busting workouts

We incorporate pieces of the first five exercises on this list as part of our high-power, high-energy brand of yoga, along with many other moves that will tone your booty plus the rest of your bod! No matter how often you do yoga, we are here to tell you that getting yourself on the mat will give you some dedicated time to work the muscles that you often find yourself neglecting… including your tush!

Get that rear into gear with a bulldog class! Check us out in-studio or stream a session anywhere, any time with bulldog online.

***You can get the bulldog experience anywhere, anytime with our online classes or via our app (App store | Google Play)! Don’t forget to subscribe to the bulldog blog so you can get e-mail notifications about every new post.***

Featured image: Ryan Christodoulou/Unsplash

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