Least Effective Exercises for Your Butt

By Elizabeth Kelly

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butt diet exercise fitness glutes lunge nutrients routine squat workouts
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You've been working with machines, exercising your heart out and eating a balanced, nutritious diet. The evidence, however, is staring at you in the mirror: Your gluteus is particularly maximus. What could you possibly be doing wrong? The unfortunate answer is probably the type of exercise you're doing.

A large number of women get their exercise advice from fashion magazines or around the water cooler. The best source for accurate information on toning your anatomy, though, comes from scientists. The American Council on Exercise and the scientists at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, have done a study focusing specifically on your glutes. OK, maybe not YOUR personal glutes, but the results can show you what you've been doing wrong.

Some of the language may sound technical, but it's worth your while to bear with it. Inside the jargon lies the secret to your wonderbutt. The UW scientists used a technique called electromyographic analysis (EMG) to compare eight gluteal exercises and measure the amount of muscle activation in each. What they discovered is that all moves are not created equal, at least as far as your posterior is concerned.

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written by ELENA, July 11, 2010 06:57 am

Iwould really appreciate it if you would include slides of the excercises that don't do squat for your butt, it is hard to visualize these excercises.

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written by Lindsey, July 11, 2010 08:28 am

Wait... squats are least effective for your butt says the article but click on the link that says "Best Butt Exercises" and it says squats. So which is it - are squats a least effective but exercise or a best butt exercise?

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written by Kaylee, July 11, 2010 04:02 pm

There are only so many glute exercises. I think the point of the study was to show which glute exercises do the most and which do the least, though the differences are minimal.

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written by puluke, August 19, 2010 06:07 am

I had always found, that, if you do treadmill walking, on the highest incline, for @ least 30 minutes, it seems to work your glutes more directly.Also, your legs get a good, solid work-out as well.
If you don't have one, try the stairs. This can be done @ work(if you work in a tall building), or @ home, if you have a 2nd floor.

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written by ciel key, April 28, 2011 11:57 am

The real deal is: you can distinguish which exercise most affects target areas by the level of burn. You know the muscle burn effect. Imagine: on 2 knees, lift one repeatedly 10-20 times (whatever you can stand). Proper form is 90~ angle. Then extend the leg outward still holding that 90 degree angle. you should only be able to do a couple, initially, Do the same with the other knee and leg. There are other effective leg moves that I wish I could demonstrate. I used to take a random jazz cla*s (12-20 yrs. ago). The next one is on knees again. You hold your head up then extend the leg behind you, back and forth with control. Extend a leg pointing toe lifting it as high as you can up down reps, keeping the kneeled body erect. These two exercises(alone) mastered--results in 10 days or less. Do them five days a week (min,). Ciel from experience only. I am almost 50 yrs. old. Look and feel. Feel like 38. Vanity is not friendly so you decide

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written by ciel key, April 28, 2011 12:08 pm

By the way, each variation of exercise should be done both in a pointed toe position, then in the flexed foot position. Not familiar. Look it up. It is significant in that each position directly affects an abundance of targeted muscles. Experience the pain! It doesn't last very long, a few days. Listen to your body. It communicates with you often. ~~ Ciel

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written by t, August 14, 2012 07:49 am

Wow. Anyone who has spent any amount of time doing research or talking to an actual trainer (or simply doing the exercises) knows that squats and leg extensions are for the legs. They are good to help 'lift' the tush because when your hamstrings are in good shape they lift the tush. What a waste of time this article is.

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