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Pilates Butt Workout: 5 Moves To Raise Your Buns

Fine Tuning: How To "Lift" Your Butt With Pilates
Side view of young woman doing the bridge pose in fitness studio
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Side view of young woman doing the bridge pose in fitness studio

THE GOAL: Strengthening butt muscles to tighten and lift your rear

THE EXPERT: Amber Joliat, teacher, yogi and owner of Misfit Studio in Toronto

THE INFO: Pilates exercises tend to encompass a range of muscles in their moves, and it's no different for the rear. The exercises below work the glutes, hips and outer thighs, helping to strengthen those areas, as well as increase your range of motion. Misfit Studio is known for its challenging butt work, so here are a few tips for you to do at home!

THE MOVES:

Pilates Butt Workout

Hip Roll

Set feet hip-distance apart with knees bent. Exhale to articulate through the spine until in a hip roll, or low bridge position, just at the tips of shoulder blades. Inhale to hold. Exhale slowly and roll down to the floor. Repeat 8 times.

Hip Dips

Once you finish the eighth roll of the previous exercises, remain lifted with pelvis up. Drop hips 3-4 inches with an inhale. Exhale back up to top of movement. Do a lot of these little hip dips, adding fire to the glutes, aiming for 4 rounds of 8.

Single Leg Hip Roll

While lifted in hip roll, press deeper into one foot, remain stable through hips and ribs while the other foot lifts off floor, switch and repeat. If you're feeling really ambitious, remain on one leg, while the other is lifted, add little hip dips for one glute, making sure to repeat the other glute for evenness.

The "Dirty And Raw"

Separate feet wider than shoulder-distance apart and turn out feet and knees. Roll up into a very wide hip roll position. Once you're at the highest point, pivot knees inward, dropping hips 5-6 inches until knees touch, like knock-knees. Exhale to lift back to wide hip roll shape, repeat LOTS and LOTS. I suggest 5 sets of 8. Finally with the last knee-knock, remain in that shape and add little pulses up and down. Separate knees and slowly, roll back to floor.

Stretch It Out

Hug knees to chest, rocking and rolling out the low back. Roll up to stand and enjoy the burn!

Have something that needs fine tuning? Let us know in the comments below.

The new year is the time to take on new challenges, so for the month of January and beyond, The Huffington Post Canada's Living team brings you Fine Tuning: daily workouts, with tips on how to tone up, get healthy and stay fit for the whole year. Each workout will focus on one fitness goal or body part, with our favourite trainers showing you simple ways to get stronger and healthier in less than 45 minutes.

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