Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 6: Fitness tips for your legs / butt
• Part 2 of 6: Squats
• Part 3 of 6: Plies
• Part 4 of 6: Lunges
• Part 5 of 6: Leg lifting
• Part 6 of 6: Clam Digs
• Necessities

Shaping your butt requires exercises to burn fat and strengthen your muscles. Many of the moves in Barre and Cardio Burn use your body weight to burn fat and sculpt your butt. Doing exercises that work your hips, thighs and butt at the same time will improve the shape of your butt and the region of your thighs and make your torso look firmer and leaner. Do these exercises every other day to tone your butt.

To step

Part 1 of 6: Fitness tips for your legs / butt

1. Learn to contract your abs while doing one of the exercises for your butt. Tightening and lifting your abs will protect the lower back from injury and burn fat around your torso.
2. Keep your back in a neutral position. Do each exercise in front of the mirror to make sure your back is in a neutral position and not too concave or convex. If you do these exercises with a hollow or convex back, this can lead to an injury to the spine.
3. Pay attention to where your knees are. During squats or lunges, your knees should never go past your toes. Otherwise it can lead to a knee injury, because you then support the body with the knee joint and not with your buttocks and thigh muscles.
4. If you want to lose weight around the hips, thighs and buttocks, do cardiovascular exercises daily. Getting rid of body fat through a healthy diet and exercise is the best way to get your body's muscles in shape.
   • Start with 30 minutes of moderate cardio a day, at least 5 times a week. The faster you want to lose weight, the more you will have to exercise. But don't deprive yourself of regular, healthy meals so that your muscles can recover and rebuild.
5. Start weight training. Join the gym near you. Lifting weights using machines that target the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes 2 to 3 times a week can quickly shape your butt.

Part 2 of 6: Squats

1. Wear supportive cross-training shoes. This helps to maintain balance during exercise. Always do the exercises on a flat surface and not on a rubbery mat.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your feet should point forward and not outward.
3. Place your palms together. They should be parallel to your chest, but should not touch it. Don't let your arms rest against your body when doing squats.
4. Tighten your abs. Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
   • Make sure you squat downwards and not forward. Do your first squats to the side in front of a mirror so you can check your knees and the arch of your back.
5. When you get to the bottom, pause and then come back up. You should feel how the glutes and thigh muscles are working to get you back into a standing position.
6. Repeat this exercise 20 times in a row for maximum gluteal training.
   • Keep in mind that squats train your strength as well as your fitness, and can therefore be very tough. If you are unable to complete the exercise in proper form for the entire set, reduce the number of repetitions to 10.
   • Increase the intensity of this toning exercise for your butt by adding dumbbells. Take 2 dumbbells from 1 to 2.2kg and let them hang at your sides during the squat. Adding extra weight will make the exercise a lot harder.

Part 3 of 6: Plies

1. Stand up straight again. Now put your feet a little further apart than hip width.
2. Rotate your legs out from the hips. This means that your legs turn outward from the hips to the toes, until they are slightly angled to the side.
   • Check that you are in the correct position by making sure that your knees are aligned with the second toe of each foot. If not, turn your foot a little less. Your knees should be in that position to avoid putting the load on the knee joint.
3. Raise your arms out to the side, like a ballet dancer, as you bend your knees until your thighs are level with the floor. If you don't manage to squat this far, make a smaller movement and work your way up to a full squat.
4. Pause at the bottom. Then slowly raise yourself back up until you are upright, engaging your glutes, hips, and leg muscles.
5. Repeat this exercise 10-20 times. Use this ballet technique to strengthen the inner thighs and deeper glutes. Rotating the legs will engage other muscles.

Part 4 of 6: Lunges

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-distance apart. Make sure you have enough space in front and behind you.
2. Stretch your right leg back as far as you can. Bend your right knee until it almost touches the ground.
   • You should lower your body, but your right knee should be at a 45 degree angle to your shin. Adjust that position if necessary.
3. Pause at the bottom of the lunge and then return to the original position by pushing off with your right leg.
4. Repeat this 10 times with each leg.
   • If you can do the regular lunge with ease and properly, try an explosive lunge. Lunge back. When you are in the lowest position of the lunge, jump and switch legs. You will have to move quickly into a lunge position on the other side. Pause and jump again to alternate. Repeat this 10 times.

Part 5 of 6: Leg lifting

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right foot straight back. Bend your right knee to balance your body.
2. Place your hands on your hips. Lift your leg back up and lower it again until your foot almost touches the ground. Move your leg up and down as slowly, pausing as at the top.
3. Repeat the exercise 10-20 times with the right leg. Then alternate with the left leg.

Part 6 of 6: Clam Digs

1. Lie on an exercise mat. First lie on your left side with your knees bent and slightly in front of you.
2. Rest your head on your left arm. Focus on contracting your abs and keep your hips and back in the same position throughout the exercise.
3. Make sure your feet touch. Lift your right knee as far as you can while keeping your hips above each other.
4. Pause at the top and slowly lower yourself. The movement should resemble the opening and closing of a mussel.
5. Repeat this 10 to 20 times on each side.
6. Ready.

Necessities

• Athletic shoes
• Mirror
• Exercise mat
• Dumbbells
• Cardio exercises