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5 Bodyweight Booty Activation Exercises For Women

April 06, 2020

Want to activate and firm your booty but don't know where to start?

Want to workout from home minimal equipment?

Great news - you can!

I've put together this quick guide of 5 helpful glute targeting exercises with detailed instructions to help you get off on the right track!

Getting Started

Practice your technique, slowly build up the repetitions and concentrate on the muscle you're working for best results

Whether you train from home or the gym, there is always something you can do with your bodyweight to get your body moving and activate your glute muscles!

To get started with the exercises I'm about to go over, all you need is a small space on the floor and a mat for comfort for your knees/back.

First things first, your warm up!

Glute-Foam-Rolling-Warm-Up-Tip

Warming up the glutes is important because more often than not our glutes have gone 'sleepy' due to our modern day lifestyles ex: sitting/office related work/driving etc. Therefore, incorporating a few dynamic stretches before hand is a great way to warm up your hips and joints.

A few ways to warm up your glutes:

Roll your glutes in a hip opening position on a foam roller (photo shown below) - if you don't have one, they are handy to have and can be found at most sports store. Alternatively, a firm massage ball or spikey ball can be effective.

Hold onto a wall and kick one leg up high back and fourth for about 30 sec or longer

Hold on to a wall and kick your leg horizontally back and fourth(moving it infront of you) for about 30 sec

Go for a short walk for 5-10 minutes if possible. This won't only help you warm up your legs/hips, but it will also warm up and prepare your mind to get into an exercise mindset.

Exercise 1: Glute Bridges

One of the most simplest and effective glute/core exercises is the Glute Bridge. If you don't do this exercise or have underestimated it's effectiveness, it's time to knuckle down and learn it well. It's an exercise that helps builds strong core and glute foundations and is a great go-to when you are limited with equipment and space!

Instructions:

1. Lying on your back with your feet planted on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees and feet slightly wider than hip width.

2. Curl your hips up one vertebrae at a time with your belly drawn to your spine and glutes squeezing.

3. Only lift up as high as you can with your glutes engaged. If you start to compensate with your back, that means you've lifted too high or you need to work on 'curling' your hips more under.

3. Repeat for desired reps and/or if you're doing it one leg at a time (another great variation) switch legs.

Exercise 2: 45 Degree Clams

The 45 Degree Clam exercise helps to strengthen your glute medius and it will give you a great side booty burn!

Instructions:

Lie on one side with knees at a 45-degree angle legs and hips stacked. Contract your abdominal muscles to stabilize your core.

2. Keep your feet in contact with one another as you raise your upper knee as high as you can, without moving the hips or pelvis.

3. Repeat for desired reps and then switch legs.

Exercise 3: Donkey Kick - Slight Knee Flare

The Donkey Kick strengthens your glute maximums muscle (the bulk of your booty) which is also the largest glute muscle. I love this exercise because it always gives your booty a perky feel after, so what's not to love about that!

Instructions:

1. Start on all fours with your belly drawn to your spine to prevent your lower back from kicking in and your arms straight, pressing into the floor.

2. Lift one leg up with your knee slightly opened to the side, keep your knee bent the whole time and your foot flat.

3. Press your heels in an upward motion and return your bent knee back to the floor.

4. Repeat for desired reps and then switch legs.

Exercise 4: Straight Leg Donkey Kicks

The Straight Leg Donkey Kick is another great exercise that strengthens and firms the bulk of your booty! It's also a great exercise that helps you learn how to keep your legs firm & engaged as keeping the knee straight is a challenge for many!

Instructions:

1. Start on all fours with your belly drawn to your spine to prevent your lower back from kicking in and your arms straight, pressing into the floor.

2. Lift one leg up parallel with the floor by consciously squeezing your glute muscle and keeping your knees straight. (Keeping the knees straight can be a lot harder for some people than others, so if this is you, try your best and over time when your glutes and legs get stronger, you'll master it!)

3. Slowly lower it down until your toes touch the floor and then repeat the lift for your desired reps and then switch legs.

Exercise 5: Single Leg Glute Bridges
Instructions:

1. Lay your back on a mat with your knees bent and heels flat on the floor your, in reach of your fingertips.

2. Float the non-working leg up either bent or straight and press the heel of the working leg into the floor as you squeeze through your glutes to lift your hips off the floor.

3. Scoop your hips up in an ice cream like motion while keeping your belly drawn to your spine. The scoop like motion becomes a lot harder when you're working one leg at a time, compared to when you're doing a glute bridge with two legs. If you struggle to create the 'scoop' like motion with your hips, close your eyes while you're performing the movement to help improve your mind muscle connection.

4. Repeat for desired reps and then switch legs.

Now that you've learned these 5 booty firming exercises, it's time we put them together for a quick booty workout!

Complete 2-3 rounds of this circuit for 15-20 reps.

Glute Bridges

45 Degree Clams

Donkey Kick Flare Out

Single Leg Glute Bridge

Going forward:

Try doing this workout 2-3x/week for the next 2-4 weeks.

Make a commitment to yourself on what days you'll take a few minutes out of your busy day to complete this.

As your muscles start to get stronger and you want more variety and tips, or add Fit Booty Body bands to these exercises to make them more challenging or help further with glute activation.

Hope this was helpful!

Celinda xoxo
Fit Booty Body Owner
Fitness, Pilates & Nutrition Coach

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