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A Quick & Efficient 10-Minute Butt Workout To Build Lower-Body Strength

Author:

Suki Clements

August 30, 2021

Yoga Teacher & Fitness Professional

By Suki Clements

Yoga Teacher & Fitness Professional

Suki Clements is a New York City based dancer, yoga teacher, and fitness professional with and NASM-certified personal trainer certification.

August 30, 2021

Welcome to mbg moves! We've been working out at home more than ever lately—and we know our readers are, too. To help keep your fitness routine feeling fresh, we're releasing a new at-home workout every Monday to start your week off strong. Each month will feature routines from a different incredible trainer we adore. Now, let's get moving with our spotlight trainer: Suki Clements.

When you traditionally think of a leg and butt workout at the gym, you may picture an extra-long session with heavier weights. But you really don't need all of that to fire up your lower body. Case in point: This 10-minute glutes burner I created for mindbodygreen.

This quick workout targets your hamstrings and all the muscles in your butt (i.e., the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus). We'll also activate and strengthen the hips—which are essential to your whole foundation. For the routine, you'll do all of the exercises on one side of your body, then repeat the sequence on the other side, to really burn out your muscles.

All you need for this routine is a mat and an (optional) set of dumbbells. Know that you can bust out this quick butt workout any time you'd like!

Your 4-week challenge: For the next month, I'll be sharing some fantastic strength-focused routines you can do from home. Each workout is the culmination of my experience as a movement artist, yoga teacher, and fitness professional—consider these sculpting workouts your 2.0 yoga flows. I encourage you to make these routines part of your weekly workout schedule two to three times per week to feel all the mind and body benefits.

Workout Summary

Time: 10 minutes
Equipment: Light set of dumbbells and a yoga mat.
Instructions: Move from one exercise to the next, and complete for the indicated amount of time. Complete all moves on one side of your body before repeating the entire routine on the opposite side.

Side-Lying Hip Abduction

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Lie down on one side, and stretch your bottom arm out straight, resting your head on top. Bend your bottom knee. Press the fingertips of your top hand into the ground for support.
Flex your top foot. Point the toes downward. Bring your belly button in to stabilize your core.
Kick your foot up, activating your right outer glutes. Then tap it down to the ground in front of you.
Repeat for 30 seconds.

Elbow-To-Knee Extension

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From your side-lying position, come up on your bottom forearm.
Stretch your top arm long, as you extend your top leg long.
Then, bend your arm and leg, bringing both to touch in front of you. Stretch them back out again.
Repeat for 30 seconds.

Donkey Kick With Weight

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Get on all fours and come down to your forearms. Lift your armpits away from the floor, and shift your weight into your upper body. Place a dumbbell in the crease of your knee (optional).
Keeping your knee at a 90-degree angle, flex the heel, square off your hips, and lift up until your knee is in line with your hips.
Then lower your leg to the ground, and lift it back up. Pull your waist in, and lift the ribs off the floor.
Repeat for 30 seconds.

Standing Split + Knee Tap

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From a downward-dog position, walk your feet toward your hands, until you're in a forward-fold position.
Kick your left leg up and drop your head down. Press fingertips into the ground.
Bend both knees and bring your top knee toward your right calf. Engage your glutes as you lift and lower.
Continue for 30 seconds, pulsing at the top for the last 10 seconds.

Split Squats

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Start in a high-lunge position.
Bend your knees and slowly lower down for three counts. Keep your back heel up and your front heel down. Engage your glutes and quads to quickly come back up to start.
Continue for 30 seconds.

Step + Kick + Squat

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Stand at the back of your mat. Hinge at your hips and lower down into a squat.
Staying in your squat position, take two steps forward on each side, then engage your glutes to stand back up.
At the top, kick your right leg forward, then come back down.
Reverse the movement, coming back into a squat, then take two steps backward.
Kick at the top, then repeat.
Continue for 30 seconds.

Repeat the entire sequence on your opposite side.