Gravity defying glutes: step up to boost your butt

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, March, 2004 by Jay Shafran

GAY GASPER CAN DEFY THE LAWS OF GRAVITY. True, this top fitness pro can't fly, or even float through the air, but she's certainly discovered the formula for giving your glutes a lift. "The secret to a better-looking backside is training all of the muscles that surround the gluteus maximus, including the gluteus medius, minimus, hamstrings and quads," says the star of the new 15 Minute Workouts for Dummies exercise video.

it doesn't take much to put the former National Step Champion's theories into practice: All you need is a step, two sets of risers and some weights. Gasper's done the rest by offering up these five gravity-defying glute moves, all designed to maximally pick up and tone your tush. The first three work the gluteus maximus in conjunction with all the complementary muscles, and the last two zero in on and specifically isolate the glutes. All of the exercises use the step in a variety of creative ways to either up muscle fiber recruitment, put you in a unique position, or force you to work harder against gravity. "The step makes these exercises even more effective than if you did them on the flat," Gasper notes.

Gasper advises doing the exercises in the order they're listed. Do one to three sets of each exercise, eight to 12 reps per set. If you're looking to really round your butt, you can hold a heavier weight on the first three exercises and lower the reps to six to eight per set. For best results, perform this routine two or three times a week.

Seesaw Squat

Start: Roll up a yoga mat and place it vertically under the center of a step platform. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and stand tall on top of the platform with your feet hip-width apart, weight evenly balanced on both feet, arms at your sides, palms facing inward.

Exercise: Bend your knees and lower your hips toward the floor until your thighs are as close to parallel to the floor as possible, your knees are directly in line with your toes or you can't stop yourself from leaning so far forward that you lose your balance. Pause a moment at the bottom of the movement and then slowly stand back up to the start, taking care not to lock your knees or create too much of a seesaw motion with the step.

Tip: Your goal is to keep the step platform steady like a perfectly balanced seesaw and prevent the ends of it from tipping toward the floor. If you find this too challenging, stand with your legs a few inches wider apart, don't hold weights, or don't squat as far down.

Single-Leg Elevated Squat

Start: Place two sets of risers under a step platform. With a dumbbell in each hand, stand tall directly behind the center of the platform with your right foot on the floor and your left foot placed on the center of the platform, arms at your sides, palms facing in.

Exercise: Bend your knees to lower your hips toward the floor until your left thigh is parallel to it and your left knee is slightly behind your left toe, or you can't stop yourself from leaning too far forward. Hold a moment and stand back up to the start, taking care not to lock your knees. Complete all reps with your right leg and repeat with your left. Continue alternating right and left to complete sets.

Tip: To keep the emphasis on the glutes, shift your weight back into your left heel as you squat down but make sure your hips stay square to the front.

Elevated Back Lunge

Start: Place two risers underneath a step platform and stand a comfortable stride's length in front of it with a body bar resting across your shoulders, your hands lightly gripping either side of the bar to hold it steady and your elbows pointing down. Carefully step your right foot back so that your right toe is resting on top of the platform, heel up.

Exercise: Bend your knees and lower your hips until your left thigh is almost parallel to the floor and aligned directly over your left ankle, or you can't stop yourself from falling forward. Stand back up to the start, taking care not to lock your right knee.

Tip: Standing a little farther away from the bench and keeping your back leg a little straighter increases the difficulty of this move. Conversely, standing a little bit closer may help you feel more stable; however, don't stand so close so that you need to shorten the movement.

Single-Leg Step Bridge

Start: Place two sets of risers under a step platform and lie faceup directly behind the center of the platform with your arms at your sides, your knees bent and your legs up off the floor, thighs directly over your hips. Lower your right heel and rest it on top of the platform.

Exercise: Tighten your glutes and press your right heel firmly down onto the platform as you lift your hips up until you are in one straight line from the top of your knee to your shoulders. Hold for two slow counts and then return to the start. Complete all reps and then repeat to the other side. Continue alternating left and right to complete sets.

Tip: Keep your abs strongly contracted in order to keep your hips lifted upward and to prevent your back from sagging toward the floor.