Are you stuck in somewhat of a rut when it comes to your workouts? Sometimes we get so caught up in routine that, after a while, the same old exercises just aren’t cutting it anymore, with many of us falling into a boredom state. And after all, we believe exercising should be fun, not something we dread! Here are 30 killer lower body exercises that are sure to freshen up your workout plan while still leading you on the path to that perfect body. Try incorporating any of the following into your workouts, and let us know how you get on!
An alternating step up is an ideal exercise that you can incorporate into your at-home glute workout. Why? Because it's super easy and effective! Think about how we are always told to take the stairs rather than the lift. This exercise is just like that, having you step up and down from a platform while utilising support, such as a step, to assist in balance and stability. The alternating step up exercise will help grow those glutes, boost cardiovascular endurance, increase your lower body strength, help with balance and coordination, and it is also great for burning calories.
A Back Lunge & Lift is a lower body exercise that combines a reverse lunge with a leg lift. To perform it, you take a step back into a lunge, and as you return to a standing position, you lift your back leg to the rear, engaging your glutes and hamstrings. This exercise targets the legs, particularly the quadriceps, and helps improve balance and lower body strength.
The banded glute bridge is a popular and effective exercise, often used for strength and resistance training. After including this in your booty exercises at home, you’ll notice glute growth, improved hip stability, and an overall improvement in lower body strength. For this exercise, you will need to use a resistance band.
The bulgarian split squat, often just known as a “split squat”, is a highly recommended exercise you should incorporate into your gluteus maximus exercises at home. A bulgarian split squat involves a dynamic lunge movement with one leg positioned behind on an elevated surface. By carrying out this exercise you will see progress within that bum department, as well as strengthening quadriceps and hamstrings. You’ll also see a successful outcome with your balance and stability as well as muscle toning. For this exercise you will need to use two dumbbells and have a surface to balance on.
Calf raises are a common strength-training exercise that involve lifting your heels off the ground while standing to engage and work the muscles in the calf area. This exercise helps to develop and strengthen the calf muscles, specifically the gastrocnemius and soleus, and is often used for improving lower leg strength and muscle definition.
Crab walks are a full-body exercise performed in a seated position with your hands and feet on the ground. You move sideways by lifting your hips off the ground and walking in a crab-like fashion, engaging your core, shoulders, and triceps. Crab walks are often used for improving upper body and core strength and enhancing coordination.
A curtsy lunge is another one of those exercises that requires no equipment and can be performed pretty much anywhere. This exercise is given its name because the act is similar to that of a curtsy, with a lunge-type movement rather than a half knee bend. The curtsy lunge is great for targeting glute muscle improvement, improving hip mobility, and overall improving lower body strength.
A deadlift is a compound strength-training exercise where you lift a barbell or weights from the ground to a standing position. It involves bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight, and using your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles to lift the weight. Deadlifts are effective for developing overall strength, particularly in the posterior chain, and are a fundamental exercise in weightlifting and powerlifting.
A dumbbell squat is a lower body exercise that involves holding a dumbbell in each hand while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. You then lower your body by bending at the hips and knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground or lower, and then push through your heels to return to a standing position. Dumbbell squats target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and engage the core, making it an effective exercise for building leg strength and overall lower body development.
Glute bridges are excellent for activating the glutes while keeping the emphasis away from the legs, with very little effect on the quadriceps. It’s important to focus on squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. You can also level this exercise up by including a barbell and adding more weight or reps per workout to build up strength. A tough exercise, but certainly worth it!
A "glute kickback" exercise lets your upper body assist with hip stabilisation as you target the glutes one side at a time. This exercise has become extremely popular within the fitness world and is known to be one of the most successful gluteus maximus exercises at home. After implementing this exercise into your workout, you will notice functional gains in your buttocks.
A goblet squat is a lower body exercise that involves holding a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest with both hands while performing a squat. With your feet shoulder-width apart, you lower your body by bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight, and then stand back up. Goblet squats engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core, making them an excellent exercise for building leg strength and promoting good squatting form.
The Good Morning exercise is a strength training movement that primarily targets the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. To perform it, you stand with a barbell or a weight on your upper back, hinge at the hips while keeping your knees slightly bent, and lower your upper body forward until it's parallel to the ground. Then, you return to an upright position. Good Mornings are effective for strengthening the posterior chain and improving overall core stability.
This exercise isolates the glutes and is highly effective for building strength and size. You can implement a barbell, resistance bands, or just your body weight. Super easy and effective!
A hop squat, also known as a squat jump, is an exercise that relies on the power and strength from your buttocks to launch yourself into the air from a squat position. This exercise will help to build up your glute strength and power, and over a period of time you should notice an improvement in speed and an increase in how many hop squat reps you can now do.
A lateral lunge with balance exercise is a popular lower body exercise that is known for being used for strength and mobility training. This exercise will enhance your balance and stability, build up strength within your glutes, improve hip mobility, and even prevent frequent injuries within that area of the body. By incorporating this exercise into your booty workout at home, you will, over time, see a great deal of progress. Again, for this exercise, you will need two dumbbells.
A lying side leg raise exercise is a bodyweight movement typically done while lying on your side. To perform it, you lift your top leg as high as comfortably as possible while keeping it straight, engaging the muscles on the side of your hip. This exercise targets the hip abductors and helps improve hip strength, stability, and flexibility.
Mountain climbers are a dynamic bodyweight exercise performed from a plank position. You alternate bringing your knees toward your chest in a running motion, engaging your core and shoulders while maintaining a straight back. This exercise is great for improving cardiovascular fitness, core strength, and overall body coordination.
Sticking with the dumbbells, this next exercise is called the Romanian deadlift (or "RDL" for short) and is in fact very similar to the supported single-leg deadlift, Perhaps think of it as a level up. As well as building up your glutes, the "RDL" is also known to help target and strengthen the posterior chain muscles, all while promoting function, fitness, and overall performance. For this exercise, you will need two dumbbells rather than one.
A reverse lunge is a lower body exercise where you step backward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are at 90-degree angles. It engages the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, helping to improve leg strength, balance, and coordination.
A side lunge is a lower body exercise in which you step to the side with one leg, bending the knee of the lunging leg while keeping the other leg straight. This exercise targets the inner and outer thighs, as well as the glutes, helping to improve leg strength, flexibility, and lateral stability.
A single-leg deadlift is a balance and strength exercise in which you stand on one leg while hinging at the hips to lower your upper body toward the ground. You extend the non-supporting leg behind you and then return to the upright position, engaging the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This exercise is effective for improving balance, stability, and developing the posterior chain muscles.
A squat to side leg lift is a compound exercise that combines a squat with a lateral leg lift. You begin with a squat, then, as you rise, you lift one leg out to the side. This movement targets the quadriceps, glutes, and hip abductors, making it effective for strengthening the lower body and improving hip stability and balance.
A squat is a fundamental lower body exercise where you bend at the hips and knees to lower your body toward the ground while keeping your back straight, and then return to a standing position. It primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes and is a key exercise for building leg strength and overall lower body muscle development.
A standing leg raise is a simple bodyweight exercise where you lift one leg while standing upright. It involves raising your leg as high as comfortably possible while keeping it straight and engaging the hip flexor muscles. Standing leg raises help improve hip flexibility, balance, and strengthen the muscles around the hip joint.
A stationary lunge is a lower body exercise where you step one foot forward and one foot back, maintaining a fixed position. You then bend both knees to lower your body, keeping your back straight, until your front thigh is parallel to the ground or slightly below. This exercise primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, helping to improve leg strength, stability, and balance.
The straight leg kickback is a popular lower body exercise that primarily targets the glutes, specifically the gluteus maximus. It's often used in strength training and fitness routines to help tone and strengthen the buttocks, as well as the hamstrings.
Another extremely popular glute exercise is the supported single-leg deadlift, but it is often just referred to as a single-leg deadlift. This exercise is extremely popular for its simple yet effective approach. The exercise involves a combination of balance, strength, and stability. The single-leg deadlift also relies heavily on your core engagement and should be a top focus to boost those bums. You will also need a dumbbell for this exercise.
A walking lunge is a dynamic lower body exercise where you take a step forward with one leg and lower your body into a lunge position. You then push off the front foot to step forward with the opposite leg and repeat the lunge on the other side. Walking lunges engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes and are excellent for building leg strength, balance, and improving overall lower body muscle coordination.
A wall squat is an isometric lower body exercise in which you stand with your back against a wall and slide down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, resembling a seated position. You maintain this pose, engaging the quadriceps and glutes, to create static tension in the lower body muscles, which helps build endurance and strength. Wall squats are effective for developing leg strength and improving muscular endurance, and they are often used in fitness and rehabilitation programs.
