A perky, round peach! To me, size is not so much of an issue than it is shape. I love a lifted, toned bum and I love training legs! We all know and love The Bod Booty Bands (if you're in the dark - get some now!) BUY YOUR BOOTY BANDS Since a large restock has landed in our warehouse, I felt inspired to write up about some of my favourite fail proof exercises that target the glutes.

These are my top exercise to lift your booty!

Donkey kicks

The key to nailing these is keeping a strong back. If you find that your lower back scoops or dips when kicking your leg up, you may be working that more than your actual glute muscle. Kick up with purpose - there's no need to overextend, just make sure you feel the burn at the top and hold for a brief moment before bringing your leg back down. You can perform these with the booty bands or an ankle weight for added difficulty.  

Hip thrusts

The booty growth lies within the contraction of hip thrusts. When you reach the top of the movement where you squeeze your glutes make sure you can really feel the squeeze. If you're not feeling it you may either be lifting too much weight or need to properly warmup for the best engagement in the muscle. That's where the booty bands come in ;) Loop your light or medium band over the top of your knees where your thighs begin and perform some bodyweight hip thrusts. While doing so, really squeeze at the top and focus on your muscle mind connection.  

Step-ups

These can be done with your bodyweight, with dumbbells either hand or a barbell resting on your back. You can either alternate your legs or do one at a time. Once your chosen leg has stepped up onto a stable bench or step, use your heel and heel only to lift your body up. Try avoiding using the lower leg to help boost you and focus all that energy to the working leg. On the way down - try to control it down slowly.

Lunges

Ye' old faithful! When I lunge, I focus on taking long steps and choosing a suitable weight that's challenging, but doesn't compromise form. When you lunge, it works the quadriceps, hamstrings and glute muscles. To ensure you get that contact in the glutes, remember to push through your heels and gain enough depth every step.  

Sprints

Sprinting is AMAZING for shaping your legs all over. One of the most effective glute exercises you can do is a hip extension, and believe it or not this naturally occurs when sprinting. So get your sprint on!   Combining these exercises with booty bands are an absolute godsend - you can get yours here.  All three bands combined are as light as a feather and come in a convenient travel bag that I can bring literally everywhere! So that means even better workouts with added resistance! Sophie xx