Best exercise to lift my bum

[saturnspinkhoop]

I’ve just joined the gym. I’m using the weights machines and the treadmill at an incline. Are there are particular machines that will lift my very flat and droopy bum?
Thank you.

Definitely, 100%, BARRE.

Hopefully your gym offers barre classes, or there are barre studios nearby.

Romanian Deadlifts, or deadlifts in general.

Hip thrusts.
Squats.
Those are pretty much the main three. If you have a hyperextension roman machine (Google it) that is good too. Basically you want to target glutes.

You also need good nutrition. If you eat in a calorie surplus you will grow the glute muscles then drop to a small deficit. They are big muscles and need calories. It is a lot of work but you can achieve it. I'm 43 and been doing it for 3 - 4 months and have seen growth and lifting but only now seeing shaping of muscles!

Thank you for the suggestions. I don’t have classes included in my membership, but I just checked and my gym don’t do barre classes anyway. I don’t know of any barre studios nearby, but I’ll have a look.

The hyperextension roman machine…I had a google. I think there’s one at my gym. Is it the body weight, kind of a chair but really not thing, where you lift your top half up and down? If sos, I thought it was just for lower back, but I’ll definitely be adding this to the list!

I use the machine where it’s like a lying down squat - is that one any good?

Deadlifts sound good. I’d like to do more free weights, but I’m a bit unsure and intimidated at present.

Are hip thrusts where you lie down on your back, knees up and keep lifting your hips up and down? That always feels too easy to make a difference, but I suspect I’m doing it wrong somewhere.

I’ve tried body weight squats before, but only ever feel them in the front of my thighs, regardless of how far apart my feet are or how carefully I am to squeeze my glutes or ensure my knees don’t go past my toes. Again, I’m probably doing it wrong.

Mistytrains2- it’s great and inspiring that you’re seeing results in such a short space of time.

I’m off to the gym tomorrow!

The lying down squat machine is not bad but it’s easy to use your quads instead of your glutes - try to ensure you are pushing with your heels not toes (maybe even lift toes away from the platform) to engage your glutes.

Squats, again to feel it in your glutes the key is to keep the weight/work in your heels, try to keep almost no weight in your toes and press down into your heels. If you’re not feeling it try doing a slow count down for 3, hold it for 1 and then push up fast for a count of 1.

Barre, Pilates and any weights based class will all work on the glutes (as well as other muscles). Step based classes will too. Does your gym do eg Bodypump? Or a step class?

You can find specific glutes workouts on YouTube.

Hip thrusts or bridges or whatever you call them do work, but you have to keep going long enough to feel it - and then keep going. If still not feeling it then make it harder by eg putting one leg up in the air so all the work is in one glute, or by holding a heavy weight across your hips. Anyway I suggest a video which will ensure you do enough to feel the burn.

Hip thrusts are where your upper body is on the sofa, your legs are at 90 degrees and you lift and lower your hips. Lower to bum just off the floor. Weight on your hips if you like. Done like this you feel it a lot more than bridges and they're nasty, but do work!

Lunges in their various forms also good.

Thank you both!

I will do as suggested with the lying down squat machine; thank you.

Gym classes aren’t included in my membership. I’ve been to classes elsewhere in the distant past and always felt out of place, not knowing the etiquette, and being hopelessly unco-ordinated. I do have Pilates dvds at home and Jillian Michaels dvds. My problem has always been motivating myself to do them. I’m hoping that seeing progress at the gym will encourage me to do more. But I will have a look on YouTube for glutes workouts and will hopefully do them.

Thanks both for the hip thrust tips- I’ll give it a go. At the moment I feel like it’ll take a miracle for my bum to look perky.

Have a look at bret Contreras on insta. He's the glute king!

Thank you - will do!

I’d also add that body weight won’t be enough, you’ll need to add weighted split squats and lunges. I’m sure there are loads of programs online if you google workouts for glutes. Kayla Itsines is good for beginners

Step machine