If you want to tone your buttocks, you'll probably need to perform exercises designed to isolate the glutes, or muscles of the buttocks. Exercises such as these can tone the muscles of your buttocks, but they aren't generally enough to give your buttocks a toned appearance. Even if the muscles of your buttocks are toned, body fat can hide their appearance. In order to tone your buttocks, you should generally follow an exercise program that includes both aerobic, fat-burning exercises and exercises that help to isolate the glutes.
It's generally recommended that you perform aerobic exercises such as swimming, jogging, or cycling, to burn off body fat. You may not be able to remove fat from just one area of your body. Aerobic exercises will usually burn fat from your entire body at once. The more time you spend performing aerobic exercises, the more likely you are to lose body fat from your buttocks. Once you have burned off the extra body fat that covers your buttocks, the tone of the muscles there will probably be visible.
It's considered important to warm up and cool down before and after aerobic exercise. Warming up before exercise helps prepare your body for more strenuous exertion. Warming up helps raise your heart rate and makes your muscles more limber, to prevent injury. Cooling down helps your body return to a restful state. Stretching during cool down can help to keep your muscles from shortening and can prevent post-workout muscle pain.
Experts recommend performing 30 minutes of vigorous physical exercise, three times a week, to burn of excess body fat. Jogging, cycling, swimming, and even brisk walking can help you to burn off excess body fat. When performing aerobic exercise, it's considered important that your heart beats faster and you breathe hard. Experts recommend, however, that you maintain a pace that allows you to carry on conversation.
Exercises that isolate the glutes can help you tone your buttocks. Lunges, squats, and barbell dead lifts are considered good ways to tone your buttocks. Squats are typically performed using both legs at once, but they can also be performed on one foot. Dumbbells can help to make squats and lunges more effective.
Kickbacks are also considered good for toning your buttocks. Kickbacks are generally performed using ankle weights. To perform a kickback, stand upright, and lift your ankle up toward your buttocks.
