Hey there, fam! Summer is officially upon us and we’re so excited to be back in action. As we work our way back into the studio, we get that a lot of people are still going to want to stay home as much as they can. We’re with you, wherever you’re at, and thought we’d share some amazing exercises you can do in the comfort of your living room. 

WHAT KIND OF EXERCISES, YOU ASK? 

Well, we kind of already gave it away in the title, but today we’re here to talk about some fantastic pilates butt exercises! Pilates offers a ton of movements that lift, tone, and sculpt your backside. You know that doesn’t just mean we’ll be working the booty, though. All of these exercises are going to be working your core, including your abdominal muscles, the muscles in your back, and even the backs of your legs. 

Such is the beauty of Pilates. We’re never just working one muscle. It’s all about building up each of our attributes alongside one another. 

Know the Powerhouse. Be the Powerhouse. 

The powerhouse in Pilates is at the center of it all. It’s made up of your abs, your lower back and hips, your pelvic floor, and of course, your butt. Each of these muscles support one another so that even when an exercise targets one of them, they’re all going to reap the benefits. They’re super important because they stabilize us in all our Pilates movements, so much that they actually generate all our big moves and give use our dynamic strength. 

Excited yet? This is such good work!

Remember to keep your movements slow and deliberate. All of these butt pilates exercises are going to work even better when you focus on form, and let yourself settle into each one, nice and easy. 

Okay, are you ready to get into the exercises? We’ve put together our Top 5 (in no particular order :-), and hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

#1. Pelvic Curl

This classic warm-up technique stretches the spine and abdominal muscles and engages the glutes and hamstrings. 

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, and feet flat on the floor, about shoulder length apart. 
• As you exhale: engage those abs to pull your navel down, toward your spine. 
• Inale: feel your body weight in your heels, and press it down into the mat, curling your tailbone upward. Your hips will raise, then your lower spine, then finally the middle spine. 
• Lift up until you feel your weight on the base of your shoulder blades. Try to make a straight line from your hip to your shoulder. 
• Hold it! Take 5 full breaths. Feel those heels digging into the mat. 
• As you exhale: bring yourself slowly down to the mat, engaging in reverse order the muscles that brought you up. Think of each of these repetitions as its own breath. 
• Repeat 3 to 5 times. 

#2. Leg Kick Back

Also known as the glute kickback, this exercise’s primary target is the glutes. It’s also a great hamstring stretch. It works well with or without an exercise band. 

• Start on all fours. If you have a band, start with it around your right instep.
• Engage and lift your abdominal muscles.
• Keep your right knee bent and extend your right hip so your thigh is parallel to the floor.
• While maintaining the height of the knee, slowly kick your heel back until the leg is straight.
• Bend your heel back toward your butt. Don’t let that knee fall!
• Repeat 8 to 10 times, alternating legs.

#3. Heel Beats

Heel beats may look unassuming, but trust us when we say this may be the supreme pilates butt and thigh exercise. It targets the heck out of your glutes, while also strengthening your back muscles, your hamstrings, and your inner thighs. 

• Lie on your stomach with your forehead on your hands. Straighten your legs out so they’re straight behind you. Comfortable, right? 
• Lift your abdominal muscles away from the mat. You’ll feel your spine lengthen. 
• Turn your legs out very slightly at the hip. Draw the inner thighs together and keep those heels as tight as you can. It’s okay if this is hard!
• Keep your abs lifted as you draw the legs up in the air off the mat. Lengthen them as straight as you can.
• Quickly beat your heels together, and apart.
• Do 20 beats. Rest and repeat.

#4. Swimming

This one’s fun and challenging. It might be a little difficult for you at first, but it’s worth keeping at as your limb movements get more coordinated. This one targets your glutes, stretches, and works all of your core muscles. 

• Lie on your stomach, legs pressed together, straight out behind you. 
• Relax your shoulders, making sure they’re away from your ears. Now, extend your arms out in front of you. 
• Pull your abs in so that you lift your navel up and away from the floor.
• Now, lift your head, arms, legs and abs into a lengthened position. 
• Paddle the right arm up while you left the leg up. Then switch. Keep doing that.
• As you alternate right arm/left leg, then left arm/right leg, pump up and down in vigorous pulses.
• Remember your breath. In for five, out for five. Try a total of 30 counts and three full breath cycles. 

#5. Double Leg Kick

Okay, so up to now, these exercises are great for beginners. We’d put this one in the intermediate category. It looks simple but it’s incredibly powerful, toning both ends of your butt muscles while working to extend your back muscles. 

• Lie face down with your face to one side and legs together. 
• Clasp your hands together behind your back, as high as possible.
• As you inhale: pull your abs in, lifting your belly away from the mat. 
• As you exhale: keep your legs together and bend both knees. Kick your heels toward your butt in a three pulse kick.
• Inhale again: keep your hands clasped and extend your arms behind you, arcing your upper body high off the mat. 
• At the same time, stretch your legs out straight, just above the mat.
• Exhale: return to the starting position with your head turned to the opposite side.
• Repeat three full sets, alternating your head right to left.

ADDING TO YOUR ROUTINE

Before we go, we just wanted to say that no matter how you build these into your pilates butt workout, it’s going to feel great and your booty’s about to get nice and toned. 

But, one more but! They’re going to work even better if you work them into a balanced routine. Doing these all back to back to back is not only going to hurt, they won’t be as effective. 

Remember, Pilates is all about context. It’s important to work all your muscles in concert with one another. Don’t overdo it with your glutes ?

Thanks for stopping by today. We hope to see you soon!