- Experts say you can build a bigger, stronger butt by doing variations of exercises like squats.
- You don't necessarily need weights, either - body weight movements like donkey kicks work, too.
- To build glute muscles without equipment, focus on increasing muscle tension and effort with good form.
If you're looking for a toned tush this summer, you don't necessarily need to hit the gym. While weight lifting is a great way to build a juicy booty, you can also build muscle and get fit without any equipment.
The key is working all three muscles of the glutes, according to Irving "Zeus" Hyppolite, personal trainer and founder of House Of Zeus in New York.
"Focus on developing all the parts, medial and maximal muscles," he previously told Insider.
Here's a few body weight exercises Hyppolite and other trainers recommend to grow your glutes.
Donkey kicks
Hyppolite said a great equipment-free
To do it, put your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Engage your core and lift one leg up behind you until it's parallel to the ground, keeping the knee bent at a right angle, as though you're putting your foot on the ceiling. Squeeze your butt muscles to raise the leg a little higher, then lower slowly. Repeat until you feel the burn.
A similar exercise is fire hydrants, which also start on all fours. Lead with your knee bent at a 90 degree angle, lift one leg out to the side as high as is comfortable, squeezing your thigh and glute at the top. Keep the hips square and core tight.
Glute bridges
For a toned butt, celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson previously told Insider he recommends the glute bridge, also known as the hip bridge.
To perform a glute bridge, lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the ground about six inches from your butt. Press your upper back and heels into the ground to lift your butt off the ground, keeping your hips square and positioned in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Lower and repeat.
For an added challenge, try the movement using only one leg at time, said Peterson, who has worked with A-list stars like Jennifer Lopez, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Angelina Jolie, and the Kardashians. This single leg version can spice up the movement if you're otherwise used to using weights.
Squat variations
If you're new to fitness, regular squats might already be enough to work your glutes and the rest of your leg muscles. If you have more experience or want a challenge, changing up your stance while squatting can target muscles from different angles. This can help make your glutes work harder, even if you can't add weight.
For instance, you might try a narrower stance, with feet slightly closer than shoulder width; or a sumo stance, with feet wider apart and your toes turned out at a 45 degree angle. For a curtsy squat, cross one leg behind the other and extend it out to the side as you bend your standing leg.
These modified moves can help activate all parts of the glutes for better results.
"Multidirectional work is important to make the muscles develop equally," Peterson said.
You can also use variations to make squats more challenging and help maximize your gains. Pause at the bottom of the movement or add a partial rep or pulse before or after to increase your time under tension and make the muscle work more. Add explosive power to a squat by jumping at the top of the movement.
Single leg squats, or pistol squats, are another way to maximize gains because they require balance and strength. To do a pistol squat, extend one leg straight out in front of you while standing, then bend the other knee to 90 degrees into a squat. Stand back up and repeat.
If this move is too difficult, you can try a Bulgarian split squat, which involves resting the top of one foot on a bench or box behind you. This adds tension to the standing leg, with less intensity than a pistol squat.
Sprints
One underrated option for booty gains is sprints, according to Hyppolite. Running at full speed can build muscle and explosive power in the legs, and you can do them just about anywhere you have a bit of space.
For this to pay off, however, you want short intervals of maximum effort, not just a fast jog. One option for this is a Tabata workout, which involves 20 seconds of effort, 10 seconds of rest, repeated for eight rounds.
"It's got to be truly high intensity, something that you can last the 20 seconds, but barely," Bryan Goldberg, a personal trainer, previously told Insider.