Do More Squats and Lunges

Forget about butt-busting fitness gadgets. A recent fitness poll certified fitness professionals found simple squats and lunges to be the best ways to tone and shape the gluteal muscles.

More than 36,000 certified fitness professionals were asked to name the best exercise for achieving a shapely rear end. Most of the respondents said the best overall exercise was squats - with or without weights. Lunges were named a close second.

Both exercises require core body balance and strength to isolate lower-body muscle groups. But other favorites were just as basic. Walking uphill, jogging and stair climbing rounded out the top-five.

Richard Cotton, an exercise physiologist, is quick to point out that toning and shaping any muscle group requires incorporating a strong aerobic component into your exercise program.

"Squats and lunges will work to strengthen your gluteals, as well as most of the major muscle groups of the lower body," Cotton said, "but you will only see a change in shape if you are doing fat-burning aerobic exercise and watching your diet as well. You'll get the strength benefits doing squats and lunges, but there will be no change in appearance without a well-rounded approach.

"Your best bet is walking uphill. It's the best combination of aerobic activity to burn fat and anaerobic activity to shape muscles."

Here are the top gluteal/lower-body exercises, according to surveyed certified fitness professionals:

1. Squats, with or without weights
2. Lunges
3. Walking, especially uphill
4. Jogging, running, or sprinting
5. Stair Climbing


Cotton also strongly warns against believing any specific exercise is a sure-fire way to get the body you desire. A number of factors determine body size and shape, including diet, cardiovascular conditioning, and strength training. But according to Cotton, something none of us can control - genetics - is the No. 1 factor in body shape.



If you're going to do it... do it right! Improperly done, any exercise can have poor results and more importantly cause injury.