Butt really....

As older adults, most of us are not looking at achieving a bikini butt ....but rather at fighting gravity and preventing the descent south of our gluteals - AKA butt muscles.

You've all heard the saying "use it or lose it" and this certainly holds true for our gluteal muscles.  I am talking about gluteus maximus, minimus and medias.  These are some of the largest muscles in our body and require a substantial amount of work to keep them in shape.  Fortunately, we use these muscles all the time - walking, climbing stairs, running, sitting down and getting up ....so exercising our glutes is not hard. 

Squats and lunges (and variations thereof) continue to be considered two of the best exercises for our butts.  In addition to your daily activities, try to fit in a couple sessions a week - just for your butt.  The results will be amazing!  Not only will your butt look better ....but you will soon be able to run up the stairs two at a time.

SQUATS are one of the best exercises you can do for your hips, butt and thighs and they're also a functional exercise, helping us build strength for a variety of daily activities.

 

How to:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and, for added intensity, hold weights at shoulder level or at your sides.
2. Bend the knees, and lower into a squat, keeping the knees behind the toes. Imagine that you're sticking your butt out behind you, but keep the torso upright and contracted.
3. Press into the heels to stand up.
4. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-16 reps

LUNGES are a challenging exercise because they work so many muscles at the same time. On the front leg, you'll work the glutes and hamstrings and, on the back leg, you'll work the quads and calves.