Pause for a moment at the top and then slowly bring your left thigh back to the starting position. Now that you've mastered a bodyweight squat, you can bring up the intensity of this exercise by incorporating a resistance band. Just like the exercise above, the key here is to keep the band taut the entire time. The gluteus maximus—the largest muscle in your glutes—get the most love when it comes to butt exercises, but doing more exercises that involve abduction—moving your legs away from the midline—can help you target the smaller muscles. So use your hands to stabilize your position on the bench or whatever you are using to sit on. If you're sick of doing squats, these standing glute kickbacks are a great way to fire up your posterior. Engaging your glutes and outer thighs, lift your left knee out to the side without shifting your hips. Then kick your right foot out and place it back down to the ground, pressing your left foot firmly on the ground. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and extend your arms out in front of you. Squeezing your glutes and core, kick your left foot directly behind you, forming a straight line from your heel to the top of your head. Resistance bands are particularly useful for working your lower body, including the legs and glutes, because they force you to move with better form and produce power from the right muscles, Gozo says. Ranging from light to heavy, there are different levels of resistance you can work with. Continue for 10 reps before switching sides. Lie face up on a yoga mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Working your inner and outer thigh muscles, the clamshell exercise forces you to move with control and focus on proper form. Lifting one leg at a time with a resistance band around your thighs offsets your balance and makes your glutes work harder to keep them lifted off the ground. Bring your left knee back to the starting position. I love this movement. Continue for 10 reps before switching sides. Not sure how to get started? Press your right foot firmly on the ground to help keep your body stable. Tightening your glutes and thighs and balancing your weight on the right leg, lift your left leg out to the side, tightening the band as much as you can without shifting your hips. If you suffer from knee pain, resistance bands are especially handy for strengthening the muscles around the joint so they can stand up to a heavier load. Add weights and you’ll see results even faster. ** This will (1) help keep tension on the hamstrings, while (2) it will offset any potential strain on the back of the knees, and (3) it will limit you bringing lower lumbar muscles into the movement, so that you use the muscles you *should* be using. How to do clamshells: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. Remember to engage your core to keep your chest lifted as well. (You can even change it up workout to workout, like I do here. How to do a diagonal band walk: Place a resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in the knees. "Resistance bands are great because you can bring them with you anywhere, and there are a varying degrees to make it more challenging, or scale it back," says Betina Gozo, Nike master trainer and creator of STRONG with Betina Gozo: Total-Body Fitness In Under 20 Minutes. Your lower abs and stability get tested with this glute bridge exercise. A good visualization is to imagine pushing the wall behind you with your heel. Gozo designed this resistance band leg workout below. Tabletop Glute Kickbacks. Gozo's mix of bodyweight and dumbbell compound movements hit multiple muscles at once so you can tone your arms, glutes, tummy, back, and more in a short amount of time. Tiffany Ayuda, a senior editor at Prevention and certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, has specialized in fitness, health, and general wellness topics in her previously editorial roles at Life by Daily Burn, Everyday Health, and South Beach Diet. Equipment: One medium to heavy resistance band and a yoga mat. Tightening your glutes and core, sit into a squat, pushing your butt back and down. Squats. While this exercise primarily works your lower body, it's important to press your hands down on the ground to keep your shoulders in place. This is one rep. Continue for 10 reps before alternating sides. Walk it out till you get the level of tension you want.» Begin by making sure that you deliberately place your knees higher than your hips. You can really feel your glutes working. It feels very fluid, much more so than when I try to use a free motion machine for the same movement!- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEARN MORE (\u0026 get free stuff)- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • Website » https://scottabelfitness.com • Facebook » https://www.facebook.com/coachscottabel• Twitter » https://twitter.com/coachscottabel• Instagram » https://instagram.com/coachscottabel- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Join my Facebook discussion group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/172424996537116/- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Engaging your outer thighs and slightly hinging at the hips, step your left foot to the side so your feet are now shoulder-distance apart. How to do a glute bridge with alternating leg raises: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. If you don't have access to a leg extension machine, replicate the exercise at home with dumbbells. STRONG with Betina Gozo: Total-Body Fitness In Under 20 Minutes, Nike Zoom Air Fearless Flyknit 2 AMP Training Shoes, The Best Resistance Bands for At-Home Workouts, 12 Resistance Band Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, Candace Cameron Bure's Resistance Band Workout, 4 Resistance Band Moves For A Seriously Toned Butt, 12 Best Inner Thigh Exercises to Do at Home. The difficulty of this exercise is great for … )» Place the band around the back of the feet near or at the Achilles level. While it might look simple, your inner and outer thighs will feel the burn with this resistance band exercise. Here, you want to step your feet out and in wide enough so that the band stays taut throughout the entire time. How to do fire hydrants: Place a resistance band just above your knee and get into tabletop position with your hips directly over your knees and your shoulders over your wrists. How to do glute bridge pulses: Place a resistance band your thighs, just above your knees. Each muscle works in unison to extend the knee. Be sure to tighten your core so your upper body stays stable. When you place a resistance band just above your knees, as shown here, you're also engaging your outer thigh muscles to drive your knees out. It also engages the muscles in … The challenge here will be to keep your upper body and hips square and stable. Continue alternating sides for 15 to 20 reps. Your body is one of your most powerful strength training tools. Unlike dumbbells and kettlebells, resistance bands put less pressure on the joints and can target small and large muscle groups at once. Improve your hip mobility by mixing up the directions in your band walks. Apparel: Nike Running Tank, Nike Epic Lux Tights, and Nike Zoom Air Fearless Flyknit 2 AMP Training Shoes. With these resistance band leg lifts, you're also actively squeezing your thighs to out to the sides. Working against the band, squeeze your glutes and thigh muscles to press your left thigh out as wide as you can. Tightening your glutes and tucking your pelvis in, kick your left leg out behind you until the band is tight. How to do squats: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. The squat is a bodyweight exercise that targets your quads. Tightening your glutes and pelvic muscles, press your hips up toward the ceiling. With a slight hinge at the hips, take a wide step up to the right side with your right foot while keeping the band tight around your ankles, then take a wide step up to the left side with your left foot. Glute bridges are an excellent way to strengthen the pelvic floor and open up the hips. If you want to build muscle and improve power and endurance, resistance bands are one of the best strength training tools you can use. Why trust us? "For example, if you're someone that tends to let their knees cave in when you squat, placing a resistance band above your knees is a good reminder to drive your knees out," she says. Here’s What Sugar Really Does to Your Brain, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. How to do tabletop glute kickbacks: Place a resistance band around the arches of your feet and get into tabletop position with your hips directly over your knees and shoulders over your wrists. Widen your thighs so the band stretches as high as you can before lowering your knee back down. How to do a lateral band walk: Place a resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in the knees.