For better or for worse, butts get a lot of attention in the fitness world. And while it would be disingenuous to ignore the fact that people do for aesthetic reasons — derrieres have been involved in plenty of over the last several years — the truth is that butt exercises tend to deliver plenty of great, functional benefits as well. After all, a stronger bottom means a stronger foundation, so you can move with more stability, more power, and less risk of injury.
But aren't the only way to work out your glute muscles. In fact, they're not necessarily even the way to exercise the glutes. Squats are a quad-dominant exercise, meaning that the movement mainly targets your quadriceps, the muscles on the front of your thighs.
Your glutes get some work but come secondary to your quads in this move. We know — surprising stuff, considering how popular squats are in lower-body workout plans. And they are a fantastic exercise to have in your repertoire (although you should practice ).
But reports that strength exercises where you bend at only the hip are more effective at targeting your glute muscles than exercises where you bend at the hip knee. That makes exercises like , hip thrusts, or better for engaging your butt than movements like squats or lunges — and the more you engage a muscle, the more it has the potential to grow. One final FYI: the glutes aren't one single muscle.
They're made up of three: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. This is another .
