Some of our favourite yogis, barre teachers and Pilates experts shed light on how to achieve your best butt in the new year.

Say goodbye to the conventional squat, and say hello to your yoga mat — or the Pilates studio — or the ballet-inspired barre! If one of your resolutions is to fine-tune your glutes, City Life chatted with five local pros to find out how their methods can make it happen.

Carol Atkinson Yoga Teacher

“When practising yoga in a room heated by infrared rays to normal body temperature (35 to 37 degrees Celsius), the heat is easily absorbed without it being overwhelming. The heat has the benefit of penetrating muscles, permitting deep, therapeutic stretching to enhance flexibility and also raising the heart rate when working to tone muscles. An effective way to tone the gluteus muscles is Utkatasana (‘OOT-Kah-TAHS-anna’), also known as the Chair Pose: from a standing position with feet parallel, both arms reaching forward, bend your knees, sitting back and down, working to align your knees over your ankles, shifting weight into your heels. Hold while breathing slowly for 30 to 60 seconds.”

Healthletica Hot Yoga + Wellness
healthletica.ca

Marco Racco Yoga and Pilates Teacher

“Want a toned tush? Yoga can be the vehicle to take you there. Our glutes are actually made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. This muscle group works synergistically to move and stabilize the pelvis. Yoga’s Warrior Poses are excellent at targeting your glutes, strengthening and stretching them in various ranges of motion. Imagine a warrior: powerful, focused and poised … with a great butt.”

Olive Tree Yoga & Pilates
olivetreeyoga.com

Stacey Falbo Pilates Instructor

“An effective Pilates routine allows you to strengthen and increase your body’s overall lean muscle mass, including your glutes. A strong core and strong glutes go hand in hand. Some essential Pilates gluteal exercises include two to three sets of single-leg or double-leg hip rolls and hip dips. These exercises add fire to the glutes while engaging the core muscles and back stabilizers. Other exercises include multiple sets of single- or double-leg kicks and pelvic curls, which target the inner and outer thigh muscles but also help create toned, shapely buttocks.”

Live Love Pilates

Tina Dileo Barre Instructor and Trainer

“In barre class, the focus is always about balancing the muscles in our lower body, especially the glutes! We want to build a booty without bulking the legs. The difference between the way we work our glutes as opposed to the traditional training methods is we combine full-range movements with small, intricate, isometric holds and pulses that target all the muscles in the lower body like no other. Some signature moves that you will always find at Body Barre Fitness classes are tons of pliés in different ballet positions, side leg abductions, oysters, curtsy lunges and our favourite booty-burning exercise, ‘The Jane Fonda.’ No matter your size or shape, you’ll walk out with a toned, sculpted and lifted seat!”

Body Barre Fitness
bodybarrefitness.ca

Carlos Salas Trainer

“Toned glutes don’t just come from working out that specific area. Cardio and resistance exercises go hand in hand to help strengthen and tone. For that reason, it is important that when thinking about glute and leg toning, you take into account the fat-burning aspect too. Some of the best glute-toning exercises combine both elements. Simply walking more and going up stairs are good ways to start thinking about it. Combining this with squats, lunges, kickbacks, donkey kicks and using resistance bands will increase muscle and help build more toned glutes.”

Body By Chosen
bodybychosen.com