The shape and tone of the butt, thighs and legs are a source of constant discontent for many women- but they don’t have to be. If you’re looking for some improved shape and tone around the upper legs and butt, below are some handy exercises to try.

Important – If you’re specifically looking to lose weight from a given area of your body, it’s important to understand that “spot reduction” (losing weight from one region of the body) is a myth. With very few exceptions to the rule, where you lose weight from first is completely out of your control.

The bottom line (pardon the pun) though is this… If you are looking to lose weight from a certain area, eating well and regular exercise are the clear sustainable paths to weight loss and the weight will eventually come off from your problem areas.

HOWEVER, that’s not to say that you should not do specific, targeted exercises to any area you want to improve the shape and tone of.

As you’re losing weight (or if you have already lost weight), performing specific exercises that target a certain muscle group will absolutely help with improving shape and tone.

With that in mind, here are 10 exercises to help you with improving the shape and tone of your butt, thighs and legs:

Best Butt Toning Exercises

1. Plie Squat

Star upright, then step a big wide step apart with toes pointed slightly outwards. Next, lower yourself down with your hands falling between your legs. Aim to get down close to a 90 degree angle at the knees and then come up again. Repeat 10-15 times.

2. Single Leg Lunge

Start with both feet side by side, arms beside you with or without weights. Step forward about 2/3 a normal step, pause, and then drop down slowly. The pause is important as you want your weight going directly down to the ground as opposed to down and forward (which places strain on your knee). step back and then forward with the other leg. Aim to repeat 10-15 times each leg.

3. Hip Thrusters

Start laying flat on yoru back with your feet close to your bum (as shown in A above). Next, with arms by your side, tense your butt and push your hips up to the roof. At the top, hold the position for 1-2 seconds, then drop back down slowly. Repeat 10-15 times.

4. The lean

Start on all fours as showing in A above. Next, raise one foot backwards and up towards the roof as if you are trying to kick the ceiling. Kick up as high as you can, whilst keeping your hips facing the ground (you want to avoid twisting and turning). You can perform this 10-15 times on one leg, and then swap.

5. Jump Squat

Getting the body you’ve always dreamed of does require hard work but with these exercises it is only a matter of time before you will have magnificently toned legs, thighs and butt.

Beyond exercise, there are plenty of other tips and trick for toning the butt too.

How To Tone Your Bum

Below is a list of tips that you can use before, during and outside of exercise to get a toned butt.

Add weights to your workout

You can add challenge to your usual butt workout by using weights. Carrying 3kg or even 5kg of weight will make the basic butt exercises, like lunges or squats, even harder. The results will show up faster, too because you’re challenging your muscles more.

Try yoga or pilates EXERCISES

These two workouts will help improve your flexibility and mobility. The poses work your entire body, including your glutes. Adding yoga or pilates type activity into your routine will help tone the backside faster.

Do varied training more often

Varied training doing a total body workout such as strength, cardio, and resistance training is a fantastic way to create balance. Each varied training routine should include a range of body movements and focus areas and aim for quick rest breaks in between – just enough for you to prepare for the next move.

Eat a balanced, healthy diet

To tone your butt, you need to burn fat overall because as we know, spot fat reduction is pretty much a myth – the best way to tone any body part is to ensure that you have burned off excess fat overall.

This does not mean you need to starve yourself, because this is a total no-no. As a general rule, eat whole foods, and avoid processed foods. A balanced meal includes healthy carbohydrates (anything that doesn’t come in a packet is a great start!), proteins, and vegetables.

Ditch the junk food

Exercise alone is not enough to tone your butt. If you have an unhealthy lifestyle, then you are just putting your regular exercise to waste. It will not be enough to combat the harmful effects of junk food, which contains plenty of empty calories, sodium, and bad fat. Junk food will only make you gain more cellulites, and it takes hours of strenuous exercising to get it out of your system.

Drink a lot of water

Staying hydrated all day will make you lose weight and give you tighter skin. It is recommended that you drink at least two litres of water a day, and more if you sweat a lot. Alcohol and caffeine are not good sources of fluid because they can get you dehydrated. You should kick-start your day with a glass or two of water, and aim to drink as much as possible later in the day.

Good luck in your butt toning mission, we hope the butt toning exercises and tips above have been helpful!