Butt Exercise Mini Series – Hip Extensions

Butt Exercise Mini Series – Hip Extensions

by (updated 444 days ago)

The Hip Extension Exercise has been recognized as one of the most targeted low intensity exercises for the butt. It almost completely concentrates on the glute muscles and also the lower back which is great for both lifting, firming and developing the butt. The only downside to this exercise is that it is relatively mild, you generally can’t place any weights on your feet thus most of the time you’ll be doing the exercise free-weight which might not be the best for butt muscle development.

Below is a great example of posture and style in which a hip extension should be done, pay particular attention to the piece of pipe between the trainer’s shoulders and butt, it is always suspended between his shoulders and his butt showing that the proper posture is to have your back arched downwards so that you can get the right level of extension for your legs.

Admittedly, the exercise looks quite easy and you may think that it isn’t the best exercise to build your butt. It’s also been tarnished by the fact that this exercise is used widely by the elderly or rehabilitating sick people, plainly because the exercise is just that good and effective at building both lower body strength and mobility. You would be wrong to dismiss this exercise, medical journals have established that this type of exercise is one of the most effective exercises to build strength in both your butt region and lower back.

Get down on your elbows (or hands) and knees, abs tight and back flat to maintain a good posture. Take one leg and kick it back as far as you can, imagine you’re kicking a dog behind you. Squeeze the butt to lift right leg until it’s level with hips then lower. Repeat for 12-16 reps before switching sides. You should be feeling a nice good burn at your butt and lower back muscles, if you don’t yet feel a burn increase the number of reps until you do.

Here lies the secret to this exercise, mind you because you are not using weights, your reps must be quite high, this does not mean that you should stop at 15-20, if you can still continue to do more, you should until you find it distinctly difficult to raise you leg for the final rep, it is this forced final rep that will bring the most effect to your exercise and you should never forget to push the limit for the best results. Remember, you must always feel great strain at the final rep then you have done a good set.

To properly benefit from this exercise you must understand that because you aren’t using any weights, you must perform a high number of reps. Being an exercise with high reps, it isn’t best suited to building mass rather its benefit is in adding tone to the butt and also effectively lifting the butt. Very few exercises can help in lifting the butt but hip extensions manage to do this because the exercise also calls into use the muscles of the lower back which will eventually tighten and pull the butt upwards. There-in lies the benefit to this exercise.

Remember to always squeeze your butt muscles when your legs are already extended, this give a very good burn, and is especially useful for people looking to add an extra perk to the butt. By constricting and squeezing at the very end of the rep, the muscle is forced to work when it is already at its smallest and tightest position, making it grow in girth and thus adding definition.

More articles from the Butt Exercise Series:

Can A Workout Guide Help Guide You In The Right Direction?

You’ve decided to start working out. However, when you look into the best types of exercise to suit your purpose, you’re faced with an overwhelming plethora of choices! Do you join a gym, do aerobics or just start jogging around the block every day?

Different types of exercises suit different people and different weight loss / fitness goals. You also need to factor in things like – what type of exercise do you most enjoy doing. Or to put it another way – what type of exercise is going to be sustainable for you in the long term. There is no point deciding to take up running if you hate running or have health issues that would make running unfeasible. Likewise, joining a gym is out if you can’t afford the membership fees or there isn’t one convenient for you.

The Walking Workout – Walking Your Way To Better Fitness

One of the most convenient, easiest and popular ways to exercise is walking. Walking is an excellent form of exercise and suits pretty much every level of fitness. Additionally, nearly everyone can fit some walk time into their daily routine, even if it’s just walking the dog on a daily basis. It’s relatively easy to find an exercise partner to go walking with you, which provides added incentive to keep doing it. As you get fitter, you can increase the distance and intensity at which you walk too.

Aerobics – A Great Fitness Workout Option

Another very popular type of exercise, especially for women, is aerobics. In some countries, free or cheap council-run aerobics classes are a popular alternative to joining an aerobics club. If you think aerobics might be something you’d like to try, be sure to get hold of an aerobics for fitness guide. This will show you how the various types of exercises will benefit you and importantly, how to do them correctly.

Joining A Gym To Work Out

Yet another option is joining a fitness center or a gym. This gives you the option of having a variety of workout programs and equipment available to suit. Most also have trainers who can help you plan an appropriate workout and answer any questions. When choosing a fitness center, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. Good service is essential and well-maintained equipment of paramount importance. Exercise equipment in good condition and maintained correctly doesn’t generally squeak, rattle or make a lot of noise when used!

The Ultimate Convenience – Working Out At Home

You may even decide to purchase your own exercise equipment to set up at home. That’s the ultimate in convenience! However, it is an expensive outlay so be sure to select the best equipment for losing weight the way you want to lose it. If you don’t plan to do much strength training, don’t go overboard buying a ton of strength building equipment.

Choose The Right Exercises With A Workout Guide

Regardless of the type of exercise you choose, most workout guides advise you to start out the same way. Begin with a low level of intensity then build up to higher levels of intensity as your strength and fitness improves. If you start out by doing too much too soon you’ll run the risk of injuring yourself, possibly seriously. Also, bear in mind that depending on the type of exercise being done, workout guides written for women may differ from those for men simply because of differences in muscle bulk and strength.

About Susan Rogers

For Susan Rogers, the idea that there must be more to life than waking up, going to work, coming home, and going through it all again tomorrow led her leave her safe job in a health care center for the uncertain world of freelance writing. What she was going to write about was a given. The same interest in health and fitness had led to the job in the health care center originally. So these days she wakes up, heads into her home office, and writes ...