I never have the time or motivation to get myself to the gym or a workout class. Instead, I created a workout that I do in my dorm room—no equipment needed! I like to do my workout on a yoga mat, but you don’t even need that. You can do it anywhere, and it takes less than 30 minutes. Even the laziest of us out there can find the time and motivation to fit this workout into our busy lives.
I usually do a combination of core and butt exercises. I listed my abs workout last week, and I’ve listed my butt workout below. This combination of exercises is perfect because it targets many different muscles around your butt for a well-rounded (no pun intended!) workout.
1. Squats (30 reps)
womenshealthmag.com
Do 30 squats starting with your feet about shoulder-width apart and pointing forward. You never want your knees to come over your toes otherwise you could injure yourself. To avoid this, stick your butt back. You’ll want to get this form right. Trust me on this— I tore my meniscus (a layer of cartilage in the knee) from repeatedly doing squats incorrectly, and I had to have surgery.
2. Squat Kickbacks (20 total)
popsugar.com
Do 20 squat kickbacks total, not each side. Do a normal squat, and then, as you’re coming back up, lift one leg and extend it backward. Put your leg back down, and then start your next squat. You can switch off sides or do all one side and then all of the other.
3. Hip Raises (30 reps)
Do 30 hip raises. Make sure to lift your hips high enough that your body is in a straight line from your chest to your knees. Don’t rest your hips on the floor when you bring them back down. Keeping them slightly above the floor will keep the muscles engaged.
4. Kickbacks (20 each side)
radianthealthmag.com
Do 20 kickbacks each side. Start on your hands as knees. As you bring your leg back, keep it straight, and try not to arch your back too much. Do all of the reps on one side before switching sides so that you don’t let the muscle rest. Focus on keeping your weight over your knee and not letting your hip fall to the side. This will help prevent hip and knee injury.
5. Fire Hydrants (20 each side)
Do 20 fire hydrants each side. Start in the same position as the kickbacks listed above. For this exercise, you’ll keep your knee bent and bring your leg up to the side. Again, do all of the reps on one side before switching sides so that you don’t let the muscle rest. Also, again, focus on keeping your weight over your knee and not letting your hip fall to the side. The hip rolls to the outside more with fire hydrants than with kickbacks, making it even more important to keep your weight over your knee.
6. Side Leg Lifts (30 each side)
popsugar.com
Do 30 side leg lifts each side. Make sure your hips stay in line and that the top one doesn’t roll backward or forward. It’s important to keep your top leg straight, so you don’t have to lift it very high, especially if you’re not flexible like me. As for the leg that’s on the ground, you can keep it straight or bent— it’s up to you.
7. Lunges (10 each side)
womenshealthmag.com
Do 10 lunges each side. Take a step forward and bend your knees at about a 90-degree angle. Don’t let your front knee go past your toes. Push yourself back up with your front leg. Keep your back knee off the ground so that you’re not putting weight on it and resting.
8. Reverse Lunges (10 each side)
greatist.com
Do 10 reverse lunges each side. This works slightly different muscles than the regular lunges listed before this, even though it looks pretty much the same. Instead of taking a step forward, you’ll take a step back. Keep your front knee at about a 90-degree angle, and don’t rest your back knee on the ground. Push yourself back up with your back leg.
These exercises work well for me, but feel free to pick and choose the ones that are right for you. Adjust the number of reps if you need to. Do what makes you feel good and gives you the best results. Exercising is good for you, and this workout is quick, so no more excuses!
Cover photo from skinnyms.com
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