Work Your Buns Off

If building a better body were all about the bench press and biceps curls, every man would look like Adrian Peterson. But your body is more than just a collection of individual muscles; it's a single muscular system. So if one muscle is ignored—or worse, shuts down—the rest won't work as well.

When I evaluate clients at my gym, Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training, I find one key area of weakness over and over again: their glutes, or butt muscles. (Find six other muscles most guys ignore, and learn how to work them to improve total-body strength.) It's no secret that men typically train only the muscles they can see in the mirror. This one-sided approach is bad for your body and even worse for your glutes, because long hours spent sitting can cause your glutes to "forget" how to fire.

Consider this: Your glutes are perhaps the most powerful collection of muscles in your body. Which means weak glutes negatively impact your entire muscular system.

Use this plan to activate your glutes and maximize your body's potential. In weeks you'll increase lower-body strength, decrease your injury risk and burn more fat.

The warmup

Before you improve glute functioning, you need to address your limited flexibility. If you tend to sit all day, the front of your hips may be extremely stiff. Begin each glute workout with the kneeling hip flexor stretch in order to help loosen your hips and maximize your lower-body performance.

Kneeling hip flexor stretch

Kneel on your left knee, tighten your left gluteus maximus, and brace your abdominal muscles while keeping your back straight. (You should feel a slight stretch in the front of your left hip.) Then reach up with your left hand as high as you can and bend slightly to the right. Reach out and back with your right hand, and turn toward the right. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds. Do four reps, and then switch sides and repeat to stretch your right hip.

For even more ways to improve your body, dive into the 100 greatest fitness tips of all time.

The program

Follow these three phases to improve your hip and glute functioning. Some exercises may seem too easy at first, but doing them is essential to properly activating muscles that have been ignored. As you make progress, you'll perform more challenging moves and ultimately improve the various functions of your glutes. Spend two to four weeks on each phase before increasing the difficulty.

Phase 1

Hip raise

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat. Lift your hips until they're straight. Hold for five seconds, and return to the starting position. Perform 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

Clamshell

Lie on your side with your knees bent 90 degrees and your heels together and in line with your butt. Open your knees as far as you can, without rotating your pelvis or back. Pause; return to the starting position. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

Bird dog

Get down on your hands and knees. With your back straight, fully extend one leg behind you until you feel your glutes tighten; avoid any lower-back movement. Hold the position for five seconds and return to the starting position. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

For five more exercises that improve your flexibility, strength and cardiovascular capacity, check out this slideshow.

Phase 2

Hip raise with feet on bench

Lie on your back with your feet on a bench and your legs straight. Then do a hip raise, as in phase 1. Hold for five seconds, and return to the starting position. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

Lateral walk

Place an exercise band around your thighs. Step to the side, toes pointing slightly outward. Sidestep to the left 20 feet, and then repeat to the right. That's one round. Do 1 or 2 sets of 3 rounds, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Cable pull-through

Face away from a cable machine holding a low-cable handle between your legs. Bend and reach back between your legs, with your knees bent and back straight. Now stand up, keep your glutes tight, and pause. Do 2 or 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Cable machines can chisel your entire body, but avoid these six exercise machines that can cause injury.

Phase 3

Hip raise with feet on a Swiss ball

Perform this exercise just like the first exercise in phase 2, but with your feet on a Swiss ball. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, resting for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Single-leg squat-to-bench

Stand on your right foot and extend your left leg. Lower yourself to a bench by bending your hips and right knee. Stand up without your left foot touching the ground. Do 8 to 10 reps and switch legs. That's one set. Do 2 or 3 sets, resting for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Stepup

Step up with your right leg onto a bench that's 6 inches in front of you. Raise your left knee to hip level without your foot touching the bench. Return your left foot to the floor. Complete 10 to 12 reps on one side, and then repeat on the other side. That's one set. Do 2 or 3, resting for 60 to 90 seconds in between.

Discover tons of other great workouts and download them to your iPod so you can work out anywhere.