The Derrière, made popular by Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé, is an imperative area of focus when developing your beach body. Firming and lifting the glutes (i.e. the butt, derrière, backside) can often elude us because these muscles are accustomed to slacking off! 
Most of us sit down at our desk for 8 or more hours a day, sit in our cars for a commute that can range from 20 minutes to an hour and then go home to sit on the couch as we watch our favorite TV shows. With 90% of your waking hours seated, your glutes are on an extended vacation with no reason to get back to work!
So how do we get our glutes to get with the program and join the beach body crusade?
Well, we must first acknowledge and embrace their existence. The glutes are a powerful muscle that when utilized properly can give you tremendous strength while running, jumping, squatting, walking up stairs and any other activity that requires movement of the lower body. During the time that the glutes were “slacking off” the thighs were getting the job done, so in the beginning you may find it difficult to engage the glutes but here are a few tips to get you started:
- The power of the heel. When doing lower body exercises place the soles of your feet on the floor but emphasize “driving through the heel” like you are smashing a bug. The heel serves as a light switch to turn on the glutes.
- Squeeze like there is no tomorrow. The body enjoys taking the path of least resistance (avoiding the glutes is an example of this). While doing glute exercises in the gym (like lunges, step-ups or squats) make an effort to squeeze your glutes as hard as you can, after a while they’ll get the message.
Check out a few of my fitness videos, for some of my favorite Derrière exercises:
- Creative Total Body Sculpt
- Training Session
——————————-
Yearning for more? Check out the Beach Body Training series to help you get the body you’ve always wanted!
Beach body training: Total body workout
Beach body training: Basketball drills
Beach body training: Gorgeous arms
