Firm Up Your Butt Without Hurting Your Knees

I get a lot of e-mails from readers who have sore knees, but still want to work their butts into shape. Here’s an exercise that will firm up your butt without giving your knees a pounding:

The One-Leg Lying Hip Extension

• Start by lying on your back with your knees bent. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Brace your abs (by contracting them as if someone were going to punch you in the stomach).
• Contract your right glute (butt muscle) while you lift your left leg off the floor and hold it straight up in the air.
• Using the right glute, bridge your hips up off the ground. Keep your abs braced. (Do not use your lower back to do this exercise.)
• Slowly lower your hips until they are an inch above the ground, and then repeat the exercise.
• Switch sides and do the same thing using your left glute and your right leg.

[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]

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