Besides looking great in bikinis and skirts, the butt and thighs are super important for body function and fitness. While working these areas will help you to tone and tighten, the butt and thighs are also crucial for everything you do in daily life.
Strengthening the butt and thighs (specifically the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae and quadriceps) will help you to perform your daily activities, and are especially important when squatting or standing to pick up or hold your children.
There are many great benefits to working the butt and thighs
- reduced back pain,
- a stronger pelvis
- better supported knees and ankles
When the butt and thighs are strengthened, the glutes are able to balance and stabilise the hips, allowing the hip flexors to move with ease, reducing the risk of back pain and reducing chance of injury.
Many exercises work these important muscles, however squats and lunges are often favourites among athletes and trainers, as they activate a variety of muscles in the butt and thighs, while strengthening the entire lower body and core at the same time.
Not only do butt and thigh exercises help to shape and tone the lower body, they also increase overall body strength and function to support daily movements such as bending, lifting, twisting and moving.
Making these exercises a part of your daily routine will help move you towards your goals, while improving your balance, strengthening your core, reducing the risk of back pain, knee injuries and/or ankle instabilities.
It is also important to remember that the glutes are our prime movers, our body’s stabilisers and the major generators of propulsion in walking and moving. The butt and thighs help to shape our lower body and they also help us in everything we do.
Butt and thighs are certainly on the minds of most women on their way to achieving fitness goals, and the exercises in the August 28 Day Challenge will help to fast track those goals with excellent fat burning, strengthening and toning in both areas.
Written by Marissa Nieves, Healthy Mummy Fitness Expert