Sir Mix-A-Lot Knew What He Liked

Did Sir Mix-A-Lot have right? Are big butts really what everybody likes? Of course there is such a thing as too much of a good thing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BKZD0klUbE).

Today's post is a tribute to nice butts....and how to get them (The wife might not like this one).  The inspiration of this post comes from the number one request of EVERY FEMALE CLIENT I HAVE EVER HAD: "I want to tone my inner thighs and butt; how do I do that? Well here is my advice:

Type of Exercises:

First of all, I can tell you an exercise that IS NOT the fastest way to a nice butt and that is the thigh machine at the gym.  I don't know how many times I've seen a girl camp out on those machines for a good half an hour and then call it a day hoping they'll wake up will killer thighs the next morning.  This clearly isn't the most effective strategy.  The best way to look like you have nice legs and a great butt is to GET nice legs and a butt.  This means packing on some muscle and developing the back side a little.  Now with that being said, you don't have to set any squat records or train/look like Serena Williams to do this but you will have to lift weights or perform some type of resistance-based exercises to accomplish this.

Best Exercises:
If I had to pick the 5 best exercises for a nice butt they would be:

1. Hip Thrusts (and no, not the ones in the bedroom)

2. Squats

3. Lunges

4. Deadlifts

5. Step-Ups

How Often?
Obviously you can't go into the weight room everyday and work your legs so hard you can't walk up stairs anymore.  Like I said before, you don't have to set any squat records or join the powerlifting club to get great legs.  I would recommend working this 5 exercises into your weekly workouts at least twice a week.  You could split your workouts into upper and lower body days and split it up like this:

Monday: Upper Body
Tuesday: Lower Body
Wednesday: Cardio or Rest
Thursday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest or Cardio

Or you could perform a whole-body workout 3 times per week while incorporating cardio on the days between.  Regardless how you set it up, there are a few key things to remember:

1) Never work the same body part 2 days in a row. The body needs time to recover.
2) You don't have to lift so often that your sore all the time.
3) Try to hit each body part at least twice per week.

How Much?
If you are just starting out I would recommend performing 6-8 exercises per workout, completing 2-3 sets of  8-12 repetitions with 1-2 minutes of rest in between sets.  You could also utilize a circuit style workout, in which you move from one exercise to the next as quickly as you can.  You want to select a weight that is difficult to lift towards your last 1-2 repetitions of each set. If it feels too easy, or you could lift the weight another 10 times than it's time to add more weight.

Which Muscles?
In order to get the "perfect" legs (if there is such a thing), make sure you are working ALL muscle groups.  This includes the front of your legs, the back of your legs, your butt and inner thighs.  Otherwise, you may develop muscle imbalances and set yourself up for an injury.  You should be able to tell which exercises work which muscle groups as they will likely start to burn towards the end of each set.

In Summary: Remember, performing cardio and sitting on the thigh machine all day will NOT get you the killer legs you are looking for. Pick up some weights and get after it....Make Sir Mix-A-Lot proud!