Best Butt Exercises

If you've wondered what the best butt exercises are, you're not alone: The American Council on Exercise recruited some very smart scientists from the University of Wisconsin to find out. ACE and the university studied 6 men and 6 women, ages 18 to 25, while they performed a variety of exercises to find out which ones most effectively work the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and the hamstrings (the major muscles of the fanny). By using EMG electrodes to measure muscle activation, the scientists found out the best exercises to target the largest muscles of the body: the glutes. You can view these exercises incorporated into a lower body workout in this new Best Butt Workout.

For the record, the exercises that had the least muscle activation in the glutes included the vertical leg press and the horizontal leg press. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do these exercises, especially if you're a beginner -- since the leg press machines can provide a safe, stable environment to strengthen the legs.