Workouts With the Bowflex for Butt Muscles

The butt muscle, or gluteus maximus, is the largest muscle in the body. It works with your back and legs when you are running or crouching and stabilizes your stance. Anatomically, it originates on the back of your hip bone and attaches to your upper leg bone. Exercises to keep your butt muscle strong can be carried out in the gym or at home with equipment such as the Bowflex.

Bowflex Home Gym

Bowflex produces equipment for strength and cardio training in a home gym. The products fall into two essential categories that use a pulley/cable system through which the resistance is applied. One type of Bowflex home gym uses bendable rods to offer varying resistances. A more advanced model uses adjustable elastic straps to provide resistance. Both types can be used for several exercises that strengthen the butt muscle.

Standing Leg Kickback

This exercise requires a foot harness or hand grip, which both types of Bowflex have. Stand facing the foot harness pulley. Secure the harness around your ankle and bend this leg up at about a 90-degree angle. Bend forward from your hips – not your waist – and bend the opposite knee slightly. To execute the exercise, slowly extend the active knee backwards and straighten your knee. Slowly return to the start position to complete the rep.

Standing Hip Extension

Secure the hand grip or foot harness around your foot. Face toward the harness pulley. Bend the leg up about 90 degrees and bend forward from your hips. To initiate the exercise, slowly pivot your leg from your hip and straighten your leg while keeping your knee bent. Slowly return to the starting position.

Squats

These butt exercises require a Bowflex model that has a squat accessory. This can be a bar or a collar-like attachment that can be hooked to the resistance mechanism. To prepare for the exercise, face away from the squat accessory and place the apparatus on your shoulders. Holding it with your palm down, slowly squat until your hips are bent about 90 degrees, keeping your back flat. Slowly rise to the standing position to complete the rep.

Lunges

Using a Bowflex model with a squat accessory, you can initiate a lunge by holding the apparatus on your shoulders. Step with your left foot forward and the right foot back on the ball of the foot. To carry out the exercise, slowly bend your knees until your left leg is parallel to the floor. Slowly return to the standing position to complete the rep.

Deadlifts

You can perform a deadlift by holding the squat bar in an overhand grip with one hand and an underhand grip with the other hand. Bend your legs about 90 degrees and bend over from your hips about 30 to 45 degrees. Push up with your legs until you are standing. Slowly return to the start position.