Want A Bum Like This?

Glutes get a workout from running, but if you’re genetically predisposed, they’re still a gathering place for excess fat. Maddening, for sure.

If your derriere is bigger than you’d like, kick it into gear with some fancy footwork.

While you’re running

Start skipping, which, unless you happen to be eight years old, is going to be harder than you think (this means it’s working).

• Every kilometre or so, skip like a schoolkid for a few hundred metres.
• Squat down low and leap up high to get the most out of the motion.

In the gym

Do standing jumps, a plyometric (explosive) move guaranteed to trim your backside.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, about 25 centimetres in front of a weight bench or step.
• Hold your arms at your sides. S
• quat slightly, then jump up onto the bench.
• Focus on landing in the centre of the bench, feet flat, as quiet as a cat.
• Then jump back down to the starting position. This equals one.
• Do eight to ten at first, working up to 30.

At home

Do a plié squat.

• Stand with your feet a few centimetres wider than your shoulders, with your toes turned out at a 45-degree angle.
• Keep your knees slightly bent, and hold a 5kg dumbbell in front of you.
• Bending your knees, lower your pelvis as if you’re going to sit. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Pause, then return to the starting position.
• Do sets of eight to ten.

Secret weapon

Try glute presses.

• Position yourself on all fours, but bend your elbows so that you’re resting your upper-body weight on your forearms.
• Extend one leg behind you with your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, the sole of your foot parallel to the ceiling.
• Tighten your buttocks as you push your foot up just a few centimetres until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat 15 to 20 times.
• Switch legs and repeat.
• Work up to two to three sets for each leg.

More spots? Try these fat-blasting workouts.