Best Butt Exercises

The American Council on Exercise recently recruited some very smart scientists from the University of Wisconsin to answer the burning question many of us have: What's the most effective way to work the muscles of the butt? Well, ACE answered this question by studying 6 men and 6 women, aged 18-25, to perform a variety of exercises and find out which ones effectively work the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and the hamstrings(the major muscles of the fanny). By using EMG electrodes to measure muscle activation, our 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.