This article concerns a part of the anatomy that isn’t always targeted enough in workout routines – especially with men. But the area in question is every bit as important a muscle as any other and should be worked on for total body building.

The gluteus maximus muscles can be targeted by adding specific workout exercises to your regular routine that tighten and tone these areas during your regular workout. The exercises that specifically target these muscles can be simple ones that don’t seem like they’re doing much (but they are) and other ones that take a little more work (and definitely feel like they’re working). We’ll go through a few of them here. Some of them are simple and others are a little more difficult, but they all thoroughly work the gluteus maximus muscle areas. Leg Lift Grab onto the back of a chair and stand up as straight as you can. Lift one leg behind you to about knee level while keeping the other one straight. Slowly lower your leg and repeat the movement ten times. Do the same exercise for the other leg, concentrating on keeping the glute muscles flexed throughout the range of movements. You’ll start to feel this exercise work on the muscles very quickly. Even though this is a very simple exercise, the results on the muscles will start to show after only a few sessions. Back Arch Start out by lying on your back on the floor or exercise mat. With your knees bent and your feet flat against the floor, lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back as straight as you can. It’s important to keep your glute muscles as flexed as you can to ensure that they get the workout you want. Repeat this exercise for as many reps as you can comfortably complete. Lower Leg Stretches Get down on all fours and extend one leg all the way back with your toes pointed along the line between your head and your foot. While the leg is extended all the way back, bend it at the knee and raise your foot above the height of your head. This targets workout force between the lower muscles of the glutes and the upper muscles of the thighs. It’s important to remember to maintain tension on the glute muscles while doing these exercises, as this strain is what builds better and stronger muscles. Barbell Squats Place a barbell (or have a spotter place a barbell) across your crossed arms with your hands holding the bar in place securely across your chest. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly lower yourself to a squatting position. Keep your thighs parallel with the floor as you squat and start your rise back up as they get to this position. This exercise targets the thigh muscles as well as the glutes and is a very effective strengthening exercise. It’s also important that your knees stay pointed in the same direction as your toes. This ensures that the proper muscles are being targeted by the workout. Lunges Place a barbell across your shoulders with your hands grasping to either end of the bar, a little wider than your shoulders. Take a lunging step forward, landing on your heel first and then the front of your foot. Lower your body slowly until the knee of the other leg is almost touching the floor. It’s important to keep the tension on the muscles by not allowing your knee to rest against the floor at all during this exercise. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. This exercise takes practice to learn how to balance while transitioning between the lunge positions. You should also keep your torso upright and tensed while doing these movements. Longer lunges work the gluteus maximus muscles while short lunges target your quadriceps.