Buttocks

When it comes to a firm butt, most men are usually interested in those of the opposite sex, not their own. When we exercise, the butt muscles—or, to be more precise, the gluteal muscles—often get moved to the rear of the workout, and that''s if they get worked at all.

But your glutes are not the kind of muscles you want to leave behind in your ongoing quest for powerful fitness. In the end, good glutes do more than give us a place to sit or a way to attract women—they actually help us to be more graceful and powerful in physical endeavors. At the gym, on the field, in your life, having a stronger rear end gives you important physiological advantages.

How to Be a Butthead

There are three main muscles to the butt. The largest and closest to the surface is the gluteus maximus. It forms the bulk of a buttock''s mass. Beneath it is the gluteus medius, another thick muscle, though not as big as the gluteus maximus. It is a popular place for doctors to inject shots into. The third muscle is—you guessed it—the gluteus minimus, and it is the smallest and deepest of the three.

"The glutes are really important for your mobility—especially around the hips. Plus, they let you rotate and extend your legs," explains Doug Lentz, Pennsylvania state director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and owner of the Chambersburg Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania. These muscles—known as the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus—hang on the upper part of your pelvic bone, forming a kind of hindquarter headquarters for explosive power. Plus, by stabilizing the pelvis and offering a strong foundation for your back, good glutes can help alleviate lower-back pain.

Because butt muscles are so closely involved with leg movement, many exercises you do for the legs also are great for the glutes, says Tom Jackson, P.T., a physical therapist at ARC Physical Therapy in Anaheim Hills, California. "Lunges, squats, leg presses—these exercises that we think of as good primarily for the thigh muscles also happen to work the gluteal muscles effectively," he says.

In addition to those leg exercises, you can target the glutes even more with the following toning routines—just consider them the means to a good end.

Single-Leg Pelvic Lifts

Lie on your back with your right knee bent, foot flat on the floor. Cross your left leg over your right so your left ankle is resting a few inches above the knee of your right leg. Your arms should be at your sides, with your hands palms-down on the floor.

Now slowly and deliberately lift your pelvis up toward the ceiling. As you lift, clench your butt muscles together. Keep lifting until your back is straight—but not arched. Lower, then repeat. Work up to a maximum of three sets of 20 reps.

Bent-Kick Crosses

To work the glutes with this exercise, get down on your hands and knees. Now raise one leg a few inches off the floor—bend it at about a 90-degree angle. This is your starting position.

Next, push your leg up and back, forcing your heel to the ceiling. Feel your glutes contract as you push up. Note: Don''t let your thigh go beyond a position parallel to the floor. And as you''re doing the exercise, make sure your leg stays bent at a 90-degree angle. Work up to a maximum of three sets of 20 reps for each leg.

Raised-Leg Curls

Get down on all fours on the floor wearing an ankle weight on your left foot. Raise your left leg to about butt level and extend it straight, away from your body and roughly parallel to the floor.

Curl your heel toward your butt until your lower leg is perpendicular to the floor. Keep your thigh parallel to the ground. Your thigh shouldn''t move much—all the movement is done below the knee. Don''t sway your body or arch your back, and concentrate on the contraction in your butt. Do one to three sets of 8 to 12 reps for each leg. If this exercise gets too easy, you can progress to using a leg curl machine or the Rumanian dead lift, suggests Lentz.

Jump Squats

This exercise is a cousin to the squats you do for leg strength, only it has a slightly more dynamic component to really get your butt muscles working. Start by standing with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, with your arms crossed in front of you. Keep your head up and back straight, and squat until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.

Now jump straight up. But don''t let your lower legs power this jump—concentrate on getting the force from your butt, thighs and hips. Return to the squat position and repeat. When you reach the point where doing a set of, say, 20 reps becomes easy, try it holding five-pound dumbbells at your sides.

Narrow Dumbbell Squats

For this modified squat, you''ll need two dumbbells. Hold one in each hand, arms at your sides, palms facing your body. Stand with your feet only a few inches apart.

Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Don''t bounce. As you come back up, flex your quadriceps and your butt muscles as much as you can. Keep your back straight throughout, and don''t lean forward.

Standing Kickbacks

With an ankle weight on one leg, stand facing a wall, leaning slightly forward so your whole body is in a straight line. Your weight should be shifted to the unweighted leg. Place one or both hands lightly on the wall, just for balance.

Now slowly move the weighted leg back as far as you can, feeling the contraction in your butt. The knee of your weighted leg should be slightly bent. Don''t arch your back or overextend your leg. Hold for a few seconds before lowering. When you''ve done about ten reps, switch the weight to the other leg and repeat the lift again.