Lagree Booty Secrets: Lift & Shape Your Glutes

By Danielle Rosario

🎶 “Shake shake shake, shake shake shake – Shake your booty, shake your booty….”

🎶 “I like big butts, and I cannot lie, you other brothers can’t deny – When a girl walks in with an 

 itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face you get…”

🎶 “I'm all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble – I'm all about that bass, 'bout that bass,

hey – I'm bringing booty back…”

From the lyrics of KC and The Sunshine Band to Sir Mix-a-Lot to Meghain Trainor and many more, derriéres have been the focus of several hit songs for nearly half a century. It seems our society is a bit obsessed with booties. And when it comes to butts, typically the bigger and rounder —  well, all the better. 

So how do you build a better booty? Lucky for you, we’re about to let you in on some secrets to sculpting a Lagree booty. 

Want to tone, tighten, lift, and shape your backside? Keep reading to learn how to sculpt the booty of your dreams! 

Benefits of Building a Stronger Booty

The benefits of building a better booty extend beyond improvements in external appearance. Your gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body. Strengthening your glutes helps support you in performing daily activities. From sitting down and standing up to lifting heavy objects and walking up steps, strong glutes make basic tasks easier. 

Strong glutes also help decrease the risk of certain injuries. Building a stronger booty helps lower your chances of developing lower back, knee, groin, and hamstring-related injuries, for instance. If you want to minimize pain in any of these areas, start strengthening those glutes. 

Additionally, a strong booty gives you a boost in your athletic endeavors. Whether you’re a professional athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or someone who workouts to improve their overall health, stronger glutes will improve your physical performance. When you strengthen your booty, you increase your capacity for more power and speed in physical activities. 

How Lagree Targets and Strengthens the Glutes

If you’re familiar with Lagree, you know the method does wonders for your body — from head to toe. It’s seriously one of the best full-body workouts out there and is continually evolving as fitness is revolutionized. And if your goal is to focus on building your glutes, Lagree is still a game-changer. No need to search any further for the best workout to target your bottom. 

When we talk about how to build glutes, it’s not just about what exercises to do. A significant aspect of strengthening the glutes lies in the tempo at which movements are performed. You’ve heard the phrase ’less is more.’ Think of less being equivalent to slow in this case. So the slower the tempo, the more your booty benefits. 

The Lagree method focuses on time-under-tension, or the TUT technique. This keeps your muscles contracted for a longer period. When your glutes are fully engaged in slow, controlled movements, you activate your slow-twitch muscle fibers. These play a key role in building muscular endurance. 

The slow-tempo nature of Lagree creates the ultimate workout for strengthening your glutes. 

Essential Lagree Exercises for Building a Stronger Booty

While most Lagree exercises target many muscles at once, there are certain exercises that you should focus on if you want to build a Lagree booty. Below we’ll cover a few essentials and briefly explain how to perform these exercises. Adding pulses and isometric holds to these exercises will amplify your booty burn even further.

DONKEY KICK

• Start on all 4’s on the carriage, facing the back of the machine
• Place your hands below your shoulders and knees below your hips
• Then, lift the working leg and place your heel on the curved handlebar
• Push that foot into the handlebar, kicking out for four counts to straighten the working leg, then back in for another four counts 

ELEVATOR LUNGE

• Start standing on the front platform of the machine, facing front
• Step one leg back onto the carriage — toes down, heel up
• Then, bend the front leg (keeping your knee over your ankle) while straightening the back leg to push the carriage out (for a 4–8 count)
• Straighten the front leg (without fully locking out the knee) by pressing your heel into the platform, bringing the carriage back in for the same 4–8 count

SKATING

• Start at the front of the machine, facing one side
• One foot on the platform, the other on the carriage 
• Sit back as if you’re going to squat and push the carriage out, keeping your weight centered over both legs (using the Lagree four-count out) 
• Keep the legs bent, using the leg on the platform to stabilize you as you bring the other leg in, closing the carriage (using the Lagree four-count in)

SPIDER KICK

• Start with all fours on the carriage, facing the side
• Place your hands on the edge of the carriage and the heel of your foot closest to the front platform on the T bar or foot pad
• Push through the foot to straighten the leg and open the carriage (using the Lagree four-count out)
• Slowly bend the leg to close the carriage and return to the starting position (using the Lagree 4-count in)

A few things to keep in mind when performing any of these Lagree exercises.

1. Make sure you keep proper form and alignment — hands underneath your shoulders, knee over ankle, etc.
2. Always keep some tension — never letting the carriage close completely, straightening your leg(s) all the way, etc.
3. Follow the instructions of your trainer for the suggested spring load before starting any exercise — you can adjust accordingly (adding/removing a yellow spring to alter the resistance to fit your needs)

Of course, there are other exercises that target your glutes to sculpt a Lagree booty. There are several lunge variations — including the escalator, curtsy, express, and super lunges. You can also use the foot strap for bungee kicks or add carriage kicks to spice up any of the lunge exercises. With so many options, you won’t get bored as you’re working on building a better booty with Lagree. 

Maximize the Results

With any workout, you always want to aim to maximize your results. When you’re working on shaping that beautiful booty, there are a few things you can do to make sure you achieve optimal results. 

Pay Attention to Your Breathing

Focusing on your breath is an important aspect of the Lagree method. This is key in practicing your mind-body connection. Remembering to breathe properly, especially when your workout gets more challenging, helps you stay calm and relaxed and work through the burn. Your breath is vital to getting the most out of each exercise in your Lagree workout. 

Listen to Your Body

While we always encourage you to challenge and push yourself, it’s also important to maintain body awareness. Listening to your body helps you prevent injuries that would set you back on your journey to building a Lagree booty. 

Find a Certified Lagree Trainer

Make sure your workouts are led by certified Lagree trainers. There are a lot of copycats and instructors teaching the method that aren’t qualified to do so. Certified Lagree trainers have completed an in-depth training program and know how to build glutes. Not only will they help you safely execute the exercises, but they know effective sequencing. This sets you up to reach maximum results with their exercise combinations. If you want to build a better booty properly — your Lagree trainer is your new best friend. 

Booty, Bum, Rump, Bottom, Derriére, Backside  

There are several terms used to talk about butts, but they all refer to the same thing — the body’s largest muscle: your glutes. Ready to strengthen and sculpt those buttocks? Get up, get moving, and get started on building your Lagree booty today. Sign up and start working on that booty at Pilates Plus LA! 

Sources:

• LIVESTRONG.com 
• Shape 
• Who What Wear