I’m a PT – here are 5 exercises that are a waste of time if you want to look like Kim Kardashian

KEEN to get some curves? If a butt like Kim Kardashian is high up on your wishlist, then you may have found yourself trawling the internet for advice. 

What are the right exercises for a derriere like Kim K? Should you be focusing on fat loss or muscle building? 

And what is the best move to do at the gym to grow your glutes AKA, your bum muscles?

David Wiener, a Personal Trainer and Training and Nutrition Specialist at , says: “There’s a lot more to getting a bigger bum or to put it correctly; defined, sizeable glutes, than you might think. 

“The glutes are both the largest and strongest muscles in the human body and to build both size and strength in this area you need to know what you’re doing and how to work them effectively.”

Here’s what NOT to do if you’re focused on building a bum…

1. Focus on cardio 

“To build muscle tone and size, you must incorporate strength training into your exercise routine. 

“Too much cardio could hold you back from gaining size, but to ensure a full body training regime, cardio should be included alongside resistance training,” advises David.

“For maximum benefit, try doing cardio and strength training on different days and if you are combining them in the same workout, do your strength training first.”

When it comes to your week of workouts, David says it should absolutely include an element of cardiovascular work and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) exercises to accelerate fat burning and help you to achieve a calorie deficit which can make your glutes look more toned and defined. 

“In addition to HIIT, I would also recommend one hour of low intensity, fat burning cardio exercise like swimming, walking, or cycling three to five times a week. 

“This will complement your strength training and can also help with blood flow to the muscles helping speed up recovery time, and resulting in less soreness after a workout, and overall improved tissue health.”

2. Bodyweight exercises 

Exercises using just your bodyweight as resistance, work to an extent, according to David.

“However, the glutes are a big muscle group and as such they can take a lot; likely more than you think you can handle. 

“If you really want to build this area, then you need to make sure you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and add some heavy resistance.”

He adds: “If you’re using more resistance, don’t be alarmed if you can complete fewer reps; in the long term, this approach will help you to see a difference.”

3. Only squats 

You think Kim K butt, and you likely also think of squats. But it’s time to switch up your mindset.

“For maximum success you need to be adding variations to simple squats to make sure you’re targeting the full muscle group. 

“Switching up your workouts and the moves you do will help to keep your body guessing and accelerate results. 

“So, instead of a basic squat, try the trusty squat jump. 

“These encourage you to focus on generating both stability and force, both of which require muscular strength,” explains David.

He adds: “During this exercise, focus on driving upwards with as much power as possible in each repetition to really get your muscles burning and heart pounding. 

“The cardio element of this move will help to accelerate fat loss and could help to leave the glute muscles looking more prominent and defined.”

4. Regular forward lunges

“Like squats, lunges can help you on your way to a bigger behind, but only incorporating one type of lunge into your fitness regime will limit your results,” reveals David.

“To kick things up a gear, also incorporate side lunges. 

“They’re brilliant because they work the sides of the glutes, which are important stabiliser muscles for the hip joint. 

“Moving from side to side also helps you to work your quadriceps muscles from another angle which can help to build additional strength and size in each side individually, just remember to work both sides equally!”

5. Focusing on full body workouts 

A full body workout is great, but if you really want to build your bum then you need to be prioritising glute-only resistance-based workouts. 

David recommends training the glutes three or four times each week, independent of a full body workout. 

“When choosing sets and reps to target the glutes, it is advisable to begin your workout with low repetitions and high-weight compound movements.” 

These compound movements include deadlifts, squats and lunges.

“Aim to complete three to six reps in each set, which means you are focusing on muscle growth (hypertrophy). 

“These reps should use your maximum amount of power. 

“For other exercises, work with slightly lighter weights and increase the rep range to ten to 15 reps per set to increase muscular endurance, stamina, and condition, as well as build strength.”