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Pilates Butt and Thigh Workout - Butt Lifting Pilates Workout for Toned Legs

13 Min • Lower Body
  • View on YouTube
    • Training Type Low Impact, Pilates, Toning
    • Equipment Mat, No Equipment
    • Membership Free

    Overview

    Get a great workout in for your glutes and thighs in under 15 minutes with this Pilates and Barre influenced workout that also includes a light, calorie burning warm up and a relaxing cool down stretch.

    All of these are butt lifting exercises, targeting the glutes from a dynamic range of angles in order to engage the gluteus maximus, minimus and medius. The variety of angles means more noticeable results in less time; do this workout on a regular basis, preferably 3-4 times per week, and you will be able to see a noticeable difference in the shape of your butt in as little as 2-4 weeks.

    A bonus of this routine is that while it is challenging, it is also appropriate for a large variety of fitness levels. It is low impact, easy on the joints, and does not require advanced cardiovascular endurance. You can make this butt and thigh workout easier by stopping early during the 30 second intervals, or you can make it harder by pressing pause and doing the repetitions for a minute, or longer.

    Workout Structure
    One Round
    Warm Up and Cool Down Included
    13 Minutes Total

    Warm up (30 Seconds each)
    March in Place + Stretch
    Lunge + Reach
    Side Lunge Stretch
    Toe Touch Circles

    Pilates Routine (30 Seconds Each)
    Kneeling Leg Raises - One of my favorite exercises because of the way that it makes your glutes burn with high repetitions. Kneel over with weight in forearms and knees and lift one knee straight up behind you, knee still bent at 90º so that your heel is facing flat up to the ceiling.

    Kneeling Leg Raise Pulses – My other favorite! The pulsing motion at the top of the movement bumps up the burn and tightens the glutes.

    Knee Tuck + 45º Leg Raises – Targeting the butt from another angle, you are going to take the leg you are going to lift and tuck it behind the one that is stationary, as if you were going to tap the ground on the outside of that other knee. Then lift it straight up and out to a 45º so that you are going to feel it more in the outside of your glutes and your upper thighs this time.

    Reverse Leg Lift Circles (15 seconds in each direction) – Stay in the same position and extend one leg straight out behind your body; draw small circles with your foot, all while keeping that leg lifted.

    Reverse Lift Leg Extensions – Keep the leg lifted straight out behind the body, then bend the knee to bring the heel in towards the butt, then go directly back into an extension, flexing the entire time.

    Knee Tuck + Lifts – Bring your knee up towards your elbow, then extend it straight back out at a 45º.

    Cool Down (30 Seconds Each)
    Prone Quad Stretch
    Deep Glute Stretch
    Torso Twist Stretch
    Full Body Stretch


    How many calories does this Fitness Blender Workout burn?
    We estimate that this routine burns between 4-7 calories per minute, or 52-91 calories total.

    What other workout videos should I pair with this one?
    No matter what your specific fitness goals are, it’s a good idea to have a well rounded routine, meaning that even if you think that your only “trouble zone” is your thighs, you still going to want to include upper body strength training, cardio, stretching, etc., in your program.

    With that said, this routine would pair well with some of our cardio workouts (either low impact, moderate intensity, or HIIT), or one of our toning upper body workouts. It largely depends on where you are at in your workout program; if your upper body is still sore from a previous workout, for example, you would want to give it a longer time period to heal, and in this instance cardio might be a better companion workout for the butt and thigh workout above.