When it comes to our fitness journeys, sculpting our dream derrieres is top priority.
The glutes not only give us the frame of our “summertime fine” fitness goals, but are crucial for overall strength, stability, and athletic performance. These muscles play a vital role in numerous activities, from walking and running to lifting and jumping. From stabilizing the pelvis to supporting lower back health, and enhancing our athletic performance, a well-developed gluteus maximus contributes to a balanced physique.
Scrolling on social media, it’s easy to draw inspiration from celebrities who have achieved the perfect peach. Typically, we get lucky enough to catch a glimpse into the workouts and exercises that get them to achieve their glute growth — and let’s just say, it’s the perfect motivation to take your lower-body days to the next level.
It takes hard work and consistency, but with the glute-focused routine and these celebrity motivations, you’ll be on your way to achieving you — in no time.
Tracee Ellis Ross
It’s safe to say that we want to be Tracee Ellis Ross when we grow up. She’s the queen of poolside bikini moments and kicking butt at her Tracy Anderson classes. She’s never shy about showcasing her progress photos, and her consistency and playful approach to fitness keeps us motivated.
TRY THIS: Pilates Leg Circles
Targeting: Gluteus medius and minimus.
How To: Lie on your side, extend your top leg, and make small circles in the air.
TRY THIS: Leg Lifts
Targeting: Glutes, lower back.
How To: On all fours, lift one leg behind you, keeping it straight, then lower.
Meg Thee Stallion
The Houston Hottie is the perfect example of how hard work can produce impressive glutes. She often shares glimpses of her workouts on social media, highlighting exercises such as kickbacks, hip thrusts, and sumo squats. And we can’t help but to take notes.
TRY THIS: Sumo Squats
Targeting: Glutes, inner thighs.
How To: Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width, toes pointed out, squat down, and rise up.
TRY THIS: Deadlifts
Targeting: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back.
How To: With a straight back, lower the barbell to the floor by bending at the hips, then stand back up.
Victoria Monét
Victoria Monét has given us gym bangers like “Ass Like That” and “On My Mama” to affirm that we do — in fact — look fly and look good. Seeing her and her partner take on the gym together not only shows us that dedication is key, but that sometimes a gym buddy can get us to the goals we desire.
TRY THIS: Single-Leg Deadlifts
Targeting: Glutes, hamstrings.
How To: Stand on one leg, bend at the hips, and lower the weights while extending the other leg back.
TRY THIS: Kettlebell Swings
Targeting: Glutes, hamstrings.
How To: Swing a kettlebell between your legs and up to shoulder height using hip thrusts.
@gainsbygaines @Victoria Monét album dropped today!!! Yall go run it up #gainsbygaines #victoriamonet #onmymama #jaguar #newmusicfriday
Kelis
Kelis is the queen of an all-natural, fitness inspo. Known for her curvy figure, Kelis is not only our fitness goal because of her physique, but because her chef background gives her a unique perspective on nutrition that fuels her workouts.
TRY THIS: Jump Squats
Targeting: Glutes, quads.
How To: Perform a squat and jump up explosively, landing back into a squat.
TRY THIS: Weighted Squats
Targeting: Gluteus maximus, quadriceps.
How To: Hold a barbell on your shoulders, squat down, and stand up.
Chloe Bailey
When Chloe Bailey drops a new selfie or video, it’s guaranteed to break the internet. The singer isn’t just dedicated to her craft, but her commitment to fitness is evident.
TRY THIS: Cable Kickbacks
Targeting: Gluteus maximus.
How To: On all fours, kick one leg back and up, then return.
TRY THIS: Hip Thrusts
Targeting: Glutes, hamstrings.
How To: Sit with your upper back on a bench, feet flat, and lift hips while squeezing glutes, and lower.
@chloebaileywashere putting in that work 💪🏾
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Featured image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for GLAAD
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak
