"What you gon' do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?" Black Eyed Peas, My Humps

 

To squat or not to squat?  That is the question you should be answering a resounding YES! to.  Squats, if done properly, can be the end all, be all of your butt strengthing moves. Tightening, toning, lifting, sculpting.  It's got the potential to do all that and more.  One of the best parts about this exercise is that the only thing you really need to do it is YOU. Sure, you can add weights to this exercise...but in a pinch you can do mighty fine by yourself. 

 

Notice in this picture how this gal's knees don't shoot out past her toes?  That's keeping proper alignment.  Overextending your knees can lead to injury, and I don't want anyone coming back at me and bitching that they hurt themselves doing something I recommended. My suggestion? 1. Read my disclaimer (Ha! Gotcha!) and 2. Don't overextend your knees!

 

Also note in this photo how her back is positioned. She's not rounding out her back.  Be sure to keep your back straight as well. Because I don't want to hear how you hurt your back. Proper alignment will take care of that.

 

Lastly, to really knock this exercise outta the park...when you come up from your squat squeeze your butt cheeks together. Yes, I really said butt cheeks (I could have said ass but I didn't want to be too crass).  Squeezing those muscles together will ensure that your are working your butt. A healthy set of these might be 3 sets of 12, depending on your level. Add a dose of lunges and you will be gingerly sitting down for at least one day. 

 

If you would like to see a squat done in real time, check this out.  This guy is squatting with a barbell, but you should get the idea of how the movement should go.  Happy Squatting!

"I'll be right here waiting on you" Will Smith, Switch

I think the hamstring is one of the most under appreciated muscles of the body.  Did you even know that you had that muscle backthere? A well defined hamstring will have a nice roundness on the back of the leg. When you see that roundness you know that a. this person works their tail off or b. this person has great genetics.

In the event you don't have great genetics you can still work those hamstrings.  The exercises are wide and varying. You have your lying leg curls, standing leg curls, good mornings and my personal favorite, the deadlift.  All are guaranteed to whip that muscle right into shape. One word of caution: be sure to stretch out your hams well and good after working them.  They have a tendency to get really tight and you'll be feeling it the next day if you don't.

"Don't try to push your luck, just get outta my way" AC/DC, Back in Black

 

I'm not sure why these are called deadlifts. The name doesn't quite inspire me to jump up and perform this exercise but I will tell you this: deadlifts deliver.  This exercise is a personal favorite.

 

I've learned something very significant about deadlifts that I want to share. Most people do them wrong.  
Important things to keep in mind when performing a deadlift:

1. Don't round out your back. It needs to stay fairly straight.

2. Bend from your hips, not your waist. Big difference.  

3. Don't go too far deeply into the stretch...think about your hamstrings.

 

You can don't have to use a barbell with plates to perform this exercise . Dumbbells will work just dandy. Your payoff will be a nice, tight... set of hamstrings.

 

If you haven't already, click this link to see this exercise in action.