Forget squats — this Pilates workout builds stronger glutes in 8-minutes with no weights

Squats may be the ultimate booty builder, but a lot can go wrong if your form isn’t tip-top. They require decent hip and ankle mobility to hit a good depth, as well as solid core strength to remain upright and stable. If they’re just not your thing, there are plenty of other ways you can strengthen your backside, like with this 8-minute Pilates workout. You may not need any dumbbells, barbells or kettlebells for it but, don’t be fooled, it will leave your behind on fire!

Besides looking quite nice in a pair of jeans, there are many benefits to strengthening our glutes. As the largest muscle group, they’re our body’s powerhouse, helping us llift explosively, run fast, climb the stairs, and sit up and down. But, they also help to stabilise the pelvis and hips, which can help to alleviate stress placed on the lower back and improve our posture.

For this 8-minute workout from Pilates Instructor, Lotty Campbell Bird, you’ll need either a Pilates ball or a small cushion, which you’ll keep squished between your hamstring and calf for the entire workout to make it more challenging. The workout centres around three exercise variations of the ‘donkey kick’ where you’ll flow from one movement to the next, so you build a burn very quickly. It’s therefore best to follow this routine via the video above, but here’s a rough idea of what it’ll look like:

• Donkey kicks on forearms
• Donkey kicks with pulses
• Donkey kick circles

If this type of workout is right up your street, then you'll definitely want to check out this additional three-move glute workout from Lotty. Again, it can be done with either just your bodyweight, or you could even add in a light loop resistance band. However, if you fancy moving onto a dumbbell workout, try this five-move workout. It does include squats, but only box squats, so they're far easier than your traditional squat.