Are you on a mission to build a better booty? The glutes are the largest muscle group in your body, so it's crucial to train this area consistently for the good of your overall fitness. Whether you're looking to alleviate lower back pain, run faster and harder, or rock that pair of jeans at the bottom of your drawer, O2 Fitness offers Group Fitness classes to help you grow your best glutes.
Barre
Roll out your mat, take off your shoes, and get ready to work your booty in a Barre class!
"I like to jokingly say that Barre is like if Pilates and ballet had a baby and the baby was crazy-difficult!" said Carrboro Group Fitness Manager Maggie Donnelly. "But in all seriousness, Barre is about muscular endurance, mobility, coordination, and building strength all while speaking a different physical language (we work in a turned out position rather than parallel position). Because we work in a turned out position, we are constantly using the whole topography of the glutes to maintain that position."
Using mostly bodyweight or light weights, a Barre class incorporates several exercises that target the glute muscles differently from your standard squat, deadlift, or lunge.
"Glute bridges are my favorite. Lay on your back. Tilt your pelvis so your whole backbone is on the floor, and then lift and lower to your heart's content. I've got about fifty variations on this (single leg, using a stability ball, using blocks, in relevé), it's wild!" said Maggie.
If you clock hours in the weight room or run long distances outside of the Group Fitness studio, the work you do in Barre is guaranteed to help you hit your other fitness goals.
"It is a phenomenal piece of cross-training. It makes everything you are already doing in your fitness routine better," said Maggie. "I've worked with a number of triathletes, cyclists, and yogis who have commented that the 360 degrees of training in Barre has improved their practices elsewhere to an 'epic' degree."
BodyPump
In order to tone up and build muscle in your glutes, you'll want to work in weightlifting to your routine. Using a weighted barbell, BodyPump is one of our most popular group fitness classes that will have you performing between 800 and 1000 reps in one 60-minute class!
"BodyPump is a barbell workout for literally everyone. It will tone and sculpt your body while helping you to look lean and fit with quick results, " said Group Fitness Director Carter Collins. "The idea is to use a moderate weight selection to knock out high rep counts of different exercises, leaving you with that lean, not bulky, look."
Throughout this class you'll lift and sweat through upbeat, motivational music tracks that each focus on a muscle group. No matter your club location or your instructor, you're guaranteed to work the lower body during three BodyPump tracks.
"The second track in BodyPump is always a six-minute squat track," said Carter. "The glutes and quads are specifically targeted, and that time under tension is where the muscle change occurs! The emphasis is on control of movement and the instructor will coach you through everything to ensure you're moving correctly and maximizing your results."
After a quick lower body break during the chest track, you'll come back to it with the fourth track which works the posterior chain. "Think lots of hamstring work here," said Carter. Expect deadlifts and squat presses galore.
A few tracks later is one of the toughest few minutes of the class - lunges. "You will find lots of booty-building exercises here." said Carter. "This track includes a mix of barbell-weighted lunges, plate-focused lunges, and even some dynamic movements such as backward stepping or benchtop lunges to target each area of the glutes."
Throughout each of these tracks, you'll be challenged to perform high reps with some variation involved. From slow and controlled reps to quick pulses, BodyPump keeps your muscles guessing.
As you work towards building that beach-ready booty, keep these classes in mind to supplement your hard work in the weight room or cardio area. Check out the group fitness class schedule at the club nearest you and try out your first class for free! 
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