Celebrity Exercises to Tone Up Your Butt

The bottom line: most of us aren't genetically blessed with a perfect posterior and even celebs and runway models have to put in some effort for great shape. When actress Halle Berry was told she had to wear a skintight suit for X-Men, she hit the gym.

"I went on an exercise binge because if I'm going to play a comic superhero I wanted to have super glutes," she said.

But we don't all have time to spend hours working out and luckily, it's not necessary. Breaking bad habits like taking the elevator when you could take the stairs or putting no effort into exercises will help you see changes more quickly and when you incorporate some easy butt-targeting movements and strategies into your lifestyle, you'll be bootylicious in no time.

It's not surprising that people start their fitness regimes with a lot of gusto and then, when they don't see results soon, start to get bored and give up. Here's a tip: don't try and speed through your workout because it hurts and you don't feel like doing it. You're just wasting your time. Doing one exercise slowly and properly for five minutes will give you way more results than swinging your legs around in order to get the sets over with. Use the downward or rebound action by resisting. You'll know if you're doing a good job because you'll feel the pain. That pain is going to give you a great butt. And if you don't get tired, you're probably not doing it right!

Analyze your workout. Good old squats and lunges provide results but they don't isolate the muscles you're trying to work and the result is that at the same time as your butt (gluteus maximus or glutes) tires, you can feel it in your quadriceps and knees as well. If you isolate your glutes, you'll be able to carry on for longer and get a more intense workout.

Another thing people get disappointed by: zoning in on your glutes using heavy weights can make your butt seem bigger. Actress Eva Longoria said she was skinny as a child and worked with a personal trainer to revamp her booty. "With all the lunges, squats and leg presses, I've added an inch of muscle to my butt," she said.

If you're just into the idea of shrinking, use low resistance and high repetition.

* Be focused. Make a checklist of what you need to get through each day, including each of these five steps.

Your everyday diary:

1) Do resistance-tubing steps

Pilates resistance tubes are available at most sports stores or your sports club's merchandise store and aren't expensive. If you want to make do with what you have at home, use any rubber strap but make sure it's strong enough that it won't snap. It needs to be about the width of both arms extended.

Step onto the middle of the strap with both feet and take the opposite handles to form a cross at your knees.

Pull each handle up as far as you can (remember, the more you push yourself the faster your butt will shape up). Start with your left foot and step as far to the left as you can. Then bring your foot back slowly and down to where it was, resisting all the way. Do the same with your right foot. Do four sets of ten, taking a 10 second break between each set. These sidesteps are how Jessica Simpson's trainer Mike Alexander, helped her get "more of a bump for her rear end," he said.

2) Sets of lying abduction

These are torture. Lie on your side to start and bring your lower knee in to a 90 degree angle while keeping your top leg straight. Stabilize your body with your top hand. Raise your top leg as high as you can while ensuring your body's in a straight line. At the top, contract your glutes, then come slowly down. Do four sets of 30. Repeat on the other side. These exercises are even doable in bed, although a hard surface will give you more stability. You can also bend both legs for variety.

3) Deadlifts to tone the zone

As with all exercises and especially with deadlifts, make sure your form is good and you're not working into your back. If you always keep your tummy tight, your posture will naturally improve. Try and keep your tummy tight all day long.

Grab two cans of soup or anything heavy (bottled water is always good) and stand upright. Holding your tummy in, drop slowly forward from your waist, letting your hands hang towards the ground. Breathe in as you go down slowly and then come up quickly as you expel the air from your lungs. Repeat 10 times and then do two more sets of ten.

4) Squeeze your butt

When you're driving make sure you're always squeezing your butt. Once you're in the habit you'll do it naturally and it will make a huge difference to the tone of the muscles. The same applies to when you're sitting, and try to do it for 10 minutes after you get into bed.

5) Take the steps and walk it off.

The higher you have to go, the better. Anything that involves climbing is going to lift your butt, whether it's the stairs, rock climbing, hiking or riding a bike on a high resistance.

On weekends when you're chilling out, walk to the store or opt for a beach walk instead of sitting in a movie theatre. The fresh air will motivate you and you'll be shaping up and having fun at the same time.

Goals are important. Set yourself an initial target of six weeks and go back to the mirror. Your butt should be inches higher, more toned and more ready to be shown off in those jeans.