There's no harm in doing the same squat-and-lunge routine over and over (and over) again, but every now and then your butt workouts could use a creative boost — and you can literally take them to the next level with your stairs at home.
Taking advantage of that steady incline in your home can actually increase your cardiovascular endurance while strengthening your glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings and quads. What's also great about stair climbing is that it requires zero equipment, unless you want to make it more challenging with a pair of weights.
Video of the Day
Here's a quick 20-minute stair workout you can do anywhere. Perform each exercise for a full minute for 3 to 5 sets.
Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we've got something for everyone.
Move 1: Quick Step
- Stand in front of a staircase with your feet hip-width apart.
- Take a step up with one foot, landing on the ball of the foot. Quickly step back down.
- Repeat on the other side and aim to follow a fast pace of one, two, one, two.
Move 2: Squat Jump
- Start at the bottom of your staircase with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Using power from your hips, take a big jump forward, landing both feet on every other step in a squat. Stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top. Make sure both feet are completely on the step when you land.
- Repeat for a full minute.
Move 3: Bulgarian Split Squat
- Stand in front of the staircase and get into a split stance with your right foot forward and your left foot resting on top of the second step so it's elevated.
- Bend your right leg so it forms a 90-degree angle, making sure the knee tracks directly over your ankle and not in front of your big toe. Your left knee should be hovering a few inches off the ground (or touching it). Make sure your left hip is aligned with your left knee, and your pelvis is pushed forward.
- Push through your right quad and front heel to stand up and then slowly lower back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for a full minute before switching legs.
Move 4: Pistol Squat
- Standing beside the staircase, step your right foot up and allow your left foot to hover a few inches off the ground.
- Balancing on your right foot and engaging your core, slowly hinge your hips back to squat down, extending your left leg in front of you until your left heel touches the ground. Lift your arms to chest height to help you balance.
- Squeezing your glutes, extend your hips forward to stand back up to the starting position.
- Continue for a full minute before switching sides.
Move 5: Step Up to Reverse Lunge
- Standing in front of the stairs with your feet hip-width apart, take a big step forward with your right leg and land on your right foot on the second step.
- As you land on your right foot, drive your left knee up toward your chest.
- Step down with your left foot as you simultaneously perform a reverse lunge with your right leg, lowering your right knee to a 90-degree angle.
- Step back up with your right foot and repeat.
- Continue for a full minute before switching sides.