Pair your Pilates with a butt-busting elliptical routine

With swimsuit season just around the corner, women are working hard to sculpt the perfect bikini body. That, of course, means combining workouts to effectively tighten and tone their backsides. To target your glutes, try pairing Pilates with your elliptical machine for a butt-busting workout combination.

1. Elliptical
To sculpt your behind, increase the resistance on your elliptical machine to help build more muscle. If you prefer working your glutes at home, the compact TRUE M30 Elliptical is the perfect addition to your home gym. It comes with preset workouts and a patented virtual personal training coach program that will help you tailor your workout to get the best results. As you tackle each exercise, press your heels down into the pedals to activate the back of your thighs and glutes.

2. Squats
One of the simplest ways to tone your backside (along with your hips and thighs) is squatting. To get the most out of each squat, stand with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Then, slowly lower your hips. Make sure your knees don't extend forward past your toes. Of course, there are endless variations to this simple exercise. Experiment to see what works best for you.

3. Bridges
If you ever took gymnastics as a child, you'll remember this one. Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet on the floor approximately hip-width apart. Slowly peel your spine off of the floor, and don't forget to clench your glutes and thighs during the process. Once you've formed a diagonal line with your spine, slowly return to the floor, and repeat.

4. Lunges
Another easy exercise to pair with your elliptical routine, lunges can be done almost anywhere. To make sure your lunges target your backside, begin with your feet hip-distance apart and parallel. Take a large step forward and slowly lower your body until your front knee has formed a 90 degree angle. Make sure your knee doesn't extend beyond your ankle. Then, raise your body, switch legs and repeat.