Disclaimer: As with any fitness post I write, anything I say about body image or body types applies to myself only. I have struggled with disordered eating and body image issues for years, and I think it’s important to be transparent and honest about it. Actually, it’s part of my healing and self-care to be forthcoming about it rather than act like everything is okay. Please understand, my thoughts are about me only and do no apply to women in general or promoting a certain body type. It’s just how I feel when I look in the mirror. Thanks for understanding.

Okay so…I’ve never wanted a butt. With beauty standards these days, I know that sounds weird, but I’m the girl who would love lifting then quit when her jeans started getting too tight in her thighs and butt. I’d gauge my fitness level off my thigh gap instead of actually feeling healthy and muscle gains. When I was in high school, I got made fun of for having muscular arms (I used to lift with the football team at lunch), so I think that had something to do with it going into adulthood. But anywho.

As we get older, we tend to lose muscle (sarcopenia) and elasticity in our skin, which has caused me to be more cognizant of muscle bearing and resistance exercise and not simply concentrating on cardio-cardio-cardio (elliptical queen at your service). It’s something of a mental hump for me (I literally just stopped lifting heavy a few months ago because I thought my thighs were getting too big), but again, part of my self-care routine is letting go of negative self-talk and feeling good about myself.

Enter Buti Sculpt with bands. I’ve been doing Buti yoga for about a year and a half and am certified to instruct (Buti yoga and Hot Buti), and I love the Sculpt workouts (HIIT intervals), so I was definitely intrigued by the bands! However…I was a little reluctant when I saw women talking about them specifically for your butt. I had to get over myself again, because they look like a great workout. Check out Bizzie doing part of a band workout below.

I bought the three-pack, which includes bands with light, medium, and heavy resistance. At 9.99, these are comparable in price to other resistance band packs I have seen, and to be honest, the Buti logo just makes me happy.

During each band work out, you do a resistance move for 25 seconds, then hold for 10 seconds. After each round of multiple moves, you get a minute of rest. I think the workout I did has four rounds and 4-5 moves per round, resulting in a 16-minute workout. The bands either go above your kneecaps or ankles, depending on what exercise you’re doing. I started out using the medium resistance band, but during the next set decided to switch to heavy. Whew! I could definitely feel the burn in my thighs and butt, and was sweating like crazy by the time I was done. For a quick workout, it was definitely a good sweat. The funniest part is when Bizzie is like, “I can feel my glutes growing right now!”

I’ve done the workout again using the light resistance for a bit and switching to medium because I was sore from Buti the day before, and I really like how the pack includes bands for how you feel that day (if you want to go hard or back off a bit) or if you’re a beginner. You still feel your glutes working with all three.

In conclusion…I’m in love! The workouts are more engaging than using machines at the gym – I’d say it’s almost…fun? And on top of that, you definitely get in a sweaty workout in a short amount of time. Perfect if you can’t spend an hour doing a full Buti workout.

Right now there is only one workout available on the online Tones, but there will be more added (a new Tone gets added each week, sometimes more than one) and the DVD comes out in August. I might need to cop that even though I already have a Tone subscription. Bands definitely make me dance (sorry, couldn’t resist).

xoxo