Expert: Ken Alan - 3/13/2008

Question
Hi Ken! I've started to have a healthier life style for 3 weeks now. I've been eating very good and doing an hour of cardio four times a week. I was already a petite girl to begin with; I was 5'4 and 105 lbs before I started working out. Now 3 weeks later, the little butt that I did have is totally gone! When I do my cardio I use an elliptical machine which has different program options and I have been using the “gluteal” one because it makes my butt muscles burn which I thought was a good sign. A friend of mine suggested squats but I have horrible knees and squats KILL them.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

Answer
Lunges are the best exercise to build gluteals.  
Squats are very good, too.  You may have to start with no weight at all and make sure your form is correct.  You may also need to do isolation exercises for the leg muscles so that your knees don't bother you so much.  Get together with a qualified trainer in your area.  It's worth it once or twice if you're serious about changing your body.

Hope this helps.