[timarie]

How much weight do you have to have access to? I have a weight bench and it has the leg lift thingies on it, where you can lay on your stomach and lift your legs toward your butt. Do you think that would suffice?

Hey Summerglow! I have access to pretty much unlimited weight because I belong to a gym and they have many free weight machines that will hold as many 45 lb discs as I can fit on them... and I can tell you right now that I have only ever seen one person ever stack as many discs onto a machine as was physically possible, he only did 3 reps, and he was stronger than I'll ever be, that's for sure! So I don't forsee myself ever needing more weights than are provided at my gym.

As for the machine you described that you have.... LUCKY!!!!!!! If it is what I think it is--a reverse hyperextension machine-- then you have one great glute machine.
   
It works the lower back, the glutes, and the hamstrings and, although I have never done it (the gyms I have been to all do not have it ), I have read nothing but great things about this exercise. It is one of the best isolation exercises for the glutes, actually. So, to answer your question, I think it would most certainly suffice as an exercise to have in your routine! I wish I could have it in my routine, but I do not have access to one. BUT, it will not suffice as far as being the ONLY exercise you do. You really need at least a small variety of exercises, as there are four different glute muscles and they are all worked differently depending on the exercise you do. Also, a good exercise routine will incorporate some isolation exercises AND some compound exercises. This is because isolation exercises help target the glutes more and therefore make them stronger, so that they can bear more of the work when you go to perform compound exercises (as opposed to letting other muscle groups take over during the compound exercises, which can often happen when you have comparatively weaker glutes than your other muscle groups). There really is not a whole lot of muscle building involved with isolation exercises because your body doesn't produce that much testosterone and growth hormones from isolation exercises as it will from compound exercises. And this is why it is important to have compound exercises in your routine! So, if you wanna build a J-Lo booty, then you will need a routine with both compound and isolation exercises... but you could get away with doing just your one isolation exercise if your goal is to obtain a perky butt, but one that is not necessarily big.