Anyone who has problem areas on their bodies can attest to the amount of frustration that accompanies efforts to spot reduce. No one understands this more than someone who has excess weight on the glutes, legs and thigh areas.

Many people who enjoy working out make the mistake of neglecting certain body parts as part of a regular body-shaping routine. Much attention is paid to the chest, arms and shoulders, but muscles like the calves and buttocks are often forgotten.

Weightlifters perform squats -- an exercise in which a bar is placed across the deltoids and the athlete squats and then lifts the weight -- to strengthen several different muscle groups.

Along with being aesthetically appealing, a well-defined, strong butt helps you to move with greater speed, agility and power. Building up your butt requires training all three muscle heads of the glutes: the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in your body.

The vertical jump is an important athletic skill for basketball players. It's essential not only for dunking the ball, but to become a better rebounder, shot blocker and shooter. Being able to jump higher and faster can give you an edge over your opponents.

Performing stretching and strengthening exercises may help treat pain in your gluteus maximus muscle -- the largest of the three gluteal muscles in your buttocks -- regardless of the cause of the pain, which may include conditions such as fibromyalgia or sciatica, or injuries such as a deep bruise or muscle strain.

Squatting is an everyday activity and a necessary exercise for athletes of all levels. It is a versatile exercise to develop lower-body and core strength, as well as increase muscle mass and power.

Although you cannot get a bigger butt instantly with one or two workout sessions, training consistently and giving your body enough recovery to heal and adapt will gradually increase the definition in your posterior.

Long jumping is all about explosive power. The more power you can generate through your legs, the higher and farther you'll be able to jump.

Strong, toned thigh muscles support knee movement and can lessen the possibility of increased knee weakness and damage that comes with aging -- a particular concern for people over 50. Wear and tear of the knee cartilage can be increased by squats, stair climbing and running uphill.

Snatch-grip deadlifts are similar to standard deadlifts except that the grip is much wider. In most cases, lifters will need to use straps to maintain grip in the snatch-grip deadlift. The wider grip forces you into a lower position, almost into a full squat.

Imagine your hip joint as a cup that fits over a ball on a stick. The ball can rotate around the cup to facilitate movement -- in the case of your hip joint, movements like walking and kicking. If you experience hip dysplasia, your hip socket -- the cup -- does not completely cover the ball-like attachment of your leg.