How To Lose Butt Fat: 10 Effective Exercises - Healthline

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How to Lose Butt Fat: 10 Effective Exercises

Medically reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, M.S., R.D., L.D., CDE — Written by Alli Rainey — Updated on September 18, 2018

Stair climbing
Hiking
Rock climbing
HIIT
Yoga
Squats
Chair Pose
Lunging
Side stepping
Kicking
Next steps

Developing an exercise routine with both cardio and muscle-building exercises can help you lose butt fat. Some exercises include lunging, stepping, or rock climbing.

Got some extra junk in your trunk that you’d like to see the last of?

Combine your exercise plan with healthy eating habits to get the butt you want. Perform exercises 1 to 5 on this list for calorie-torching cardio workouts. Combine them with exercises 6 to 10 for strength training moves.

1. Step up to the stairs

Step away from elevators and escalators! Climb the stairs whenever you can to burn calories and improve fitness.

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that even small amounts of stair climbing gave a group of young women noticeable health benefits.

The women climbed stairs at a rate of 90 steps per minute for about two minutes each time. They climbed the stairs once a day, five days a week in the first week of the study. By weeks seven and eight, they climbed the stairs five times a day, five days a week.

That’s still only 10 minutes of exercise per day, but it was enough to make a difference.

2. Take a hike

Hiking provides benefits similar to stair climbing. Climbing stairs and hiking burn about the same amount of calories if you go the same time at the same relative intensity, according to the Calorie Control Council’s Get Moving! Calculator.

Include hill climbs in your adventure to boost your workout’s impact. Think of every step uphill as one more step toward a slimmer rear.

3. Climb a rock

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Looking for a full-body workout that burns a ton of calories?

Rock climbing burns almost twice as many calories as hiking and stair climbing do in the same amount of time. Indoor climbing gyms offer a relatively safe way to learn how to climb.

As a bonus, your mind gets a workout, too. You’ll use problem-solving skills to figure out how to climb each route.

4. HIIT the gym

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves linking a series of alternating exercise types together for a fast-paced workout.

As little as four minutes of HIIT can make a difference in health and fitness. Move that time up to 20 or 30 minutes to burn more calories.

Include one or two exercises per major muscle group in your HIIT routine. Your routine should have 12 to 15 exercises. Perform each exercise with lots of effort for 30 seconds. Take 10 seconds of rest before starting the next exercise.

Do the targeted single move exercises listed below for a butt-focused workout. Do one or two other exercises in between each glute exercise. As part of a HIIT routine, try:

jumping jacks
pushups
crunches
jogging in place
leg lifts
dips
planks

3 HIIT Moves for Arms and Legs

5. Flow into yoga

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Fast-paced flow or power yoga classes usually include HIIT-like exercise sequences for a portion of each practice.

Look for a yoga class that includes at least 15 or 20 minutes of challenging, linked moves that make you sweat.

Most yoga classes include deeper stretching to improve flexibility and promote relaxation, too.

6. Squats

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Start with bodyweight squats.

Begin with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Keep both arms straight out in front of you for balance.
Slowly lower your butt down toward the floor.
Don’t let your knees travel in front of your toes.
Imagine sitting down in a chair as slowly as possible. Lower down to about a 90-degree angle in your knees. Don’t let your knees cave in to the center; keep them pointing in line with your toes.
Stand up slowly for 1 rep.

As you get stronger, hold dumbbells by your sides as you squat to increase the challenge.

7. Chair Pose

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Sitting isn’t good for strengthening butt muscles, unless you have nothing to sit on. Try this yoga exercise, similar to the above squat, for strength:

Press your back into a wall.
Move your feet about hip-width apart.
Cross your arms, lifting them away from your body.
Slowly slide your back down the wall until your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Do not let your knees go past your toes and keep your knees in line with your toes.
Hold for 30 seconds.

Make this harder by doing this pose without the wall. This is called Chair Pose, or Utkatasana, in yoga. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, or a little closer together. Sweep your arms up straight by your ears. Sit down slowly into your chair in the air. Make sure you can still see your toes in front of your knees.

8. Lunging

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The lunge may seem simple, but it’s an effective move for toning up your rear.

Stand with your feet together.
Take a big step back.
Bend your front knee to 90 degrees.
Drop your back knee down toward the floor.
Lift your back heel so you are on the ball of your back foot.
Step your back foot forward.
Return to your starting position for 1 rep.
Repeat on the other side.

You can increase intensity by adding a dumbbell in each hand.

9. Side stepping

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Stand between two stable benches or platforms of equal height.
Step up onto each bench or platform without turning toward the bench, so you are doing a sideways step.
Return to the middle starting position each time before stepping up to the other side.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides to increase the burn.

10. Kicking

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Start on all fours.
Place your knees under your hips, about hip-width apart.
Place your hands about shoulder-width apart.
Line up the creases of your wrists under your shoulders.
Extend your right leg back, toes pointed down. Lift your leg until it’s level with your back.
Lower your leg for 1 rep.
Do 5 reps on this side, then switch sides.

Next steps

Most adults should do at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or at least 75 minutes per week of harder aerobic exercise. It is also recommended that they add strengthening workouts for all major muscles two to three days per week.

Rock climbing, HIIT, and fast-paced yoga count for both types of workouts. They get your heart rate up and strengthen muscles, too.

Burning more calories helps you lose fat, no matter where your body holds it. Building muscle increases your calorie burn while also adding more definition to your butt.

Combine your regular workouts with healthy eating habits to get that swimsuit-worthy butt you desire.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Boreham, C. A. G., Kennedy, R. A., Murphy, M. H.,Tully, M., Wallace, W. F. M., & Young, I. (2005, January). Training effectsof short bouts of stair climbing on cardiorespiratory fitness, blood lipids,and homocysteine in sedentary young women. BritishJournal of Sports Medicine, 39, 590-3http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/39/9/590.full?sid=0603c7be-11a2-43f8-a8bc-2a4b21a759eb
Calorie Control Council Get moving! Calculator.(2016)http://caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/get-moving-calculator/
Garber, C. E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M. R.,Franklin, B. A., Lamonte, M. J., Lee, I., Nieman, D. C., & Swain, D. P.(2011, July). Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and MaintainingCardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in ApparentlyHealthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334-1359.Retrieved from .http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2011/07000/Quantity_and_Quality_of_Exercise_for_Developing.26.aspx
Klika, B., & Jordan, C. (2013, May-June).High-intensity circuit training using body weight: Maximum results with minimalinvestment. American College of SportsMedicine’s Health and Fitness Journal, 17(3), 8-13http://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/HIGH_INTENSITY_CIRCUIT_TRAINING_USING_BODY_WEIGHT_.5.aspx

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Medically reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, M.S., R.D., L.D., CDE — Written by Alli Rainey — Updated on September 18, 2018

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Fitness

1. Step up to the stairs

2. Take a hike

3. Climb a rock

4. HIIT the gym

3 HIIT Moves for Arms and Legs

5. Flow into yoga

6. Squats

7. Chair Pose

8. Lunging

9. Side stepping

10. Kicking

Next steps

How we reviewed this article:

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