How to Lose Weight & Tone the Butt

How to Lose Weight & Tone the Butt
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Storing fat in the buttocks area can be a problem more so for women than men. Regardless, in order to lose weight from any part of the body, you will need to create a calorie deficit. A deficit is when you are consuming less calories than you are burning for energy. The body then turns to its fat stores for this energy. Exercising the muscles in your buttocks, called the glutes, will also help them appear more toned and youthful. To achieve this goal, you will need to tailor your diet and vary your exercise routine.

Step 1

Eat a healthy diet and cut out foods high in saturated fats and sugars. Counting calories will help you reach your weight loss goals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a deficit of between 500 and 1,000 per day. This amount will help you lose between 1 and 2 lbs. per week.

Step 2

Join a circuit training class at your gym to lose weight. A circuit training workout involves a series of different and varied exercises. You spend a minute or so on each exercise before moving on to the next one with little or no rest. There are normally 12 different exercises in all, ranging from shuttle-runs and cardio machines to boxing, free weights and body weight exercises.

Step 3

Add high-intensity interval training into your regular cardio session to lose weight. HIIT involves applying a series of work rate intervals that range from high to low intensity. For an HIIT running session on a treadmill, you do one minute of high intensity up an incline, followed by two minutes of low intensity. The pattern is then repeated.

Step 4

Do barbell squats to tone the butt. Stand under the barbell and take the weight on the back of your shoulders. With feet shoulder-width apart, squat down until the butt is parallel with the knees, then come back up to the start and repeat, recommends BodyBuilding.com. You will feel the tension in the buttocks and thighs.

Step 5

Perform dumbbell lunges to tone the butt. Stand up straight, holding two dumbbells at your sides. Take a large step forward. Bend the knee of your front leg 90 degrees, while your back leg remains planted at the toes. Feel the tension in the thighs and rear buttocks.

Things You'll Need

  • Treadmill
  • Barbell
  • Dumbbells

References

Article reviewed by Christine Brncik Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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