Exercising the butt for a nice round shape can be a double-edged sword if you are worried about losing fat. Exercising large muscle groups, such as your glutes -- commonly called your butt -- is going to burn fat; however, even if you do lose a little fat in your butt, gluteal exercises will replace it with firm, contoured tissue. Making dietary changes can help prevent excessive fat loss.
Diet and Exercise Plan
Step 1
Adjust your calorie intake to reflect your calorie expenditure during gluteal exercises. For instance, a 160 lbs. person burns about 218 calories per hour during strength training, according to the MayoClinic.com. You need to replace those calories or your muscle can start to burn fat stores for energy.
Step 2
Start or continue aerobic exercise for your cardiovascular health, keeping it to about 30 minutes a day. Regular aerobic activity does not necessarily burn fat stores, but it can keep you healthier, reports Tara Parker-Pope in "The New York Times" (Nov. 4, 2009).
Step 3
Perform exercises that target your gluteal muscles at least twice weekly. These can include lunges, squats and back-kicks.
Glute Activation Lunge
Step 1
Stand with your feet together and your arms straight in front of you.
Step 2
Cross your right foot over your left foot to the front and keep both feet pointing forward. Bend at your hips and bring your butt towards the floor as you bend both knees.
Step 3
Stop the downward shift when your right knee is directly over your right ankle and your left heel comes up off the floor. Engage your core muscles -- your stomach and back -- and shift your upper body so that your arm turn in the opposite direction of your forward lunge.
Step 4
Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side to complete one repetition. Try to start with one set of 10 repetitions on each side, increasing sets as tolerated.
Tips and Warnings
- If you hold dumbbells in your hands during gluteal exercises you increase the workload, and therefore intensity, of the exercise.
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