As you gain weight, you may have a tendency to accumulate fat on your butt. While this is common, fat can be reduced with a regular program of cardiovascular exercise. You cannot spot reduce fat in specific areas as you lose weight, but you will ultimately shed inches from your buttocks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests adults perform a minimum of 150 minutes a week of moderate cardiovascular activity or 75 minutes of intense activity. Combine cardio exercise with butt-toning exercises to tone the underlying glute muscles and lose fat from your butt.
Running
Running burns a high number of calories to help you shed fat quickly. A 200-lb. person burns more than 1,200 calories an hour running 8 mph, according to the Mayo Clinic. Help tone your lower body by running up and down hills. Running on hilly terrain engages various muscles -- including your glutes and thighs -- to help tone as you burn fat. Run outside or inside on a treadmill that offers a variable incline program.
Cycling
Bicycling has the potential to burn hundreds of calories per hour, depending on your speed and intensity. For example, NutriStrategy reports that cycling at a moderate pace of 12 mph to 13.9 mph burns nearly 750 calories an hour for a 205-lb. person. However, if the same person increases his speed 16 to 19 mph, he burns more than 1,100 calories per hour. Bike outdoors or indoors on a stationary bicycle and bend forward at the hips while riding to engage your glutes for further buttocks toning.
Water Cardio
Swimming is an enjoyable exercise that can tone muscles throughout your body while burning fat. Swimming laps burns almost 640 calories per hour for a 200-lb. person, according to Mayo Clinic. Water aerobics classes also help tone and burn calories by implementing glutes-toning exercises into the workout, such as scissor kicks and armless swimming, in which you only use your legs to move through the water. The same person burns more than 350 calories an hour participating in a water aerobics class.
Glute Toning
Tone your glutes -- the muscles of your buttocks -- in addition to cardiovascular workouts for best results. Choose from squats, which target your glutes as well as your upper legs, or bridges. To perform squats, stand with your feet hip-width apart, bend forward at the waist, bend your knees and lower your butt toward the floor. Perform bridges on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your butt off the ground until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your chest. Alternately, many fitness facilities offer glute strength-training machines that guide you through movements to tone this area. Have a trainer assist you in learning this equipment. Complete three sets of 10 repetitions of at least two glute-toning exercises. Perform a glute-toning workout at least twice a week on non-consecutive days.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Acitivity for Everyone: How Much Physical Activity do Adults Need?
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour; Dec. 2009
- American Council on Exercise: Glute Bridge
- American Council on Exercise: Bodyweight Squat
- NutriStrategy: Calories Burned During Exercise by NutriStrategy - Alphabetized List
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