Not satisfied with the lower half of your body, namely your rear end? Do you have a mild-to-severe deflation in this area with surrounding skin that appears loose and lax otherwise known as a “saggy butt”. You’re certainly not alone. In fact, these days, more and more women are opting for expensive, invasive cosmetic butt enhancements to correct this situation. Little do they know, this can be resolved for free with a bit of hard work and dedication.
So, what actually causes the butt to ‘sag’?
Well, a saggy butt most commonly results from two factors: buttock (gluteal) muscle atrophy and excess body fat.
Atrophy is essentially a state in which the gluteal muscles (maximus and medius) have wasted away and lost their size and strength. Causes of gluteal muscle atrophy include poor nutrition and a lack of exercise, especially resistance (weight) training.
Poor nutrition and a lack of exercise are also related to excess body fat, the second contributor.
Fat tissue is sandwiched between the gluteal muscles and an external layer of skin. Excess fat tissue accumulation in the rear end promotes a saggy butt because this type of tissue is not very dense. Given these facts, the ultimate cure for saggy butt should be clear—Exercise the gluteal muscles and lose the fat tissue.
Related Article: How to Build Strong, Lean Legs and a Shapely Butt
Now that you have a clearer understanding of a saggy butt, here are five tips for avoiding it or curing it without cosmetic enhancements.
Tip 1: Shape Your Butt
In order to lift and shape your saggy butt you’ll have to regularly perform resistance exercises that specifically target it from top to bottom. The goal is to enhance strength and tone of the gluteal muscles as well as the lower-body region. Strength and increased muscle tone can be successfully achieved by performing 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions of the following exercises on 2-3 non-consecutive days per week:
- Barbell/Dumbbell Squat
- Barbell/Dumbbell Lunge or Smith-Machine Lunge
- Barbell/Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift
- Leg Press
- Leg Extension
Begin with weights that fatigue your muscles between 8 and 12 repetitions (Translation: 8 should feel like you are not going to make it to 12 but light enough for you to get there). Depending on your fitness level, you may have to start with your own body weight for some of the exercises.
Related Article: Building a Sculpted Lower Body
Tip 2: Burn Your Butt Fat
That’s right! You can’t escape the old sweat session. Although spot reduction is not possible when it comes to fat burning, you can choose from the following cardiovascular exercises to give your saggy butt a fat burning boost:
- Incline Walking
- Elliptical Training
- Jogging/Running
- Stair Climbing
- Rollerblading
- Cardio Kickboxing
- Step Aerobics
Perform one or more of these exercises daily for at least 30 minutes, ideally at a high- or moderately high-intensity. While low-to-moderate-intensity exercise has many health benefits, I must tell you that the butt loves higher intensities of exercise.
Related Article: How to Cardio Sculpt a Great Butt
Tip 3: Feed Your Butt
For maximum lift and shape, ensure you’re consuming adequate amounts of high-quality protein in the forms of fish and seafood, poultry, lean meats, low-fat dairy foods and/or soy products. Protein helps to feed those butt muscles and fuels the fat-burning process as well. To further enhance your fat-burning efforts, it’s important to regularly consume sensible portions of foods rich in healthy fats and good carbohydrates (vegetables and fruit, beans, and whole-grain food).
The butt DOES NOT respond well to foods rich in sugars, artificial fats, and other nutrient-devoid ingredients! That stuff’s a recipe for cellulite so it’s best to avoid such foods whenever possible.
Related Article: A Simple Guide to Eating Sensibly
Tip 4: Enhance Your Butt’s Environment
Although you’re primarily focusing on the butt you must not limit your weight training activities to this region. Your butt’s environment is comprised of a host of upper-body muscle groups that can also experience atrophy and accumulate excess fat tissue without exercise (jiggly wiggly arms and muffin top).
To enhance it’s surrounding environment, perform 1-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions of the following exercises designed to target the major muscle groups of the upper-body.
- Chest: Flat/Incline Bench Press, Fly, Standard or Modified Pushup
- Back: Lat Pulldown, Seated Row, Bent-Over Row
- Shoulders: Shoulder Press, Lateral Raise, Front Raise
- Triceps: Kickback, Pushdown, Dip
- Biceps: Curl, Concentration Curl, Hammer Curl
In addition, perform 2-3 sets of 20-25 repetitions of core exercises (back extension, plank, crunch, bicycle) on 2-3 non-consecutive days per week.
Tip 5: Don’t Quit on Your Butt
This is the most important tip of them all! Once you’ve cured yourself of a saggy butt, you must not revert back to the original habits that led to it in the first place. Continue to maintain at least 75% of your workout frequency/duration and never, ever stop eating sensibly.
That’s it! By following these five tips, you’ll effectively burn fat, gain muscle, and lift that saggy but for good.
