Does Walking Make Your Butt Bigger? Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Walking is one of the most accessible and underrated forms of physical activity. 

It’s low-impact, requires no equipment, and offers many cardiovascular and mental health benefits. But for those chasing a perkier, stronger backside, one question often comes up – does walking make your butt bigger?

The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. While walking can help tone and shape the glutes, especially when done on an incline or with added intensity, it doesn’t provide the resistance necessary for significant muscle growth. 

To truly grow your glutes, targeted resistance training remains essential. 

However, certain walking variations can play a supportive role in sculpting and firming the buttocks. 

In this article, we’ll explore: 

• What makes the buttocks bigger
• How walking affects glute development
• Which butt workouts -like stair climbing, treadmill inclines, and butt-specific exercises offer the best return if your goal is a rounder, stronger backside (1).

What Makes Buttocks Bigger?

The glute muscles are the:

• Gluteus maximus
• Medius
• Minimus

These are the body’s largest and strongest muscles (1). 

Muscle hypertrophy (growth) occurs when we place muscles under tension, particularly through progressive overload -gradually increasing the resistance, intensity, or training volume over time. 

According to a 2025 systematic review in Frontiers in Physiology (2), exercises involving hip extension with external load, such as barbell squats, hip thrusts, and Romanian deadlifts, are the most effective for increasing glute size. 

These exercises recruit high levels of gluteus maximus activation and promote strength and hypertrophy.

While beneficial for general health, walking does not typically involve enough mechanical load or muscle damage to trigger significant glute growth (3). 

Walking increases glute activation and can shape and firm the lower body when performed with a steep incline or uphill terrain. You can read the article: workout for lower butt for more ideas.

What Exercise Is Best For A Bigger Bum?

If your primary goal is to build glutes, your training should include exercises that load the glutes through a full range of motion (1).

The most effective include:

• Barbell hip thrusts: Top-rated for glute activation
• Romanian deadlifts: Target glutes and hamstrings
• Bulgarian split squats: Unilateral glutes and quads workout for balance
• Step-ups: Functional glute activation
• Glute bridges: Beginner-friendly but effective when loaded

These exercises directly stimulate the gluteus maximus under load, essential for muscle growth. A study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine showed that these compound movements produce significantly higher glute activation than isolation movements alone. Learn more about the best glute exercises here.

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Can You Grow Glutes By Walking?

Technically, no; walking does not provide the mechanical tension or progressive overload required to grow glute muscles in the same way that resistance training does. Muscle hypertrophy relies on progressively increasing the challenge placed on the muscle, usually through added weight, volume, or intensity (3). 

Regular walking, especially on flat terrain, doesn’t meet this threshold.

However, that doesn’t mean walking is useless in a glute-building program. 

It can serve as a valuable accessory movement that supports several key training outcomes.

Walking can help:

• Improve glute endurance: by reinforcing activation patterns during repetitive movement
• Enhance muscle tone and firmness: particularly when paired with an adequate diet and fat loss.
• Support fat loss: which helps reveal muscle definition in the lower body.
• Increase demands on the posterior chain: especially when walking uphill, climbing stairs, or wearing a weighted vest, all of which increase demand on the posterior chain

Furthermore, walking encourages hip extension, a fundamental action for glute activation. When performed on an incline, the gluteus maximus works harder to propel the body upward, increasing muscle recruitment and functional strength.

A 2020 review on glute-focused exercise confirmed that incline walking significantly increases glute activation compared to level-ground walking, making it a valuable addition to any lower-body routine focused on sculpting and firming the buttocks (4).

So while walking won’t directly build glute mass, it can play an important supportive role, especially for:

• Beginners
• Anyone recovering from injury
• Individuals looking to improve glute engagement, posture, or movement quality.

To maximize results, combine walking with structured strength training that challenges the glutes through progressive resistance and full range of motion.

Read more: Treadmill Interval Workout Guide For Beginners

Is Uphill Or Downhill Better For Glutes?

When it comes to glute activation, uphill walking is the clear winner. 

Walking on an incline – outdoors on hills or a treadmill workout for glutes – requires your body to work against gravity, forcing your gluteus maximus to engage more intensely to drive hip extension, propel the body forward, and stabilize the pelvis. 

This increased workload naturally leads to greater muscle activation in the posterior chain, particularly in the glutes and hamstrings.

Biomechanically, inclines shift the demand from passive momentum to active muscular effort. As the slope increases, the hip extension range deepens, and the force output required from the glutes rises. Electromyographic (EMG) studies published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine and cited by platforms like ScienceDirect show that steep incline walking produces significantly greater gluteus maximus recruitment than walking on flat or downhill surfaces (4, 5).

Conversely, downhill walking might feel challenging in the knees and thighs, but the demand falls primarily on the quadriceps, which act eccentrically to control descent. 

The glutes play a minimal role in this movement. That said, downhill walking can still benefit joint control, eccentric strength, and lower body balance – but it’s ineffective for glute development.

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Does Walking Up Stairs Give You A Bigger Bum?

Stair climbing- whether on an actual staircase or a Stairmaster in the gym – is more effective than flat walking for glute development. Each step requires hip extension against gravity, engaging the glutes and hamstrings. 

This hip extension makes it an excellent low-impact glute workout, especially with added resistance like dumbbells or a weighted vest.

However, like walking uphill, it is still limited in how much muscle it can build without added resistance or load. Use stair-based workouts as a supplement to resistance training, not a replacement.

Read more: Best Glute Gains: How Much Incline On A Treadmill For Glutes?

How Long Does It Take To Tone Your Butt Walking?

The time it takes to notice changes depends on:

• Frequency and intensity (e.g., incline walking or stairs vs. casual flat walking)
• Nutrition (6, 7)
• Body composition
• Other forms of training included

Generally, if you’re walking briskly on an incline for 30–45 minutes, 4–5 times per week, and combining that with glute-specific resistance exercises, you may start to notice toning within 3–6 weeks, depending on your baseline. 

However, for substantial size or shape changes, you’ll need progressive overload with strength training (8, 9). There are plenty of butt lift workout options. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are glutes easy to grow?

Glutes aren’t the easiest muscles to grow. They require consistent, progressive resistance training and intentional activation. Genetics play a role- some may build faster than others- but most people can achieve noticeable glute growth over time with the right exercises and effort.

• Does walking loosen glutes?

Walking helps activate and mobilize the glute muscles, especially after periods of sitting. While it supports circulation and basic function, walking alone isn’t intense enough to significantly strengthen or grow the glutes without incorporating targeted resistance or strength-based exercises.

• Does running grow your glutes?

Running, particularly uphill or sprint intervals, engages the glutes more than flat steady-state running. However, it generally lacks the resistance needed for muscle hypertrophy. Combine running with progressive strength training and targeted glute activation exercises for optimal glute growth.

• Does swimming build glutes?

Swimming works the glutes during kicking motions, helping tone and activate them. However, the resistance provided by water isn’t typically enough to stimulate muscle growth. You can combine swimming with specific land-based strength training to build glutes for better results.

The Bottom Line

So, does walking make your butt bigger? 

Well, walking – especially uphill, on stairs, or at a brisk pace – can contribute to glute toning and muscle endurance, and it’s a fantastic way to stay active with minimal equipment or joint strain. However; if your goal is to visibly grow your glutes and achieve a rounder, firmer butt, walking alone won’t be enough. 

The underlying mechanisms are precise; to build muscle, you need progressive overload – lifting heavier over time, performing movements that challenge the glutes (like hip thrusts, squats, and lunges), and ensuring adequate recovery and nutrition to support muscle repair and growth.

That said, walking can be a valuable tool in your fitness routine. 

It helps improve circulation, activate the glutes, burn fat, and support overall leg development. Combined with a structured glute workout plan and a protein-rich diet, it can enhance your results, support recovery, and contribute to a more defined and athletic lower body.

In short:

• Walking tones, but does not build glutes significantly.
• Incline walking and stair climbing are more glute-focused than flat walking.
• For visible changes, include resistance-based glute exercises in your training plan.
• Consistency, proper form, and patience are key.

Whether you’re just starting or looking to level up your lower-body training, remember that glute development takes time, just like any other muscle development. 

Your effort will pay off if you combine smart movement with intentional strength training, adequate diet, and recovery.