How To Get A Smaller Butt: The Best Exercises & Tips

Lower body workouts, especially those that target the butt to make it bigger, are some of the most popular exercise routines. A nice big rounded butt is something that has been trending the last decade or so and most everyone hopes to grow their posterior. Unfortunately, thanks to the ‘big butt trend’, the converse is real – there is very little information aimed at helping people reduce an already big bum. While a big bum can be a nice thing, it can cause a number of problems if it’s too much. It can make clothes shopping a nightmare, fitting in chairs a problem and a number of insecurities. If you struggle with carrying too much weight or fat in your glutes, then this article is for you. Here we will show you how to get a smaller butt through exercises that are easy to do and quite effective in the long run.

Which Are The Best Exercises To Make Your Butt Smaller? Can Only Doing Glute Workouts Make Butt Smaller?

No, it cannot.

A common misconception in the fitness world is that you can do specific exercises to help you lose fat in a certain part of the body. This is referred to as spot reduction and is an absolute myth.

So what does this mean and how is it related to exercises for smaller butt?

If your method for getting a smaller posterior is finding a special smaller butt workout to only help you lose fat in this area, you are taking the wrong approach. Over the years, studies on spot reduction have shown that it does not work.

In the same way that you cannot choose where your body stores fat, so can you not pick where it loses it.

• One study done on the reduction of abdominal fat found that doing only ab exercises does not help one lose stomach fat. In the study 40 women were divided into 2 groups. 

The 1st had their diets adjusted and the 2nd group were asked to do ab exercise on top of diet changes. At the end of the 12 weeks, researchers found that there was no significant difference in waist circumference in all the women (4).

• A study published in 2013, further strengthens the statement that localized exercise does not determine fat loss in that area. In the study 11 participants trained one leg thrice a week for 12 weeks.

Read More: Get A Toned Butt With Effective Glute Isolation Exercises

At the end of the 12 weeks, researchers found that the participants had actually lost more fat in their upper body and core than in the exercised leg. When comparing both legs, they also realized that there were no significant changes in fat mass and percentage (9).

• An older study from 2011 also showed that doing ab exercises to reduce abdominal fat was a useless endeavor. In the study 24 participants were divided into 2 groups. One group had to do 7 ab exercises 5 days a week for 6 weeks and the other group did nothing.

The participants all maintained the same diet for the entire 6 weeks. At the end of the study period, when comparing both groups, researchers found that ab exercises caused no significant changes. Changes in body fat, weight, abdominal circumference and more were insignificant even after all the workouts (11).

• Another study published in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2007, also found that spot reduction does not work. The participants in this study did upper body workouts training their non-dominant hand for 12 weeks.

The results looked at the generalized loss of fat from the exercised hand – regardless of gender – and found once again that spot reduction is indeed a myth (10).

From all this scientific evidence, it is clear that when it comes to how to get a smaller butt, doing only localized glute workouts is not the answer.

How To Get Thinner Thighs And Smaller Butt: Workouts That Work

Now that we have a better understanding of how fat loss works, which exercises for smaller butt and slimmer thighs will help? To make your butt smaller from exercise, here are the top workouts that should be in your routine

Running

A large butt and thighs are mostly made up of stored fat. Cardio workouts like running are incredible when it comes to burning a lot of fat/calories in a short amount of time. Several studies have shown that running can also increase your metabolism, hours after the workout (1, 5). A higher metabolism means you are burning more calories which causes fat and weight loss.

Ps. If you are debating how to get a smaller butt and hips between running and walking exercises, we suggest running. A study comparing weight loss results from running and walking found that running was better. Running had a 90 percent greater weight loss result as compared to walking in both men and women (7).

While running is a full body workout, you mostly use the muscles in your lower body. The muscles in your glutes, hamstrings and quads are very engaged during this workout. Increasing muscle mass is also a great way to lose fat and will help reduce your butt.

Stair Climbing

If you cannot run for whichever reason – or simply don’t like it, find some stairs and start climbing. Like running, stair climbing works some of the biggest muscles in the body which leads to more calorie burning. This exercise is also a form of cardio and will use up a lot of energy leading to weight loss (6).

Do Some Burpees

Burpees are a killer full body workout that is effective for fat burning and weight loss. Combining jumping jacks, a pushup and glute kickbacks, they will have you sweating in no time.

HIIT

HIIT aka High-intensity interval training is an exercise routine that consists of multiple exercises done at a fast pace. HIIT routines are beloved as they can have you in and out of the gym in 45 minutes or less. Research over the years has shown that this form of exercise will not only help with fat and weight loss but will also improve your health (2, 8).

Lunges

Lunges are a workout that you will see in most ‘how to grow your butt’ exercise lists. Despite this, they can still help you reduce your bum especially if your butt is mostly made up of fat and not muscle. Lunges help to tone and build muscle – as previously mentioned, the morse muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest. More calorie burning equals more fat and weight loss.

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Swimming

This is another workout that works great for weight loss – afterall, swimmers always have long lean bodies. Swimming burns a lot of calories not only because it’s a full body exercise, but also the water creates resistance. Thus turns your session into a kind of resistance training exercise. One study done on women showed that this exercise helps reduce hip circumference (3).

FAQs

What Makes Your Butt Smaller?

When it comes to how to get a smaller butt through exercise, cardio/aerobic workouts are your best bet. These exercises are fantastic for fat loss which is what usually accumulates in the bum making it bigger. You should also complement cardio workouts with some lower body toning exercises to build muscle.

How To Get Smaller Butt Exercises

As mentioned above, there are no special workouts that will only reduce the butt. To get a smaller posterior, you need to lose fat all over the body. A combination of cardio and toning/resistance exercise is the best option for maximum fat loss.

A good how to get a smaller butt routine should have workouts such as

• Cardio – Running, skipping rope, jumping jacks, stair climbing, jumping jacks, kickboxing, etc.
• Resistance training – Lunges, bodyweight squats, deadlifts, etc.

What Exercise Is Making My Butt Smaller?

Too much cardio could be the main reason why your butt is becoming smaller. Other than muscle, our butts are mostly made up of fat. Doing a lot of cardio leads to fat loss which decreases the size of your bum.

If your butt has decreased too much, reduce how much cardio you are doing and replace it with more weighted lower body workouts. The latter will increase muscle mass in this area, giving you a bigger bum.

Read More: How To Get Rid Of Cellulite On Butt Without Buying A Dozen Creams That Won’t Work

The Bottom Line

When it comes to how to get a smaller butt, spot reduction is a myth. Doing a routine that mainly targets the butt will not give you the desired results. Instead, concentrate on doing more cardio workouts to accelerate fat and weight loss.

Run more, opt for the stairs instead of the elevator, skip rope, try swimming, etc. the options are endless. Aside from working out, make sure to also fix your diet. You can’t out exercise a bad diet. Be sure to eat smaller portions and eat at a calorie deficit. Overall full body weight loss is the key to having a smaller butt.