Flat Butt: Causes, Tips, Exercises

The glutes are the muscles that make up the butt and help contribute to its round appearance. However, a flat butt may occur due to factors such as genetics or issues with how glutes work.

Glutes can get stronger—and rounder—with the right glute exercises, including walking, lunges, and hip thrusts. Read on to learn more about what to do to help lift a flat butt.

What Causes a Flat Butt?

The appearance of your butt is partially out of your control, said Harley Pasternak, celebrity trainer and Fitbit ambassador. "Genetics is the number-one component of the size and shape of your butt," said Pasternak. That's because genes can contribute to how much muscle mass a person has.

Your glutes can flatten the older you get, as age is related to muscle changes. You may lose muscle tissue, tone, and contraction as you age.

Pasternak also noted that how you've used your glutes throughout your life may influence the shape of your butt. "So someone who was a gymnast as a kid might have more developed glutes or an easier time toning the glutes as they get older than someone who maybe didn't do any sports as a child," explained Pasternak.

Sometimes, people may have a flat butt due to gluteal amnesia or dormant butt syndrome. The condition happens when the glute muscles are not working, or activating, at all.

Just because you can't necessarily change the natural curve of your booty doesn't mean you can't amp up the assets you have, assured Pasternak. Plus, there are many benefits of developing a strong, toned butt. Having strong glutes can help in the following areas:

• Athletic performance enhancement
• Injury prevention
• Normal walking patterns
• Pain elimination

With that in mind, make these exercise and lifestyle adjustments to lift your butt and accelerate your results.

1. Cardio for Glutes

Two exercises that can work your glutes and add cardio to your workout include side skates and power skips. You should also be doing more with your cardio than steady treadmill runs if you want to lift your butt and zero in on the glutes, said Pasternak.

Instead, opt for walking or sprinting. "Walking forces you into a longer stride, which gives you the opportunity to access your glutes better. Sprinting requires your knees to lift higher, which also fires up the glutes," explained Pasternak.

For even more effective butt-targeting cardio, add incline. "I think stairs are just the most underrated glute blaster there is," said Pasternak. "I recommend that all my clients hit a step goal of 10,000 or 15,000 steps per day, and at least 1,500 of those should be on hills or stairs if you want to really want to tone the glutes fast."

2. Stretching

Putting all of your body weight on your butt for hours upon hours each day can actually change its shape, said Pasternak.

"Sitting also shortens and tightens the hip flexors, which impacts our ability to really activate both our glutes and core even when we're not seated," physical therapist David Reavy, PT, owner of React Physical Therapy in Chicago, told Health.

When you get ready to stretch, consider doing the following activities:

• Breathe normally and stay still while you stretch.
• Do individual stretches for no more than 15 to 30 seconds at a time.
• Stretch at least twice weekly for general flexibility.
• Take five-minute breaks from sitting to stretch when possible.
  

3. Unilateral Movements

Certain moves we often associate with the glutes recruit other large lower-body muscles (namely the quadriceps) to do most of the work. "This tends to be the case with basic body-weight squats and leg presses," said Pasternak.

Instead, Pasternak recommended focusing more on unilateral movement or working one side of the body at a time so that other large muscles in both legs don't dominate.

"Unilateral training will allow you to access the glutes more directly," said Pasternak. Moves for your butt workouts at home include single-leg deadlifts, lunges, and lying single-leg hip thrusts.

4. Glute Exercises

After a period of being sedentary (and especially before going from desk chair to workout), Reavy suggested doing these three exercises to help lengthen the front of your body and re-activate the glutes:

Mobilization Backbend

Backbends can be done as part of a yoga workout. This exercise also helps strengthen the arm, hand, and shoulder muscles. Here's how to do a mobilization backbend:

• Start in a split stance, with one foot slightly behind you and the heel slightly raised.
• Reach back with the arm of the same side and place your fist on your sacrum—the bony area at the base of your spine that connects to your pelvis.
• Lean back as far as you can and hold for a few seconds.
• Repeat the movement on the other side.
• Do about 10 reps on each side, bending back as far as you can each time.

Hip-Flexor Release

Stretching your hip flexor muscles can improve the stability of your lower spine and reduce muscle tightness. Use the following steps to do a hip-flexor release:

• Lie on your stomach.
• Put a lacrosse ball beside the bony part of your hip in the direction of your belly button. This puts the ball under your psoas—a hip-flexor muscle that connects your torso to your lower body.
• Allow your body weight to release onto the ball as much as possible without pain.
• Lay until you feel your hip flexor relax.

Hip Thrusts

This exercise can help with lower body strength. Hip thrusts will also engage your hamstring, quad, and core muscles. To do this exercise:

• Put your shoulders on a flat bench, heels on the ground.
• Using your glutes, lift your hips to a bridge position.
• Hold for a few seconds and lower your hips.

Reavy suggested putting a resistance band around your thighs for an added challenge: "This helps turn on your external rotators, which are part of your glutes, so you'll be working your butt all the way around," said Reavy. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

A Quick Review

A person may have a flat butt because of age, genetics, glute use, or problems with glute activation. Luckily, you can add moves to your workout to help build bigger, stronger glutes. Those options include glute-focused cardio exercises, general glute-focused exercises, stretching, and unilateral movements.