Flat Butt: Causes for Men and Women, and Exercises (2024)

A flat butt can be caused by a number of lifestyle factors, including sedentary jobs or activities that require you to sit for extended periods. As you age, your butt may flatten and lose shape due to lower amounts of fat in the buttocks.

You may wish to both get in shape and add shape to your derriere, not only to improve your appearance, but also to enhance your overall well-being. In fact, strong gluteal muscles can help you develop better posture, increase mobility, and avoid injury.

You may even enhance your athletic performance.

Conditions that cause a flat butt

Dormant butt syndrome is a condition that occurs when your gluteal muscles are too weak and your hip flexors are too tight. This means they aren’t working as efficiently as they should.

Often this happens from sitting for too long, sleeping in the fetal position, and repetitive activities. Lack of exercise can also contribute to dormant butt syndrome.

This puts excess pressure and strain on other parts of your body. It can cause pain in your back, hips, and knees, especially when you exercise. This condition may lead to hamstring and knee injuries.

Exercises that work your glute muscles

There are lots of exercises that you can do to get a more rounded, perky butt. Be consistent with your workouts in order to see results. Feel free to modify these exercises and do any variations that suit your individual needs.

Start slowly and gradually build up the intensity and duration of your workouts in order to avoid injury. Here are some exercises to get you started.

1. Squats

To do this:

1. Stand
   with your feet hip distance apart with your toes slightly turned out to the
   side.
2. Bend
   your knees to drop your hips back as though you’re sitting into a chair.
3. Lift
   back up to standing and engage your glute muscles at the top position.
4. Continue
   this movement for one minute.
5. Then
   hold the squat position and pulse up and down for 20 seconds.
6. After
   this, hold the squat position for 20 seconds.
7. Repeat
   this sequence up to 3 times.

Tips:

• Gaze
  straight ahead.
• Keep
  your chest lifted and your spine straight.
• Press
  your knees out to the side when you lower down.
• Keep
  your feet flat on the floor and press into your heels.
• Increase
  the difficulty by holding weights.
• gluteal
  muscles
• hips
• quadriceps
• hamstrings

Muscles worked:

2. Lunge presses

To do this:

1. Come
   into a high lunge position with your right leg forward and your left leg back.
2. Keep
   your back heel lifted throughout the exercise.
3. Slowly
   straighten your right leg to come up to standing.
4. Engage
   your muscles at the top.
5. Use
   your glute muscles to lower back down into the lunge position.
6. Continue
   this movement for one minute.
7. Then
   stay in the lunge position and pulse up and down for 15 seconds.
8. Repeat
   on the opposite side.

Tips:

• Keep
  your chest lifted.
• Press
  into the heel of your front foot.
• Make
  sure your front knee doesn’t extend past your ankle.
• Focus
  on your front leg throughout the exercise.
• Don’t
  let your back knee touch the ground in the lunge position.
• Use
  dumbbells to increase the intensity.
• abdominals
• gluteal
  muscles
• quadriceps
• hamstrings

Muscles worked:

3. Fire hydrant lifts

To do this:

1. Come
   into a tabletop position.
2. Keep
   your body stable and still as you lift your right leg at a 90-degree angle away
   from the body.
3. Keep
   your knee bent during the movement.
4. Slowly
   lower it back down to the starting position, keeping your knee from touching
   the floor.
5. Do
   1 to 3 sets of 10 to 18 repetitions on each side.

Tips:

• Press
  evenly into your hands and knees.
• Allow
  your body to be still so that it’s an isolated movement.
• Keep
  your torso straight and your hips level.
• Keep
  a slight bend in your elbows.
• To
  increase the difficulty, extend your leg out straight when it’s lifted.
• abdominals
• gluteal
  muscles
• back
  muscles
• hamstrings

Muscles worked:

4. Leg lifts

To do this:

1. Come
   into a tabletop or plank position.
2. Extend
   your right leg straight back and point your toes.
3. Lower
   your leg down so it almost touches the floor and then lift it up.
4. Continue
   this movement for one minute.
5. Then
   do the other side.

Tips:

• Balance
  your weight evenly between your hands and grounded foot.
• Keep
  the rest of your body still as you move your leg.
• Add
  ankle weights to increase the difficulty.
• Engage
  your glutes as you lift your leg.
• abdominals
• gluteal
  muscles
• quadriceps
• back
  muscles

Muscles worked:

5. Bridge presses

To do this:

1. Lie
   down on your back with your knees bent and your arms alongside your body, palms
   facing down.
2. Slowly
   lift your hips up and engage your glutes at the top.
3. Then
   lift onto the tips of your toes.
4. Bring
   your heels back down to the floor.
5. Carefully
   lower your hips back down.
6. Continue
   this movement for one minute.
7. Then
   hold your hips at the top and bring your knees together and apart.
8. Do
   this for 15 seconds.
9. Come
   back to center and release back down.

Tips:

• Keep
  your neck aligned with your spine.
• Keep
  your feet flat on the floor to make it easier.
• Move
  your body up and down gently and with control.
• abdominals
• gluteal
  muscles
• hamstrings
• erector
  spinae

Muscles worked:

6. Single-leg deadlifts

To do this:

1. Hold
   a dumbbell in each hand and stand on your right leg.
2. Slowly
   bend at the hip and lift your left leg behind you.
3. Lower
   the weights until your torso is parallel to the floor.
4. Use
   your supporting leg to return to standing.
5. Squeeze
   your glutes and tuck your hips under as you come up.
6. Continue
   this movement for one minute.
7. Then
   do it on the opposite side.

Tips:

• Keep
  your chest lifted and your shoulders back.
• Keep
  your standing leg slightly bent.
• Do
  this exercise with no weights to make it easier.
• Keep
  your lifted leg bent the whole time to make it easier.
• gluteal
  muscles
• adductor magnus
• hips
• hamstrings

Muscles worked:

7. Reclining side leg exercises

To do this:

1. Lie
   on your right side with both hands on the floor for support and both legs
   extended and stacked on top of each other.
2. Slowly
   lift your left leg up as high as it will go, pausing at the top.
3. With
   control, lower it back down.
4. Just
   before it touches the bottom leg, raise it again.
5. Continue
   this movement for one minute.
6. Then,
   with your leg lifted, do variations such as small circles in both directions,
   pulses up and down, and pulses forward and backward.
7. Do
   each variation for 30 seconds.
8. Then
   keep your left leg lifted slightly and bend your knee to bring it in toward
   your chest and extend it back out again.
9. Do
   this for 30 seconds.

10. Repeat the sequence on the opposite side.

Tips:

• Keep
  your hips stacked so you’re not bringing your weight forward or backward.
• Engage
  your glute muscles during the exercise.
• Keep
  your chest lifted and open.
• Point
  your toes.
• abdominals
• hip
  muscles
• gluteal
  muscles
• thighs

Muscles worked:

Add variety to your workout

There are more reasons to add shape to your butt than aesthetic ones. It’s important to maintain a healthy physique that can improve your range of motion, flexibility, and strength.

Try adding uphill walking, stair climbing, or sprinting to your workout routine to further define your butt and build your cardio workout.

Training your muscles takes time. Aim for improvement instead of drastic or unrealistic results. Be consistent and patient and remember to include a healthy diet as part of your plan.