Your Butt
Your butt is composed of 3 main muscles:
Gluteus maximus
Gluteus medius
Gluteus minimus
The gluteus maximus (see pictures) is the largest muscle in your butt, so that's where most of your focus will be. The other two (the gluteus medius and minimus) are important too, though--they lie under the gluteus maximus and hold your pelvis upright every time you take a step. Not only that, your butt muscles are in charge of all the movements of your hips, including:
- extension (moving the thigh backward)
- external rotation (turning the thigh or pelvis outward)
- transverse abduction (moving the thigh outward with hip bent)
- adduction (moving the thigh inward with hip straight).
Targeting your Gluteus Maximus
If you have extra fat around your backside and want to get rid of it, you want to focus on overall fat loss. The safest and healthiest way to do that is with cardio exercise, weight training (for your entire body, not just your butt) and a healthy diet. Cardio is a must if you're trying to drop fat, so choose activities that allow you to burn the most amount of calories in the least amount of time, like these:
- Interval training - Check out these interval workouts for some ideas.
- Doing something completely different than usual to work your body in a whole new way. If you're a runner, try swimming...a walker, try cycling, etc.
- Adding intensity to your workouts - Working harder means burning more calories overall, which can help you lose weight.
- Lift heavy weights regularly - Challenging your muscles will help them grow stronger, raise your metabolism and lose body fat
- Target your butt by trying these activities: Hiking, stair-climbing, cycling, and step aerobics
Now that you know how to target your butt, get all your questions answered in the FAQ's About Your Butt, learn the Top Ten Butt Exercises and, of course, a Butt Workout to target your rear.
