“I am 28 years of age and my biggest fear is having my butt flatten out like my mother’s. Is there anything I can do to outwit the genetic destiny of my rear end?” — Sharri C.

Glutes, derriere, booty, bottom, bum, backside, buns or biscuits — whatever name you choose to refer to this group of muscles, for the purposes of this column I will refer to this area on your body as the butt.

Shaping and toning butt muscles is high on the wish list for most women. Unfortunately, a large majority of women who exercise regularly are performing activities that do more for flattening the butt than firming it.

Eye of the beholder

It is of first importance that you realize that healthy weight loss is the platform for achieving your best butt. By lowering your body fat percentage through eating healthfully and exercising effectively, your butt will automatically take on an improved shape and tightness. However, I am fully aware that even though others may applaud you for the reshaping of your butt, you may not be satisfied. So I am going to provide you a couple of concepts and tips to take your butt to the next level.

Excess exercise can flatten your butt

We use our butt muscles every day. Our butt muscles make up a large part of our “core” and lean muscle tissue. So it is to our benefit to invest energy and time into conditioning these muscles to naturally rev up metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day.

The problem, however, is that the butt tends to flatten out as a result of performing long bouts of cardio like running or cycling. To the contrary, when you cut back on the cardio and become consistent with resistance training and perform athletic activity that consists of short bouts of anaerobic conditioning, like wind sprints and interval training, you will better shape your butt.

Consider this: Take a look at your typical long-distance runner and, more often than not, he or she may be lean, but the shape of his or her butt is practically absent. On the flip side, if you take a look at your typical sprinter, rarely if ever will he or she have a flat butt.

Genetics

As the saying goes, “Your genetics may load the gun, but it’s your lifestyle that pulls the trigger.” This rings true when it comes to redefining and reshaping your butt. Your mother may have a flat butt, but it doesn’t have to be that way for you.

It is true that the female body carries a lot of fat deposits in the butt area and that your body does not prefer to give up these fat cells. Nonetheless, with patience and consistency you can successfully shape your butt to your liking.

E-mail me if you have questions or would like to learn more about the five most effective resistance training exercises that best shape your butt. 

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Robert Ferguson is a nutritionist, researcher, best-selling author, speaker, host, NAACP nominee, creator of the Diet Free Life methodology, and Chief Nutrition Officer at iCoura Health, Inc., who serves on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association. E-mail him at robert@dietfreelife.com, or visit his Web site at https://dietfreelife.com