Does walking tone your butt?

Does walking tone your butt? Yes, a good walk can help define the calves, quads, and hamstrings while also lifting the glutes by strengthening and shaping them. But what about the butt?

But to get a natural toning effect in your gluteus muscles, you need to do more than just put one foot in front of the other.

How to tone your glute muscles by walking

Pick up the pace.

There are many great reasons to take up walking, but one of the best is that it's an easy way to build lean muscle, even without turning into a marathoner or triathlete.

That's because every step you take is like a bit of a glute workout! A good walk workout can help tone your butt muscles. "Doing more brisk walking is the real secret," says John Frasier, trainer, physiologist, and founder of amalewebsite.com.

Make sure your step is quick and short.

Think about taking quick, tiny steps while you walk. For example, lift your knees high instead of just lifting your feet, says Frasier. You can even march in place if that helps get the idea across.

Shorten each stride so that you're taking more steps.

Instead of walking at a regular cadence, walk a few paces and then take a small step—like a mini-stride. Then do it again with the opposite leg.

Keeping your feet close to the ground will engage your butt muscles. "It's kind of like doing little squats with every step," says Frasier.

That's why, he adds, it's most important to focus on doing this while you walk fast. So give it all you've got!

Keep your body upright.

Make sure your body is upright and that your arms are pumping in sync with your legs. Instead of swinging them out to the side, move them forward and back in a straight line. If you're outside, pick up the pace to get your heart pumping.

Once you've mastered the walking workout, try adding light hand weights for extra toning benefits, says Frasier. Aim for three sets of 30-minute walks every week with 20 minutes of faster walking and 10 minutes of regular walking.

Add a few other glute-targeting moves:

You can also add a few other moves that target your butt while you walk. For example, Frasier recommends adding lunges, side leg lifts, and standing abdominal crunches.

Walk backward on a treadmill.

Some people find that walking backward on a treadmill works their glutes better than walking forwards. This forces you to engage your butt muscles as you walk, which helps tone them over time.

Find your fat-burning zone.

If you're walking to burn fat and get the toned butt, you need to find your fat-burning zone.

The fat-burning zone is the range of intensities in which you're working out at around 70–80 percent of your maximum heart rate, also known as your fat-burning heart rate.

If you want to lose weight and stay healthy, the leading guideline is to up the intensity of your workouts.

Studies show that walking at a moderate intensity burn calories more effectively than walking fast or at a leisurely pace.

Walk at least 150 minutes per week.

Walk at moderate intensity for 150 minutes per week, combining both aerobic and resistance training. Use your glutes and leg muscles during each step during your walking routine for maximum results.

Lift your knees high and pump your arms as you walk. Step up and down off curbs, and do butt squeezes throughout the day at your desk.

5 Butt exercises to tone your muscles

Step-ups

Stand with your back facing a bench or step and place the ball of one foot on it. Then, raise yourself on that leg, straightening out the other leg behind you for balance. Then, slowly lower your foot back to the ground and repeat with the opposite leg.

Squats

Stand in front of a sturdy chair with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. Bend your knees and sit back with your butt to lower yourself until the top of your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor.

Return to standing by driving through your heels as you push off with your feet.

Squats work your gluteus Maximus, quadriceps, and hamstring muscles.

Lunges

Stand up straight. Lunge forward with your right leg and lower your body until your front knee is bent at least 90 degrees. Then push back to start and repeat with the opposite leg.

"You should feel it in your glutes more than anywhere else," says Frasier, who recommends doing three sets of 10 repetitions of either squats or lunges every other day.

Glute bridge

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Use your butt muscles to raise your hips into the air so that your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Next, squeeze your butt cheeks and hold the position for about 2 seconds.

After holding this position for about 2 seconds, slowly lower yourself back onto the ground, repeat.

Side leg lift

The inner and outer thighs, as well as the hip abductors, benefit from external leg raises. So it's an excellent and simple method to increase strength in the outer thighs and gluteus medius and minimus, known as hip abductors.

You may perform it lying down or standing while only relying on your body weight.

Lie on your right side with the arm closest to the floor straight and supporting your upper body. Bend your legs so you can place both feet together.

Use your left hand for support, keeping the elbow bent at a 90-degree angle to support your head. Next, lift your top leg until it's in line with your hip or parallel with the floor.

Lower your leg back down, then lift it again for about 8 to 10 repetitions before changing sides.

Additional tips for toning your backside while

Eat healthily

Another trick that will help tone your glutes is to eat healthily. Eating healthy can lead to weight loss, which helps increase muscle definition, making it easier for you to see your butt muscles.

Build muscle

The more muscle you have, the more fat you'll burn. Building muscle is essential for burning calories and getting the perfect butt.

Boost your metabolism

Another way to ensure you have a perky butt is to boost your metabolism. Sufficient protein in the form of lean meat will help build muscle and maintain a higher metabolic rate.

Having a higher muscle mass means you burn more calories at rest, resulting in a flatter tummy and toned legs and butt.

How long does it take to get a toned butt?

Most trainers expect to see toning results after 6-8 weeks with an essential diet and exercise.

To develop a toned bum, if the body fat percentage is not too high, it generally takes 3-4 months, and strength increases at about the same time.

Remember that your success rate is determined by the amount of body fat you have; be patient.

Conclusion

Walking is not only good for your heart, but it's also great for toning your butt. So if you walk to work or take the dog out every day, then congratulations!

You are already on track to get a cute booty without doing anything else.

But don't stop there; keep up with regular walks and add in some squats at home when no one's looking (just kidding).

It will help tone that backside of yours, so all eyes are always focused on what's behind you. We've got more blog posts about walking here if this sounds like something you're interested in learning more about!