Do squats actually make your butt bigger?

[Anonymous]

I've been doing squats every day (continuous squats for 3-4 mins) x3)) for the past two months and I've noticed today in a shop changing room that my butt actually looks smaller?

Or are shop changing room lights made to make you look slimmer? And also does wearing heels make the bum look bigger

(And by the way I am not fat at all or emaciated skinny either)

[cavmanier]

It depends on your bodytype. Some people will gain muscle much easier. If you're an ectomorph (your body will tend to want to be slim) it's especially hard to gain muscle. Most girls don't gain a whole lot of muscle back there regardless. I think the girls with large butts generally have that shape to begin with.

Your butt can get smaller if you're losing fat (by doing the squats) or if you're having some kind of calorie deficiency in another way.
www.electricphysique.com/images/body-types.jpg

@BertMacklinFBI may have another take on this.

[Asker]

Erm I think I'm an ectomorph because of my skeletal structure, but I do gain muscle okay-- I think, and I gain fat VERY easily, especially on my arms (my arms are fat because I don't work them, but for some reason I like having chubby arms). And I don't have a calorie deficiency either, its just my hips aren't wide so naturally my butt is small, but I'm hoping adding some muscle will help

[Asker]

But when it comes to my butt, there was not that much fat there to begin with because i walk up hills/dance a lot!
Also would you say doing squats with just bodyweight is useless? (because I just tried doing squats using this doorstopper thing as a weight, which is NOT that heavy, omg arm death!!)

[cavmanier]

If you can do more than 8-12 squats in a row you're not building much muscle.

[BertMacklinFBI]

@cavmanier :D

@Asker if you're doing your own body weight squats then you're most likely turning fat into muscle, thus making your butt smaller in size. thats good to start with, but what you'll eventually need to do is weighted squats to increase muscle strength, thus causing the muscle to grow bigger, thus giving you that gym girl body booty that 90% of the girls want now due to Instagram and social media lol.

https://www.yeahshesquats.com/

[DivaMonae]

No squats work off fat and lifts and tighten your thigs and butt.

So the squats have been working possibly just not the way you wanted them to... Over time after most of the fat has been worked off it does produce muscle and that's when your butt will start to show more but it will take a while.

So if you already had a butt in the begining and you were more satisfied with that one you could stop doing squats and start eating more, but it's not your true butt and is basically fat being stored and is more flab/saggy butt than your natural one.

[Sexydncr]

Use weights... If you can't go to the gym get a dumbbell or kettle bell. Also, hip thrusts and barbell glute bridges target the butt more than squats (which target the quads and hamstrings also).

[CourtJester]

Exercises can do two things: lose fat and gain muscles. If you're a beginner, your body does both things. It also depends on diet if you're in a caloric surplus or deficit. Recommend doing more weighted squats (dumbell/barbell) and eating more protein to really grow them glutes.

[JohnScofield787]

squats will shape your butt... though they might also help remove excess fat too. What sort of squats are you doing? Body weight squats? Goblet Squats? Dumbbell squats? If weighted squats of some sort how much?

[Asker]

Body weight (I already take zumba/ballet classes which cost enough so gym is not an option because of time/money constraints)
And umm a kind of a mix between the two, but I stick my butt out, with a flat back and get down very low (because I'm flexible enough)
But which squats would you suggest are the best?

[JohnScofield787]

I would suggest that you get a single dumbbell or kettle bell between 10 and 20lbs, depending on how strong you are. (Usually they will cost you between $10 and $25, so not too much monetary outlay required). Do Goblet Squats.

A goblet squat is where you hold the dumbbell up at chest level, and only a few inches away from the chest. Then squat down until your arms touch your knees, and then push back up again. So you hands will be in the center of your body, holding the weight and your elbows will be sticking out to the side. This will help your core and your butt and your legs. Also your arms from holding the weights. Heavier is better if you can do it. Do these in a slow and controlled manner either for x number of minutes or x number of reps. I would try to do say 50 to 100 without stopping, then take a one minute break and do it again for three rounds. I would start at 50 and see if it is too easy.

[JohnScofield787]

I would also suggest power squats which are unweighted. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and then drop down into a squatted position and then pop back up again. Almost like a jumping jack movement, but you are squatting instead. Do it fast but controlled. Both of those will help.

Finally you can do side lunges... Stand straight up, holding dumbbells out to the sides straight out (want two dumbbells of 2 to 5lbs here). Then lunge to one side and take the weights and touch the floor by the foot where you are lunging. Then stand up, taking weights back out to the sides, and do it on the other side. You do these three exercises and it is going to help butt, core and legs.

[JohnScofield787]

OOPS... on power squats.. Stand with feet together and then pop down into a squat with feet shoulder width apart. Sorry about that. Hope it makes sense.

[Asker]

Okay will definitely try that thank you for bothering to answer :))

[Asker]

Kinda makes sense, I will look up utube demonstrations of these exercises to ensure I've understood you right :).

[JohnScofield787]

probably a good idea! There is a reason i don't write exercise descriptions for a living.

[Littlett25]

They do make it bigger but you are probably loosing fat & gaining more muscle now.

[AlwaysBelieving]

You're loosing fat and gaining muscle. It'll look more toned this way (yeah, some guys can tell the difference).

[fitlyfe211]

yes squats help and by wearing heels they naturally make your butt stick out a bit more than normal

[GoldenDragon39]

Well squats makes your butt look rounder and possibly bigger.