Among the ranks of aspirational body parts, like a thigh gap or six-pack abs, a bigger butt is on the wish list for many people.
Of course, genetics play a role; if you’ve been naturally blessed with a bigger butt, consider yourself lucky.
But for the rest of us with a flat-butt reality and bigger butt dreams, there is hope…but you’ve got to be willing to work for it.
Here’s our guide on how to make your butt look bigger.
How to Make Your Butt Look Bigger Fast
Over time, smart food choices and the right exercise stimulus will give you a bigger butt, and we’ll dive into all that below.
But what if you want to make your butt look bigger in a week? Or with just one shopping trip?
It’s possible, says Page Nielson, professional wardrobe and personal stylist. Here are her tips for creating the appearance of a bigger butt with a pair of pants.
1. Pay attention to fit and cut
“Fitted skinny jeans with rounded seams in a large heart pattern on the bum lead the eye to believe there is more volume at the top of the rear than there really is,” she says.
2. Avoid low-placed or too-small pockets
“Medium to large pockets set higher up on the rear are best,” Nielson says. “Small pockets look stingy on small bottoms and make it look flatter.”
3. Play with bold patterns and embellishments
“Embellishments set up high on the back of the pant, such as embroidery, patches, and beads, add volume, as do extra details such as grommets, double pockets, extra seaming, and a contrast of stitching,” she says.
4. Embrace your waist
Don’t hide behind tunics or sheath dresses. “Peplum blouses, jackets, and dresses with horizontal or angled seams and ruffles are perfect,” Nielson says.
Exercises for a Bigger Butt
For a longer-term solution, there are many exercises that can help you grow your booty.
But if your attempts to get a bigger butt begin and end with the squat, you’re missing out, says Pete McCall, MS, CSCS, master trainer and host of the All About Fitness podcast.
“What a lot of people get wrong is that they usually use the glutes just in one plane of motion — the forward and backward plane,” McCall says.
In order to appropriately target all the glute muscles and build a bigger butt, you must work in all three planes of motion: the sagittal plane (forward and backward), the frontal plane (side to side), and the transverse plane (horizontal and rotational).
Here are a few to get you started:
Butt exercises in the sagittal plane (forward and backward)
We spend most of our time moving in the sagittal plane, giving you plenty of bigger butt-building exercises to choose from; the squat, the Romanian deadlift, the glute bridge, the forward lunge the reverse lunge examples of exercises that can help you get a bigger butt.
1. Reverse lunge
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. If you’re adding resistance, hold a pair of dumbbells at arms’ length by your sides.
- Keeping your chest up, back flat, shoulders back, and core engaged, take a large step back with your right leg
- Lower your body until your left thigh is parallel with the floor. Your knees should be bent about 90 degrees, with the right knee hovering a couple of inches above the ground.
- Pause, and then push off your back foot to return to the starting position.
- Perform equal reps on both sides.
2. Romanian deadlift
- Stand upright with your feet hip to shoulder-width apart, holding a pair of heavy dumbbells in front of your thighs with an overhand grip (palms facing back).
- Keeping your back flat, core engaged, and shoulders pulled back and down (as if you were trying to put them in your back pockets), push your hips back and lower the dumbbells to mid-shin level, keeping them close to your body and bending your knees only slightly (this exercise is also called the “straight leg deadlift”).
- Pause, and then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
3. Glute bridge
- Lie on your back, arms down by your sides. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the floor.
- Pull in through your navel to brace your core muscles and then squeeze your glutes to press your hips up so your body forms a straight line — no arching — from knees to shoulders.
- Keep your head on the floor and eyes focused on the ceiling.
- Hold the position for a beat, and then lift and lower and repeat.
Butt exercises in the frontal plane (side to side)
To round out (pun intended) your bigger butt workout, you need to move side to side in addition to forward and backward.
The lateral lunge targets your glutes, aka your butt muscles, as you move in the frontal plane. Additionally, the skater lunge and the the curtsy lunge work in a frontal and sagittal plan.
1. Lateral lunge
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. You can bring your hands up to your chest for balance.
- Keeping your feet parallel and your core engaged, step your right foot wide to the right without bending your left knee.
- Keeping your left leg straight, your chest up, and your back flat, bend your right knee, sit your hips back, and lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the floor.
- Push off your right foot to reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the left side, and continue alternating sides, performing equal reps on each.
2. Curtsy lunge
- Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length by your sides (palms in) with your feet hip-width apart.
- Keeping your back flat and your core engaged, step your left foot behind and outside your right foot, lowering your hips until your right thigh is parallel with the floor. Allow the dumbbells to hang at arm’s length on either side of your right leg, but don’t let them touch the floor.
- Reverse the movement to return to the starting position. Complete all of your reps, and then repeat, this time stepping your right foot behind your left.
Butt exercises in the transverse plane (horizontal and rotational)
We’re accustomed to rotational motion in sports like golf and tennis, but it’s not typically a movement pattern associated with building a bigger butt.
However, with a little twist, the jump squat becomes a bigger butt exercise for the transverse plane. (It hits the sagittal plane, too.)
1. Rotating jump squat
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Keeping your chest up and your back flat, bend your knees, push your butt back, and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Let your arms swing back behind you to your sides.
- Pushing through your heels, jump up explosively, swinging your arms up, and rotate 180 degrees to the right. Land softly in a squat, letting your arms swing back behind you again.
- Jump again, rotating to the left.
- Continue to jump squat, alternating directions until all reps are complete.
What to Eat to Make Your Butt Look Bigger
Despite what Instagram influencers would have you believe, there’s no specially formatted snack bar or herbal tea that will give you a bigger butt overnight.
Your glutes, are just like any other muscle: They need proper nutrition to grow bigger and stronger.
So what should you eat to grow bigger muscles, including your butt?
“Fuel your workouts, then focus on post-workout nutrition to promote growth,” says McCall.
That means eating high-quality carbohydrates — fruits, vegetables, whole grains — for fast-burning energy, and incorporating healthy protein sources into your diet, as protein is essential for muscle recovery and growth.
Lean meats, eggs, and fish are all protein powerhouses and, therefore, can help you build a bigger butt.