Will Running Shrink My Butt?

If you're carrying around a little too much junk in your trunk, it can lead to difficulty finding clothes that fit correctly. The solution to your fat issue can often be as simple as increasing the amount you exercise -- and cutting back on your daily caloric intake. An exercise such as running is one of the best ways to burn fat. Its high calorie burn makes it effective, while its lack of equipment means you can add it to your day with ease.

The loss of fat from your butt or anywhere throughout your body is dependent on you establishing a caloric deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn. Running's rapid calorie burn makes it an ideal exercise to add to your workout regimen if you wish to burn fat to lose weight. Although running uses your glutes, this exercise doesn't specifically burn butt fat. No type of activity selectively targets the fat in a given region of your body. Instead, maintaining a caloric deficit helps you burn fat from your butt and entire body.

It's crucial to dedicate enough time to running every week if you want the exercise to help you lose excess butt fat. Running is a vigorous form of exercise, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advises that you should get at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week. If fat loss is your goal, however, double this guideline to 150 minutes. If you can't run for this duration, aim for 300 minutes of such moderate-intensity exercises as walking.

Whether you choose to run outdoors or favor using a treadmill at the gym, running can lead to several hundred calories burned per workout. A 165-pound person burns 475 calories in 45 minutes of running at 5 mph, 564 calories in 45 minutes of running at 6 mph and 646 calories in a 45-minute run at 7 mph. This exercise is one of the fastest ways you can burn calories to lose weight. By comparison, a 165-pound person burns just 290 calories during a 45-minute walk at 4 mph.

Many people use aerobic exercises such as running to burn their body fat. However, if you enjoy running but don't want to lose the round shape of your butt, a number of strength-training exercises can help you develop your glutes. Weight-training exercises that develop your glutes include the barbell deadlift, barbell squat and barbell lunge. You can perform strength-training exercises two or more times per week, but should always work each of your muscle groups evenly.