How to Grow Your Butt Without Growing Your Thighs

Co-authored by Laila Ajani

Last Updated: December 11, 2022 References

You want to do exercises to grow your butt, but you're worried about your thighs growing at the same time. Fortunately, it's totally possible to build just your glutes without bulking up your thighs by doing glute-specific exercises. Keep reading to learn which exercises are best to grow your butt without growing your thighs, plus how to get the most out of your workouts so you start seeing results faster.

Part 1

Part 1 of 7:

Exercising

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Try doing glute isolated exercises. Doing glute isolated exercises such as rainbows, glute bridges, and deadlifts three days a week will help grow your glutes to create lean muscle without making your thighs bigger. Do at least 10 to 15 reps of each exercise. Pilates and yoga classes along with glute isolated exercises can help too.^{[1]
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- Rainbows. Get into a fire hydrant position, then lift one of your legs and move it up and down from right to left, do this exercise on both legs.
- Glutes bridges. Lay on the floor with your feet on the floor and your legs bent. Then lift your pelvis off the floor and then come back down.^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Laila Ajani
  Fitness Trainer
  Expert Interview. 31 October 2019.}
- Deadlifts. Stand up straight with your feet hip-distance apart, bend your knees slightly and hinge at the hips. Bend over while keeping a long spine and then go back up to standing.
2
Limit exercises that make your thighs bigger. These exercises include calf raises, squats, lunges, and leg curls. These exercises are good for toning up and gaining muscle but they're mostly working your thighs more than your glutes so most of the growth will be in your thighs. You don't need to avoid these exercises, just do them in moderation. You should also limit things like hip hop dance as this will make your thighs bigger too. Instead of these exercises, try doing exercises that slim down your thighs such as clamshells and pilates leg lifts. Do at least 10 to 15 reps of these exercises.
- Clamshells. Lay on your side with your knees bent forward lift your upper knee up and then go back down to starting position, do this exercise on both legs.
- Pilates leg lifts. Lay on your side with your legs straight and raise your upper leg up and back down, do this exercise on both legs.
- If you do exercises such as squats, lunges, calf raises, and leg curls. Cut these exercises down to every other month such as skipping two months at a time and do the same with hip hop dance too and try doing ballet instead to avoid bulking up your thighs. You can also try stretching after doing exercises that bulk up the thighs as this works too.
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3
Do some strength training mixed with cardio. Strength training and cardio are very important if you want to gain muscle without making your thighs bigger. Types of strength training mixed with cardio include ballet, belly dancing, and swimming. You can do these activities in your free time when you're not too busy or even bring your child with you if you have one.^{[3]
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4
Try doing a non-active activity you enjoy. Sometimes people crave unhealthy foods simply because they're bored. However, even non-active activities like drawing can help with this so that you're not bored all the time. However this should be something productive that you really enjoy, don't spend all day in front of the television.

Part 2

Part 2 of 7:

Getting Motivated to Work Out

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Play some upbeat music during your workout. Playing music while working out is a very good way to get motivated to work out and is a lot of fun. Make a workout playlist with your favorite songs to work out to. You can also call a friend and ask them to join you while you workout.^{[4]
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Watch videos on YouTube of your favorite physical activities. For example, if you enjoy dancing, try watching some dance workout videos online to keep you motivated. This is not only fun but you'll feel very accomplished once you get better at your activity.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Laila Ajani
Fitness Trainer
Expert Interview. 31 October 2019.}
3
Do something that you love. Play some sports to see which ones you enjoy the most and stick to playing these sports. If you're not a big fan of sports, try alternative sports like martial arts. Try different physical activities until you find one that you really enjoy.
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Limit your screen time. Watching a couple of hours of television every now and then is ok but it's not good to spend too much time in front of the TV or computer. Doing so could cause you to become obese, especially if you're eating a bag of chips or buttered popcorn while you're in front of the television or computer.^{[6]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 7:

Eating the Right Foods

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Eat some lean protein. Lean proteins include lean meats, eggs, nuts, lentils, quinoa, oatmeal, and seeds. However don't eat more protein than your body needs, doing so can be very dangerous for your health.^{[7]
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2
Try different fruits and vegetables. Trying some new fruits and vegetables is a good way to find out what you're food intolerances are. Once you know what you're food intolerances are, buy more of the ones you enjoy.
- Eat delicious foods that have more vegetables in them. Foods such as soups and even American favorites sometimes have vegetables added to them. For example, if you're making baked macaroni and cheese, try adding carrots to it. Instead of making that can of tomato soup, try making some cabbage soup from scratch.
- Add fruits to your lunch. Instead of having oreo cookies with that tuna sandwich, try having a banana with it instead.
3
Limit heavily processed foods. These foods include sausages, pizzas, Little Debbie snacks, ice cream, and microwave dinners. You don't have to avoid these foods altogether, but eat them in moderation. For example, save the cheat meals for events and special occasions like birthdays, cookouts, and after doctor appointments.^{[8]
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4
Avoid foods that you don't like. If you don't like a certain healthy food, then don't buy it at the store. Doing so will eventually make you want junk food even more. Sticking to foods that you enjoy that are still healthy will help you stick to a healthy diet.

Part 4

Part 4 of 7:

Looking for Healthy Recipes

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Buy some healthy cookbooks. Healthy cookbooks are a great place to start when it comes to learning how to make healthy meals. Be sure that these are meals that you enjoy though. It's harder to stick to a healthy diet when you don't like what you're putting in your body. As mentioned before, if you don't like a certain food then don't buy it at the store.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
2
Look for healthy recipes on YouTube. YouTube has pretty much anything, including cooking channels. Try looking for recipes for healthy foods that you already enjoy. For example, if you're a fan of Japanese food, look for a Japanese cooking channel where they make healthy meals.
3
Look for cookbooks on Google. If you need help finding a healthy cookbook that has delicious recipes, Google is a good place to start. You can also try looking on amazon and purchase it there.
- Look for cookbooks with protein recipes. You can't grow a butt without protein so make sure that you're getting enough of it. Look for cookbooks online that have delicious high protein recipes.
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Look for healthy recipe ideas on Instagram. Instagram is a very good place to start when it comes to looking for healthy recipes. Instagram foods not only taste good but they look really pretty too which can brighten your mood.

Part 5

Part 5 of 7:

Taking Care of Your Body

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Avoid any fad diets. These diets include juice cleanses and starvation diets plus many more. It's ok to eat fruits and vegetables but these types of diets are detrimental to your health and should be avoided at all cost.^{[10]
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2
Invest in protein powder (optional). Protein powders help your muscles heal after a workout and is beneficial for people who live an active lifestyle. However, don't use these unless you need to because as stated above too much protein isn't good for you and it can even be dangerous. You can also invest in some protein bars if you want.^{[11]
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3
Try making healthy desserts. Dessert is usually not a healthy meal but that doesn't mean that it can't be healthy. For example, instead of having ice cream or cake, eat some honeydew melon or kiwi or try looking for healthy cheat meal recipes.
4
Don't use the scale too often. Using the scale too often will make you focused on your weight and can even be detrimental to your health. Instead of using the scale every day, try using it only once a week to check on your progress.

Part 6

Part 6 of 7:

Practicing Good Posture

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Stand up straight. Keep your shoulders down and your chin up and keep your pelvis tucked in. This will make you look taller as well as making your body look It's best.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
MedlinePlus
Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine
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2
Don't tilt your pelvis. Tilting your pelvis not only looks unnatural but it can also be detrimental to your well-being. As mentioned earlier be sure that your pelvis is tucked in.
3
Don't lock your knees. Locking your knees is going to naturally throw your hips back, therefore you should always keep relaxed knees.^{[13]
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Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}
4
Do some posture focused workouts. If you're not sure what good posture is, look for posture focused workout videos online such as exercises that target your back and strengthen your core. Such workouts include Pilates and Zumba classes, do these workouts at least 3 times a week.

Part 7

Part 7 of 7:

Learning to Love your Body

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Don't get caught up on looking like your favorite celebrity. Almost everyone has a particular celebrity that they want to look like. However, working out isn't fun at all if you get too caught up with trying to look like Beyonce or Kim Kardashian. These standards might not even be possible for your body type or in general as some celebrities have gotten plastic surgery in order to look like that. Remember being unique is better than being perfect.^{[14]
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2
Find clothing and swimsuits that flatter your body type. This will make you feel more confident about your body even if you don't have the exact body that you want. If you're not sure which suit would be best for your body type, ask an employee for help or simply look for this information online.
- Finding the right bikini top. If you're small-busted go for a top with ruffles or a pushup top. If you have larger breasts go for a halter bikini top or a top with criss-cross back straps to offer support.
- Finding the right bikini bottoms. Go for a low waisted bottom if you have smaller hips to create the illusion of curves. However, if you have bigger hips, go for a high to mid waisted bottom.
- Finding the right tops. If you have smaller breasts, go for tops that have ruffles or breast pockets. If you have bigger breasts then go for corset style tops or shirts with v or sweetheart necklines.
- Finding the right bottoms. If you have a thin body type such as an athletic figure wear bottoms that are low waisted. If you have bigger hips, However, go for bottoms that are mid to high waisted.
3
Keep genetics in mind. As stated above getting a big butt is not possible for everyone. For example, some people have genetics where their bodies don't change much and especially in that area. However, some people can actually achieve this goal if they try hard enough. If you do end up achieving this goal then that's great but If not then that's ok too, remember your worth is not defined by what your body looks like.
4
Avoid using the scale too often. It's ok to use the scale to check on your progress but don't use it every day. Doing so will make you focused on how much you weigh and can even be dangerous for your health. If you use a scale, only use it once every week to check on your progress.^{[15]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
5
Learn how to walk while standing up straight. You don't have to walk like a Victoria secret model. However, maintaining good posture even while walking shows that you're confident even if you don't have the perfect body.