Fitness Tips

Does Running Make Your Butt Bigger or Smaller? What About My Thighs?

Hey there fitness fanatics! Since you’ve made it here, you are all probably wondering how exactly running affects the size of your butt.

Will it shrink? Will it grow? What exactly happens and how does that happen?  

I’m sure you all know that running is a great way to lose weight, build strength, gain endurance and keep in shape! In this article, I will go over the specific effects running has on those peaches!  

Will Running Make My Butt Smaller or Flatter?

will running make your butt bigger

Now this is a question that many people have, especially girls. Girls who have bubble butts do not want to lose what they have built by running.

We want to run but if it means that I am going to lose this butt that I built or am genetically gifted with then you can count me out.

But will running really make it smaller and flatter?

Yes and no. It really depends on not only the type of running (for instance, how long you run on your treadmill and whether you run on an incline treadmill or flat track, are you a marathoner or a sprinter…) but also how your diet is like and what your body type is.

Are You Eating Enough? What’s Your Body Type?

This is going to be the most determining factor when trying to determine how running will effect your butt size.

Do You Have a Skinny Body Type?

If you are a skinny body type? You know, the skinny arms and skinny legs type? If so, then you are going to be most prone to losing that butt of yours. Running will burn off the calories and if you are already skinny with less meat on your bones you can bet that your butt will indeed get smaller and flatter from running.

Are you Skinny Fat?

Have some flubber around the tummy area but find that you are skinny pretty much everywhere else? If so you are most likely not going to lose all that much on the behind area from going on runs. But instead, you may actually put some muscle on and tone that jiggly butt up.

Are you Fat Fat?

If you are, like I was, then yes you can expect you butt to get smaller and flatter. But in your case this is a good thing because that extra fat that you have on your butt will turn into toned muscle.

Type of Running You Plan To Be Doing

Okay so now that we have discussed your body type that next thing that you need to consider is the type of running you are planning on doing.

type of running makes your butt bigger

Short Sprints

This type of running is one that instead of making your butt smaller and more flat, it will make your butt bigger and rounder. This is the type of running that I personally recommend.

Long Distance Running

This type of running without a doubt will make your butt smaller, make your calves smaller, really just everything will get smaller from long distance running.

Use Running In a Way that Will Tone Your Butt Rather than Make It Smaller

using running to make your butt bigger

Every fitness freak, even almost all the general population want a slim, toned or BIG butt (especially the ladies) 

The big question that everybody asks… Will the butt shrink? The answer is yes, it can, as we said above.. But there is a way in which you can make running very useful for building a toned round but.

Many factors that come into play when aiming to get that toned, dream butt – and they all need to be considered! 

First and foremost, what are you EATING? If you are trying to get rid of that mom butt you need to make sure to eat a well-balanced, low-carb high-protein diet.  

  • Egg whites (toss the yolk) 
  • Tuna (careful of cans high in sodium) 
  • Sweet Potatoes – Yams (no more regular potatoes) 
  • Asparagus (and other leafy greens) 
  • Almonds (but not too many) 
  • Fish (tilapia, haddock, pollock, catfish..) 
  • Oatmeal 
  • Lean Ground Beef (even better: lean ground turkey) 
  • Drink Plenty of Water, 1 Gallon+ 

What you eat will substantially help you cut that extra weight from your butt while running/jogging. A dose of protein pills or one of those protein powders for smoothies could also help ramp up your protein intake. ALWAYS consider a diet along with running, ESPECIALLY if you have a thick &/or skinny fat body type.  

 Sticking with a daily/weekly running program while maintaining a healthy diet will be optimal in your journey to CUT. THAT. BUTT. FAT. (And also toning it up) 

 Remember… Consider Your BODY TYPE! 

 Your body type NEEDS to be examined to estimate how much weight can be cut from behind, and just exactly how long that will take!  

1. Skinny body type?  

  • You don’t want to overdo it and lose muscle weight! 
  • It might also be harder to cut any extra fat… when there’s not much left! 
  • Stick with short runs, preferably sprints or short jogs to maintain muscle 
  • Eat foods HIGH in protein and healthy fats – Get a Meal Replacement, here are the best low sodium options

Be aware of how much running you can do! Instead of your butt shrinking in size, it will get more TONED/DEFINED.  

How much should I be running to build and tone my butt? 

You don’t want to be running everyday… keep it at 3 or 4 times a week, MAXIMUM.  

Keep your runs short, avoid running longer than 30 minutes every run! It’s preferable that you stick to short sprints to build muscle. 

 The worst thing you could do is burn that muscle you have. 

2. Skinny Fat body type?  

  • You can run longer distances and maintain muscle 
  • You holding more fat percentage = able to lose more fat! 
  • Long distance AND sprints to shrink butt size
How much should I be running? 

The best is to run 3-4 times, every week. 

 Keep the runs between 30-45 minutes long  

You’ll shed those extra pounds, while still being able to retain your muscle! 

So.. lose weight in your rear-end while building strength and holding onto muscle!  

3. Thick body type?

  • Burn those extra calories fast, especially around the butt 
  • You are blessed with the potential to lose A LOT OF EXTRA BUTT WEIGHT 
  • Long runs and short sprints will flatten your behind 
  • Maintain a low-carb diet while keeping protein intake high
How much should I be running if I’m overweight

 Well… this all depends on how fast you want to cut that weight. You’ll need to be careful of burning your muscle in the process… 

Aim at running at LEAST 3-4 times a week 

You can be running 30-45 minutes every time, or longer.  

Stick to a plan, you will see FAST results… say goodbye to that extra weight 

 Always stretch before you run!  

Stretching before your runs is crucial to maximizing performance and avoiding injuries. When you stretch, you improve flexibility and increase your range of motion, which will help you endure and get the most out of those runs.

Recommended Reading: Best Leg Stretcher Machines

More benefits of stretching before/after runs include:

  • Increase blood flow to your muscles 
  • Improves your posture 
  • Helps to decrease tension in muscles 
  • Prevents and even heals back pain  

Stretching should always be utilized when running – before or after – to amplify the benefits of your exercise and help that BOOTY grow and get toned. 

Stretch your glutes well before any run…

Will Running Affect Your Thighs? Will it Make Them Smaller or Bigger?

will running make my legs bigger

Running has a HUGE effect on your thighs, it’s a GREAT way to burn fat and build mass as long as you know how much running/cardio will help you build musle. Just make sure you’re eating a healthy, low-carb diet as well. 

The muscles that are active while running: quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and calves.  

Front of your thighs: Quadriceps  

Back of your thighs: Hamstrings  

Running is proven to be one of the fastest and most effective ways to burn glute AND thigh fat. (2) Cutting down on thigh fat will give your legs a slim, ripped look. 

Can running make my thighs BIGGER? 

Most certainly, running – specifically doing hard sprints – will help your thighs GROW 

ALWAYS make sure to stretch those thighs before your run!   

And remember, eat BIG to get BIG 

Can running make my butt BIGGER?   

Yes, running can definitely grow the size of your butt! Other than toning down/cutting weight, you can successfully add some muscle/mass to your butt while running!  

And how exactly will you do that? 

Well, you don’t want to be running long distances to gain some size from behind…. That might actually burn your muscle if overdone.

Although all running builds muscle (3), your focus should be doing short, intense SPRINTS for maximum booty gains

This strategy mimics that of the big muscle-gaining technique in the gym:   

Heavy weight = big gains 

Intense training = big gains 

So…  

Fast &/or intense sprints = butt gains 

EAT big, consume foods high in protein for maximum booty gains 

For a bigger bum, perform EXPLOSIVE sprints to stimulate the glutes and increase butt gains drastically. Sprinting builds the behind and lifts the butt, giving you that ideal PLUMP look. (5 

So, short sprints = defined AND big butt 

Is running all that good for your butt? 

Running, jogging and sprinting are GREAT ways to build, shape and cut weight from behind!  

When it comes to burning calories, running is the PERFECT way to do so. Even better, you don’t need ANY equipment to do so. 

Besides only cutting weight from behind or building mass, you gain strength in ALL your lower body and build long-lasting stamina and endurance for all your future physical training sessions.  

Do you ALSO want some killer (BIG) calves?

how to build big calves with running

Are you looking to gain some size in your calves? You don’t NEED to pick up any weight… 

Running is one of the best ways to BUILD massive calves. (6) Likewise, focus on doing intense, short sprints for maximal calf growth.  

How much should I run &/or sprint for big calves? 

Do NOT run every day. Maximum every other day. 

It’s preferable to perform sprints 2-3 times a week to leave room for those calves to grow BIG. 

Also, make sure to eat foods high in PROTEIN and HEALTHY FATS. Never forget to stretch your calves before going on a run, either.  

Avoid injuries and assure calf growth with these stretches (7

 Do you want to make your calves smaller and more toned? 

Longer distance running will work, just as short & long sprints will as well. 

How much should I run for toned calves?  

You will need to run at least 3 times a week. The more you run, the more calories you’ll burn, and as you shed weight around your calves – you build strength while your muscles appear. 

Don’t overdo it, never run EVERY DAY, and don’t go running after leg day, unless you’re looking to shed the weight FAST and don’t care too much about losing muscle.  

Ideally, the perfect calf-toner is the JOG-SPRINT  

What you’ll want to do:  

  1. Start your jog, turn it into a fast sprint for no longer than 10-20 seconds 
  2. Upon finishing the sprint, don’t stop 
  3. Continue to jog for another minute, few minutes or so 
  4. Then sprint again, for about 10-20 seconds 

Starting off, you should repeat this cycle for about 10-15 minutes. Once you gain more endurance, you can add on a minute or so every time you run. 

Also, when toning up your calves, make sure to:

  • Make sure to be avoiding foods heavy in carbs, and ALWAYS drink plenty of water 
  • Stretch before (and if possible, after) your runs to avoid injuries, and maximize muscle growth. 

To Wrap Up…  

Running effects everyone’s butt size differently and whether it will grow bigger or smaller from running really depends on the person.

If your goal is to shrink or grow your butt you should know there is not one specific way to grow or shrink your butt size. Neither is there a way to bulk or tone the rest of your lower body. 

Everyone will have a different journey. It might be longer for some, and shorter for others.  

But there are also no secrets to building a fantastic butt. 

You CAN build that dream butt you’ve always wanted.  

I have revealed to you the methods to increase butt size, tone up and cut weight all through running.

Related Readings:

Sources:

Ben Mayz

Hi there! I'm Ben, main author and chief editor at Fitlifefanatics.com. I have been obsessed with Strength Training and Fitness for 18 years now.
My passion for living a happy fit lifestyle is what made me realize that fitness is what I wanted for my future.
I went on to earn my Masters in Sports Training & Biomechanics.
My passion for Strength training & fitness and my love of helping others is what made me start Fitlifefanatics.
Here, myself, and a team of specialist aim to provide the most accurate, and actionable information possible in hopes to help foster the fitness community forward.
You can learn more about Fitlifefanatics on our About Page

Ben Mayz

Hi there! I'm Ben, main author and chief editor at Fitlifefanatics.com. I have been obsessed with Strength Training and Fitness for 18 years now. My passion for living a happy fit lifestyle is what made me realize that fitness is what I wanted for my future. I went on to earn my Masters in Sports Training & Biomechanics. My passion for Strength training & fitness and my love of helping others is what made me start Fitlifefanatics. Here, myself, and a team of specialist aim to provide the most accurate, and actionable information possible in hopes to help foster the fitness community forward. You can learn more about Fitlifefanatics on our About Page