Glutes Too Big - How to Reduce?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Yes, I have a fat ass.

Basically, my butt muscles are just really big, and so they stick out quite a bit. Now, I know it sounds quite amusing, and I’m expecting a whole load of jokes, but I’m also hoping for some help in addition.

This is a serious question, cuz my glutes really stick out and it really changes the way I look, i just look really fat depending on how my clothes fall on me.

My first question - how can I avoid working these muscles? Is there anyway I can minimise the work my glutes perform on the squat? What about on that machine which works your hams (the one where u sit, and push the bar down with your legs), how much emphasis is placed on the glutes?

Basically, how can I continue to perform my full body workouts without working the glutes? If it is not possible to squat without working the glutes, what other exercises can I do instead to work all the relevant muscles (but not glutes).

My second question - this is with regards to reducing the size of my glutes. As I understand it, the only way to reduce muscle size is via atrophy, which would involve me cutting cals and weight training.

I was wondering, if i cut my cals (something similar to a v-diet), and did heavy strength lifting to maintain as much muscle as possible, but NOT my glutes (i.e. avoided all exercies involving the glutes), would I be able to reduce the size of the glutes without as much loss to all over muscle?

What about performing high high reps with a low weight? Is it possible to reduce muscle size this way?

Again, I realise how stupid this may sound, but it is really something I want to work on, as it actually affects my confidence in public.

In addition to the above, I am working on my anterior pelvic tilt, which I am sure makes my glutes look like they stick out even more.

If you guys could offer your input on my above questions, that would be great.

Thanks,

SS

2

either

a. you’re fat
b. genetics

but im going with c

all the above

3

Thanks for that insightful reply.

I was actually asking for help on how to do something about it.

Just to clarify, it ain’t fat, it’s muscle. I’ve stepped up my weight training in recent months, and I’ve noticed it getting worse, probably because all my squats and hamstring work is building up that area.

Can someone comment on how to avoid working the glute area, and also on my idea on how to actually reduce the size?

Thanks,

SS

4

If I was ever(not likely to happen) trying to reduce muscle size in one local area I’d “overtrain” that muscle, high rep and in the case of legs lots of cardio like a step mill. I don’t know how I’d do it on a fully body workout, but on a split routine I’d put legs on a Friday, high rep high cardio overtain it that day and take calories lower for Friday and Saturday(I’d take Saturday off).

No dead lifts, no full squats or leg presses, probably all very high(20-50) reps for step ups or a lunge movement. Regular training the other 3-4 sessions a week but taking those 1-2 days to overtrain those muscles to bring them down. I wouldn’t be counting on any great gains in the other bodyparts during this time either.

Just some of the first things that come to mind. I’d really rather just build up everything bigger around it haha, but hypothetically that’s what I might try out(and tweak) at first.

5

Is it crap posture to blame for some or all of it?

6

Why don’t you just thicken your back to compensate?

7

You probably have too much fat there. I know, I know, you’re lean, I’m lean, everybody’s lean, we all like to think so, but most of the time you’d be surprised how much fat you have on you.

8

sup I have an ass problem as well, but im diff body type(6"4 ecto with anterior tilt). What I did was cut full squats completely, and started doing bodyweight gironda squats - those fry my quads really hard. I still do deadlifts but its mostly straight-legged for a nice stretch in my hamstrings, with very light weight(2x30db) for 40-50reps.

During those I also kinda make anti-mind-muscle connection to make sure my glutes are not involved(or involved as little as possible). My spinal erectors responded nicely and my hamstrings are sore as hell(due to stretch) as well. Obviously all of that is not as good as real lower body work-out, but its better then giving up completely.

I also store a good % of my total bf in my ass as well it seems, if same is in your case then cutting down could make sense as well.

9

I have this problem too but I am not anti-glute exercises. I still dead and squat and whatever so if they get bigger than so be it. Probably from years of playing soccer the legs and glutes built up. I can still fit into regular jeans though so it doesn’t look that goofy.

10

I would try front squats w/ heels elevated. This minimizes glute rectruitment and maximizes quads.

11

Just get rid of the fat. IMO the musculature around the hip joint is far too important to try and detrain, under/overtrain. Try to correct the very common anterior pelvic tilt if that exists as well.
I feel for you brother, I had a female coworker describe my ass as “like a black girl’s ass”. Harsh.

12

Nothing wrong with a big ass. Quite frankly, all I think you need to do is hammer your hamstrings and you will both look better and be stronger. If you get the hamstrings up to par with the glutes, your physique won’t look so weird.

Look at pictures of bodybuilders with fully developed hamstrings. You have to know that they possess incredibly large glutes, but the hamstrings make the physique balanced and powerful.

13

Hey guys,

I have to say, I’m surprised by the lack of ribbing, I really appreciate all the helpful responses.

First of all, radxf, I have heard that comment too many times! When people actually comment on it, you know it ain’t in your head!

Rmccart - no doubt, some of it is fat. I store a lot of fat around the belly, lower back and glutes area, and cutting my body fat would definitely help a bit, but it is really the muscle itself which is sticking out.

Itwasnt me - I would say the problem is fundementally due to the muscles just being big, but of course my anterior pelvic tilt would contribute the effect. I’m working on that as we speak.

Scott M - Thanks for the training advice, it sounds like what I was expecting. I have to say, I don’t like the sound of cutting out squats!! I only started squatting recently, and I dont wanna stop now, it’s really helped my performance in basketball, and I’m quite reluctant to quit.

How does this sound?

Squat on my toes, so as to put more focus on the quads, and perhaps focus on lower weights and higher reps. I will definitely seperate out upper and lower body days, so I can cut my cals on lower body workout days (and subsequent days)

I’ll also do those deadlifts suggested by drivethru hero, on the same day. Calves, I’ll keep hitting whenever I can, on all workout days!

In terms of cardio, u reckon the stepper machine on low resistance for a long time? Are we talking about 30 mins, and hour? As long as I can? What about jogging on the treadmill, at zero incline?

Any other suggestions for exercies which dont hit the glutes would be much appreciated, as well as any other comments or advice.

Thanks again guys,

SS

14

BTW, ill try to get some pics up, so people can actually see by body, just need to borrow a camera!

15

Ronnie Coleman has some awesome looking glutes, and I’m saying that from a pure bodybuilding perspective.

They do make you look powerful.

16

Haha, you looking today’s Powerful Image?

I thought it was kind of ironic that on the day I post about wanting to reduce my glutes, BHAM! Ronnies’s huge ass filling up my screen, and the look on his face “Man u crazy? You wanna get rid of THESE?!”

17

OP,

Focus on your hamstring development and your backside will look a lot better.

A couple good exercises to help you do this are Good Mornings and Pullthroughs, do both with very minor knee bending in order to focus more on the hamstrings and less on the glutes.

Start with light weight on good mornings if you don’t already know how to do it. Once you’ve got the form down safely, I would recommend low reps so the hamstrings respond better.

Read one of Thibs hamstring articles:
The Painful Seven
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459279&cr=bodybuilding

18

If you are genetically predisposed to large glutes I find the idea of reduction by overtraining suggested by Scott M unconvincing.

Given for example the amount of work my calves sustain through walking and running they show absolutely no sign of atrophy which you would expect if the theory were true.

I suspect that any working of the area will potentially result in hypertrophy in your case. You can’t have it both ways. If your priority is to limit further growth then full squats and heavy deadlifts need to be eliminated or seriously curtailed. To that extent I agree with Scott M.

Note I said limit further growth. I know you are looking for a way to promote relative or specific mass reduction but I cannot see that you can do that. You really are looking at overall mass reduction to see any difference but I assume that that is not on the agenda. Sorry to be so pessimistic.

19

I just see it as this. If I want to grow a muscle I’m going to train it with moderate reps in a progressive fashion. I’m going to allow it to grow by feeding it protein and energy nutrients to recover. If I want the opposite I’m going to do the opposite.

If someone has a glute muscle that helps squat 315x10 right now and you have them do step ups unweighted for 2x30 over time the body is going to say “Hell we don’t need the muscle tissue to squat 315x10 anymore let’s dump this energy wasting stuff so we can survive in case food becomes low.”

If you take big ole Ronnie Coleman who I think we can safely assume has a genetic predisposition to big glutes judging by his side chest here and take away his 2000 lb leg presses and 700+ lb squats and train him like a marathon runner with lots of cardio and restrict his calories over time his glutes(along with other muscle) are going to come down.

I do agree with you that isolated reduction would be difficult and likely not possible but that’s something someone would need to be willing to go through in the short term to accomplish a long term goal. If he was dead set on doing this(I still it’s better to get overall bigger) he could detrain down to a certain size and rebuild his other muscles back up faster due to muscle memory and use minimal glute training on the way back up to good leg size. Maybe, but this is all a hypothetical situation.

Do I really think that the OP’s glutes are so large that he would need to do this? Not really, at least not until he posts a picture, but if he wants to do it then that’s how I’d try to attack it.

20

I have the same problem. I agree with the others, anterior pelvic tilt is a big part of the problem. So stretch the hip flexors daily. Also I reduced leg work. I don’t due heavy back squats anymore, just a few sets of heel elevated front squats or (I can hear the laughs now) leg extensions. I also ran 3-4 miles, 3 or 4 times a week, this also reduce the size of my legs and arse.