Build the butt, shrink the gut.

That’s your ultimate goal–to get a peach emoji-worthy booty while slimming down your waistline.

But the real question is…

Can you do both at the same time?

And if so, how would you go about doing that diet and exercise-wise?

That’s the focus of this post–how to lose fat while gaining muscle and building your glutes (if it’s even possible to do both at the same time). 

Is it possible to grow your glutes while losing weight?

Technically, yes. 

It is possible to grow your glutes and lose fat at same time. 

But only if you fall under one of two categories.

We’ll call this first category group #1.

1. You’re a beginner to strength training

What constitutes strength training, you ask? 

None of this:

• Random HIIT workouts from IG 
• Orange Theory classes designed to make you sweat your butt off 
• Fitness boot camps 
• Banded kickbacks on the StairMaster (you might “feel the burnnnn” but that doesn’t mean you’re growing your glutes).

Strength training means being on a plan (not switching up your workouts every single day) and applying progressive overload.

If that’s something you’ve never done, it’s very possible to grow your glutes and lose fat at the same time once you get on a true strength training plan. 

2. You haven’t been on a strength training plan in a while

You can also grow your glutes and lose fat simultaneously if you’ve been off your strength training plan for a little bit. 

By a little bit, we’re talking 3, 6, 9 months, a year+. 

So, when is it not possible to grow your glutes and lose fat at the same time?

 

We’ll call this group #2…

If you’re not a beginner to strength training or haven’t taken some time away from it, trying to grow your glutes and lose fat all at once would be like trying to write legibly while jumping on a trampoline.

It just does not work. 

Why?

Because growing your glutes and losing fat are two conflicting goals.

Building muscle (growing your glutes) means being in a calorie surplus and eating a little bit more.

Fat loss requires being in a calorie deficit and eating a little bit less.

However, when you’re a beginner or have taken some time away from the gym, it allows you to be in a calorie deficit (lose fat) and still build muscle at the same time.

Here’s why that is:

At the beginning of being on a strength training plan, your body doesn’t require a whole bunch of food in order to build muscle.  

But the further along you get, the less you’re able to take advantage of these “newbie” sort of fitness superpower. 

Eventually, your body reaches the point where it’s like, “Hey, you need to feed me more if you want me to continue building muscle.” 

That’s when you lose the ability to grow your glutes and lose fat at the same time.

The only way you’ll be able to continue building muscle is by entering into a calorie surplus (consuming more calories than you burn). 

How to grow your glutes while losing weight

Let’s say you’re in group #1. 

You’ve either:

A.) Never been on a proper strength training plan before or…

B.) Taken a decent amount of time off from being on one. 

I’m going to walk you through step by step how to grow your glutes and lose fat at the same time.

The first thing on your build the butt, shrink the gut agenda is getting on an actual strength training program.

You can use some of these dumbbell glute exercises for inspiration and then turn to THIS POST when you’re ready to create your own customized strength training program from scratch.

Also, make sure you’re applying the following strength training principle that’s key to your glute growth and fat loss success…

*** Progressive overload ***

Over time, you need to continue lifting heavier and heavier weights. 

That’s progressive overload, and if you aren’t taking advantage of it, you won’t see progress. 

Let’s say you start out your workout program doing 3 sets of 8 reps on squat using 100 pounds. 

If you were to keep doing the same 3 sets of 8 reps for 100 pounds each and every workout, eventually, your body would just get used to that load and your progress would come to a halt.

To keep making progress (i.e. build/preserve muscle) you have to continue placing added stress on the body.

You do that by increasing the amount of weight you lift.

So instead of just chillin’ at the 3 sets of 8 reps for 100 pounds, you’d work your way up to doing 105 pounds, 110 pounds, etc over time.

How to grow glutes while losing weight: Nutrition 

I used to think you could out-exercise a poor diet.

And BOY, did I find out the hard way that’s just not how things work. 

Nutrition drives weight loss so the first thing you need to do is figure out the number of calories you should be eating.

So you have your total calories but within that, you want to make sure you’re consuming enough protein.

1. Protein is a MAJOR metabolism-booster 

And…

2. It’s essential to building and retaining muscle 

That cover everything you need to know if you’re in group #1. 

But what if you’re in group #2?

How can you grow your glutes and lose fat then?

How to grow your glutes and lose fat if you’re not a beginner

 

This is how to grow your glutes and lose fat if either:

1. You’ve been strength training on a plan consistently 

Or…

2. You’re not heading back into the gym after taking extended time off 

From a strength training perspective, nothing really changes from group #1 to group #2.

You should be:

• On a true strength training program
• Incorporating plenty of compound movements to get the most bang for your workout buck
• Applying progressive overload (gradually increasing the amount of weight you lift over time)

The difference between group #1 and group #2 lies in nutrition.  

You can still grow your glutes and lose fat, just not at the same time. 

You’ll be alternating between periods of being in a calorie deficit (eating less) for fat loss and being in a calorie surplus (eating more) to build muscle. 

If you’ve ever heard of bulking and cutting, this is what that is.

Here’s an example of how things could look over the course of a year for you (We’re thinking long-term here because short-term won’t get you the results you want):

• Calorie surplus to build muscle and grow your glutes for 6 months
• 3 months of being in a calorie deficit to lose fat and reveal the hard-earned muscle you gained 
• Stay at maintenance for the remaining time of the year to give your body a break

Here are the steps you’d take to figure out your calories for the different phases:

• Maintenance: Input all your info into this calorie calculator to figure to get your maintenance calories
• Surplus calories: Add about 200 calories to your maintenance number (I.e. if your maintenance is 2,000, your surplus calories would be 2,200) 
• Deficit calories: Eat at 80% of your maintenance calories (I.e. if your maintenance is 2,000, your deficit would be 1,600)

Two additional points to grow your glutes and lose fat. 

1. Eat enough protein (0.7-1g per pound of body weight daily is ideal)

2. Count calories

It gives you a systematic way to ensure you’re eating the number of calories that will lead to fat loss or muscle growth.

Not counting calories (especially if you haven’t been seeing the results you want) would be like playing darts and trying to hit a bullseye while blindfolded.

How long will it take to see progress?

 

The truth about weight loss is this:

There’s a very high chance that the progress you’re envisioning will take longer than you think or want it to.

But think about it like this…

You don’t study for a class one time and expect to learn all the material, nor do you practice driving once and expect to get your license.  

As is the case with pretty much anything in life, making substantial changes to your physique takes time.

If you head into this with the expectation that you can grow your glutes and lose fat overnight you’re going to be disappointed.

I don’t say that to put you down, I just want you to be realistic.

So instead of thinking in the short-term, I want you to adopt a long-term mindset where you’re looking at things 6 months, 9 months, a year from now. 

Being consistent over the long haul is how you reach your goal of growing your glutes and losing fat.

How to grow your glutes and lose fat FAQ 

Should I lose weight before building my glutes?

If you’re unhappy with your weight now then you probably won’t be happy building muscle in a calorie surplus.

You have to eat more, which will lead to putting on a little bit of extra body fat.

Focus on being in a calorie deficit and losing the weight you want to first then shift your attention to building your glutes.

 

Can you be in a calorie deficit and still grow your glutes?

Yes, but there’s a caveat to this.

It’s only possible if you’re new to strength training or have taken extended time away from the gym.

If neither one of those apply to you, you’ll optimize your results by alternating between phases of being in a calorie deficit to lose fat and being in a calorie surplus to build muscle and grow your glutes. 

 

How can you get a bigger butt overnight?

It’d be nice if you could just snap your fingers and transform your glutes into the size you wanted. 

But things don’t work like that.

There is absolutely NOTHING you can do to get a bigger butt overnight (or anywhere even remotely close to that).

Growing your glutes.

Takes.

Time.

Should you be getting stronger in a calorie deficit?

Yes, you can get stronger while in a calorie deficit. 

Getting stronger is a neurological adaptation (meaning you can condition your body to lift more regardless of your calorie intake). 

Building muscle, on the other hand, is a physiological adaptation. 

That means you need a stimulus (more food in this case) in order to physiologically change the way you look. 

How can you lose belly fat while growing your glutes?

If you’ve read this entire post (and didn’t just skip around 😉) then you know the two scenarios in which you’re able to grow your glutes and lose fat at the same time.

But within that, is it possible to target belly fat specifically?

The answer to that question is no, you can’t target fat loss in specific areas of the body. 

Being in a calorie deficit is how you lose fat overall but your genetics dictate where you lose fat first.