Work out, get lean and keep your butt

Often when people exercise, especially women, they worry about losing their butt. Let’s face it, the butt is a tricky body part to shape exactly. If you need to shed a little fat from your body, you may not want to shed inches from your caboose either.

That was my initial question when I started seeing a personal trainer a few months ago. Can I lose weight but make my butt rounder? The coach admitted that it was a legitimate question, but he wasn’t quite sure how to answer it. He told me that muscle training and cardio would get me in the best shape of my life, however my butt would get toned and smaller as a result. “It’s normal,” he told me.

Speak for yourself, I thought. “My husband likes my round butt.” He was worried that I would exercise, because he didn’t want me to look muscular.

The gym coach knew a lot about working out, but apparently he knew very little about being a woman. My goal was not the same as a man’s, or even a female bodybuilder’s. She wanted to get fit and build muscle but not lose my curves and femininity.

I started to think that my goal was ridiculous and impossible until I thought of Victoria’s Secret models. You could bounce a quarter of each of those girls and yet they are still the ideal of the sexy and feminine woman. Their physiques appear long and flexible, but they are also very fit.

That’s when I began my quest to find out how to get in shape without losing my feminine shape.

Here are some things I’ve learned:

Yoga

I know it seems that Yoga has been exaggerated. Before I tried it, it didn’t seem like it would change my body shape, it would only improve flexibility and relaxation. Then I started noticing that almost all women with the body type I wanted mentioned yoga as part of their exercise routines. Apparently, it really tones the muscles while lengthening them at the same time, to finish off that long, lean look I had so admired. Yoga is also low-impact and easy to start at any age or fitness level.

you have to eat protein

Dietary protein is necessary for building muscle. If you try to lose pounds of fat through cardio or cutting calories without getting enough protein, you’ll start to look gaunt, with sagging skin and exposed bones. Also, your head will seem too big for your body. We’ve all seen the photos of female actresses and models who have “bobbed heads.” This is exactly what it looks like when you take off fat and don’t build muscle.

Specific muscle development or body remodeling

There are shades for different body shapes. She had slightly larger than normal breasts, too many fat rolls in the middle, narrow hips, and tiny calves. He needed to target different muscles than someone with a different body proportion. And it doesn’t just matter what body shape you START with, but what body shape you hope to END with. I needed to build muscle in my abs, butt, hips, and calf areas and at the same time lose fat everywhere, especially in my abs and thigh areas. But I didn’t want to lose so much fat that I ended up with no boobs, no butt, and a tired face. I know it sounds complicated, but with a combination of the RIGHT muscle-building exercises, the right diet, and the right amount of cardio, the body shape you want is within your grasp. Even if you think your body “just won’t do that.”