Can the Treadmill Really Reduce & Tighten Your Butt?

If you carry a few extra inches or pounds around your backside, it's possible to build the butt of your dreams through regular exercise. Having access to a treadmill helps you take a literal step in the right direction. Regular treadmill workouts burn calories to reduce your fat and also tone your muscles, which can lead to a stronger, tighter backside.

  1. Walking and Jogging

    • Walking and jogging are effective ways to burn calories to reduce the fat around your butt and in other parts of your body. No type of exercise allows you to target fat in a specific area, but through dedication to walking or jogging on a treadmill, you'll begin to experience fat loss. The key to consistent fat loss is routinely burning more calories than you consume. MayoClinic.com notes upon reaching a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories, you'll lose 1 pound of fat. You might not notice an immediate reduction in the amount of fat on your behind, but as you lose weight throughout your body, you will begin to lose it in your butt as well.

    Treadmill Calories Burned

    • As you begin your treadmill workout, increase the machine's incline to 1 degree to match the wind resistance you'd face during an outdoor workout. Whether you choose to walk or jog on the treadmill, a 30-minute workout can often burn at least a couple hundred calories. According to Harvard Medical School, a 185-pound person will burn 200 calories during a 30-minute walk at 4 mph, 355 calories during a 30-minute jog at 5 mph and 444 calories during a 30-minute jog at 6 mph.

    Muscle Toning

    • As you exercise on the treadmill, you'll build and tone several major muscle groups, including your glutes. Running coach Dr. Kirk Mahoney, who runs the website SpryFeet, reports your gluteus maximum is one of the five primary muscle groups you use while running. The other muscle groups are your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and iliopsoas. He notes the gluteus maximum is the largest of the muscles in your buttocks and is most responsible for shaping the area. By repeatedly working this muscle through exercise, you'll build it to provide tight definition to your buttocks.

    Strengthening Your Glutes

    • "Runner's World" warns that despite the use of your glutes during a run, many fitness enthusiasts fail to target this muscle during strength-training regimens. Having strong glutes can not only help your butt appear tighter, but it can also prevent injury during your run. The magazine recommends strengthening your glutes through exercises such as lunge stretches, single-leg squats, three-way leg raises and lying side leg lifts. The latter exercise provides the most engagement of your glutes.