Does Walking Make the Buttocks Bigger?

Benefits of Walking

Walking is a low-impact exercise that should be relatively easy for anyone to do, barring any physical injuries. According to the Mayo Clinic, just an hour of walking at a leisurely pace can help you burn between 200 and 500 calories per hour, depending on your weight. The American Council on Exercise adds that walking can also reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, increase cardiovascular endurance and boost bone strength.

Walking and the Glutes

When you walk, you're working every muscle in your body to stay upright and to propel yourself forward. Your glutes contract and fire repeatedly to propel you, especially when you're walking at an incline. Since walking trims calories, you may find that your butt actually shrinks for the first few weeks of walking, but your actual gluteus muscles will be getting bigger and stronger. If you really want to make sure you're hitting those butt muscles during a walk, opt for the great outdoors rather than a treadmill, since the machine does a lot of the work for you.

Adding Size

Walking can certainly make your butt bigger, but this simple exercise alone probably isn't enough to make a big, noticeable change if you're looking to add serious size and shape to your backside. Supplement walking with strengthening exercises that specifically target your glutes, such as lunges, squats and mountain climbers. Interval training, such as stair work and sprints can also add some serious mass to your glutes, while still burning a ton of calories.

Considerations

No matter how simple an exercise you think walking is, it can still place a lot of stress on your ankles, knees and hips, especially if you make it a regular routine. Walking injuries are more rare than running injuries, but they do happen. Invest in a pair of nice walking shoes with plenty of shock absorption, stretch liberally after a long walk, and be sure to take a rewarding day or two off if you feel you need it.