This article explains which works better for losing butt fat, cardio exercise or squats and leg presses, and why.
Do you think you have a lot of fat in your butt and are wondering if you should do cardio exercise or try strength training like squats and leg presses?
If you had to choose between cardio exercise and squats plus leg presses for taking off fat in your butt, go with the strength training.
Fact is, cardio will do very little to slash excess fat in your butt.
Cardio is commonly done steady-state style. This means a constant pace is maintained, though there may be fluctuations here and there.
Nevertheless, it’s a continuous pace that enables you to maintain it, and some people maintain pacing for up to an hour on cardio machines.
Another form of cardio is an aerobics class, or walking or jogging outdoors. These too, fall under the style of steady state.
The reason these are not very effective at busting butt fat is because they recruit slow twitch muscle fiber.
Intense strength training recruits fast twitch fiber, which requires more fat for fuel than slow twitch.
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Furthermore, steady state cardio does not trigger the hormonal response that intense strength training does.
The superiority of squats and leg presses for losing butt fat:
Performing sets with heavy weights that make 8 to 12 repetitions extremely challenging can trigger a significant hormonal response.
When you lift weights that push you to your limit within this rep range, your body undergoes intense physical stress.
This stress signals the release of various hormones, such as testosterone, growth hormone, and cortisol, which are involved in muscle repair, growth and fat metabolism.
The hormonal response is particularly pronounced when you engage large muscle groups or multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
For example, compound exercises like squats and leg presses involve multiple large muscles, leading to a greater overall hormonal release.
This heightened hormonal response facilitates muscle recovery and growth while enhancing fat metabolism.
The fat-burning effect is substantial, as these hormones continue to circulate in elevated levels for several hours after your workout.
This phenomenon, known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), means that your body remains in a heightened state of calorie burning even after the exercise session is complete.
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Yes: In the hours following an intense squatting and leg press session, your body will be burning fat at an accelerated rate. This includes the fat in your buttocks.
Leg presses can be done after barbell squats or before; it’s personal preference.
A 45 minute session of the leg press, the squat and the deadlift will burn far more fat than 45 minutes jogging on a treadmill or taking a Zumba class, and this fat burn will occur all over the body, including your butt.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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