Get Rid of Butt Cellulite | High Intensity Thighs & Butt Workout

We used to think it was impossible to spot reduce a body part.

We didn’t believe that you could specifically train to target fat in an area of the body like the butt or thighs to get rid of cellulite.

Recent research has shown that we can possibly hit stubborn fat by training in a way that improves blood flow and circulation to an area.

This knowledge can be used to reduce the appearance of cellulite on the butt and upper thighs.

I’ll cover a workout strategy that uses a special spot training method to hit these stubborn areas.

Let’s talk about cellulite in general, first.

The definition of cellulite:

Cellulite is simply a layer of fat under the skin (subcutaneous fat) that takes on a dimpled appearance due to a number of factors.  It most commonly appears on the upper thighs and buttocks of women and can be influenced by hormones, diet, and genetics.

If it is just fat, what causes cellulite dimples on your butt and thighs?

Here’s a diagram that shows regular fat distribution on the LEFT, and fat with a dimpled appearance (cellulite) on the RIGHT.

A common question: How do you get cellulite?

You aren’t really “getting” anything. The fat cells under your skin enlarge more than the connective tissue’s ability to stretch to accommodate this fat. This means that the fat pushes out a bit towards the outer layer of your skin and causes a lumpy appearance.

The younger a woman is, the more elasticity she has in her skin.

This is why it is common to see a woman in her 20’s without cellulite on her butt even if she is a bit overweight. Those fibrous bands are stretching to accommodate the extra fat.

Why don’t men get cellulite?

Men CAN get cellulite, but it is much less common than women.

Here’s why…

Look at that diagram above.

See how the “fibrous bands” are running vertically? This means that the fat gets pushed towards the skin when the fat cells enlarge. This causes the dimpled appearance.

In men, these fibrous bands run horizontally.

When fat cells enlarge, fat doesn’t get pushed towards the outer layer of the skin like it does with women.

Here’s how to decrease the appearance (get rid of ) cellulite on your butt and thighs.

• Lose fat with diet and exercise.
• Maintain or increase collagen elasticity in your skin.

It’s possible to increase collagen elasticity to a certain extent, which can reduce the appearance of cellulite.

I’ll cover this at the end of the article.

I first want to address losing fat.

This article is going to focus more on exercise to lose fat.

As far as dieting to lose fat…

I cover principles here that work regardless of diet: Losing Weight on Any Diet.

Can exercise get rid of cellulite on the butt and thighs?

You can definitely reduce the appearance of cellulite since cellulite is partially a result of fat being pushed toward the outer layer of your skin. Exercise can reduce this fat and therefore can reduce this dimpled appearance of cellulite.

It’s important to create a calorie deficit with your diet.

Although I realize the keto diet is wildly popular I really prefer a diet higher in carbs and lower in fat.

The nice thing about carbs is they only get converted to fat AFTER glycogen levels in the muscles are completely full. This rarely happens especially if you exercising regularly.

But any diet will do the trick here as long as maintain a calorie deficit over time.

Here’s the type of workout that can target cellulite on the butt and thighs.

As I mentioned early in the article, recent studies have shown that it is possible to spot reduce to at least a limited extent.

What you will want to do is work the muscles near the trouble spots.

The study that covered this is titled,  Are Blood Flow and Lipolysis in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Influenced by Contractions in Adjacent Muscles in Humans?

Here’s the summary:

In conclusion, blood flow and lipolysis are generally higher in SCAT (subcutaneous adipose tissue) adjacent to contracting than adjacent to resting muscle irrespective of exercise intensity. Thus specific exercises can induce “spot lipolysis” in adipose tissue.

I like a combo of HIIT followed by steady state cardio.

To target the glutes lean forward slightly on the StepMill and elliptical… and walk at a moderate incline on the treadmill.

It can also help to push from your heels, not your toes.

HIIT can be done on these or slow and steady cardio or a combo.

I know not everyone has access to a gym or cardio machines. I wanted to give an alternative butt cellulite workout that can be done at home.

There are countless lower body workouts like this on youtube.

I chose this one because she uses basic exercises and it looks like it would be easy to follow along to.

This workout will work well on its own, but I have a way to make it more effective.

When you do intense HIIT type of workouts?

Body fat gets released into the bloodstream but a lot of it will get RE-DEPOSITED back into the thighs and butt.

Walking after HIIT burns some of this fat.

When you do HIIT first, it releases the fat and makes walking that much more effective for getting lean.

I prefer a fast walking speed as outlined in this article I wrote about steady state cardio.

Cardio is perfect for this.

Dieting alone isn’t the best strategy to get rid of this stubborn lower body fat.

What to eat to get rid of the appearance of cellulite on the butt and thighs.

Your diet can improve and reduce the appearance of cellulite if you eat something that increases the elasticity of the collagen fibers.

The top way to do this is to supplement with collagen.

A study which covers this is called, Oral Supplementation of Specific Collagen Peptides Has Beneficial Effects on Human Skin Physiology: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Here’s a summary:

At the end of the study, skin elasticity in both CH dosage groups showed a statistically significant improvement in comparison to placebo. After 4 weeks of follow-up treatment, a statistically significantly higher skin elasticity level was determined in elderly women.

Collagen supplementation has also been shown to improve body composition in elderly men. I’m guessing the same thing would happen with elderly women, but this was a study that just used male subjects.

If you are over 30 it probably isn’t a bad idea to supplement with collagen.

I take this brand of collagen, only because a smart fitness writer I know has done a lot of research on collagen and this is the stuff his fiance uses.

There are probably a bunch of great choices out there.

Other treatments that claim to help.

Here is just a partial list of cellulite treatments:

I know that these all probably work, at least to a certain extent.

I just believe that diet and exercise are much more effective than any of these temporary cellulite fixes.

Some people will do ANYTHING to avoid exercise. Getting a needle poked into your butt cheeks 1,000 times, or walking for a bit on a treadmill?

Your choice.

Getting rid of cellulite summary.

You can spot reduce fat to a certain extent but losing fat, in general, is what will get the job done.

The method I covered above in the study can help a little, but the big game-changer is to focus on overall fat loss.

And…

Collagen supplementation can help with better-looking skin that is more elastic.

But it isn’t magical.

A man’s point of view of cellulite (for what it’s worth).

I fully expect that every woman I see in a swimsuit or in a dress, etc…

…is going to have a bit of cellulite.

Women who don’t have cellulite are NOT to be trusted!

If you have a bit of cellulite you can reduce it as you lean out a bit.

Don’t get too obsessed with it.

Just do what you can and then move on to more important things.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

As a former fitness coach to fashion models, I can teach you how to increase muscle definition without adding size.

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