Is a spreading and dropping backside an inevitability of middle age?

[BigButtons]

I am slim, 53, I exercise- a mixture of running, hiit, yoga, weights, I watch what I eat, yet I’ve noticed my backside is drooping by no matter what I try. Is this it now?
There must be something that helps surely?

Like a couple of other people upthread I find a lot of glute moves tricky because I have a dodgy knee. Anyone got any top tips for exercises which are easy on the knee?

I never had much of a bum. It's a genetic thing, all the women in my family have slim hips, flat bums, big tummys and big norks.

My tummy now officially sticks out far more than my bum. If my bum gets any flatter it will be concave. I'm scheduled for a tummy tuck soon and I'm tempted to ask my surgeon if he could graft the flab he removes from my tummy onto my arse?

"Poster upthread who said cardio being bad is correct."

But why? I do strength work too.

Is this another mad generic sweeping statement?

Swimming!

Try Caroline Girvan's 'EPIC' program on YouTube. Fantastic free 50 workouts, whole body but it's really worked on my 49 year old saggy arse and I ALMOST have abs now as well.

@SerafinaPekkala

Try Caroline Girvan's 'EPIC' program on YouTube. Fantastic free 50 workouts, whole body but it's really worked on my 49 year old saggy arse and I ALMOST have abs now as well.

Ooh- will check that out!

I'm doing rowing, which (combined with weight loss) seems to be helping my bum and thighs - is that actually OK for glutes? I know I need to work had to keep my torso upright, as I have a tendency to slouch, but I have noticed a massive difference to my stomach (less so for the belly pouch further down, but can't have everything all at the same time).

I have loads of lower back pain (right at the bottom of my spine/across my hips, where I have some arthritis) and that seems to have eased a bit since I started rowing, I think I'm stretching out muscles which haven't been worked like that for a while

Rowing is brilliant as long as you use the right technique (sort of a rolling movement, no yanking it towards you)

Used to row for my uni, was an amazing all body workout !

My thighs are lean and strong. I don’t want to add bulk to them at all. It’s just the glutes.
I shall be trying stuff out( recommended on here) later after work.🙂

@LunaHeather

"Poster upthread who said cardio being bad is correct."

But why? I do strength work too.

Is this another mad generic sweeping statement?

She said it was bad for muscle wastage and I agree. It absolutely has its place alongside strength training. But so often people drop their calories right down and do runs / spin classes and don’t lose fat but lose muscle instead.

Cardio alongside strength training, particularly HIIT is great

@MyVisionsComeFromSoup

I'm doing rowing, which (combined with weight loss) seems to be helping my bum and thighs - is that actually OK for glutes? I know I need to work had to keep my torso upright, as I have a tendency to slouch, but I have noticed a massive difference to my stomach (less so for the belly pouch further down, but can't have everything all at the same time).

I have loads of lower back pain (right at the bottom of my spine/across my hips, where I have some arthritis) and that seems to have eased a bit since I started rowing, I think I'm stretching out muscles which haven't been worked like that for a while

Rowing is great for all-body rather than glute specific, but watch that lower back as you can yank yourself forward

If you want to focus on glutes you’ll need to add glute specific stuff in too

I find my thighs build quite quickly, particularly my hamstrings and I am not so fond of that look. It’s odd because the rest of me is pretty toned . I thought the hiit etc would address the saggy bum but clearly I need to add yet another layer into my routine🧐

No but you have watch your weight closely and exercise regularly and properly.

Hijack!
@BigButtons, u must be my generation
Loved callanetics, the only thing I stuck with mostly, still do some of it

(have been complimented on my (naked) bum so maybe it does work

@ShirleyPhallus helpful comments thanks. Unfortunately my lower back is from a damaged disc when I was 21. I've never managed to strengthen it sufficiently to manage putting pressure on it- even a shopping trolley is likely to set it off again.
I will keep up the body weight exercises though, and will check out the things you mention- not because I want a big bum (I've always had one anyway) but because I want strong glutes. All the stuff you mention rings a bell.

The wii fit has squats as an exercise, and I noticed you sit back and down without your knee going over your toe. How do you get back and deep without falling over backwards? Is that quads? Or hams? Or glutes? Whatever it is, mine aren't very good!

I don't care about the backside or plunging tummy, it's flabby arms that piss me off. Will love it when swimming pools reopen.

thanks Shirley and Printemps - I think my technique is OK, but regardless I'm really enjoying it, and considering actual rowing in water at some point!

I have ordered a fabric resistance band which apparently makes things more effective. Just tried some you tube exercises with my latex resistance bands and I couldn't feel any burn

Wearing jeans with strategically positioned pockets can give the illusion of a pert bum.
Failing all else you can buy pants on the internet that have pockets you insert gel things into.

If you have a TRX or a door anchor you can use latex bands at different levels - I can give myself a very burny leg workout with bands alone.

But yes, you need to be doing resistance (pilates, yoga, weights) to keep your muscle mass and your bone density.

@BigButtons

I find my thighs build quite quickly, particularly my hamstrings and I am not so fond of that look. It’s odd because the rest of me is pretty toned . I thought the hiit etc would address the saggy bum but clearly I need to add yet another layer into my routine🧐

If you find your quads are doing all the work and building muscle but your bum isn’t, despite doing bum work, you probably are relying on your quads to do the work. Particularly in lunges and body weight squats this can happen. Have you tried doing glute warm ups before every warm up inc HIIT? That might work!

[quote picklemewalnuts]@ShirleyPhallus helpful comments thanks. Unfortunately my lower back is from a damaged disc when I was 21. I've never managed to strengthen it sufficiently to manage putting pressure on it- even a shopping trolley is likely to set it off again.
I will keep up the body weight exercises though, and will check out the things you mention- not because I want a big bum (I've always had one anyway) but because I want strong glutes. All the stuff you mention rings a bell.

The wii fit has squats as an exercise, and I noticed you sit back and down without your knee going over your toe. How do you get back and deep without falling over backwards? Is that quads? Or hams? Or glutes? Whatever it is, mine aren't very good![/quote]
I had disc issues in my early 20s so I know the feeling, it’s the reason I have become such a note about core strength and do so much now.

Re squats, you basically want to feel like you’re getting down as if to sit in a chair then back up again. It’s a combo of quads and glutes but will also work other muscle groups ie core too. The best way to improve them is just to have a look on YouTube for some explanations which will be easier to understand than me writing it out but it’s definitely fixable. And worth being able to do to help your back out a bit.

The other thing that really helps me is lying with my bum on a tennis ball to get some of the tension out, I get tight glutes (from sitting in an office chair) which makes my back feel really tight but is actually my bum. Have you tried using a foam roller or a tennis ball? That might relieve some of your back tension too (disclaimer, I don’t know anything about arthritis so I’m not sure if that would be sensible)

Yes, same here really, bad back (2 slipped discs) but what’s really happening is my too-tight hamstrings pulling my back out, of I’m not careful

It can feel as lower back pain, but is actually tight hamstrings

Bloody hamstrings mine are very developed too from a life of cycling/rowing, turns out it’s not always a good thing

I have type 2 lipedema, so mine has always been gross!

Having got life membership of the big booty club, I envy those with neater flatter ones. Mine’s thankfully a bit smaller nowadays but it used to be out of proportion and very prominent - you could have rested your pint on it and it’d make a Kardashian weak with envy. I bloody hated it, could never ever get trousers that fitted as I’d also copped for the large boulder-crusher thigh gene as well. Menopause can be a bugger but at least my lower half is more proportionate now. Ladies, love your neat bums!