How to get my arse back!

[Witchyandtwitchy]

I’ve lost 4st on MJ. My BMI is 24.8 so I’m not wasting away and don’t intend to lose much more as I’m mid 50’s.

But my once pert curvy arse has all but disappeared and looks bizarrely flat!

I’ve lost slowly. It’s taken a year and I eat well, high protein, low carb.
Exercise is mainly walking and hiking, I try and include hills etc.
I think I need to include some weights, resistance bands or something to build the muscle.

Where do I start in getting my arse back?
Can anyone recommend any exercises I can do at home?

The muscles in your buttocks are your glutes. If you google "exercises to build glutes" you'll find loads of suggestions. You will probably find you ache like crazy when you first do them, as it's a muscle group that often doesn't get a lot of use.

@Witchyandtwitchy , I’m 62 and have lost 4.5 stone in 10 months so not super fast. My backside is as flat as a pancake and sadly resembles a deflated balloon. 😱 I’ve been doing weighted glute bridges and another weighted exercise on my bench lying on my front kicking the bar towards my (non existent) backside but it doesn’t seem to be making any difference. Good luck!

Yes, glutes. Squats, sumo squats, deadlifts, weighted glute bridges. But I’m afraid that if you carry (carried!) fat on your arse it’ll never be possible to get it back how it was. You’ll get used to the new look.

Squats and lunges, weighted and daily. I lost 4 stone years ago (not mj) and became ironing board shaped. It took about a year to build an arse back

I've been doing resistance training with squats, lunges, bridges etc throughout. High protein, taking creatine. Been in maintenance for about 4 months. Able to lift a lot heavier so it's done something but my bum looks like a pair of 1980's ruched curtains. Sadly doesn't seem to be getting better. Hoping that now I'm not in a deficit it might improve but no sign yet. Sorry.

Kettlebell swings took me from having no arse at all to having an arse that (almost) rivals a Kardashian. I just did 15 minutes a day with the heaviest bell I could manage, and ate plenty of protein.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I shall look into them all.
I’m finding this a slightly odd problem to have as even when I weighed 2st lighter than I do currently I still had an arse!

Wow, that’s an excellent recommendation! How many do you do and what weight do you use??

One month in and my arse is suddenly a bit saggy. I’m gutted, it’s honestly my best asset, years of going to the gym and my glutes were great (rest of me obviously not!). I’m so sad that instead of taking fat from my enormous beach ball like stomach it’s gone from here. I’m going to have to try so hard to get it back!

Leg raises moving to weights on legs, lunges, squats, kettle bell swing through legs and over head engaging glutes as you raise it, controlled and slow. Online elastic classes.

I use a 20kg bell. How many I do varies, but I always try to do at least 100 a day.

Chiming in with my usual broken record to make sure that you are doing your pelvic floor exercises alongside your resistance training, especially if you are lifting heavy and doing a lot of squat / split squat movements, and engaging pelvic floor when you lift as part of your form.

If you have any existing symptoms of weak pelvic floor (eg stress incontinence or bladder weakness when you sneeze, jump or run) or if you have no symptoms but have any of the other main risk factors in addition to having been overweight for a number of years (multiple pregnancies, heavy babies, instrumental vaginal delivery or birth injuries, menopause) then PLEASE consider getting a pelvic health check and some specialist advice before continuing with your regime under the supervision of a qualified trainer or physio.

Jumping straight in to vigorous, heavy exercise will exacerbate a weak pelvic floor and hasten along issues such as pelvic organ prolapse. Ask me how I know...

Excellent advice already, especially from VelociraptorsVelociRapping…

just came to add, Bulgarian split squats… these made the most obvious difference to me.

I do have existing issues (had repair surgery 7 years ago). But they (doctors, GP) aren’t interested. I get told to do pelvic floor exercises. I try to remember. But I’m not sure I’m doing them right (I had specialist physio after surgery, and when I was there in the room I could, but I forget how when I’m not!)

And I can’t not exercise. Although I don’t lift very heavy weights as I also have a heart condition that prevents that. But I do squats and stuff with dumbbells.

Wow, that’s some regime!

I'm not telling you off! I imagine if you've had previous issues and a surgical repair then you are probably more aware than many. It was a really distressing time for me and I try to share the advice and knowledge that I have gained the hard way I the hope that it helps someone else.

My experience has been that NHS provision in the field of women's physio is basically non-existent in my area, and that GPs are largely clueless. So are most personal trainers. I know it's more money to find when we are already privately funding the injections but a few sessions with a specialist private women's health physio has made all of the difference for me and I can't recommend them highly enough.

It actually takes very little time but it’s hard going while you’re doing it! I would stay starting with a lighter bell is probably sensible if you’ve never used one before.

Try Caroline Girvan workouts on youtube.com

I do her workouts maybe 4-5 times a week, emphasising lower body ones. Her glute ones with hip thrusts you can load up heavier by getting a barbell. Entering year three of this and my arse has its own postcode these days.

I bought mine back from marks and Spencer!

https://www.marksandspencer.com/cool-comfort-seamless-bum-enhancing-shorts/p/clp60636301

absolutely love it! Makes me laugh and happy all at the same time 🤣

Voilà
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPUZQ82HwKGtrAwQqa12JloU&si=Kdq62xskzk7OZ1Ou

@VelociraptorsVelociRapping
Any particular exercises that you could recommend please?

A reminder as well: before you do any squats, lunges, KB swings etc...please do glute activation exercises. Many people nowadays overuse muscles like quads instead of glutes, thanks to too many hours sitting in sedentary jobs. Using the wrong muscles during the exercises above can lead to injury. So get some inexpensive rubber exercise bands, YouTube 'glute activation exercises' - always start your workout with 5/10 mins of these. Feel the glutes burn ladies!

My physio gets me to do single-leg Romanian deadlifts with a max 10kg weight, reverse lunges with a resistance band, and standing scooters with a resistance band. I think these are established exercises so there should be demos out there! Always moving on the out breath, engaging pelvic floor before lifting.

Sorry @VelociraptorsVelociRapping I’m in a right grumpy today mood today. I know you were trying to help.

Thanks all, some great suggestions and advice.

Is it the MJ that makes you lose your arse or just weight loss?
I’ve never lost more than 2st or so before and always had an arse afterwards!