Anonymous wrote:Squats work the quads more than the hamstrings and glutes.

You need to do deadlift and lunges.

Romanian deadlifts
Bulgarian split squats
reverse lunges

If you do squats correctly, they will work your glutes. You have to do them so that your knees track forward as little as possible, like you are truly sitting back into a chair. In a proper squat, you should feel on the edge of your balance, with your weight mostly in your heels and not your toes (you can even lift your toes off the floor to help adjust your posture).

But this is also true with lunges and most other standing work. If you don't have someone correcting your form (or you don't have the knowledge to correct it yourself), most people will simply resort to the easiest version of the posture, which usually involves relying on your biggest and strongest muscles (your quads). It's the same with upper body work. I have seen strong people muscle into pull-ups using their chest and bicep and never truly engaging their lats. This is why trainers are actually a good investment.

Barre. I like Barre3's online workouts. The variety of squats, lunges, floor work, and use of props (weights, resistance bands, inflatable ball) has done wonders for my butt. I had serious runners' pancake butt as of last fall and after 4-5 months of barre a few days a week, my butt has actual shape and my pants are getting tight in a good way. I love it! I've never had much of a butt but this is getting the job done. Can't recommend it enough.

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t there an element here of, just, different bodies have different shapes?

Yes old white women will always have pancake azzes

Anonymous wrote:Squats work the quads more than the hamstrings and glutes.

You need to do deadlift and lunges.

Romanian deadlifts
Bulgarian split squats
reverse lunges

But also, you need to use actual weight when you're doing these things.

Isn’t there an element here of, just, different bodies have different shapes?

Squats work the quads more than the hamstrings and glutes.

You need to do deadlift and lunges.

Romanian deadlifts
Bulgarian split squats
reverse lunges

Runner here and noticed my butt getting kind of flat within past couple years. Lately I've become a little obsessed with trying to perk it up.

I've got the booty bands and been working out with those, doing split squats as well as using glute machines at the gym for about 4-5 months now and not really seeing a huge difference. It looks a little more toned and maybe slightly more of a curve to it but that could just be my imagination.

I'm going to keep at it but I don't think I'll ever have a high round booty.

Anonymous wrote:You may laugh, but back in the day the “original” Buns of Steel workout video (Greg Smithey) was my go to. I recently rediscovered it on YouTube and added it to my routine. I love the retro vibe, and it kicks my butt in the right way. I don’t know that it will make a peach out of a pancake, though.

Buns of Steel!! I had that...on VHS. I maintain that it's a great lower body workout that holds up over time. So cringy though.

I have the same predicament and nothing is really helping, especially with the bottom portion. This includes about 25 miles and 7500 vertical feet on the treadmill per week, glute bridges, squats, lunges, some stuff I remember from Buns of Steel.

There is not a lot of extra flesh (5'4, 117 lbs) but it's just kind of there. I had some weight loss so some of it may be due to that.

Anonymous wrote:So many years of sitting at the computer is not helping my rump remain perky as I near 50. I do several squat variations with weights, but it’s stubbornly remaining a pancake. What worked for you?

Nearly 50 yo woman here. I started walking 3x a day a 6 weeks ago: once for 30 and the other 2 for 15-25 minutes. After a few weeks, the top of my butt was noticeable firmer and rounded (not flat at all). I have a back injury I am healing from, so no squats or lunges just yet, but those have always helped me firm up.

Anonymous wrote:For squats, are you doing them regularly at a weight where you're not able to do more than about 12 comfortably, and where you progressively add more weight? If not, I'd start there. You could add in barbell hip thrusts. Really, there are various exercises you can do (machine/barbell/dumbbell), it's more about doing them as part of a program where you're going to build muscle.

Not "comfortably", I don't know where I got that.

For squats, are you doing them regularly at a weight where you're not able to do more than about 12 comfortably, and where you progressively add more weight? If not, I'd start there. You could add in barbell hip thrusts. Really, there are various exercises you can do (machine/barbell/dumbbell), it's more about doing them as part of a program where you're going to build muscle.

You may laugh, but back in the day the “original” Buns of Steel workout video (Greg Smithey) was my go to. I recently rediscovered it on YouTube and added it to my routine. I love the retro vibe, and it kicks my butt in the right way. I don’t know that it will make a peach out of a pancake, though.

i worry about this as a guy. I do leg presses on the machine (like squats), I do those long kicking things on a machine, you can do lunges (just be careful of your knees) and I think stair climbers are good as well.

So many years of sitting at the computer is not helping my rump remain perky as I near 50. I do several squat variations with weights, but it’s stubbornly remaining a pancake. What worked for you?