What's inside
Wondering if there’s a workout that gets rid of cellulite? Here’s the honest answer: no workout erases it. Most women have it, and it isn’t a sign you’re doing anything wrong.
But exercise can make it less noticeable. The American Academy of Dermatology, or AAD, says that having more muscle makes your skin look smoother and firmer, and that replacing fat with muscle can make cellulite less noticeable.
That’s what this plan is built to do, for your thighs and butt, the places cellulite usually shows up. It’s six moves at home, three times a week, with optional dumbbells. Plan on about 15 minutes at first and about 28 by the end of the 8 weeks, warm-up included.
Keep reading for why cellulite happens, the move for each spot, your 8 week plan and what to skip.
Why most women have cellulite
Cellulite shows up in an estimated 80 to 90% of women after puberty. In healthy men it’s rare, and researchers link that to differences in how the tissue under the skin is built, and possibly to hormones.
So what is it, exactly? Under your skin, fat sits in small pockets held in place by thin bands of connective tissue. Researchers who reviewed the treatment trials concluded that these bands play a central role: where they pull down on the skin, you see a dimple.
That’s why no cream, massage or medical treatment has been shown to erase cellulite completely. Squats can’t erase it either. The bands are connective tissue, not muscle you can train or fat you can burn away.
What exercise can and can’t do
| Exercise can | Exercise can’t |
|---|---|
| Build firmer muscle in your thighs and butt | Remove the bands under the skin that cause dimples |
| Help you lose body fat overall, with diet | Reliably choose where fat comes off |
| Make the skin look smoother and firmer, says the AAD | Guarantee smooth skin |
What about losing weight? The AAD says extra weight can make cellulite more visible and that losing weight reduces it for some people, but loose skin after weight loss can make it more noticeable. In one weight loss study, cellulite looked better for most women and worse for some.
So the dimples may soften a little, or not much at all, and you’ll be stronger either way.
Warm-up (3 minutes)
- March in place, 1 minute. Lift your knees and swing your arms.
- Leg swings, 10 per leg. Hold a wall and swing one leg forward and back, then switch.
- Slow bodyweight squats, 10. Sit your hips back and down, then stand tall.
The 6 moves, and the spot each one works
No move can reliably choose where you lose fat. What each one can do is build the muscle under a spot people often notice cellulite: the front, back and inner thighs, the outer hips and the butt.
1. Squat to chair
Works: the front of your thighs and your butt. Reps: 12.
Stand in front of a sturdy chair, feet hip-width apart. Sit your hips back and down until you sit on the chair, then press through your heels to stand.
- Easier: sit fully, pause, then stand
- Harder: just tap the chair and stand back up
Watch for: knees caving in. Keep them pointing the same way as your toes.
2. Glute bridge
Works: your butt and the back of your thighs. Reps: 15.
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and close to your butt. Squeeze your glutes, or butt muscles, and lift your hips until your body makes a straight line from shoulders to knees. Lower slowly.
- Easier: a small lift
- Harder: squeeze for 3 seconds at the top
Watch for: arching your lower back. The lift should come from your butt, not your back.
3. Reverse lunge
Works: the front of your thighs and your butt. Reps: 8 per leg.
Stand tall. Step one foot back and lower until both knees bend to about 90 degrees. Push through your front heel to come back up, then switch legs.
- Easier: hold a chair or wall for balance
- Harder: no support
Watch for: your front knee pushing far past your toes. Step back far enough to keep it over your ankle.
4. Sumo squat
Works: your inner thighs and your butt. Reps: 12.
Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders, toes turned out. Lower your hips straight down, keeping your chest up, then squeeze your inner thighs and butt to stand.
- Easier: a shallow squat
- Harder: pause for 2 seconds at the bottom
Watch for: knees falling inward. Push them out over your toes.
5. Side-lying leg lift
Works: your outer hips and thighs. Reps: 12 per leg.
Lie on your side, legs straight and stacked. Lift your top leg about 45 degrees with your toes pointing forward, not up. Lower slowly, then switch sides.
- Easier: a small lift
- Harder: add an ankle weight or a resistance band around your thighs
Watch for: rolling backward. Keep your hips stacked.
6. Hip hinge
Works: the back of your thighs and your butt. Reps: 12.
Stand tall with your hands on your hips and a soft bend in your knees. Push your hips back as if closing a car door with your butt, letting your chest tip forward with a flat back. Stop when you feel a stretch in the back of your thighs, then squeeze your butt to stand. Holding dumbbells, this is called a Romanian deadlift.
- Easier: a smaller hinge
- Harder: hold dumbbells or a filled backpack
Watch for: rounding your back. Keep it flat, with your eyes on the floor a few feet ahead.
From our shopOur 12-Week Booty Program gives you three glute-focused gym workouts a week, with a video demo for every exercise.
Your 8 week plan
Do the six moves in order. That’s one round. Rest 60 seconds, then repeat.
| Weeks | Rounds | What changes | Time, with warm-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | 2 | Learn the moves, easier versions | About 15 minutes |
| 3 to 4 | 3 | Move to the harder version of at least two moves | About 23 minutes |
| 5 to 6 | 3 | Hold dumbbells or a filled backpack for squats, lunges, bridges, sumo squats and hip hinges | About 23 minutes |
| 7 to 8 | 3 | Go heavier, or take 3 seconds to lower each rep | About 28 minutes |
Schedule: three sessions a week, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On two other days, take a 30 minute walk.
Why keep making it harder? In studies where every set was taken to the point where one more rep was impossible, light and heavy loads built similar amounts of muscle. So whatever makes your last reps hard, whether more weight, slower reps or a tougher version of the move, is worth adding.
The cardio part
Lowering body fat overall is the other half of changing how your legs look. In a review of 13 trials in adults with overweight or obesity, interval training and steady cardio cut body fat by similar amounts, and the intervals took about 40% less time. (In those short trials the running programs cut fat; the cycling programs did not.)
Pick a kind of cardio you enjoy, because that’s what you’ll keep doing. Our low impact cardio guide has easy-on-the-joints options.
What won’t fix cellulite (save your money)
- Creams. Small studies of caffeine and retinol creams reported some improvement, but where anyone checked, it lasted two weeks or less after stopping. The AAD says you’d need to apply a caffeine cream every day to keep any effect.
- “Detox” teas and supplements. Researchers’ main theories of cellulite involve skin structure, hormones, blood vessels and inflammation, not toxins.
- Dry brushing and massage tools. Fine if you enjoy them, but even a suction massage machine used in clinics gives results doctors think are short lived.
If it really bothers you: see a dermatologist
Some procedures target the bands themselves. One is subcision, where a dermatologist uses a needle just under the skin to break up the bands. The AAD says it has been shown to reduce dimpling, with results that can last 2 years and possibly longer.
A board-certified dermatologist can tell you whether a procedure suits you, and what it costs.
After 8 weeks
Keep training your thighs and butt two or three times a week. For a challenge format, try the 30 day glute challenge. For more lower body options, see our inner thigh workout and leg workouts with dumbbells.
Questions
Will losing weight get rid of my cellulite?
Not reliably. In one study of women in medically supervised weight loss programs, cellulite improved for most but got worse for some. Getting worse was linked to starting at a lower weight and losing less.
Can I target cellulite on the back of my thighs?
You can train the muscle there with glute bridges and hip hinges. You can’t reliably choose where fat comes off, so pair the plan with cardio and eating habits you can keep.
Do men get cellulite?
Rarely in healthy men, though it can happen with medical conditions that lower testosterone or need estrogen treatment. Pathology studies show the bands under men’s skin run in a crisscross pattern at an angle, while in women they run straight up and down. Women’s fat pockets are also larger, which may let fat push up into the skin more easily.
How long until I see results from the workout?
Expect the moves to feel easier within a few weeks. Changes in muscle shape take longer, so judge the plan after the full 8 weeks of consistent training.
Your legs carry you everywhere, so be kind to them! Start week 1 this week, and tell us in the comments how it goes.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have joint pain, are pregnant, or have a medical condition, check with a doctor before starting. For cellulite treatments, consult a board-certified dermatologist.
