What's inside
Are you one of many who want a heart shaped butt, but aren’t sure exactly how to achieve it?
Everyone has a different preference when it comes to body shapes, but the heart shaped look tends to be a favorite.
Lots of women like the look of larger hips and glutes, a slim waist, and natural curves overall.
Whether you already have the shape and want to maintain it, or you want to change how you currently look, there is a formula for you to follow!
How do I know? I’m a personal trainer, and I’ve helped many women shape their glutes.
While it is certainly achievable, understand that everyone’s bodies react differently due to where they start and their genetics.
Keep reading to learn about what you need to do to achieve a heart shaped ass!
What is a heart shaped butt?
The heart shaped butt is considered to be the most flattering look by many. You have a heart shape ass if you have a smaller waist that comes down to wider hips that carry a rounded, lifted bum.
Imagine an upside-down heart…that is the shape!
Typically, if someone is “slim thick”, they also have a heart shaped butt.
Other Common Types of Butts
Round-Shaped Butts
If you have a round-shaped butt, you carry body fat in your glutes, and they are perky and lifted. From a side view, the glutes have a very round shape.
Square-Shaped Butts
Related: Turning A Square Butt Into Round Glutes
With a square-shaped bum, you have wider hips and carry excess fat in the muffin top area and upper glutes.
While you may have sizable glutes, your hips and thighs don’t really allow for a natural curve that you might be working toward.
V-Shaped Butts
If you have a V-shaped butt, you likely carry more fat around your abdominals than your legs. This asset almost looks like an upside down heart shaped butt!
Your hips tend to go inward closer to your thighs, therefore forming the V-shape, and your glutes may be a bit smaller.
A-Shaped Butts
Oftentimes, the A-shaped butt is considered to be the same thing as a heart shape booty. Similarly, if you have an A-shaped butt, your form starts with a slimmer upper body that branches out to wider hips.
What are the characteristics of heart shaped glutes?
- Slim waist
- Wider hips
- Large, rounder glutes
- Bum crease
Anatomy of the Glutes
There are three different glute muscles. They are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.
While you want to work on developing all three of these muscles for a well-rounded look, you primarily want to focus on the gluteus medius.
The gluteus medius runs from the top of your bum down to the side of your hips. It helps build the appearance of wider hips and lifted glutes.
Things to Consider When Training for Heart-Shaped Glutes
Related: Hourglass Body Workout
Body Genetics
While you can make lifestyle changes to shape the bum you desire, it is your genetics that determines your foundation.
Be patient with yourself during any process of shaping your body. Your genetics decide where you gain and lose muscle and fat first.
Bones
While bones generally don’t play too much of a role in your body shape, your pelvic bone does help determine how your hips naturally lie and how you carry both fat and muscle.
Butt Shape
Depending on where you carry muscle and fat, whether you mostly sit or stand, and how often you workout, your butt shape could look a number of different ways.
While you do not have 100% control over how it is formed, you can make some favorable adjustments.
Muscle Mass
Some people naturally carry and maintain more muscle mass than others. If you are lucky enough to be able to build muscle easily in your glutes, developing a heart shaped butt may not be too difficult for you.
Body Fat
Where you carry fat on your body can determine how your butt naturally looks. While this cannot be controlled, how much body fat you have is under your control.
You can use this as a tool to get the heart shaped ass that you desire!
How to get a heart shaped butt?
To achieve different butt shapes, you need to really be on top of both your workout regimen and nutrition. The heart shape butt is both the most desirable look and the most difficult to achieve.
However, if you have a plan and are consistent with your daily habits, you can build the look of a heart shape bum!
Now, nobody is adherent 100% of the time. However, if you are able to stick with a workout routine and eat the necessary macronutrients and calories, you should start to see some changes within a month or so.
Heart-Shaped Butt Workout Plan
Training Split
What training split you follow is very dependent on how much time you have to dedicate to exercise. To see real results, it is recommended that you exercise your glutes twice a week.
Here are a few examples of how you could split up your workouts throughout the week based on how many days you are making it to the gym.
Exercising twice a week:
- Day 1 – Upper body
- Day 2 – Lower body
Exercising three times a week:
- Day 1 – Lower body
- Day 2 – Upper body
- Day 3 – Glutes and abs
Exercising four times a week:
- Day 1 – Chest, shoulders, triceps
- Day 2 – Lower body
- Day 3 – Back and biceps
- Day 4 – Glutes and abs
Exercising five times a week:
- Day 1 – Lower body
- Day 2 – Chest, shoulders, triceps
- Day 3 – Glutes and abs
- Day 4 – Back and biceps
- Day 5 – Lower body and abs
Progressive Overload
One of the most important aspects of training your glutes is making sure that they are continuously being challenged so they grow bigger and stronger.
Progressive overload is a great way to make this happen. Implement it based on what is most convenient for you.
Here are a few examples of how you can do progressive overload:
- Increase the weight
- Increase the number of reps
- Increase the number of sets
- Increase the number of exercises
- Switch up the exercises
- Decrease the rest time
- Go to failure
- Do supersets or drop sets
A few basics you want to always keep in mind are to switch up at least a few exercises in every workout you have planned for the week every four weeks.
Another thing to do would be to try and lift just a little heavier weight each session.
Weekly Schedule
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
| Lower body #1 + cardio | Chest, shoulder, and triceps | Glutes, abs + cardio | Rest | Back, biceps + cardio | Lower body #2 + abs | Rest |
| Lower body #1 | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest Time |
| Barbell Back Squats | 4 | 6-8 | 1 minute and 30 seconds |
| Wide-Stance Cable Pull Throughs | 3 | 10-12 | 30 seconds |
| Walking Lunges | 3 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
| Hamstring Curls | 2 | 10-12 | 30 seconds |
| Smith Machine Calf Raises | 2 | 15-20 | 30 seconds |
| Lower body #2 | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest Time |
| Barbell Hip Thrusts | 4 | 8-10 | 1 minute and 30 seconds |
| Bulgarian Split Squats | 3 | 10-12 | 1 minute |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10-12 | 30 seconds |
| Straight Leg Deadlift | 2 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
| Seated Calf Raise Machine | 2 | 15-20 | 30 seconds |
| Glutes | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest Time |
| Cable Kickbacks | 4 | 10-12 | 1 minute |
| Abductor Machine | 3 | 10-12 | 30 seconds |
| Glute Machine | 3 | 10-12 | 30 seconds |
| Fire Hydrants | 2 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
| Glute Bridges | 2 | 12-15 | 30 seconds |
Recommended Reps, Sets, Rest, and Duration of Training
Depending on your fitness goals, there are certain recommendations for your training program.
If you want a heart shaped bum, you will need to focus on lifting heavier weight. You want the muscle fibers in your glutes to tear under the stress of the weight and then rebuild to be larger and stronger.
To lift this heavier weight effectively and safely, you will need to perform fewer reps. Generally, aim for two to four sets of six to ten reps for your compound and most important exercises.
With the accessory exercises, you can go a bit lighter with more reps, but overall the rep range will be lower.
While you do want to allow your muscles enough time to recover in between sets, try to never go beyond a minute and a half. This ensures that your body stays warm and your heart elevated.
If you can, limit the rest periods to 30 seconds.
As for rest in between workouts, make sure to not train the same muscle group two days in a row to allow time for a proper recovery.
An effective and efficient workout can be conducted in an hour or less, so do not feel like you need to be at the gym for multiple hours to grow a perfect heart shaped butt!
Cardio Guide
It can be a bit tricky to do cardio when you are trying to gain muscle and shape in a specific area. This is because many forms of cardio have you losing both fat and muscle.
Depending on your current body fat percentage, you may need to lose fat to really allow that heart shape to show through. Or, you may only need to focus on building muscle in your bum area.
Either way, do types of cardio that allow you to maintain as much muscle mass as possible. Here are a few examples:
- Sprinting
- Jump rope
- Walking on an incline
- Stairmaster
- Explosive HIIT workouts
- Biking
What are the best exercises for a heart shaped bum?
Exercises for the Gluteus Medius
1. Abductor Machine
Feel like working your gluteus medius while sitting down? The abductor machine is a very effective way to create rounder glutes and improve the appearance of wider hips.
Benefits
- Builds the gluteus medius
- Great for isolating the glutes
- Reduces pain in your back and knees
How-To Perform Abductor Machine
- Take a seat in the abductor machine and position the pads so they are resting on the outsides of your knees.
- Keep your back straight and chest up, tense your abdominals, and push your legs against the pads.
- Once you cannot spread your legs any further, pause for a moment and then slowly bring your knees back together.
Pro Tips
- To work the gluteus maximus in addition to the medius, hover above the seat in a squat position throughout the exercise.
- Try counting to five at the top of the exercise to make it more difficult.
2. Fire Hydrants
If you don’t have access to any equipment, fire hydrants can still guarantee you will feel a burn in the side of your bum!
If you do enough reps, this exercise can really burn, especially when it is supersetted with other glute exercises.
Benefits
- Builds your gluteus medius
- Only requires bodyweight
- Strengthens and stabilizes your core muscles
How-To Perform Fire Hydrants
- Get onto your hands and knees with a flat back.
- While keeping your leg in the bent position, lift it up to the side as high as you can.
- Hold for a moment at the top before bringing your leg back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for reps before switching to the other leg.
Pro Tips
- Throughout the exercise, keep your gaze on the floor and your neck long.
- To make this exercise more difficult, do a pulse at the top before bringing your leg back down.
Exercises for the Gluteus Maximus
1. Barbell Back Squats
Squats are one of the three primary compound movements that are amazing for both functional purposes and transforming your physique.
They build the entirety of the lower body and can focus on the glutes when certain adjustments are made.
Benefits
- One of the best exercises for growing your glutes
- Builds your quads and hamstrings
- Very functional movement
How-To Perform Barbell Back Squats
- Position your lower neck in the center of a barbell.
- Grab the bar on each side of your head and step out from where the bar was racked.
- Step your feet out slightly wider than hip-width and point your toes out slightly at a 45-degree angle.
- Keeping your back straight and chest up, push your glutes back first before bending your knees and coming down into a squat.
- Once your knees form a 90-degree angle, push back up through your heels until you return to the standing position.
Pro Tips
- Use a barbell pad if the bar hurts your neck.
- Perform ten reps of bodyweight squats before using weight to ensure you are properly warmed up and to help with injury prevention.
2. Barbell Hip Thrusts
The barbell hip thrust is one of the most effective exercises for building heart shaped butts. This is because of the overall movement and the fact that you can lift quite a lot of weight with this exercise!
Benefits
- Builds your gluteus maximus
- Works your hamstrings
- Improves the appearance of wider hips
How-To Perform Barbell Hip Thrusts
- Sit on the ground with your back resting against a bench and a loaded barbell centered on your hips.
- Position your back against the bench so that your butt is off the ground, the bench is holding your weight, and your hands are on the bar.
- With your feet planted flat on the floor, push up through your heels as you bring your hips up toward the sky.
- Pause at the top when your legs form a 90-degree angle before dropping your hips back to the starting position.
Pro Tips
- Wear a band around your legs right above your knees to also activate the gluteus medius in addition to the gluteus maximus.
- Be sure to use a bar pad to avoid any bruising on your hips from the bar.
Exercises for the Gluteus Minimus
1. Bulgarian Split Squats
While this exercise works all three gluteal muscles, it is especially effective for the gluteus minimus. It also targets other lower body muscles and helps with the development of balance.
Benefits
- Challenges the gluteus minimus
- Works the quads, hamstrings, calves, and abdominals
- Helps with developing balance
How-To Perform Bulgarian Split Squats
- Start with the back of your legs against a bench.
- Take two steps forward. Whichever foot is in front is the one that will stay on the ground.
- Place the other foot on the bench behind you.
- Keeping your back straight and chest up, hinge forward at the hips slightly to maximize the effect on the glutes.
- With your front knee never going in front of your toes, bend at your knee until it forms a 90-degree angle.
- Push back up through your heel to return to the starting position.
Pro Tips
- Feel free to hold onto something while you perform this exercise if you don’t feel stable enough otherwise.
- If you need more of a challenge, hold onto dumbbells to add some extra weight.
2. Wide-Stance Cable Pullthroughs
If you don’t feel like going through a long set-up process with barbells and dumbbells, just find a cable machine to do these pull-throughs! This exercise is amazing for building the glutes and hamstrings.
Benefits
- Works the gluteus minimus
- Challenges the hamstrings
- Introductory exercise to deadlifts
How-To Perform Wide-Stance Cable Pullthroughs
- Position a cable at the bottom, attach a rope, and set the appropriate weight.
- Face away from the cable machine and reach through your legs to grab the rope.
- Keep your legs straight with only a slight bend in your knees. Your back should be straight.
- Pull the cable forward and through your legs until you come to a standing position.
- Hinge at the hips and slowly let the cable go back through your legs before repeating the motion.
Pro Tips
- Focus on putting your weight on your heels to feel the burn more in your glutes and hamstrings.
- Squeeze your glutes when you come to standing to maximize the effects of the exercise.
The Best Nutrition Plan for Glute Building
When you are trying to build muscle, you need to be in a slight caloric surplus while eating plenty of protein to give the glutes fuel to grow!
7-Day Sample Meal Plan
Breakfast
1. Protein Oatmeal With Berries
Add in vanilla or chocolate protein powder with your oatmeal, almond milk, nut butter, and choice of berries to get a high-protein breakfast that will keep you feeling full for hours!
2. Protein Muffins
Muffins are a great thing to accompany fruit for a breakfast you can grab on the go. Mix some protein powder into your favorite low-calorie muffin recipe for a boost.
3. Breakfast Tacos
Who doesn’t like tacos, and who doesn’t want to have them for breakfast? Mix up some egg whites, a minimal amount of cheese, and your favorite veggies. Add this combination to a few tortillas and top with salsa for a delicious and filling breakfast!
Lunch
1. Tuna and Rice Cakes
Tuna is very high in protein while being lower in calories, so it is a great ingredient to include in your lunch!
Make your favorite tuna salad and spread it across a couple of rice cakes for a quick and easy meal.
2. Sushi
If you need to grab lunch while you are out, choose some sushi packed with protein and various nutrients.
3. Chicken and Veggie Wrap
Wraps are a classic, and you can easily whip one up at home with a few ingredients. Try adding turkey, veggies, and a low-calorie dressing to a high-protein wrap.
Dinner
1. Ground Turkey Chili
There is nothing better than a crockpot meal that takes only a few minutes to throw together! Combine cooked ground turkey, beans, tomato sauce, beef broth, and your favorite spices to make this high-protein dish.
2. Tofu and Rice
If you are looking for a higher protein vegan dish, tofu and rice is a classic.
Make sure your tofu is crispy and seasoned before adding it to the rice, your choice of veggies, and teriyaki or soy sauce.
3. Salmon and Veggies
You can create a high-volume and very low-calorie meal from salmon, asparagus, broccoli, and whatever other veggies you love!
Snacks
1. Protein Bars and Shakes
Always be sure to have a tub of protein powder and some low-sugar protein bars on hand for something you can grab that will fuel your muscles.
2. HaloTop
Do you love ice cream but also know that there is an average of 1,000 calories in a pint? Well, thank goodness for HaloTop.
This company created ice cream that has around 300 calories per pint and plenty of protein as well!
3. String Cheese
String cheese is lower in calories while helping you hit the protein goal when you need to grab something to snack on!
Supplements
There are many supplements that will help you build glute muscle, but a few of the most impactful ones are protein powder, creatine, pre-workout, and multivitamins.
1. Protein Powder
Protein powder is an easy way to reach your protein goals because one scoop averages 150 calories and 25 grams of protein. You can mix the powder with water or milk after your workout, or you can add it to foods like smoothies and oatmeal.
2. Creatine
Related: Does Creatine Expire?
Creatine is considered one of the safest and most effective supplements out there because so many studies have been conducted on it.
If you take creatine regularly, you may notice improvements in your energy levels, recovery rates, and muscle mass.
3. Pre-Workout
Pre-workout is a supplement you take before exercise that is a source of caffeine and therefore, energy.
If you have a leg day coming up, but you just aren’t feeling it, take some pre-workout to still be able to bring your best.
4. Multivitamin
If you are not getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals every day, it is likely that you will lack energy. Therefore, your body will not be able to build your glutes as quickly and effectively as you would like.
To make sure you are covered, take a multivitamin every morning that is sourced from whole foods.
Calorie Recommendations
To build the muscle necessary to acquire rounder and lifted glutes, you need to be in a caloric surplus.
Find your maintenance calories, and then add 50 calories each week until you are in a surplus of 500 calories daily.
This will allow you to gain one pound per week. You also need to eat at least one gram of protein for every pound you weigh to maximize the amount of muscle you gain compared to fat.
Fat gain is inevitable when you are in a surplus. But once you have achieved a bigger bum, you can go into a caloric deficit and lose the fat while keeping your muscle.
This is when your heart shaped ass will truly show through!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a heart shaped butt good?
Heart shaped butts are generally good because they mean you carry a decent amount of muscle mass and don’t have too much fat in your abdominal area that could lead to health problems. Plus, a lot of people think it’s attractive!
Can you get a heart shaped butt?
You can certainly get a heart butt! It is easier for some people than others to achieve the look, but it is possible.
What causes a heart shaped booty?
It takes some careful crafting to develop a heart shaped buttock, but almost anyone can do it! To get there, you need to make the required adjustments to both your diet and exercise routine.
How do I tone my heart shaped butt?
To tone your butt, you want to maintain a regular gym routine that involves progressive overload and purposeful training with heart butt exercises.
You also want to be eating enough protein to provide your glutes with fuel.
Conclusion
We hope that you were able to pull a few ideas from our complete guide for new habits to start implementing in your everyday life.
While the attractive heart butt may be a bit more difficult to achieve, it is possible if you have a plan and are consistent with your eating habits and performing the right exercises.
Comment below if you have any tips for other readers for achieving a heart shaped booty, and don’t forget to share this guide with anyone else you know who is also trying to achieve it!
