Many women notice a change in their butt’s appearance after giving birth.

This phenomenon, often referred to as “mom butt,” is common, yet it’s a cause of insecurity for many mothers. 

In this article, you’ll learn what mom butt is, why it occurs, and the best glute exercises and workout to build strong glutes and get rid of mom butt for good.

What Is “Mom Butt?”

The terms “mom butt,” “flat butt,” or “pancake butt” refer to the post-pregnancy change in a woman’s butt, where the glutes seem flatter or droopier than before.




Why Is My Butt So Flat?

1. Breastfeeding

When producing milk, your body uses fat reserves, primarily from the butt and thighs. As the fat in this area changes shape, your butt can appear smaller and flatter.

2. Inactivity

Pregnancy and the period after can be overwhelming, making regular exercise a challenge. Being less active can cause the glute muscles to atrophy (shrink), making your butt appear less pert.

3. Posture

Many mothers subtly change their posture by “tucking” their tailbone under their bodies to make carrying their baby easier. Regularly adopting this posture can make it a habit, giving your butt a flatter appearance.

Does Sitting Lead to “Flat Butt Syndrome”?

Some “experts” claim living a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a condition called “dormant butt syndrome” (sometimes referred to as “flat butt syndrome”) in which your body becomes less adept at using the glutes, causing them to wither over time. 

There are reasons to treat this theory with caution, though.

First, the only evidence that prolonged sitting hinders glute function is anecdotal. 

Second, it assumes that your glutes become less responsive because excessive sitting shortens your hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your hips), inhibiting your glutes’ ability to contract. However, research in this area is inconclusive, making it impossible to draw firm conclusions about how hip flexor length and pelvic positioning affect glute activation.

And third, research shows that being completely inactive for an extended time doesn’t inhibit your ability to use your glutes.

Thus, while inactivity can play a role in the development of a pancake butt (because of muscle loss), saying that sitting flattens your butt is inaccurate. 

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How to Get Rid of a Flat Butt

Exercise

Building muscle mass, especially in the gluteal region, is vital for getting rid of mom butt. And the most effective way to build muscle is strength training.

Aim for three glute-focused strength training workouts weekly to “shock” your glutes into growing.

While these “flat-butt workouts” will target your glutes more than other muscle groups, they’ll also include exercises that train the rest of your body to help you avoid muscle and strength imbalances (more on the specifics soon).

Nutrition

To enhance the butt-lifting benefits of strength training, you need to follow a diet that drives muscle growth. Exactly how this looks depends on your previous strength training experience: 

In both scenarios, you also need to eat the right amount of protein, carbs, and fat. Here are some good guidelines:

  • Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
  • Get 20-to-30% of daily calories from fat.
  • Get the remainder of your calories from carbs.

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Posture

While there’s no “perfect posture,” “stacking” your shoulders, hips, and knees is likely better for minimizing mom butt.

Make it a routine to monitor your posture while doing daily activities. For example, while carrying your child, think about maintaining a neutral spine rather than tucking your butt under your body. 

Also, avoid overcompensating by pushing your chest out and rotating the front of your pelvis toward the floor (“anterior pelvic tilt”).

While this may accentuate your glutes, habitually adopting this posture can make performing exercises that help build butt muscle more challenging—something you’ll want to avoid to get rid of your flat butt long term. 

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The 10 Best Flat Butt Exercises

The following flat butt exercises will help you gain butt muscle and strength and banish mom butt for good. 

1. Squat


flat butt


2. Deadlift


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Model: Rachael Becker

3. Single-Leg Hip Thrust


pancake butt


4. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift


flat butt syndrome


5. Bulgarian Split Squat


how to get rid of a flat butt


6. Step-up


why is my butt so flat


7. Curtsy Lunge


flat butt exercises


8. Glute Bridge


flat butt after pregnancy


9. Cable Kickback


flat butt workout


10. Resistance Band Pulsing Squat


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The Ultimate Flat Butt Workout

The 3-day Flat Butt Workout Routine below will rapidly transform your mom butt, restoring much of its pre-pregnancy peachiness.

It’s not a balanced routine you should follow for an extended period. Instead, think of it as a specialized routine to kickstart glute growth. Thus, only follow it for 8-to-10 weeks before switching to a more well-rounded program, such as my Thinner Leaner Stronger routine. 


glute exercises


+ Scientific References