How to transform a pancake butt - sharing my transformation story

I had the dreaded pancake butt all my life. People used to joke around about my butt all the time. I'm now 49 years old and I finally have a bum that is not flat and embarrassing. Here's what I learned:

1. Squats did NOTHING but make my quads bigger and it killed my knees
2. Despite everything - resistance bands, lunges, my pancake held up steady
3. I assumed it was genetics and it IS genetics, but you can enhance those poor genetics :)

How I transformed my dead pancake butt muscles:

My bum was dead and the muscles did not know how to work, I began hip thrusts 2 years ago at age 47. I'm now hip thrusting 3 sets of 10 at 240 lbs. I have no more back pain and I'm strong as an ox.

1. Hip thrust, hip thrust hip thrust - wake up those glutes!!! Go heavy!!! Progressive overload on the barbell hip thrust!!!

2. After hip thrusting 200 lbs, I tried squatting again and found that my quads were no longer doing all the work; my glutes were no longer dead and my hips were also engaged. It no longer hurt my knees because my glutes could do the work instead of my quads.

3. Took up kick boxing and began working on mobility. At first, my knees were really stiff and I couldn't do a lot of bending, etc. The more I kick box, the more agile my body becomes and the more mobility I develop.

4. Began doing hard core ab work, planks, etc. on a regular basis and it's making a huge difference.

So people, glutes for pancake people are really hard to build. When they say, "just do squats" that's a load of BS. If you have a pancake, it means your glutes are inactive and dead. You gotta wake them up with hip thrust variations first and then begin the squatting. Glutes don't wake up with a squat if they are dead. Hip thrusting wakes those babies up.

I still have a small bum bc it's my genetics, but it is nice, round and perky. Some of us are just not meant to have the coveted "bubble" butt and that's ok :smile: I'll settle for a small peachy posterior :)
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Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    Heck yeah!!
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    I love hip thrusts. But don’t have the set up for it at home. I hope my gym opens back up soon!!
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    I’m doing my hip thrusts at home. I was really lucky that my husband had plates and a bar in the garage. We pulled those rusty things out lol. I also purchased 2 45 lb plates I was lucky enough to find at Walmart. I have a bench also. I have about 290 lbs in plates before I max out ;) I’m thankful for my husbands rusty plates from his teen years lol
  • Anna022119
    Anna022119 Posts: 545 Member
    edited January 2021
    serapel wrote: »
    I had the dreaded pancake butt all my life. People used to joke around about my butt all the time. I'm now 49 years old and I finally have a bum that is not flat and embarrassing. Here's what I learned:

    1. Squats did NOTHING but make my quads bigger and it killed my knees
    2. Despite everything - resistance bands, lunges, my pancake held up steady
    3. I assumed it was genetics and it IS genetics, but you can enhance those poor genetics :)

    How I transformed my dead pancake butt muscles:

    My bum was dead and the muscles did not know how to work, I began hip thrusts 2 years ago at age 47. I'm now hip thrusting 3 sets of 10 at 240 lbs. I have no more back pain and I'm strong as an ox.

    1. Hip thrust, hip thrust hip thrust - wake up those glutes!!! Go heavy!!! Progressive overload on the barbell hip thrust!!!

    2. After hip thrusting 200 lbs, I tried squatting again and found that my quads were no longer doing all the work; my glutes were no longer dead and my hips were also engaged. It no longer hurt my knees because my glutes could do the work instead of my quads.

    3. Took up kick boxing and began working on mobility. At first, my knees were really stiff and I couldn't do a lot of bending, etc. The more I kick box, the more agile my body becomes and the more mobility I develop.

    4. Began doing hard core ab work, planks, etc. on a regular basis and it's making a huge difference.

    So people, glutes for pancake people are really hard to build. When they say, "just do squats" that's a load of BS. If you have a pancake, it means your glutes are inactive and dead. You gotta wake them up with hip thrust variations first and then begin the squatting. Glutes don't wake up with a squat if they are dead. Hip thrusting wakes those babies up.

    I still have a small bum bc it's my genetics, but it is nice, round and perky. Some of us are just not meant to have the coveted "bubble" butt and that's ok :smile: I'll settle for a small peachy posterior :)

    Hi there; Could be my story! Same age and did exactly the same thing. I am unlucky that I currently don't have a gym and only dumbbells at home so focussing on upper body at the moment but my glutes have definitely changed for the better!
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    Anna28518 wrote: »
    serapel wrote: »
    I had the dreaded pancake butt all my life. People used to joke around about my butt all the time. I'm now 49 years old and I finally have a bum that is not flat and embarrassing. Here's what I learned:

    1. Squats did NOTHING but make my quads bigger and it killed my knees
    2. Despite everything - resistance bands, lunges, my pancake held up steady
    3. I assumed it was genetics and it IS genetics, but you can enhance those poor genetics :)

    How I transformed my dead pancake butt muscles:

    My bum was dead and the muscles did not know how to work, I began hip thrusts 2 years ago at age 47. I'm now hip thrusting 3 sets of 10 at 240 lbs. I have no more back pain and I'm strong as an ox.

    1. Hip thrust, hip thrust hip thrust - wake up those glutes!!! Go heavy!!! Progressive overload on the barbell hip thrust!!!

    2. After hip thrusting 200 lbs, I tried squatting again and found that my quads were no longer doing all the work; my glutes were no longer dead and my hips were also engaged. It no longer hurt my knees because my glutes could do the work instead of my quads.

    3. Took up kick boxing and began working on mobility. At first, my knees were really stiff and I couldn't do a lot of bending, etc. The more I kick box, the more agile my body becomes and the more mobility I develop.

    4. Began doing hard core ab work, planks, etc. on a regular basis and it's making a huge difference.

    So people, glutes for pancake people are really hard to build. When they say, "just do squats" that's a load of BS. If you have a pancake, it means your glutes are inactive and dead. You gotta wake them up with hip thrust variations first and then begin the squatting. Glutes don't wake up with a squat if they are dead. Hip thrusting wakes those babies up.

    I still have a small bum bc it's my genetics, but it is nice, round and perky. Some of us are just not meant to have the coveted "bubble" butt and that's ok :smile: I'll settle for a small peachy posterior :)

    Hi there; Could be my story! Same age and did exactly the same thing. I am unlucky that I currently don't have a gym and only dumbbells at home so focussing on upper body at the moment but my glutes have definitely changed for the better!

    If you've got dumbbells then look at using them in conjunction with Bulgarian split squats. You don't need much extra weight for them to slay your legs and tush!

    20lb dB in each hand for 3 sets of ten and I am wobble walking up the stairs! Haha
  • Anna022119
    Anna022119 Posts: 545 Member
    edited January 2021
    Yeah, I do the single leg hip thrusts, Bulgarian split ones too (yes they are hard!) I still feel that the regular hip thrusts are superior though. Very powerful exercise for me.

    If you've got dumbbells then look at using them in conjunction with Bulgarian split squats. You don't need much extra weight for them to slay your legs and tush!

    20lb dB in each hand for 3 sets of ten and I am wobble walking up the stairs! Haha [/quote]



  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,457 Member
    I love hip thrusts. But don’t have the set up for it at home. I hope my gym opens back up soon!!
    You can still just lay on the floor and do single leg hip thrusts. While you may not have the resistance you need at a gym, keeping them ACTIVE is still what you want to do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • trulyhealy
    trulyhealy Posts: 240 Member
    when you say squats don’t do anything for the butt do those include

    goblet squat
    stuff leg deadlift
    sumo squats

    all with weights?
  • LovelyNay870
    LovelyNay870 Posts: 2 Member
    Okay this was helpful I believe I will give these thrust a try. I am very small with a very little flat booty. I don't know how to thrust but since I know now to do them i will research how to do them. Thanks ladies!!! Wish me luck!!!
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    trulyhealy wrote: »
    when you say squats don’t do anything for the butt do those include

    goblet squat
    stuff leg deadlift
    sumo squats

    all with weights?

    Hiya!! When my butt was a pancake, it was a dead squishy muscle and squats used to hurt my knees and build my quads. Did zero for my butt.

    After a year or so of heavy hip thrusts, I went back to squatting and my glutes were active and strong enough to carry the weight.

    My butt just looks normal now (SO UNFAIR!), but I’m super strong.

    I’ve been afraid to try Bulgarian split squats bc I’m afraid of hurting my knees. I’m going to give them a try with my 20 lb dumbbells. Any tips to protect the knees? What is proper form?
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    Okay this was helpful I believe I will give these thrust a try. I am very small with a very little flat booty. I don't know how to thrust but since I know now to do them i will research how to do them. Thanks ladies!!! Wish me luck!!!

    Good for you!! Look at Bret Contreras videos on YouTube. I learned from his videos at first.

    If you have small booty, results take time. My bum didn’t begin to grow until I was hip thrusting 185 lbs.

    Good luck with your journey ;)
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    serapel wrote: »
    trulyhealy wrote: »
    when you say squats don’t do anything for the butt do those include

    goblet squat
    stuff leg deadlift
    sumo squats

    all with weights?

    Hiya!! When my butt was a pancake, it was a dead squishy muscle and squats used to hurt my knees and build my quads. Did zero for my butt.

    After a year or so of heavy hip thrusts, I went back to squatting and my glutes were active and strong enough to carry the weight.

    My butt just looks normal now (SO UNFAIR!), but I’m super strong.

    I’ve been afraid to try Bulgarian split squats bc I’m afraid of hurting my knees. I’m going to give them a try with my 20 lb dumbbells. Any tips to protect the knees? What is proper form?

    Best bet is to google YouTube videos for form. Start without a weight and video yourself doing them from front and side. Then compare to the videos. Adjust and repeat. 😊
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    I love hip thrusts. But don’t have the set up for it at home. I hope my gym opens back up soon!!
    You can still just lay on the floor and do single leg hip thrusts. While you may not have the resistance you need at a gym, keeping them ACTIVE is still what you want to do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Your certifications are very impressive!! We can all learn from you
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    This one looks pretty decent... https://youtu.be/JLEyaXRMv8o
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,457 Member
    Other type of squats that hit glutes:

    Curtsy squats
    Sumo squats ( wide stance toes pointed out)
    Side lunge squats

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png