9 Helpful Tips Before You Do The 30 Day Butt Challenge

30 day butt challenge

Incorporating a new exercise regimen into your routine can be intimidating. Adding social media to the equation can lead you down the path of fads and unrealistic expectations. If the 30-day butt challenge has recently come across your radar but you're unsure if it’s right for you, read this article to find out more.

If someone said you could achieve a better butt in 30 days by solely incorporating bodyweight movements every day, you might have a hard time believing it. Perhaps you’re wired to be apprehensive, so such a short period of time with limited movements doesn’t immediately give you hope for a good end result. But, with the popularity of such challenges, getting results seems to be a more common outcome for others than not.

Your current fitness routine isn’t the same as anyone else’s. Like fingerprints, how people incorporate exercise into daily life is completely unique and suited to their personal goals and schedules. Maybe you attend CrossFit classes several times a week, or commute by bike, or struggle to even squeeze in an evening walk. There is no right or wrong way to include movement into your day as long as you make time to do it.

If you’re someone who’s taken a recent hiatus from exercise and isn’t comfortable going to the gym right away, or a stay-at-home parent who has just enough time between babies napping and preparing dinner to incorporate some sort of self-care in order to maintain sanity, then it’s likely that bodyweight challenges are an ideal route. Challenges like the 30-day butt challenge are intended to create results and incentive for people who are easing back into the fitness world. These types of challenges are beneficial and convenient for many people who are constantly on the move.

What Is The 30-Day Butt Challenge?

There is a range of 30-day butt challenges strewn about the internet, with most including movements such as squatslunges and glute bridges. Each day, reps for each movement increase so that you can gradually build strength and continually challenge yourself. Some of the programs don’t incorporate rest days, but you should regardless of your current level of fitness. Only so much progress can be made if you’re exercising with no rest days. In fact, most progress is made on rest days when your muscle fibers are able to repair themselves. 

In case it’s been a while since you’ve checked out the above-mentioned movements or you’re completely new to them, here are some brief explanations of the benefits they provide: 

  • Squats are full body movements that create an anabolic environment in the body, which means you’ll maximize gains in other exercises. This is possible because squats work a large muscle group and require a ton of energy. When performed, the body releases testosterone and growth hormone into the bloodstream. Squats also increase overall stability and flexibility.
  • Lunges are one of the most beneficial lower body movements. They are fantastic for quads and hit other muscles groups such as the hamstrings (the back of your upper legs), glutes, calves and your core. A big positive of lunges is that they are very back-friendly.
  • Glute bridges are great for individuals who might not be able to squat due to back, hip or knee problems. This exercise works the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and abs. Many individuals will find the lack of lower-back pressure especially refreshing.

Considerations Before Taking On The 30-Day Butt Challenge

So you’ve decided that you want to tone up your butt, and you’re feeling like a 30-day butt challenge is just what you need. Before deciding on how to incorporate the above movements into your daily routine (if at all), you should consider the following:


1. Building Muscle Takes Time And Consistency

man with fit body

While this can make it sound like you should be exercising every day, that’s definitely not what it means. Consistency means making your training a priority, not an obsession, in your day-to-day life whether you’re planning a short weekend trip or a vacation. The beauty of bodyweight movements is that you can do them just about anywhere with no equipment. (So, any excuses you come up with probably have little merit).


2. Nutrition Is More Important Than You Think

healthy food

The perceived upside of exercising regularly is that individuals can eat whatever their taste buds desire with no effect on their body composition. Though one might argue that there is a bit more leeway in caloric choices, if you have specific weight loss goals you will require more adherence to nutrition and caloric balance. If your main goal in entering the 30-day butt challenge is to lose fat, you will likely need to adjust your nutrition accordingly. Lowering carbs and upping protein is a good start.


3. Full-Body Transformations Aren’t Possible With A Single Exercise

body transformation

Though it would be extremely convenient and appealing if one could achieve an ideal body in 30 days of doing the same three movements over and over, it’s not the reality. As stated above, consistency in both diet and exercise are key to body composition changes. If you want the changes to stick around, you’re going to need to maintain those choices a lot longer than 30 days.


4. Form Is Still A Priority In Bodyweight Movements

bodyweight training

It’s easy to think that when doing bodyweight exercises, as opposed to movements with weights or equipment, that form is less important or easier to accomplish. However, in order to get the most out of the movements – as well as prevent injury – form, stability and control should be your main concerns. If you need tips on how to achieve proper form, you can search the internet for videos as well as record yourself doing the movements in order to assess how your form compares.


5. Variations Of This Challenge Exist

30 day squat challenge

As stated earlier, depending on your current fitness level and schedule availability, a 30-day challenge of bodyweight movements may or may not be suited to your needs. If you currently weight train, even if it’s only one or two times per week, it’s likely this kind of challenge will not be stimulating enough for you or your muscles. People who achieve results with these programs tend to be those who don’t currently exercise regularly.


6. Exercising Every Day Without Rest Isn’t Beneficial

woman resting

This is a hard one to accept for persons who just want to go, go, go, or else they feel lazy or like they’re not trying hard enough to reach their goals. However, working out doesn’t build muscles on its own – muscle fibers get broken down as you work out, and rest days give them the chance to recover and repair so that they become stronger. Ideally you’ll be taking two rest days each week (which is also a great motivator to get back to it even harder!).


7. Protein Intake Will Likely Need To Be Increased

muscle synthesis

The standard American diet tends to prioritize carbs over fat and protein which, with a mostly sedentary lifestyle, does more harm than good. When you increase your activity level, it’s important that you increase your protein intake in order to assist your body with repairing and rebuilding muscles after workouts. Depending on your goals, your recommended protein intake will vary. 


8. Your Commitment To Your Goals Will Determine Your Results

woman working out

It’s not uncommon for humans to fall into fads or trends that others are into simply for the ease of fitting in. Before you decide on integrating a new fitness regimen, you should make a list of the reasons why you want to start one. If you find that most of the motivation comes from outside sources, you should reassess what would make you happy and not what will satisfy others.

9. A Challenge Is Simply An Experiment

butt exercises

This is a good time to test your willpower and ability to carry out a new addition to your daily routine. It is not a determining factor in your value as a human being. Take your personal results at face value. If you come out not achieving what you wanted, give it some time and reflection, and try again. 

Performance And Longevity Outweigh Aesthetics

It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the before-and-after pictures splattered on various social media pages. Physical attractiveness will always be important to us, no matter how much one wishes it wasn’t. But it’s up to you to decide whether performance and ability will trump beauty standards. Sure, having a six-pack seems like it will solve the majority of your life problems, but what about the ability to carry your 60-pound dog the last mile of a backpacking trip because his paw pads were so torn that he couldn’t walk any more, or how about simply maintaining a level of fitness so that you can enjoy long hikes with your family into your retirement? 

The motivation to work out is typically to improve your outward appearance, both for your own sake and for how you want others to perceive you. How often, though, do you think about the ways in which your fitness level might benefit other aspects of your life and the freedom to enjoy it? Perhaps that should be the main focus of any challenge, and a firm butt just ends up being an unexpected (but welcome) result.

 

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