Best Exercises to Build a Heart-Shaped Butt

Do you ASSpire to get a heart-shaped butt?

We see this coveted booty shape throughout Hollywood on some of the most attractive stars. Think Kim Kardashian’s famous assets.

And for good reason. The heart-shaped butt is one of the most in-style butt shapes for women.

If you’re an Instagram user in the fitness community, there’s a good chance people flood your feed with butt pics. Perhaps you've doubled up on your glute dumbbell exercises or gluteus minimus exercises to try and make those cheeks grow.

But there are other factors at play when it comes to determining your butt shape. Fortunately for you, we broke down some of the science behind how to build your butt shape.

And if heart-shaped is what you’re going for, so be it. Who says you shouldn’t feel love towards your butt? Read on to learn more about the four main human butt shapes and how the gluteus muscles work in your body.

Plus, find out what you’ll need to do in the gym to get a heart-shaped derriere.

Butt Shapes

A heart-shaped tush is a popular ideal, especially for women in the gym. However, there’s a huge variety of butt shapes you can choose from. Lucky you!

Muscular butts are nice to look at. But did you know storing some fat in the buttocks is healthy too?

Holding fat in your gluteofemoral area (butt and thighs) is healthier for most people when compared with excessive fat. Fat storage in your hips and butt may put you at lower cardiovascular risk.

Let’s get familiar with some of the main human butt shapes.

Heart-Shaped Butt

Have people falling in love with your heart-shaped butt! Okay, maybe It’s more of an upside-down heart. However, heart-shaped booties are some of the most desired butt shapes in the world, probably by you AND by others.

People also call this a “pear-shaped” silhouette for similar reasons.

With a wide point at the base, heart-shaped butts taper in as they rise to meet your waist.

Especially for women, the heart-shaped butt is a popular goal. Think of Kim Kardashian’s notorious assets and you’ll see someone with an example of a heart-shaped butt.

Not only do well-developed heart-shaped butts look good, they can help boost athleticism. The gluteus maximum is a key extensor of the hips. It can help athletes with explosive power movements, for example, in sports like sprinting.

Although you may not be Kim, you can certainly optimize your workouts with great exercise to try to work towards a similar butt shape.

Round Butt

A round butt, aka bubble butt, is the most proportionate overall. This butt has even fat distribution along the top, bottom, and sides of the hips, as well as on the butt cheeks. If you want to know how to get a round butt, you may be in the same boat as most of us. Round butts are a shape many strive for.

Although men may not have as much booty fixation as women when it comes to workouts, it’s still a good idea to tone up. A rounded butt can look great on anyone!

After all, it’s more visually pleasing than a completely flat butt, right? What’s more, it feels great to have strong butt muscles, so a round butt is one both men and women may want to work towards in the gym.

Square Butt

We sometimes call a square butt an H-shaped butt and it looks like how it sounds. Square butts have more linear sides and don’t round out through the sides.

A square butt has more volume up top but flattens at the base.

If you’ve ever experienced the “muffin top,” aka, spilling out of your low-cut jeans, you may have a square butt.

Inverted Butt

Inverted butts, like squares, carry a lot of volume up top. These butts, though, have even less fat and muscle distribution around the base of the butt, resulting in smaller or flatter cheeks.

All booties are beauties. Butt you may need to focus a bit more on powering the biggest butt muscle— the gluteus maximus.  This will give you more development through your rear and lower butt to round out that shape.

Everyone’s booty is unique. Your butt might have a combination of different ASStributes and fall into more than one category.

For instance, you could be mainly a square. But by developing the gluteus maximus, your butt can take on a round appearance, even if you have narrow hips.

Let’s take a closer look at the scientific mechanisms behind booty building.

What Are the Butt Muscles?

Which muscles are hard at work when you focus on the glutes to get a heart-shaped booty?

Three parts make up the “butt muscles,” aka gluteal muscles:

Gluteus Maximus

We often say “gluteus maximus” and “butt” interchangeably, but this muscle is only one part of the equation. The gluteus maximus is the biggest of your three gluteal muscles.

This muscle extends your hips (moving the thigh backward in space). It is also partially responsible for the external rotation of your hip joints. When you turn your feet and hips out, the gluteus maximus helps power this movement.

Located at the back and center of your butt, your gluteus maximus helps give your buttocks a rounded shape. For a heart-shaped butt, working the gluteus maximus is key to developing butt volume.

Gluteus Medius

You can find this muscle on the outer side of your pelvis, along the back hip. The gluteus medius muscle helps with hip abduction (moving your thighs away from the midline of your body). It is also a key player in pelvic stability.

Gluteus Minimus

The smallest muscle of the trio, this gluteal muscle lives under the gluteus medius. Your gluteus minimus helps with hip abduction. It also stabilizes your joints.

All of the gluteal muscles help drive power, strength, and stability in your body.  Think about it: many of the key moves humans perform in the gym or functionally in everyday life start from the seat.

For example, you’ve probably heard “lift with your legs” to avoid back injuries. Maybe you’ve oh, you know, left your house and gone for a walk?

Even many of the simplest movements that we do without thinking. Therefore, it’s important to keep strong gluteal muscles for total lower body strength. You’ll improve your balance and posture and diminish injury risk.

Glute-focused workouts like hip thrusts and glute bridges can be great in strengthening the gluteal muscles. Big compound lifts like your squats and deadlifts are also mega glute strengtheners. These help your posterior chain.

Additionally, activities like running, cycling, and climbing stairs also engage the glutes. It's important to maintain a balanced workout routine. This way you target different muscle groups to promote overall strength and prevent imbalances.

How to Get a Heart-Shaped Butt

Here’s a simple and beginner-friendly heart-shaped butt workout plan to help you get stronger and tone your glutes. Start with this one. Always remember to warm up before your workouts, especially for large muscles like the glutes.

Warm-up

• Bodyweight squats: 2 sets of 15 reps

• Band walks: Take a resistance band around the sides of your upper legs and step into a slight squat. Holding the squat, begin to walk sideways for up to 10 steps. Come back in the other direction. Continue this movement for 1-2 minutes to awaken your glutes.

Glute Activation (no weight)

• Fire hydrants: 2 sets of 15 reps per leg

• Donkey kicks: 2 sets of 15 reps per leg

• Glute bridges: 2 sets of 15 reps. Lying on your back, flat on the floor, plant your hands by your sides and bend your knees upwards. Press into the feet and lift your hips and booty into the air.

Press into the feet and lift your hips and booty into the air. Squeeze your glutes. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position, rolling through the spine's vertebrae.

To get more intensity in this position, try doing glute bridge pulses. Pulse your hips up and down at a quick pace for added effort.

Main Workout

• Weighted squats: 3 sets of 12-15 reps. If you are a beginner, use a large dumbbell, a pair of medium-sized dumbbells or a kettlebell. These will keep you upright during the squat motion.. Once you feel comfortable here, try using a barbell for back squats.

• Lunges: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg

• Step-ups (using a low step or bench): 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg. Step-ups are one of the best ways to get the gluteus maximus activated.

Glute Isolation

• Glute kickbacks: 3 sets of 15 reps per leg

• Standing leg lifts: 3 sets of 15 reps per leg

• Hip abductor machine: 3 sets of 15 reps per leg. To increase volume along the sides of your booty, try some hip abduction moves. Most gyms have a seated abduction machine.  This involves starting with your legs together and pushing them out and apart to fight against your chosen resistance. This is a great alternative to step-ups and band walks, which require a high level of standing stability. Any seated or lying down abduction and rotation moves can hit your mid-glutes just as hard.

Cool Down

• Stretching (focus on hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexors): 5-10 minutes

Training Tip: It’s okay to start slow! Your body weight can provide fantastic resistance until you get more comfortable with moves that require a lot of equipment, technique, or coordination.

Start with bodyweight exercises and add resistance equipment as you get stronger. Increase difficulty gradually as you improve.

You’ll soon start figuring out which pieces of gym equipment feel the best for you and give you the most results.

It’s also important to take note of your form to prevent injuries. Nobody wants an ass injury. Sitting down on a pulled hamstring or overly sore butt? No thanks.

Why is it Important to Use Proper Form?

Use the correct form to avoid injury. If you're unsure about the proper form, it’s always okay to ask! Many experienced gymgoers like to help newbies. Building their community through fitness can be a great social experience, even for those who have spent years in the gym.

If you’re confused about the basics of a glute-building move, consider getting in touch with a fitness professional. A qualified trainer can give you a quick crash course on gym equipment so that you don’t feel like you’re going blind.

Big Picture

Listen to your body. If you feel pain, stop. Check your form. Are you doing any motions that may be outside your comfort zone? Listen to your body and never be shy to drop the intensity if something feels like it hurts.

Training butt-shaping glute workout moves like internal rotation and hip extension is a great way to build a heart shaped ass.

You can modify these exercises to target your glutes and hamstrings instead of your quads. This will help you focus on working your booty.

Make sure to lift heavy but don't overtrain. If you're experiencing things like hip pain, consult a physical therapist.

Love your butt AND your butt workouts.

Flex AI offers an all-in-one workout platform to help you learn new exercises, visualize your fitness journey, and keep all your PRs in one place.

We have made it simple to create personalized fitness plans. You can also add some fun competition to your fitness group by sharing exercises with friends. Start for free through the Flex fitness app.

Plus, want to learn more about how to work your booty? For more butt stuff, read:

• Square Butt
• Pancake Butt
• Shelf Butt

These will help you learn more about how to sculpt a perfect butt.

Plus, check out Why Do My Hips Hurt When Squatting if you’re feeling pain around the butt or hip area.