“How to ‘Walk’ on Your Buttocks Correctly — and Why You Should Do It?”

Walking is the simplest and most accessible form of movement in fitness. It builds endurance, strengthens the core, and comes in many different variations. In this article, you’ll learn what butt-walking can do for you when practiced regularly, who can benefit from it, and whether it’s worth doing this exercise at all.

What Is Butt-Walking?

The butt-walking exercise involves moving forward or backward while keeping your legs extended straight in front of you, using your hips to propel your body. In other words, you can perform the movement in both forward and backward directions.

The simplicity and ease of this exercise make it accessible for anyone to do comfortably at home—either on its own or as part of a workout routine. It’s suitable for both beginners and experienced athletes.

Many people promote this exercise as an effective way to lose weight, reduce cellulite, and more. While not all of the claimed benefits are entirely accurate, it undoubtedly provides real value for those who practice it.

What are the Benefits of Butt-Walking?

This exercise is not new but has gained popularity relatively recently. Its widespread adoption was largely influenced by Doctor of Medical Sciences Ivan Pavlovich Neumyvakin. Many fitness trainers claim that this movement helps strengthen the internal abdominal organs. It is beneficial for both men and women, although the effects differ slightly.

For women, this seemingly simple exercise offers a wide range of benefits. When performed correctly, butt-walking can help improve overall endurance, relieve intestinal pain and constipation, reduce menstrual discomfort, and even assist in lifting the uterus.

According to Ivan Pavlovich Neumyvakin, regularly practicing butt-walking can improve blood flow in the pelvic area and urogenital system for men. This may lower the risk of developing hemorrhoids and prostate adenoma, and also enhance sexual function.

Can This Exercise Help Tone the Glutes?

To answer this question, it’s important to understand how the glutes are activated and developed. Glute engagement happens during hip extension under load. That’s why exercises like step-ups onto an elevated surface and deadlifts are considered the most effective for glute development.

When moving across the floor using your glute muscles, the specific movements required for effective glute activation are largely absent. While the exercise is certainly beneficial, it provides only minimal load. Therefore, simply sliding across the floor using your glutes won’t be enough to build or significantly strengthen them.

Which Muscles are Strengthened by Butt-Walking?

When discussing the benefits of butt-walking, it’s important to highlight the muscles that are engaged during the exercise:

• External obliques
• Core musculature
• Quadratus lumborum (lower back muscles)
• Rectus abdominis (abs)
• Spinal extensors

In addition to these, the iliopsoas and hip flexors are also activated. With regular practice, the core becomes more stable and toned, which positively impacts posture and supports a healthier spine.

Should You Include Buttocks Walking in Your Workout Routine?

There are quite a few misconceptions about this exercise. To avoid being misled, it’s important to clarify right away that the benefits of buttocks walking are not multifunctional. This exercise will not help in the following situations:

• Weight Loss:
  To shed excess weight and eliminate subcutaneous fat, you need to burn more calories than you consume daily. Moving across the floor on your buttocks, without a strict diet, won’t lead to weight loss—and starving yourself is harmful to your health. Those aiming to slim down should incorporate cardio and strength training exercises that engage various muscle groups.
• Muscle Building:
  Muscle fibers grow in volume only after being subjected to intense loads, followed by fatigue and the formation of microscopic tears. Buttocks walking does not provide this effect. It won’t help you build any significant muscle mass. Only resistance training with added weight can achieve that.
• Eliminating Cellulite:
  Cellulite disappears only as a result of fat loss. While buttocks walking on the floor may offer a mild massage effect, it’s not sufficient to reduce the appearance of “orange peel” skin. When it comes to massage, only deep LPG treatments have been proven effective against cellulite.

Thus, buttocks walking is a supplementary exercise, not a full-fledged workout. It effectively strengthens the core, especially the oblique abdominal muscles. This movement is also well-suited as a gentle warm-up before strength training.

How to Perform Buttocks Walking Correctly?

How Often and How Long Should You Do the Buttocks Walking Exercise?

There are no strict limitations — you can do the exercise daily. Your muscles don’t require rest after performing buttocks walking. You can either do the exercise on its own or include it in your core and back workout routine. The key is not to overdo it: consider your physical condition, schedule, and overall well-being.

After a long break or for beginners, it’s best to start with 1–2 sets of 10–15 repetitions. Once the exercise becomes a habit and feels easier, you can gradually increase the load. The optimal pace is 3 to 5 sets of 20–30 repetitions. As the number of “steps” increases, it’s recommended to do a warm-up set to prepare the gluteal muscles.

Once the intensity of the exercise is increased, you can reduce the frequency. If you were doing it daily before, 2–3 sessions per week will be sufficient moving forward. These recommendations apply equally to both men and women.