How I lost my butt and got it back

Diet story time.

This is not exactly a diet update but rather just a story of what literally happened to a certain part of my body, and how I corrected it.

So I lost weight and kept it off. Nothing new there. That's old news now. But the story I haven't told is what happened to my butt.

One day I go to the toilet to "do some business", to so speak, and I felt something. Pain. Not a harsh pain, but it was annoying.

The pain came from the fact I felt like I was sitting right on my tailbone.

After I was done my business, I took a look at my butt in the mirror. Yes, I really did this. What I noticed actually scared me a little. My butt had shrunk. A lot. I hadn't noticed it until that moment. Why? Well, do you look at your butt in the mirror on a regular basis? I thought not.

I also discovered that I had legitimate difficulty sitting on hard chairs comfortably. This was something I learned first hand when I went to a place to get the oil changed in the car and the waiting area had nothing but hard chairs. I had to keep shifting in my seat to keep that annoying pain away. And again, this was not a horrible pain. Just annoying.

My solution to this was to adjust my exercise routine by adding in the #1 exercise to build a butt - the squat.

For several months I've been doing squats almost daily. I do 50 a day in 2 sets of 25. In time I will do more.

Did I get my butt back? For the most part, yes. I've built enough muscle back there so I don't feel that annoying pain whenever I sit on a hard surface now.

Go on YouTube and search for "perfect squat" so you know how to actually do one correctly. Most people do them wrong, and that can lead to back injury. There are several videos on how to squat. Watch a few, and pick the one that has the best instruction to your liking.

If you've never done squats before, do not be surprised if you have a difficult time holding your balance and keeping your heels on the floor. Do not do more than 5 repetitions to start with. The first hurdle is actually being able to do a few squats without falling over.

After finishing a few successful squats, you will feel it most not in the butt but in the legs. And you will be sore in the beginning. Count on that.

One thing I've not done yet but probably will in 2017 is add weight to my squats via cuff weights. I personally think using cuff weights is a more sensible option compared to a kettlebell or loaded barbell. Why? Because they can be used for pretty much all basic exercises. Cuff weights are very versatile like that.

Do I use any added weight now? No. Right now I'm using my own body weight. If you decide to start squats, I suggest the same. Don't add weight until you're good and ready for it.

Published 2016 Dec 19