Ugh. Cellulite. Yes, that unsightly, dimply-looking skin that everyone hates, yet so many of us deal with. To make matters worse, it is often on our thighs and buttocks. You work out hard, real hard. But is your cellulite getting worse with exercise? Many think so. In this article, I will share what causes cellulite and ways to reduce it with leading experts.
Let’s get started.
From the Mayo Clinic, “Cellulite is a very common, harmless skin condition that causes lumpy, dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks, and abdomen. The condition is most prevalent in women.
Many people try, with variable success, to improve the appearance of their skin through weight loss, exercise, massage, and creams marketed as a solution to cellulite.”[1]
From Healthline.com, “Cellulite is caused by a buildup of fat underneath the skin. Some women are more predisposed to it than others. The amount of cellulite you have and how noticeable it is can be based on your genes, body fat percentage, and age. The thickness of your skin also affects the appearance of cellulite.”[2]
Cellulite is just normal fat. It looks lumpy because it presses against connective tissue, resulting in the skin above it to pucker.
Whether you’re heavy or thin, you can get cellulite. Muscle tone can affect it, and very fit people sometimes have it. Hormonal factors and genetics both play a role. It might also be related to the thickness of your skin. Women are more likely to get it than men. It tends to form more as you get older.
Lifestyle factors may play a role. For example, cellulite may be related to:
- Unhealthy diet
- Fad dieting
- Slow metabolism
- Lack of physical activity
- Dehydration
- Total body fat (But at least one study showed that losing weight doesn’t change cellulite.)[3]
So, why is your cellulite getting worse with exercise?
As we talked about before, several factors impact why some people have cellulite and others don’t.
Genetics certainly plays a role. However, there is not much you can do about this so let’s focus our energy on the causes of cellulite which you can do something about.
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Poor Diet. You’ve probably heard the expression, “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” Yes, great bodies are made in the kitchen. This is especially true if you are no longer a teenager with a raging metabolism.
Regardless of how intense you work out, it is extremely easy to overeat and thus, eat more calories than you burn. Even marathon runners, who you would think could eat anything they wanted due to the nature of their activity, still have to carefully monitor what they eat to avoid excess weight gain.
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Exercise fires up your metabolism, as well as your post-workout appetite. Not only do athletic people still have to watch how much they eat, but also the quality of the food they consume.
Too much sugar. From Lipotherapeia, …“sugar is the number one cause of cellulite today and the increase of the appearance of cellulite in women in the mid-twentieth century has coincided with the increase in the consumption of various types of sugars, including sucrose (plain sugar), fructose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), etc.”[4]
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Doing the wrong type of exercise. There’s no way to prevent cellulite, according to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and it’s a very common condition. The risk increases with age and certain lifestyle factors.
While you can’t control your age, you can make some changes to your lifestyle that may help reduce the amount of cellulite on your thighs and buttocks, as well as other parts of your body. These changes can include things like starting a regular exercise program and a nutritious diet.
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When it comes to exercise, the most efficient or quickest way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is through strength training.
The use of free weights is a great way to build muscle strength and tighten the skin up around the thigh and buttocks areas. Free weights are easy to use and quite inexpensive for those who like to work out at home.
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Other products that can reduce the appearance of cellulite
Self-tanning lotions. Tanning gives you a darker hue, which reduces the appearance of cellulite. The reason for this phenomenon is darker skin conceals the skin’s texture more than lighter complexions.
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Here are some of our favorite self-tanning lotions:
- SELF TANNER BODY LOTION - Create a flawless light bronze tan with gradual, natural-looking color while nourishing and hydrating dry and extra dry skin
- FIRMING TAN LOTION - Infused with antioxidants and Coconut Water, Jergens +FIRMING Moisturizer’s hydrating blend of nutrients boosts moisturization for healthier looking skin and daily skin hydration.
- CELLULITE REMOVER - Infused with collagen, elastin, and green tea infusions, our fast-acting, anti cellulite formula will help reduce cellulite appearance within 7 days
- A NATURAL, SUN-KISSED GLOW: Goodbye to orange hues and hello to a natural-looking tan. Our bronzing tanning lotion comes in fair to medium & medium to dark shades for all skin types.
- CLEAN BEAUTY: Trust Beauty by Earth for a natural self tanner organic made with organic aloe vera, shea butter, and botanical extracts without any harmful additives or dyes.
- SUITABLE FOR FACE & BODY: Our organic tanning lotion can be used on both face and body for a seamless, all-over tan. For acne-prone skin, use our tanner lotion for glowing skin.
- A NATURAL, SUN-KISSED GLOW: Goodbye to orange hues and hello to a natural-looking tan. Our bronzing tanning lotion comes in fair to medium & medium to dark shades for all skin types.
- CLEAN BEAUTY: Trust Beauty by Earth for a natural self tanner organic made with organic aloe vera, shea butter, and botanical extracts without any harmful additives or dyes.
- SUITABLE FOR FACE & BODY: Our organic tanning lotion can be used on both face and body for a seamless, all-over tan. For acne-prone skin, use our tanner lotion for glowing skin.
Cellulite creams. There are many anti-cellulite creams on the market, which reduce the appearance of cellulite by firming the skin as well as moisturizing it.
Here are some of our favorite anti-cellulite creams:
- Eliminates Persistant Cellulite. Results are just a click away! The Eveline Cosmetics Slim Extreme 4D Cosmetic Liposuction Professional Intensely Slimming and Remodeling Serum is an easy, fast, in home solution for hard to remove cellulite.
- Inhibits growth of fat tissue. Visibly reduces the lumps and dimples under the skin, working on cellular level to effectively overcome stubborn fat cells and cellulite.
- Lifts and firms the skin. Innovative ingredients energize the skin, improve blood circulation, tighten and firm the skin. Massaging the product into the skin helps with burning fatty deposits and purifies the skin.
- GET HEALTHY SLIM - Enjoy perfectly smooth skin and vital shapes with VIOFAIRY Naturals Anti-Cellulite cream! Made with unique slimming formula, this product works like skin tightening cream quickly firming body in problem areas. Get the shape of your dream with ease and restore your confidence!
- BEAUTIFUL FORMS WITH LESS EFFORTS -Supports and promotes motivation and sweat. Make every visit to gym worth it! VIOFAIRY Naturals ultimate formula eliminates cellulite completely by breaking down fat cells in hips, thighs, buttocks, and abdomen. Kick early and stubborn cellulite.
- Caffeine Cellulite Cream - VIOFAIRY hot cream is developed to firm and improve the overall quality of problem skin areas, contributing to the disappearance of visible signs of cellulite. Our skin tightening cream with caffeine stimulates blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, smoothing skin.
- Slim cream - Try our cellulite cream for stomach butt and thighs that targets stubborn areas and see how our ultra moisturizing hot cream tightening and slimming formula can help you reach your goals
- Whipped body butter - Reach your goals faster through superior hydration with our whipped body cream for women and men looking for a thigh slimmer and tummy cream with potent moisturizing ingredients
- Slimming gel - Unlock your best figure with our hot sweat cream and workout enhancing sweat gel designed to promote better results alongside workouts and body sculpting tools for full body coverage
Anti-cellulite massagers. These massagers work by naturally drawing the toxins from your deep tissue using utility and eliminating the fluid retention and creating the sculpting, contouring effect.
- Release Tensions & Muscle Pains - With the third upgraded powerful motor and 8 groups of massage rollers of total 80pcs wave heads can offer you powerful deep tissue massage of over 42900 times per minute, which can effectively promote your blood circulation and release the aching or tense muscles on your face, hand, belly, arm, neck, foot, and body.
- Help Reduce Cellulite – The electric body sculpting machine with cellulite massage rollers helps cellulite cream or oil penetrate deep into the skin to help eliminate fat and exfoliate for smoother skin. Regular use can help remove cellulite tighten and tone your body.
- Facial & Body Cleansing – Come with 2 different types of face & body brush head, which can offer you effective and wonderful skin cleansing experience. This facial massager is IPX7 waterproof, so you can rest assured to use in shower.
- 💡 Manual anti-cellulite massager – Non-electric cellulite tool for thighs, glutes, and legs: No batteries or motor — the intensity and pressure are entirely under your control. Use with slow upward and downward strokes to stimulate the skin and help improve its appearance.
- 🔬 International patented triple-action system: Unlike many look-alike cellulite removers with simple parallel rollers that barely affect the skin, this device features a unique system of converging rollers that lift and firmly squeeze the skin, followed by diverging rollers that stretch and smooth it. If the rollers were parallel, they would have little or no real effect.
- 🇮🇹 Made in Italy: Independently evaluated before market launch. Instrumental tests, showed measurable improvements in skin firmness, smoothness, elasticity, and a reduction in thigh circumference .* Consistency is key to achieving the best results. Individual results may vary.
- 【Advanced 4-in-1 Technology】:This lymphatic drainage massager uses advanced 4-in-1 technology toMeridian Dredging and improve blood circulation and accelerate metabolism to Detoxification and Alleviating Swelling & Boost Lymphatic Flow & Enhance sleep efficacy. This electric lymphatic drainage massage tool can provide professional-grade results and is a must-have massage tool for detoxification and relaxation at home.
- 【Effective Cellulite Reduction & Skin Smoothing】: Say goodbye to cellulite and achieve smoother skin. This massager is specifically engineered to break down fat deposits and improve the appearance of orange peel skin. The combination of deep tissue vibration, thermal therapy works synergistically to smoothen skin texture and reduce the visibility of cellulite with regular use, restoring your confidence.
- 【Versatile Full-Body Application – Deep Tissue Massage & Body Toning】:Engineered for comprehensive body care, this cellulite massage tool provides deep tissue massage across various body parts, including legs, arms, abdomen, back, and thighs. It seamlessly fits into your beauty and wellness routine, promote relaxation and support your skin care routine".
References
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cellulite/symptoms-causes/syc-20354945
[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/cellulite
[3] https://www.webmd.com/beauty/get-rid-of-cellulite#1
[4] https://www.lipotherapeia.com/the-peach-factor-blog/sugar-and-cellulite
Claudia Faucher is a fitness and lifestyle blogger who shares practical tips for women over 50 on staying active, stylish, and confident. As the creator of FitFab50.com and Beyond59.com, she covers topics like workout gear, beauty trends, and wellness routines. Claudia is passionate about helping others live their best life at any age.
Last update on 2026-08-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API