If you have 46 inch hips, then you definitely have an above average hip size for men and women. But is this actually a bad thing?
It mainly depends on the size of your waist, but your height, bone structure, and body composition are also important in determining whether or not your 46″ hips are too big.
So, what is considered a big butt? And is a 46 inch butt too big for a person to be healthy?
Let’s see what the research has to say.
Check Out Our Other Hip Size Guides:
- 40 inch butt
- 41 inch butt
- 42 inch butt
- 43 inch butt
- 44 inch butt
- 45 inch butt
- 47 inch butt
- 48 inch butt
- 49 inch butt
Are 46 inch hips big for females?
Are 46 inch hips big for a female? Yes, 46 inch hips are definitely very big for a female because, according to US anthropometric data, 46″ hips are 6 inches larger than average for an adult woman.
Of course, like many people, I would note that the average measurement is already pretty big. So, with that in mind, can any woman have a 46 inch butt and still be considered healthy?
It depends. Is your waist narrow? If so, then you might not need to worry because research suggests that women with a narrow waist and large hips are quite well protected against various diseases and have a lower risk of mortality. [1]
This might well be due to the fact that it’s much better to store fat around your hips than your waist because those with a lot of belly fat could have dangerous amounts of visceral fat, which is the fat that accumulates around your internal organs.
As for how your 46 in hips actually look, this obviously depends on your waist as well. Indeed, the larger the size difference between your waist and hips, the larger that your hips will look.
Similarly, the shorter you are, the bigger that your 46″ hips will look. This is because when you’re short, your gluteal muscle mass and fat tissue are condensed over a smaller surface area and therefore look more “bunched up” rather than stretched out (as may be the case if you’re tall).
Are 46 inch hips big for males?
Are 46 inch hips big for males? Yes, 46 inch hips are very big for men because research shows that they’re a full 7 inches bigger than usual for an American man.
Of course, we’re all built differently. So if you have really wide hips and muscular glutes, then it’s plausible that you could have a 46 inch butt without being particularly fat.
Still, the most common reason for a man having 46 in hips is obesity. After all, it’s much easier for the body to accumulate fat tissue than it is for it to add calorically-expensive muscle mass to your frame.
That said, if you have a big frame, then you might be able to get 46 inch glutes by performing resistance training (more on that in a minute). But in most cases, you’d need to gain a mixture of muscle mass and body fat in order to get genuine 46 inch hips.
What size are 46 inch hips?
What size are 46 inch hips in women’s clothing? It obviously depends on the specific item of clothing and on the brand. But, based on my research, 46 inch hips are equal to a women’s size XL, which works out at a US size 16-18.
How can you develop a 46 inch butt?
First and foremost, not everyone has the genetics to sculpt a 46 inch booty. Typically, you need top-tier glute development and a decent amount of gluteal body fat to build a 46 inch butt.
Of course, you might already have a 46 inch butt. In this case, I should be taking advice from you!
Still, building 46 inch hips takes more than just effort—you need to pick the right exercises and train your glutes from different angles multiple times per week.
Although the hip thrust often outperforms the squat in EMG research, one study shows that—at least in this case—the squat actually results in more glute growth than hip thrusts. [2] Why could this be?
I’d say it’s because squats really stretch the gluteal muscle fibers with heavy, growth-stimulating tension, which is crucial for hypertrophy.
Hip thrusts, on the other hand, generate an unbelievably intense peak contraction, but they don’t give your glutes that strong eccentric stretch that the likes of squats, split squats, and step-ups do.
Of course, other research could easily show the opposite results, especially considering that so many lifters have seen amazing glute growth from their hip thrusting efforts.
Ultimately, if you want to build a 46 inch butt and maximize your results, your best bet is to perform a combination of exercises.
So you could start with hip thrusts, move on to split squats (with a forward torso lean), and then finish with hip abductions. This trio of exercises tax the glutes from very different angles and thus stimulate an extremely broad range of muscle fibers.
The verdict: Is it good to have a 46 inch hip size?
Having a 46 inch hip size is okay as long as you’re not overweight or carrying excess fat around your waist. Obviously, if you do have a narrow waist and 46 inch hips, then your hips are going to look massive, which, depending on your goal body, may or may not be desirable.
The reality is that many people with 46″ hips are carrying too much body fat and could enjoy better health by losing weight.
Of course, there are also individuals with larger builds who’ve managed to get a 46 inch butt by developing their glutes. So without knowing your other measurements, it’s not possible to definitively say that having 46 inch hips is good or bad.
References
- Mason, C., Craig, C. L., & Katzmarzyk, P. T. (2008). Influence of Central and Extremity Circumferences on All-cause Mortality in Men and Women. Obesity, 16(12), 2690–2695. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.438
- Barbalho, M., Coswig, V., Souza, D., Serrão, J. C., Hebling Campos, M., & Gentil, P. (2020). Back Squat vs. Hip Thrust Resistance-training Programs in Well-trained Women. International journal of sports medicine, 41(5), 306–310. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1082-1126