Giulia Ralph is a qualified Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Weightlifting Coach, and Personal Trainer. She has a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition.
The glutes are a group of three muscles that make up your buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Each of these muscles plays a crucial role in maintaining your body’s overall balance and stability.
Aside from contributing to a well-rounded physique, strong glutes are also essential for many functional movements and activities.
They power our stride when we walk or run and assist with explosive movements, for example, jumping or sprinting. In addition, they help maintain proper alignment of your lower back, hips, and knees, reducing the risk of injury.
This means having the right glute exercises in your fitness routine is more than just about aesthetics—it’s about improving your strength, performance, and health.
Read on to discover the 10 best glute exercises to add to your routine and why they’re so beneficial.
The best glute exercises are any that target the glute muscles and activate them effectively. Though there are countless exercises that target the glutes, we’ve selected the top 15 based on their ability to activate the glute muscles, safety, and equipment requirements.
The Barbell Back Squat is a classic compound movement that engages and relies on the gluteus muscles but also works the quads, hamstrings, and core (9). The barbell is positioned on the upper back, allowing for a more upright posture and better control.
Maintaining an upright torso and optimal posture is important for proper muscle recruitment and distribution. An upright position exerts less stress and loading on the lower back, maintaining the optimal load distribution to be emphasised on the lower body. Proper technique is essential, particularly for individuals with lower back issues. This exercise does require a barbell and a squat rack.
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How to do it:
The Sumo Romanian Deadlift is a unique variation of the traditional Romanian Deadlift, distinguished by the wider stance (hence the term ‘Sumo’).
This exercise allows for engagement of the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, hamstrings and back stabilizer muscles. (2).
The wider stance may also reduce the strain on the lower back, making it suitable for individuals with lower back issues. The exercise requires a barbell or a pair of dumbbells.
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The Bulgarian Split Squat is a single-leg exercise that demands balance, coordination, and stability, making it excellent for unilateral training.
The elevated back foot allows for greater range of motion, leading to greater glute activation. The movement isolates the gluteus maximus as well as the quads (6). It requires a bench or a step and a pair of dumbbells.
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The Hip Thrust is a glute exercise that predominantly targets the gluteus maximus, with secondary involvement of the hamstrings and core. This unique positioning, with the back elevated and a loaded barbell placed directly over the hips, allows for targeted activation and strengthening of the glutes. This exercise requires a bench and a barbell (5).
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The Single-Leg Hip Bridge is an effective bodyweight exercise that targets the gluteus maximus. The unilateral movement also engages the core and improves balance and stability. No equipment is needed for this exercise (3).
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The Goblet Squat is named for the way the weight, typically a kettlebell or dumbbell, is held at chest height, as if one was holding a large goblet. This posture promotes a more upright torso, which can help mitigate forward lean and place less stress on the lower back (5).
The position of the weight also challenges the core and upper body, adding a multi-faceted training element to the movement. It does require either a kettlebell or a dumbbell.
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The Glute Bridge Walkout derives its name from the “walking” movement of the feet while in a bridge position (3). This exercise provides a dynamic aspect to the traditional glute bridge, challenging the gluteus maximus and hamstrings as the leverage changes. This exercise uses bodyweight, requiring no additional equipment.
The Lateral Band Walk is named for its side-to-side movement pattern, combined with the use of resistance bands. This exercise effectively targets the gluteus medius and minimus, muscles crucial for hip stability and injury prevention. It requires a resistance band.
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The Step-Up earns its name from the simple action of stepping up onto a raised platform. This movement mimics everyday activities, making it a functional exercise. It mainly targets the gluteus maximus and the quadriceps, and requires a bench, box, or step.
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The Cable Pull-Through is so named because of the action of pulling a cable through the legs from behind. The cable’s constant tension provides a unique challenge to the posterior chain, primarily targeting the gluteus maximus. It requires a cable machine and rope attachment.
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The best exercise for glues for both men and women, in terms of effectiveness, is the glute bridge (3). This exercise targets all three of the major muscles in the glutes: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. Glute bridges are also a versatile exercise that can be modified to accommodate different fitness levels and equipment availability.
Other exercises that are highly effective for strengthening and shaping the buttocks include squats, lunges as listed above, deadlifts, and hip thrusts. These exercises all target the glutes as well as other lower body muscles.
Hitting all three gluteal muscles requires a combination of compound and isolation exercises. The idea is to target the glutes from different angles and with different types of resistance to fully engage each muscle.
This can include exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, and hip thrusts for compound movements, as well as exercises like glute bridges, lateral band walks, and cable pull-throughs for isolation.
It’s also essential to vary the range of motion and intensity of the exercises, whether it be through altering weight load or adding equipment like resistance bands. By hitting the glutes from different angles and with varying levels of resistance, all three muscles can be effectively targeted and strengthened.
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The most effective glute workout has four distinctive qualities; it targets all three gluteal muscles, uses a variety of exercises and equipment, includes both compound and isolation movements, and incorporates consistent progressive overload.
As mentioned, targeting all three major muscles in the glutes is essential for an effective workout. This ensures that each muscle is engaged and strengthened to its full potential.
Incorporating a variety of glute exercises such as squats, lunges, hip thrusts, and glute bridges allows for comprehensive stimulation of the glutes. Equipment-wise, knowing how to use resistance bands, dumbbells, barbells, and cable machines effectively adds another layer of variety and intensity to the workout.
Compound exercises like squats and lunges target multiple muscle groups at once while isolation movements such as glute bridges focus specifically on the glutes. Including both types of movements allows for a well-rounded and effective workout for the glutes (8).
To continue seeing results in glute strength and growth, progressive overload is crucial (7). This means gradually increasing the applied stimulus through weight load, intensity, or number of repetitions over time to continually challenge the muscles and stimulate growth.
Read more: 10 Exercises to Flatten Stomach, and What Else You Should Do to Lose Belly Fat
Squats can contribute to glute growth by targeting the glute muscles as well as other lower body muscles (7). However, to see significant growth in the glutes it’s important to incorporate a variety of exercises and follow a well-designed program following the principles of progressive overload.
While doing 100 squats a day may improve overall lower body strength and endurance, it may not be enough to significantly grow the glutes.
It’s important to incorporate a variety of exercises and increase resistance over time for optimal glute growth. Overdoing it with one exercise can put you at risk of injury and hinder progress.
Having a strong and well-developed gluteal muscle group is beneficial for overall health and functional movement. The glutes play a significant role in stabilizing the hips, pelvis, and lower back, which can help prevent injuries and improve posture (1).
Additionally, having strong glutes can enhance athletic performance in activities such as running, jumping, and lifting weights.
However, beauty standards and personal preferences vary, so the definition of “big” glutes may differ from person to person. It’s important to focus on overall strength and functionality rather than just size.
There can be several reasons for having a flat buttock appearance, including genetics, sedentary lifestyle, and muscle imbalances.
Genetics play a significant role in the shape and size of your glutes as some individuals may naturally have less developed glute muscles.
A sedentary lifestyle with minimal physical activity can also contribute to weak and underdeveloped glutes.
Lastly, muscle imbalances can occur if certain muscles in the lower body are consistently overworked while others are underutilized. This can lead to a lack of overall glute strength and development.
Overall, an effective glute workout should target all three major muscles using a variety of exercises and equipment, include both compound and isolation movements, and incorporate progressive overload to continually challenge the muscles. Over time these workouts can lead to stronger, more defined glutes.
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