Whether you are working on sculpting your glute or improve muscle strength, these simple glute exercises will get the job done.
This post contains referral links for products we love. Staying Fit With Aeran earns a small commission on these links at no cost to you, and the links will always be marked with an asterisk *.
The glutes are the most powerful and largest muscles in the human body. They work hard every day to allow you to sit, stand, climb stairs, and carry heavy objects. Building stronger glute muscles (yes, there are several) will improve your speed and explosiveness while also protecting your lower back and knees from damage.
What Are the Best Glute-Sculpting Exercises?
Lunges, deadlifts, squats, bridges, kicks, hip thrusts, and step-ups are the best glute-sculpting exercises. Each of these workouts will help you grow muscle and strength in your glutes, whether you do them with or without weights.
How to Target Your Glutes
When working on your glutes, use activities that activate the muscles in your back. Hip thrusts, step-ups, squats, lunges, bridges, kicks, and deadlifts are the most effective glute sculpting exercises. Weights can be added to these glute workouts as you gain strength in this area for even better benefits.
The Advantages of Sculpting Your Glutes
Including glute exercises in your workout program is the most effective approach to keeping these vital muscles strong and healthy. There are numerous benefits to addressing the glutes, ranging from preventing injuries and boosting athletic performance to maintaining your body in alignment and improving balance.
Exercises to Sculpt Your Glutes
Now that you understand the benefits of glute sculpting, it’s time to include these glute exercises in your training program. These exercises range from traditional bodyweight workouts like equipment-free lunges and squats to weighted bridges and deadlifts. Some workouts only work the gluteus maximus, while others work the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.
The product section may contain affiliate links to products we know and love.
Hip Thrust with a Barbell*
Try varying your reps for a more balanced workout: Some days you can go heavy for lower reps, other days you can go lighter for higher reps, and other days you can do both. I will warn you, though, that high-rep hip thrusts are punishing. The booty burn is agonizing!
- Sit on the ground with your back against a bench, your feet firmly planted in front of you, and a barbell fitted with a pad (believe me, you’ll want this) in your lap. (Is there no barbell? Instead, use one heavy dumbbell.)
- Keeping your lower back and knees stable, push through your heels and raise the barbell by extending your hips, making sure to employ gluteal force rather than back force.
- Raise the body until your shoulders and knees are in a straight line (complete hip extension), then slowly lower back to the ground.
Perform 3 sets of 6 – 20 reps, depending on the weight utilized.
Step-Up*
The step-up is one of the greatest glute workouts for focusing on strength, power, and balance in a unilateral (one side at a time) approach. It targets all of the main large muscles in the legs, particularly the glutes and hamstrings. In addition, it helps develop a nice toned rear end.
Step off the platform, starting with the left foot for a full set. Once a set is done with one foot, continue with the other foot. Alternate which footsteps off the platform during each set to distribute the load.
- Place your right foot on a platform, such as a bench or step, and hold a set of dumbbells by your sides with your arms straight.
- Step up onto the platform with both feet, pushing through the right heel.
- Take a step down to the floor, right foot first, then left.
Perform three sets of 10 – 12 reps per leg.
Curtsy Lunge
Increase the intensity of your butt workouts at the gym or at home by using this lunge variation, which engages the gluteus medius. This is a smaller glute muscle on the side of your butt, which helps to externally rotate the hip. This movement is considerably better than a standard reverse lunge because it concentrates on the glute max. Use a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell in the goblet squat posture to make the move more difficult.
- Place your feet hip-width apart. Then, while keeping your weight on your left foot, take a large stride back with your right leg, crossing it behind your left. Make sure your hips are facing forward.
- Bend your knees slowly and lower your body. You can stop once your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep both knees bent at about 90 degrees.
- Return to the starting posture by pushing through the left heel.
Perform 15 reps on each side. Continue for 3 sets.
Quadruped Hip Extension
While this exercise may appear simple, research has shown that when compared to other common butt workout exercises (including squats), the glute kickback or donkey kick causes more muscle activation in the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. Furthermore, the flexed heel curling toward your buttocks effectively activates your hamstrings. This bodyweight move may be done anywhere and can be made more difficult by a light dumbbell or resistance bands behind the knee.
- Begin on hands and knees, knees directly beneath the hips and wrists directly beneath the shoulders, fingers pointing forward.
- Lift right leg to the sky (knee bent) while keeping core engaged to avoid arching back. The foot should be flexed such that the sole faces the ceiling. Avoid hip rotation by keeping shoulders and hips square to the floor throughout the exercise. Return to the beginning to complete the rep, then repeat.
Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps per leg.
Lunge for Sprinters
This is a classic sprinter move to improve power, and to all it really pumps up your glute muscles, too. Try driving the opposite arm to the opposite knee while working on your coordination. With each step, the goal is to gain height rather than distance.
- Stand tall, shoulder-width apart. Step your left leg back into a reverse lunge, keeping your back straight, going as low as possible with both legs bent.
- Hold for 3 counts at the bottom of this lunge position, then explode up through the right heel, propelling the left knee forward and up.
Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps per leg.
Pulse of Barre Kickback
Don’t be fooled by the limited range of motion. Throughout this glute workout, focus on keeping the body forward from the hips so that the work is in the gluteus, not the lower back. Do the exercise in a relevé on the standing leg (raise to the ball of your foot and stay there while pulsing the rear leg) to really test your balance.
- A. Position yourself in front of the barre, a firm table, or the back of a chair. Place your right forearm on the barre and slightly bend both knees.
- B. Lift left leg behind the body, keeping knees bent until thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Externally rotate the hip to engage both the glute med and glute max. Point your toes and place your left hand on your hip.
- C. Lift the bent left leg up and down in short 1-inch pulses, keeping the hip lifted the entire time to extend the period under strain. Perform one set, then switch sides and repeat.
Perform 3 sets of 20 tiny pulses per leg.
Squat with a Barbell
Squats are already one of the top glute workouts of all time, and adding extra weight makes them even more effective.
- Stand with your feet somewhat wider than a foot apart and your toes turned out slightly.
- Beginning with the hips, lower the buttocks down and back to the low point (thighs parallel to the ground is a nice objective, but don’t feel pressed to go any further), then press through the heels to return to the beginning position, squeezing the glutes at the top.
Perform 3 sets of 8 repetitions.
Bridge and Leg Extending
The bridge isolates the gluteus maximus due to the leg being bent at the knee, which means the hamstring is less active. Extending the opposite leg puts much more work on the glute of the stationary leg. While performing this action, keep in mind not to overextend your hips, which will force you to arch your back and turn your butt exercise into a backbend. Make sure you understand the difference between a glute bridge and a hip thrust before beginning this glute exercise.
- Lie face up with your arms at your side. Keep your knees bent at 90 degrees with your feet flat on the floor.
- Perform a pelvic tilt, forcing your lower back onto the floor. Then, clench your glutes and push off your heels to lift your hips and form a straight line with your body, aligning your knees, hips, and shoulders.
- Straighten right leg for 3 counts, maintaining quadriceps and knees aligned.
- Return to the starting position by placing your right foot on the ground. Repeat on the other side. Continue to alternate sides.
Perform 3 sets on each side of 10 reps.
Pretzel Side Kick
This might be one of the difficult movements of sculpting glute exercises.
Modification : If it is too difficult for you to lift your knee and foot off the floor, start with only the foot. You can add the kick later.
- Begin seated, with the left knee exactly in front of the left hip and the right knee bent behind the right hip. Both knees are bent at 90 degrees.
- Turn your torso and place your hands on each side of your knees..
- Brace your core and lift your right knee and foot off the floor while maintaining your chest up.
- Keep your right leg elevated and extend to kick, keeping your leg parallel to the floor. Return your right knee to the floor and bend it again.
Perform 3 sets of 15 – 20 reps per each leg.
Pistol Squat
This butt workout move combines the best glute activation from a squat with the best hip and thigh activation from a lunge; all rolled into one truly challenging exercise.
To make this advanced glute workout more challenging, place a chair directly behind you so you can quickly tap your buttocks to the edge of the seat. As you continue, you can use things that are lower to the ground (like the bottom of a step).
- Begin by standing on the right leg, with the entire foot firmly anchored into the floor and the left leg elevated slightly forward.
- Bend the right knee and send the hips back, reaching both arms forward while extending the left leg forward, lowering the torso until the hips are below parallel.
- Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to stop the descent, then push forcing your standing leg through the floor to press yourself back up to standing.
Perform 2 sets of 5 reps on each leg.