8 Best Glute Exercises

Glute building school: Do you want to grow your glutes? Are you stuck doing exercises with minimal results? Here are the eight best exercises to grow your glutes. Keep in mind- for faster results keep increasing weight every time you exercise – progressive overload is the key to building muscle.

1) Squats

I think each and every one of you knows this exercise. You squat, and squat, and squat, and still… no glute gains. For one, you cannot selectively train one body part; this exercise is famous for its potential to build muscle, allowing the entire lower body to lean out. The #1 reason you’re not seeing results might be due to your form being incorrect. When you squat, it is important to think of sitting in a chair behind you – you don’t bend at your knees to bring your butt down but hinge at the hips first. Another problem might be that you are not lifting heavy enough. Remember ladies, we are stronger than we think and able to lift more than we realize! Sometimes, you might hit a plateau, and to overcome this you must increase your weight and push through it. 

2) Hip Thrusts

The most important butt exercises that you might not be doing! This exercise (in my opinion, and based on research), is the best lower body exercise to grow your glutes because it completely isolates the muscle. Because you’re moving through a great range of motion in the hip thrust, it strengthens your muscle to a greater extent. Remember, if you want to progressively overload – the last two reps must be difficult to execute. 

How to execute:

• Rest your back on a bench
• The barbell should be sitting directly above your hips (remember a cushion)
• Drive your heels in the ground squeeze your glutes, lift your hips up to full extension.
• With control lower back down to the ground

3) Kettlebell Swings

This glue exercise isolates the glutes because you are swinging with a big backswing and then squeezing your glutes based on the force emersed. This will fatigue your glutes, and create a huge amount of tension in the posterior, allowing it to grow.

Kettlebell butt!!

Standing with your feet slightly wider than your shoulder width with a kettlebell in front of you, with your weight in your heels (like a squat), swing the kettlebell forward by thrusting, straightening your legs, and squeezing your glutes. As the kettlebell reaches the highest point (around chest height), allow it to fall with no force, and then repeat. 

4) Romanian Deadlifts

This is a type of deadlift that woks both strength and mobility, building the dorsal part of the lower body (glutes and hamstrings). It increases mobility in the hips due to the straighter leg position, and a slight bend in the knee. This works your glutes more than a conventional deadlift would, because the quads are not contributing., and it zeroes out the posterior. If you have knee issues – this is the best option and softer on the knees. 

Remember – hinge from the hips, but don’t round the back.

5) Cable Kickbacks

Again, this is one of the only exercises that isolate the glutes and the hip extension motion; as a result- you will feel the burn! This works on the glute alone, but be careful to not use your back when extending – as this could harm the lower back. 

How to Execute:

• Extend one leg, attached to a cable machine, the thigh must be parallel to the ground.
• Contract your glute at the top of the move, and hold for a second.
• Return to the starting position, with the leg still solidly straight.

6) Bulgarian Split Squat

We have all these exercises from the Eastern European countries, haha, and we should trust them because these exercises truly grow your glutes! The Bulgarian split squat works on the front quad, and the opposite group (so whatever leg is working, the opposite glute is activated).

Using a bench, or parallel bars to execute, place one leg on the bar or bench, and the other one in front of you – as you would when lunging. Using a bench will give your lunge some incline so you can get more depth. If you want even faster results, use weight – dumbbells or a barbell.

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7) Clamshells

This is a pilates exercise that doesn’t require weight and works solely with bodyweight. It is more gentle, so maybe incorporating it as a burn-out at the end of your workout, performing as many reps as you can until failure. For more of a challenge, use a resistance band above the knees. 

Clamshells work your inner thighs and strengthen the gluteus medius (the outer part of the butt, responsible for stabilizing the pelvis).

8) Dolphin Kick

So, we are finishing this list, with more gentle exercises that would be best at the end of the workout, when the glutes are burn-out and ready to grow while resting. This exercise targets the lower back, but engages your glutes, as they are squeezed when lifting up. Remember, you can add weight if you like this is too easy. Do not pulse, consider holding statically after raising the hips and legs towards the ceiling. 

Recently, they came up with a machine to perform this exercise, but most gyms do not have one. So you can perform this by lifting the legs off a bench towards the ceiling. 

I hope you incorporate these exercises in your next lower body workouts, as they will target your glutes, and cause growth super fast! I advise progressive overload, as the more you lift, the more improvement and the faster your glutes, or muscles in general will grow!

Remember, you can watch youtube videos in order to completely master the form, and not hurt yourself in the gym. There are also home versions of these if you are in quarantine, or the gyms in your area are closed. 

Good luck my fit fam <3 Don’t forget to comment on your own fave glute exercises, and share it with your fit friends!