Build a stronger and more stable backside with these effective glute workouts. If you’ve been aiming to develop a firmer and bigger butt, then it’s time to start putting your glutes to work. It’s not just about turning heads; it also helps strengthen the lower body and protect the lower back. So if you’re ready to sculpt and tone your rear, these are the glute exercises you must add to your workout routine.

9 Best Glute Workouts For A Killer Booty

 

1. Bridges

Bridges are one of the most fundamental exercises you can do if you want to isolate and strengthen your glutes as much as possible. It helps develop core stability and also strengthen your lower back and hip muscles.

Bridges are at the heart of glute workouts as they can be modified endlessly. A majority of glute workouts are variations of this movement or are somewhat still related to it.

Here’s how: 

• Lie down on the floor with your knees bent, feet planted shoulder-width apart, and your arms flat on your sides. This is your starting position.
• From there, lift your hip upwards and hold for one second before returning to your starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 20 reps to complete the exercise.

When you are ready to move to a more advanced variation of the exercise, you can hold a plate or a heavy backpack above your hip to increase the challenge.

2. Single Leg Glute Bridges

The single leg glute bridge is a more challenging variation of the glute bridge, which is known to be one of the best exercises for improving hip flexibility and movement. It works your glutes, core, lower back, and hamstrings altogether.

Glute bridges are known to help improve the posture, strengthen the back, and reduce knee pain and lower back pain. And more than just toning and sculpting your rear, this exercise will also help in improving how you do deadlifts and squats.

Here’s how:

• Lie down on the floor with both knees bent, and rest your feet on the floor. Keep your arms flat on your sides. This is your starting position.
• Raise one leg and extended it upwards.
• Drive the heel of the foot planted on the floor through the ground, and then push the hips up as high up as you can. Get the power from the hips.
• You’ll know you’re doing it right if your shoulders are in a straight line with your toes, and your glutes are completely off the ground.
• Lower yourself down slowly. Do 10 reps.
• Once done, return to the starting position, and do 10 reps on the other leg.

3. Barbell Squats

Barbell squats are basically squats with resistance. Compared to the regular squat exercise, this will target more muscles groups in the body, resulting in a better overall workout.

While the main focus of this exercise is to target the thighs, it will also engage the glutes, chest, and lower back. It will help develop the core muscles, build abdominal muscles, and strengthen the back. As a result, you can have improved stability, balance, and posture.

The weight resistance will also benefit you in the areas of conditioning and lower body strength. Barbell squats will enhance your leg strength, relieving pressure from the knees and reducing the risk of getting knee injuries.

Here’s how:

• Stand straight. Keep your feet planted firmly on the ground at shoulder-width apart. Adjust them to face slightly outwards.
• Position the barbell on the back of your shoulders and hold it with an overhand grip. Make sure that the distance between your hands is neither too wide nor too narrow to not lose your balance throughout the exercise or injure your shoulders or wrists. This is your starting position.
• Lower yourself by bending your knees and bending the hips back. Keep your chest out and maintain a straight back throughout the exercise.
• Stop when your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Check your posture and make sure that your knees are driving outward to engage your glutes.
• Driving your feet through the ground, slowly return to your starting position, generating the energy from your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
• Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps depending on your fitness level.

If you don’t have a barbell, you can also try holding the dumbbells to your sides while wearing a weighted backpack. You can do bodyweight squats instead.

4. Glute Kickbacks

Much like bridges, this exercise is also one of the favorite glute workouts as it isolates the bum and really gives it a good burn. The move can also be completed without any equipment and has numerous varieties that can be explored.

Here’s how:

• Kneel on the floor and position your hands at shoulder-width apart on the ground. Keep your back straight and your neck neutral. This is your starting position.
• Lift one leg up until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Hold this for one second before slowly returning to your starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 20 reps and alternate legs after every set.

More advanced variations of the exercise involve the use of resistance bands and cable machines. It is advisable, however, that the basic glute kickback is mastered first prior to advancing to the next level.

5. Lunges

Lunges are great glute workouts that are often overlooked by regular gym-goers. It is usually dismissed for other lower body exercises like squats and deadlifts, but lunges actually provide a ton of benefits.

They help develop balance, functionality and flexibility, which makes them essential not just in toning your lower body, but also in your overall fitness.

Here’s how:

• Stand straight with your feet planted shoulder-width apart. Put your hands on your hips to help you maintain stability. This is your starting position.
• Step forward with one foot and lower yourself by bending your knees. Both knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Maintain a straight back throughout the entire movement and make sure your front knee is positioned right above the ankle.
• Stop when your front thigh is parallel to the ground. Hold this for one second, before pushing off back to your starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 20 reps and alternate legs after every set.

If you’re up for a bigger challenge, try holding dumbbells at your sides instead of just holding your hips.

6. Kettlebell Swings

The kettlebell swing is another powerful exercise that is at the top of the list of glute workouts. It targets almost the entire body, working not only your leg and glute muscles but also your core and shoulder muscles.

Here’s how:

• Stand straight with your feet at shoulder-width apart. Hold the kettlebell with two hands. Squat down while positioning the kettlebell under you. This is your starting position.
• As you stand back up, swing the kettlebell forward until it is at eye-level. Use your glutes and your hamstrings to power the swing. Return to your starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps to complete the exercise.

7. Barbell Deadlifts

Barbell deadlifts stand right next to the bench press and the squats as the kings of exercises. It helps increase your overall fitness level as it targets every bone and muscle in your body when performed correctly.

Here’s how:

• Place the barbell on the floor and position yourself so that your shins are close to the bar. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Lower yourself to grasp the barbell with an overhand grip. Make sure to keep your back straight and your knees bent. Stick your chest outward and look ahead. This is your starting position.
• Pull the barbell up until you are standing straight with your chest out. Hold for one second before returning to your starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps depending on your fitness level.

Quick tip: The key to an effective deadlift is to make sure that power is generated from your legs and not from your lower back. This maximizes the effectiveness of the workout on all the muscles and reduces the risk of injury when not performed correctly.

8. Barbell Hip Thrusts

We rarely see people performing this exercise at the gym, but it is actually yet another essential in developing overall functionality. Barbell hip thrusts mainly target your glutes as it not only makes it look better but also more powerful. This, in turn, gives you more strength and stability in performing those heavier exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Here’s how:

• Sit down facing away from a flat bench. Position the barbell on top of your hips. Put your arms on the flat bench to stabilize your position.
• Plant your feet firmly on the ground with your knees bent. This is your starting position.
• Thrust your hips upward until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Hold for one second before returning to your starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps to complete the exercise.

9. Leg Press

If you want to isolate specific muscles, like the glutes, hamstrings, and quads, do the leg press. With its fixed movement, you can lift heavier weights for more gains without worrying about stabilizing the muscles when lifting. Apart from firming up the butt, the leg press can also help with increasing your running speed and improving your vertical jump.

Here’s how:

• Sit on the leg press machine. Position your legs on the platform, and put the feet on the pad less than shoulder-width apart. Keep the toes pointed slightly outward as this will be good for your knees and hips
• Release the safety mechanism, and push against the platform, fully extending your legs. Your torso and legs must make a 90-degree angle. This will be the starting position.
• Inhale and slowly lower the platform, bending your knees to about 90 degrees.
• Exhale and push the platform up through the toes. Engage the quads, and don’t lock the knee joints.
• Do 3 sets of 15 reps to complete the exercise.
• Once done, make sure to lock the safety mechanism.

 

Looking to train those legs at home without any equipment? Here’s a complete leg and glute workout you can do at home:

While everyone at the gym seems to be focused on getting those killer six-pack abs or that massive chest, no one seems to notice the importance of developing strong glutes.

Without a doubt, however, glute strengthening exercises go beyond just looking good in jeans. They provide a ton of benefits that can help you develop a better overall physique.

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Do you think there are other effective glute exercises we missed? Tell us in the comments section below!

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