The gluteus maximus — that is your butt for the uninitiated — is the largest muscle in the body. Even if filling out a pair of Wranglers isn’t at the top of your training priorities list, developing strong glutes will help you build better squats, deadlifts, and everything in between (yes, even overhead lifts). If you can’t figure out the most efficient way to activate your glutes, you’re just not going to be able to maximize your gains.
Here, you’ll learn why glute training is often more effective than the old “well, glutes are involved in squats and deads, so that should be enough” (spoiler: if you really want to boost your lifts, include at least some glute-specific training). But how do you know which glute exercises are best? We’ve also included the 14 best strength-building glute moves for you to fold into your training program.
Best Glute Exercises
- Conventional Deadlift
- Back Squat
- Glute Bridge
- Belt Squats
- Banded Romanian Deadlift
- Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
- Sumo Deadlift
- Modified Curtsy Lunge
- Walking Lunge
- Cable Glute Kickback
- Step Downs
- Smith Machine Reverse Lunge
- Lateral Lunge
- Goblet Squat
Conventional Deadlift
The conventional deadlift — the king of all deadlift variations — is one of the most popular exercises around, and rightfully so. It challenges the muscles around the hip, knee, and ankle. It also taxes the muscles surrounding your wrist, elbow, and shoulder to hold the barbell, but those joints do not contribute directly to the range of motion. As it has a primary focus on hip extension, it can be used while training back, legs, or anywhere it fits nicely in your programming.
Benefits of the Conventional Deadlift
- Builds serious full-body strength.
- Increases leg, back, and grip strength with one exercise.
- Challenge muscles around the hip more than other deadlift variations.
How to Do the Conventional Deadlift
To get into position, push your hips back as you reach down for the bar. Allows the knees to bend naturally. If you are tall, have long legs, or limited hip flexion abilities, you may want to elevate the bar with a small box under each weight plate. Once you have made contact with the bar, secure your grip and engage your abdominals. Drive through the floor.
As you push through the floor with your quads, drive your hips forward as you reach the top. Return safely back to the starting position by hinging at the hip and controlling the bar as it returns back to the ground.
Back Squat
The back squat is a compound exercise that challenges every muscle in the legs, especially the glutes. Its primary use in training is to challenge hip extension, driving the lower body up from the bottom position and placing a high amount of tension on the glutes. The back squat leads to strength and muscle gain and reinforces other exercises like the deadlift, split squat, and lunge.
Benefits of the Back Squat
- The back squat allows for more loading compared to many other glute-focused movements.
- The back squat recruits the core and strengthens your postural muscles.
- This exercise challenges the glutes in their fully stretched position, making it a no-brainer for growing your backside.
How to Do the Back Squat
Set a barbell in a power rack to shoulder height. Get under the barbell, set the bar across your upper traps, or set the bar across your shoulder blades if you’re performing low-bar squats. Brace your core and lift the weight out of the rack. Take small steps back one foot at a time to get yourself into position. With your chest up, squat down until the bottoms of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Drive back up by pushing your feet through the floor.
Barbell Glute Bridge
This exercise is very effective at loading the glutes in their shortened position, without the need to load the spine. What separates the glute bridge from the hip thrust is the range of motion. The glute bridge utilizes a shorter range of motion, allowing for more bias and muscular tension to be placed on the glutes over other muscles of the posterior chain such as the hamstrings, quads, and spinal erectors.
Benefits of the Barbell Glute Bridge
- You can directly target your glutes, more so than any other exercise, which will carry over to other exercises that require glute strength.
- The shorter range of motion of this variation allows for more focus to be placed on the glutes over other lower body muscles.
- You’re able to place high amounts of focus on the glutes without loading the spine, protecting your low back, and increasing the stimulus placed on the glutes.
How to Do the Barbell Glute Bridge
Load a barbell with rubber bumper plates (if possible), as you want the bar higher up off of the ground. Now, roll the barbell towards you, so it’s sitting on your hips. Place your upper back on a bench and bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips up, holding onto the barbell with both hands to prevent it from falling until your body is in a straight line from knee to chin. Hold this position for a beat and then lower the weight back down.
Belt Squat
This unique squat variation uses a machine to help load the lower body, without the need to place more load on the low back and spine. It’s popular across all levels of fitness, including among bodybuilders, powerlifters, and weightlifters for building muscle and strength in the quads and glutes. The positioning of this squat movement allows for a more vertical spine, taking some of the load off the low back, and increased training volume without more wear and tear.
Benefits of the Belt Squat
- The belt squat allows for a more upright torso position, taking the strain off the low back.
- This exercise prioritizes hip extension, helping build muscle and strength in the glutes.
- It doesn’t require as much core stability, which means it can be used as a part of a bigger superset combination without a high risk of injury.
How to Do the Belt Squat
Set the belt around your hip, brace your core, and lift the weight. Release the weight pin and get yourself into position. With your chest up, squat down until the bottoms of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Now, drive back up by pushing your feet through the platform.
Banded Barbell Romanian Deadlift
This variation helps add tension to the glutes in the standing position — a position where there is usually no resistance. The resistance band helps give a counterbalance to your torso and allows you to lean forward into the movement. It also gives you an external cue to help you bend your hips rather than rounding at the low back, improving your hip-hinging abilities. Lastly, the horizontal band position can help increase the load placed on the muscles across the range of motion.
Benefits of the Banded Barbell Romanian Deadlift
- The band helps give counterbalance to the torso, allowing you to lean forward and place more resistance on the glutes throughout the range of motion.
- This exercise prioritizes hip extension, helping build muscle and strength in the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors.
- It adds resistance to the glutes in the top position where there usually isn’t any at all.
How to Do the Banded Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Load a barbell up with less weight than you would for a traditional deadlift, but get in the same deadlift position — feet shoulder-width apart and hands gripping the bar just outside the knees. Step your weight into the band and assume a slight forward lean. Push your hips back and lower the bar until it’s in the middle of your shins. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes. Finish by driving your hips forward, bringing the weight back up, and driving into the band to the starting position.
Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
A close relative to the Bulgarian split squat, this variation isolates one leg at a time, which also allows a weaker leg the ability to catch up in terms of size and strength. The rear foot elevation allows you to sink down into hip flexion more, placing more muscular tension on the glute of the front leg.
Benefits of the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
- The split squat can work for every fitness level, goal, and need.
- The rear foot elevation increases hip flexion and allows you to place more load on the front leg.
- The unilateral (single-sided) setup helps build coordination and improves balance.
How to Do the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, and take a step forward, placing one foot, toes down, on an elevated surface behind you. It should be low enough to not shift your hips to one side. The distance of your step should be about one foot. Keep your chest up and squat down until both of your legs bend to around 90 degrees. Stand back up by driving your front foot through the floor.
Sumo Deadlift
The sumo deadlift is a widely used exercise with many benefits, especially when it comes to adding strength and size to the lower body. This deadlift variation has the lifter take a wider stance compared to the conventional setup, with the feet turned out roughly 30 degrees. This change in stance places the hips into external rotation, placing tension on the adductor and glute muscles — most notably the smaller glute medius and minimus.
Benefits of the Sumo Deadlift
- Builds muscle and strength in the quads, adductors, and glutes.
- Allows for the lifter to have a more upright torso position, taking the strain off the low back.
How to Do the Sumo Deadlift
To get into position, set your feet just outside of hip-width, with your toes pointed out around 30 degrees. From there, push your hips back as you reach down for the bar. Allows the knees to bend naturally as you reach down for the bar. Secure your grip, engage your abdominals, and maintain a neutral head position. Engage the upper back muscles along with the abdominals to help protect the spine and support the torso; then, drive through the floor.
As you drive through the floor, drive your hips forward as you reach the top. Return safely back to the starting position by hinging at the hip and controlling the bar as it returns back to the floor.
Modified Curtsy Lunge
The modified curtsy lunge is a lunge variation that reinforces glute medius and minimus engagement. In this exercise, the lifter sets up in a modified split squat stance with an elevated back foot and the lead foot rotated internally around 10-20 degrees. The glute medius is worked through a greater range of motion while better aligning the body with the desired movement pattern.
Benefits of the Modified Curtsy Lunge
- The rear foot elevation increases hip flexion and allows you to place more load on the front leg.
- The internal rotation of the front leg allows for more involvement and bias of the glute medius.
How to Do the Modified Curtsy Lunge
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, and place one foot, toes down, on an elevated surface behind you. It should be low enough to not shift your hips to one side. The lead foot rotated internally around 10-20 degrees, aligning with the toes of the lead foot with the knee of the back leg. With a slight lean forward in your torso, squat down until both of your legs bend to around 90 degrees. Stand back up by driving your front foot through the floor.
Walking Lunge
The walking lunge is a great variation to employ because the step adds a level of focus on balance and coordination, so athletes will often use this exercise as a dynamic lower body training option to train the muscles of the posterior chain. Alongside its myriad of benefits for balance and coordination, it challenges the glutes through a large and dynamic range of motion, making it a go-to glute builder.
Benefits of the Walking Lunge
- It can be effective using bodyweight only, making it beginner-friendly.
- It’s easy to program and effective by itself, or as a part of a larger superset combination.
- Advanced lifters can load up this lunge variation using a variety of free weights: dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, sandbags, or a safety squat bar.
How to Do the Walking Lunge
Stand with your feet together, and then take a step forward roughly 18 to 24 inches and plant your foot firmly to the ground. From there, you will allow your front knee to track forward — aiming between the first and second toe — while your back knee drops straight down to the ground. Then, while driving through the floor with your front foot, move your body forward to a standing position, where your back foot will meet the position of the front one.
Cable Glute Kickback
Glute kickbacks can be effective at growing your glutes. Depending on your set up, you can effectively challenge the glute medius or glute maximus. In this variation, your setup and technique are crucial to the success of the exercise and placing maximal tension where it needs to be.
Benefits of the Cable Glute Kickback
- It is performed only with an ankle strap and a cable, making it beginner-friendly.
- It trains the smaller muscles of the glute more in isolation than what is normally possible through free weight exercises.
How to Do the Cable Glute Kickback
Place a strap attached to the cable around the ankle. Keep your back in a neutral position with your abs engaged. The body will be positioned off-center with the working leg in line with the cable attachment. Tilt your body forward and kick your leg out behind you while maintaining a very slight bend in the knee. Move your leg by squeezing the glute, not arching the lower back.
Step Down
This underutilized exercise is great for directing tension to the glutes. Sometimes referred to as a reverse step up, the step down trains the body unilaterally through hip flexion/extension as well as knee flexion/extension. Due to the alignment of this exercise, you can place a lot of muscular tension on the glute max without external load. This is an exercise with many benefits and can be performed with little to no equipment. All you will need is a step up box or bench.
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Benefits of the Step Down
- It is performed only with a step up box or bench, making it easy to set up and great for those with little equipment.
- It aligns the hip and knee under the torso, creating a strong position to test balance and coordination alongside building muscle and strength.
- Can be performed with only body weight, making it great for all lifters.
How to Do the Step Down
Start with one foot close to the edge of a step up box or bench — ensuring the whole foot is in contact with the surface — with the other foot hanging off. Drop the foot to the ground, controlling your body weight with the opposite leg. Tap the heel of the foot to the ground and drive through the step with the working leg to return back to the starting position.
Smith Machine Reverse Lunge
The smith machine reverse lunge is a stable lunge variation, allowing you to control the technique and better bias the target muscles. The stability of this lunge makes it great for both beginners and advanced trainees who want to add weight to the movement — you’ll have an easier time loading this reverse lunge variation.
Benefits of the Smith Machine Reverse Lunge
- It’s more stable compared to other lunge variations, making it beginner-friendly.
- You’ll work one side of the body at a time, allowing lagging muscles to catch up.
- Works the glutes through a large range of motion safely and effectively.
How to Do the Smith Machine Reverse Lunge
Stand with your feet together on an elevated surface, and position your body under the bar in the Smith machine. Unrack the weight and take a step back with one leg until it’s behind you and your knee is an inch or so above the floor. Your front leg should bend at a 90-degree angle as well. Drive through your front foot and stand back up with control.
Lateral Lunge
The lateral lunge is performed by stepping directly out to the side, then standing up to return to the starting position. The lateral lunge is awesome because it challenges the muscles around the hip that are responsible for internal and external rotation of the leg — most notably the glute medius and minimus.
Benefits of the Lateral Lunge
- It trains muscles around the hip responsible for internal and external rotation.
- You’ll work one side of the body at a time, allowing lagging muscles to catch up.
- Works the body in the lateral plane of motion.
How to Do the Lateral Lunge
Take a step out to the side roughly 18 to 24 inches and plant your foot firmly to the ground. From there, allow your front knee to track forward while your body tracks outward to one side; then, while driving through the floor with your lead foot, move your body back to the starting position.
Goblet Squat
This front-loaded squat variation ensures that the lifter stays upright and is done with either dumbbells or kettlebells, making it manageable and more beginner-friendly. After mastering the bodyweight squat, the goblet version is an excellent transition into weighted squats for newer lifters. Goblet squats can be added to a larger group of exercises for more leg muscle and endurance for more advanced trainees.
Benefits of the Goblet Squat
- It trains muscles around the hip responsible for hip extension.
- It’s easy to set up and perform, making it great for new lifters.
- Acts as a great introductory movement.
How to Do the Goblet Squat
Stand with your feet around shoulder width apart with a dumbbell or kettlebell and hold the weight directly under your chin with your elbows tucked in. Brace your core, tense your back, and ensure that you feel stable. Keep your chest up and squat down until both of your legs bend to around 90 degrees. Stand back up by driving through the floor.
About the Glute Muscles
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body and is primarily responsible for hip extension. This joint action is key for nearly every strength, power, or fitness exercise. Strong glutes can increase squatting, deadlifting, and overall athletic potential. The gluteus medius and minimus — two more muscles that make up your glutes — are key for stabilizing the hip in both closed and open chain movements, such as squatting, running, jumping, and walking. Basically, if you’re doing pretty much anything involving moving your body, your glutes are likely a primary player.
Gluteus Max
The gluteus maximus is the largest of the gluteal muscles. It is also the most superficial, providing the greatest contribution of shape to the buttocks. This large and powerful muscle helps keeps the hip stable during walking or running, and is the primary hip extensor. It can also play a more low-key role in some acute hip stability patterns. (1)
Gluteus Medius
The gluteus medius muscle is fan-shaped and lies between the gluteus maximus and the minimus. It is similar in shape and function to the gluteus minimus. It’s broad and thick and converges from its origins on the pelvis down to its insertion point on the upper leg (femur).
It abducts and medially and laterally rotates the lower limb. It secures and helps steady the pelvis when the opposite foot is raised off the ground during walking and running as well as stabilizing the same leg when foot is planted.
Gluteus Minimus
The gluteus minimus is the deepest and smallest of the superficial gluteal muscles. It is similar in shape and function to the gluteus medius. The glute min abducts (moving the thigh away from body) and medially rotates the lower limb. It secures and helps steady the pelvis when the opposite foot is raised off the ground during walking and running.
The Benefits of Training Your Glutes
For strength athletes and general lifters, training your glutes is absolutely essential. It’s important to target your glutes specifically (as opposed to only training them passively during squat and deadlift sessions) because glute-specific training can mean the difference between eternal plateaus and busting through personal records. This doesn’t only apply to the lower body powerhouse moves like deadlifts and squats — strong glutes are foundational to a powerful overhead press, too.
And if you’re looking to improve your functional strength and tolerance of day-to-day activities, glute training is essential, too. Whether you’re bending to pick up after your dog or cat, or battling that last flight of stairs up to your fifth-floor walkup, strengthening your glutes can make your life a whole lot simpler.
How To Train Your Glutes
Yes, it’s a good idea to integrate glute-specific training into your lifting program — but how much you do so naturally depends on where you are in your lifting cycle and training experience.
Sets and Reps
Performing 12 to 16 sets per week is likely a great starting point for anyone looking to grow their glutes. More advanced trainees could potentially do more each week if their goal is to grow and break past training plateaus.
Choose three to four exercises from this list and divide up your training sets equally among them. Try to have a balance between movements that challenge flexion and extension and internal and external rotation of the hip.
Remember, there is a limit to how much you can do per workout while still being productive. If you notice your performance dropping off, it may help to split up some of the training volume to a day later in the week. A training frequency of two to three sessions a week has been recommended to help maximize muscle growth. (2)
Exercise Selection
The exercises you choose play a significant role in the muscles being worked. Muscles of the leg work in synchronicity to achieve a wide range of movement patterns. Therefore, different muscles will be biased more depending on the actions being performed.
When choosing exercises to perform, you want to pick exercises that:
- Give sufficient load to the muscle without excessive stress on the surrounding joints.
- Line up the resistance with the muscle(s) you want to train.
- Work around injuries or limitations.
- Can be performed with the equipment in your gym space.
Exercise Order
It’s not only about what you do and how you do it, it matters when. Placing compound exercises first in your workout is preferred, especially for beginners. This is because the more fatigued you get, the worse your technique will become, potentially increasing the risk of injury later in the workout.
Placing exercises like sumo deadlifts and back squats — that demand more from your body — toward the start of your workout will increase the effectiveness of your training. Here’s an example of how you may order the exercises in your next glute-focused workout:
- Back Squat
- Glute Bridge
- Walking Lunge
- Cable Glute Kickback
The heavier, more challenging compound lifts are performed first while you’re nice and fresh, tapering down to targeted isolation work towards the end.
How to Warm Up Your Glutes Before Training
Don’t dive into your glute training without first diving into some proper mobility work. When you’re doing them right (slow, steady, deliberate, and possibly with a band), there’s nothing easy about glute work.
One of the most effective warm-ups for any muscle group is going to be the exercises you are performing in that day’s training session. For example, if you’re performing back squats, you can warm up by performing light reps and increase intensity as you proceed towards your working sets. This ensures that the appropriate muscles and joints are being primed, reducing the risk of injury and improving your overall training performance.
More Glute Training Tips
Now that you’re ready to dive into the best glute exercises out there, make sure you’re also checking out these glute training articles to make the most out of your posterior chain.
- Better Glutes, Better Pulls: How Powerlifters Should Approach Posterior Training
- Are You Leaving Glute Gains On The Table? Try This Two-Move Finisher
- 10 Glute Exercises You Can Do At Home
References
1. Elzanie, A., & Borger, J. (2021). Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Gluteus Maximus Muscle. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
2. Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 46(11), 1689–1697.
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