Glutes are a hot topic recently. If you find yourself looking to grow your glutes, you are not alone!
The fact of the matter is that there are quite a few things that can go into the perfect "peach" as the kids like to say.
Things like nutrition, genetics, and many other factors can play a role. But, glute exercises are one of the areas that can help a ton!
In This Article, You Will Learn:
• What Are Glutes and Why Are They Important?
• Benefits of Glute Exercises
• Muscles in Your Glutes
• Glute Exercises for You to Try
• How to Build an Effective Glute Workout
• FAQs about Glute Exercises Glute Exercises
• How to Get the Most out of Glute Exercises
What Are Glutes and Why Are They Important?
Your glutes are more than just aesthetics. They're actually one of the most important muscle groups in your entire body! Before we dive into the best glute exercises and workouts, let's understand what we're working with.
The gluteal muscles, commonly known as your glutes, are the largest muscle group in your body. Think of them as your body's powerhouse – they're not just there to fill out your favorite jeans. Your glutes are crucial for nearly every lower body movement you make.
When we talk about glute exercises, we're targeting a group of muscles that work together to:
• Power your leg movements
• Stabilize your pelvis
• Support proper posture
• Enable explosive movements like jumping and sprinting
• Protect your lower back
Benefits Of Glute Exercises
There are a number of benefits that can come with glute exercises. Of all the benefits they can provide, these are three that I have personally noticed the most in my journey:
• Improved Strength & Power
• Better Posture
• More Stable Base Of Support
All of these things can help to improve the quality of your life no matter who you are.
Whether you're a high-level athlete or a mom who's wanting to chase her kids around the yard, these can help you too.
Improved Strength & Power
Glute exercises can help you increase your strength and power. This is true in your glute exercises specifically, but also in other ways too.
For example, jumping is something that can improve as a result of doing glute exercises. You can increase your jump height when used properly (1).
In addition to this, in my experience, I have even seen more strength and power in non-glute exercises too. Bench press would be an example of this because of the way that your feet can press through the ground.
Better Posture
Posture is something that impacts us all. Whether you're like me and you sit at a desk or you are somebody who is up and moving all day, posture is important.
Your glutes are a big piece of what can hold your posture strong. When you have stronger glutes, it is more likely that you will be able to maintain good posture (2).
Glute exercises can help your glutes get stronger. Stronger glutes can help support your lower back and that plays a big role in your posture.
More Stable Base Of Support
Stability is something that is important in all facets of life. Stability is important for sitting, standing, walking, running, and so much more.
Doing glute exercises is a great way to help ensure that you stay upright. After all, like we've already talked about, strong glutes can help lead to stronger backs. Strong glutes and backs can help keep us stable and upright (3).
Keeping our hips stable and our balance on point is going to help make sure we keep ourselves feeling and living our best.
Understanding Your Glute Muscles: A Complete Breakdown
There are three main muscles in your glutes that are going to support you when you're doing glute exercises.
These muscles are your:
• Gluteus Maximus
• Gluteus Medius
• Gluteus Minimus
Now, there are obviously other muscles that support these exercises. For today, we're sticking with the glutes! So let's take a look at what each of these muscles does.
Gluteus Maximus
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your glutes. It's mainly responsible for extending and externally rotating the thigh at the hip joint. It helps with hip extension, hip rotation, pelvis stabilization, and core stability.
Gluteus Medius
The gluteus medius is a medium-sized muscle in your glutes. It's mainly responsible for abduction at your hip joint and internal rotation. What that means is that it helps your pelvis stay stable and move your leg away from its midline.
Gluteus Minimus
The gluteus minimus is the smallest muscle in your glutes. It's mainly responsible for stabilizing and supporting in abducting your hip. What that means is that it helps you support and move your leg away from its midline.
All three of these muscles can play a role in similar movements. They all include squats, walking, running, and more.
Best Glute Exercises For You To Try
There is an endless amount of glute exercises that can help you get stronger as well, but here are 10 of my favorites:
• Glute Bridges
• Squats
• Lunges
• Belt Squats
• Step-Ups
• Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)
• Hip Thrust
• Kettle Bell Swings
• Lateral Lunges
• Bulgarian Split Squats
There can be a lot to unpack here. .. But I want to make sure that you know exactly how to do each of these and we'll talk about that right now!
Glute Bridges
1. Lie flat on your back and bend your knees. Rest your feet on the floor and relax your arms by your sides.
2. Press through your heels and lift your hips off the floor. Exhale and contract your glutes as you do this.
3. Push your hips toward the ceiling, and pause while holding your body in a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
4. Slowly lower your hips back down, inhale, and repeat as programmed.
Squats
1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart with your toes pointing forward.
2. Inhale and slowly lower your body down as you bend at your ankles, knees, and hips.
3. Lower down to about 90 degrees and pause.
4. Raise your body back up as you exhale and return to starting position.
5. Repeat for as many reps as programmed. You can use variations of weight to challenge yourself even more if you'd like.
Lunges
1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Step back with your right foot as you inhale.
3. Bend your knees to about 90 degrees and lower your right leg to about 2 inches off the ground.
4. Exhale and return to your starting position.
5. Repeat on your left side and for as many reps as programmed. You can use variations of weight to challenge yourself even more if you'd like.
Belt Squats
1. Stand on the platform, slightly bend your knees, and make sure you have the belt set around your waist.
2. Place your feet on the right and left side of the pulley system in the platform and grab the handles in front of you.
3. Find your balance, pull the release bar, and sit straight back into a squat.
4. Inhale and lower your knees down to at least 90 degrees.
5. Exhale and press back up to starting position and repeat as programmed.
Step-Ups
1. Stand in front of a box or riser set at the height of your choice.
2. With your right foot, toes pulled up toward your shins, lift your foot up and forward to step onto the box or riser.
3. Plant your foot firmly and exhale as you press yourself fully upright.
4. Pause at the top with both feet on the box or riser and slowly step back and down one foot at a time.
5. Reset in your starting position and repeat on the left side.
Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)
1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart in front of a barbell loaded to the weight of your choice.
2. Very slightly bend your knees and hinge at the hips. Pushing your pelvis forward until you begin to feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Grab the barbell and exhale as you lift it up.
4. Keep the barbell close to your legs through the entire motion and thrust your hips forward to complete your rep.
5. Inhale and lower the bar back down to the ground before repeating for as many reps as programmed.
Hip Thrust
1. Sit with your back against a weight bench or box with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. With your shoulders supporting your body, exhale and press up through your heels, pressing your hips up to the sky.
3. Keep your knees wide and in line with your shoulders through the entire movement.
4. Inhale and slowly lower back down to the ground back to starting position.
5. Repeat as programmed and add weight as you can.
Kettle Bell Swings
1. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart and a kettlebell slightly in front of and between your feet.
2. Hinge at the hips to lower and grab the kettlebell.
3. Swing the bell back between your legs as you inhale and then rapidly thrust your hips forward as you exhale.
4. The kettlebell will naturally propel forward up to about chest height.
5. Let the kettlebell swing back down and smoothly string your reps together as programmed.
Lateral Lunges
1. Stand with your feet a little bit closer than shoulder width apart.
2. Take a big step to the right and shift your weight over your right leg until it's bent at about 90 degrees.
3. Keep your left leg straight to support your balance with the movement.
4. Slightly lean forward at your hips and push your body back upright through your right leg.
5. Alternate sides and repeat for as many reps as programmed.
Bulgarian Split Squats
1. Sit on a box or bench with your legs extended outward.
2. Stand up from that position and lift your right leg up and back to rest on the box or bench behind you.
3. Maintain your balance, inhale, and lower your body at your ankles, knees, and hips down until your left knee is at about a 90 degree angle.
4. Exhale and press your body back up to starting position.
5. Repeat for as many reps as programmed and then repeat on the other side.
Creating An Effective Glute Exercise Program
Now that you understand the best glute exercises, let's talk about putting them together. The key to seeing results from your glute exercises isn't just about doing them ... it's about doing them right and with the right frequency.
Here are some key principles to remember when planning your glute exercises:
Progressive Overload
• Start with bodyweight glute exercises to master form.
• Gradually increase weight, sets, or reps.
Activation and Mind-Muscle Connection
• Begin workouts with glute activation exercises.
• Focus on feeling your glutes working during each movement.
• Use proper form over heavy weights.
Recovery and Frequency
• Allow 48 hours between intense glute exercises.
• Mix heavy and light days.
• Listen to your body's signals. Don't do an exercise if you start to feel any aches or pains.
Common Mistakes To Avoid With Glute Exercises
Even the best glute exercises won't give you optimal results if you're making these common mistakes:
1. Poor Form
Before you start increasing your weights, make sure you have good form. If you train with bad form and heavy weight, you could risk injury. You also won't get the most out of the exercise.
2. Skipping Warm-ups
I always recommend a good warmup before your weight workouts. With your glutes, it's always best to get them engaged, especially before using heavier weights. This can include dynamic stretches or even some light cardio and bodyweight movements.
3. Inconsistent Training
Follow a structured glute exercise program. If you aren't keeping track of what you're doing, it can be difficult to make progress over time. You'd just be playing a big guessing game!
Piecing Together A Glute Workout
With all the exercises above, there are thousands of ways you could piece together a workout. Plus, there are even more glute exercises that you could throw into the mix as well. With that being said, here's a combination of glute exercises that I'm confident you will love:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Belt Squats | 3 | 12 |
| Romanian Deadlifts | 3 | 10 |
| Lateral Lunges | 3 | 8 (Each Leg) |
| Kettle Bell Swings | 3 | 15 |
| Hip Thrusts | 3 | 12 |
If you throw this in as part of your routine that you can go through each week, you'll be in a great spot.
To help your glutes get stronger, make sure that you're using progressive overload. This means that you are adding some sort of volume to your exercise each week. The most common ways to do this are adding more weight, more sets, or more reps.
Frequently Asked Questions About Glute Workouts
Here are three of the most common questions people have about glute exercises:
Q: How Often Should I Do Glute Exercises?
A: I would recommend you do glute exercises at least twice a week. I actually recommend this for many, if not all major muscle groups. Research shows this is optimal for muscle growth and strength gains (4).
Q: Do Glute Exercises Make You Stronger?
A: Yes, glute exercises can absolutely make you stronger! Your glutes will actually play a role in a lot of exercises that you do. Stronger glutes can help build strength in quite a few different movements! Studies have shown that glute strength is directly correlated with overall athletic performance (5).
Q: Can Glute Exercises Help Me with Weight Loss?
A: Glute exercises can help with weight loss! What's going to help you lose weight is being in a calorie deficit. This means that you are burning more calories than you are consuming. Glute exercises can help you burn calories, and when combined with proper nutrition, can contribute to weight loss.
Getting The Most Out Of Your Glute Exercises
If you're anything like me, you're always wanting to get the most out of your workouts in general. I know that using some of the glute exercises above, that you can be off to a great start.
What can help you even more is making sure that you are tracking your workouts, optimizing your nutrition, and setting up for success with a good plan.
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References:
(1) Stastny, Petr et al. "Strengthening the Gluteus Medius Using Various Bodyweight and Resistance Exercises." Strength and conditioning journal vol. 38,3 (2016): 91-101. doi:10.1519/SSC.0000000000000221.
(2) Jeong, Ui-Cheol et al. "The effects of gluteus muscle strengthening exercise and lumbar stabilization exercise on lumbar muscle strength and balance in chronic low back pain patients." Journal of physical therapy science vol. 27,12 (2015): 3813-6. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.3813.
(3) Collings, Tyler J et al. "Gluteal Muscle Forces during Hip-Focused Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Exercises." Medicine and science in sports and exercise vol. 55,4 (2023): 650-660. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003091.
(4) Schoenfeld, Brad J et al. "Resistance Training Frequency and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Review of Available Evidence." Sports Medicine vol. 46,11 (2016): 1689-1697. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8.
(5) Williams, Michael J et al. "The Relationship Between Gluteal Muscle Force Development and Athletic Performance Tasks: A Systematic Review." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research vol. 35,7 (2021): 2050-2065. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003550.
