Whether you’re aiming to sculpt a peach-perfect posterior or simply strengthen your glutes for improved performance and stability, incorporating the right exercises into your routine is key. From classic moves to targeted isolations, I’ve got you covered with the top six exercises for maximizing glute growth.
Let’s talk Glutes
Lately building a nice booty has been a very popular theme among gym goers. Not only women, but also men. Sure, having a nice looking backside is definitely going to improve your overall look, but it is not only the visual aspect that we should think about. Glutes have a very important role to play. And the longer you manage to keep your glutes in shape, the better you will age. So what are glutes?
The gluteal muscles, comprising the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus, play crucial roles in lower body movement and stability. The gluteus maximus, the largest of the three, primarily aids in hip extension, crucial for activities like running, jumping, and climbing stairs. It also contributes to the stabilization of the pelvis during walking. The gluteus medius and minimus work together to abduct the hip, meaning they move the thigh away from the midline of the body. They are especially important in maintaining pelvic stability during walking and other dynamic movements, preventing excessive tilting or dropping of the pelvis. These muscles collectively support overall lower body strength, posture, and functional movement.
So when you train your glutes – remember – they are functional to the point that if you don’t have enough of strength in them, you will face many problems as you age. You will have less stability, you will have harder time getting off the chair or sofa and your posture won’t be as good as you might wish it to be.
Glute workouts should be included in all well rounded training programs. But if you don’t have a plan, at least make sure to include the following exercises. Most are compound movements that will work also surrounding muscles, like quads, hamstrings and back. So if your joint health (knees especially) allows you to perform at least a couple of these, you will be on the right path to have strong and functional glutes.
1. Romanian Deadlifts
Let’s kick things off with a powerhouse move: Romanian deadlifts. This exercise targets not only your glutes but also your hamstrings and lower back, making it a triple threat for building strength and stability. Lower back, however, should not be hurting while doing this exercise. Make sure it is nice and flat/neutral and not too rounded or too arched.
How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells in front of your thighs. Hinge at your hips, keeping your back flat as you lower the weight towards the ground. Your knees should not bend a lot, meaning, they should not have a squat type of flexion in them. What you want is a natural bend due to the push of the hips backwards. Once at the lowest (mid tibia), squeeze your glutes to return to the starting position. Feel the stretch in the back of your legs!
If you want to challenge yourself even further, try unilateral RDL’s. This variation will help you deal with certain disbalances in your body, as most unilateral movements tend to do.
2. Split Squats
Split squats are a fantastic unilateral exercise that targets each leg individually, helping to correct muscle imbalances and activate your glutes more effectively.There are many types of split squats, but any variation is great, as it trains the glutes in a stretched position.
You can go for classic or front leg elevated split squat to stretch the glute even more. To take away balance issue and add some good weight, you can perform this with the help of the Smith machine. I myself like to do it with a slight lunge effect, meaning, I don’t keep the back leg down on the floor all the time to add a bit more range of motion.
There is also the famous Bulgarian split squat – this will test not only your will but also your balance, which is a great combination. Contrary to the front leg elevated split squat, here you would elevate your back leg, to have all the weight go through the front leg. You can play around with the execution of bulgarian split squat: bending your upper body more forward will stretch the glutes more, while staying more upright will work the quads.
The great thing about split squats is that you can use many different variations depending on your experience and strength level. For example, you can do split squat on a hack squat machine or leg press machine, even pendulum if you were strong enough and kept a good form.
3. Sumo Squats
Take a wider stance and feel the burn in your inner thighs with sumo squats. This variation of the squat targets your glutes from a different angle, helping to stimulate muscle growth.
How to do it: Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart and toes turned out at a 45-degree angle. Lower your body towards the ground by bending your knees, keeping your chest lifted. Press through your heels to return to the starting position. You might want to bend your upper body slightly forward without rounding your back to get an extra stretch at the bottom of the movement. Squeeze the butt to push yourself up. You’ll feel the burn in all the right places!
4. Hip Thrusts
Hip thrusts target your glutes directly in a shortened position helping to build both strength and size. You will need to play around a bit to find the best foot placement for yourself. You want to be able to get your body parallel to the ground and 90 degree angle in your knees at the top. If you feel it too much in the hamstrings, your feet ar too far out. If you feel it too much in your quads, your feet are too close.
How to do it: Sit on the ground with your upper back against a bench and a barbell across your hips. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and drive through your heels to lift your hips towards the ceiling. Keep your head up and eyes forward. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower back down with control. Prepare for some serious booty gains!
5. Sumo Deadlifts
Engage your glutes and hamstrings with sumo deadlifts, a variation of the traditional deadlift that places emphasis on your lower body muscles. Sumo deadlifts are similar to Sumo squats, but what differs is the weight loading and movement pattern. Sumo as all deadlifts is a hip hinge rahter than knee flexion based movement.
How to do it: Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed outward. Grab a barbell with an overhand or mixed grip, hands inside your knees. Keeping your back flat, push through your heels to lift the barbell off the ground, standing up tall at the top of the movement. Lower the barbell back down with control. Your glutes will be firing!
6. Abductor Exercises
Don’t forget about your abductors! These muscles on the outer thighs play a crucial role in hip stability and glute activation. You can do this as a warmup or a finisher. It is an isolation exercise, so it works only the abductor muscles (especially if you use a machine)
How to do it: Use a resistance band, abductor machine or cable machine to perform exercises like side lying leg raises, standing lateral leg lifts or abductions. Keep tension in the band or cable as you lift your leg out to the side, focusing on squeezing your glutes at the top. Your booty will thank you later!
Don’t sit on your butt, grow it!
Now that you have been given some ideas towards which exercises to use for better glute growth, do not wait for a miracle! Work for it! Whether you’re aiming for size, strength, or definition, these moves have got you covered.
And if you need help with programming or you just really need some guidance, don’t hesitate to contact me!
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