Ladies: The Only 5 Exercises You Need to Sculpt Your Glutes

The gluteus maximus, known as the glutes for short, is the largest muscle in the human body. Making up the bulk of your butt, it’s also one of the most prominent body parts. Clothes are designed to show off your glutes, and a well-shaped butt can add a lot to your appearance.

However, and maybe more importantly, the glutes are one of your most important hip extenders. As such, they’re the engine that drives you forward when you walk, run, or jump. The glutes also play a vital role in all bending and lifting-type activities, and research suggests that weak glutes are a leading cause of lower back pain (1).

Consequently, glute-focused training is a very popular fitness topic, and many exercisers prioritize the glutes in their workouts.

All that said, in my experience as a 30-year veteran personal trainer, despite spending a lot of time and energy training their glutes, some people are still unhappy with their glute development.

Lack of intensity and consistency are two common reasons for a lack of progress. But, almost as often, poor progress is the result of focusing on the wrong exercises. So, while I have nothing against things like fire hydrants, side-lying leg lifts, and any other low-intensity butt exercises, they’re often too easy to be effective.

Remember; the glutes are a large, powerful muscle, so they respond best to exercises that put them under plenty of tension.

In this article, I share what I consider to be the only five exercises you need to sculpt strong, good-looking glutes.

Five Essential Exercises for Strong, Sculpted Glutes

There are lots of glute-centric exercises to choose from – hundreds, probably. Unfortunately, some are better than others, so it’s all too easy to waste your valuable time on exercises that will never deliver the results you want.

Save time and energy by building your glute workouts around these tried and tested exercises. In my experience, these are among the best exercises for developing strong, sculpted glutes.

1. Banded Hip Thrust

While I have nothing against bodyweight and barbell hip thrusts, in my opinion, both exercises have limitations. The bodyweight version, while convenient, doesn’t provide enough overload to fully develop the glutes, especially in more experienced exercisers. The barbell version is awkward and uncomfortable, especially if you train with heavy weights.

In contrast, using a resistance band provides plenty of overload, especially at the top of each rep, and won’t crush your hips and pelvis. As such, this is my go-to hip thrust variation. Plus, as an added benefit, it’s ideal for home exercisers so anyone can do this fabulous booty builder.

How to Do It:

1. Sit on the floor with your upper back resting against a sturdy exercise bench.
2. Bend your legs and place your feet flat on the floor.
3. Using a loop-type resistance band, place the band under your feet and then over your knees so it rests on the crease of your hips.
4. Brace your core and press your heels into the floor.
5. Drive your hips up toward the ceiling so your glutes are fully contracted, and your thighs are parallel with the floor.
6. Pause for a second and then lower your butt back down.
7. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.

Banded Hip Thrust Variations and Alternatives:

• Barbell hip thrust
• B-stance hip thrust
• Single-leg hip thrust
• Glute bridge
• Chinese plank

2. Reverse Deficit Lunge

Lunges are mostly viewed as a quadriceps exercise as they’re a great way to target the muscles on the front of your thigh. However, with a couple of tweaks, you can turn this effective quads builder into a fantastic butt sculptor.

Reverse deficit lunges take much of the work away from your quads and put it on your hamstrings and glutes. They involve a large range of motion at the hips which puts your glutes into a stretched position at the bottom of each rep. Studies reveal that loaded stretches are a potent stimulus for muscle and strength gains (2).

In addition, balancing one leg at a time means you’ll have to recruit your gluteus minimus and medius more. These are your “side butt” muscles and developing them will make your glutes fuller and more rounded.  

How to Do It:

1. Stand on a four to six-inch high platform, e.g., an aerobic step or stacked bumper plates.
2. Take a large step backward and place one foot on the floor behind you.
3. Bend both legs and lower your rearmost knee down until it’s below the height of your front foot.
4. Push off your back leg and return to the starting position.
5. Do your next rep with the opposite leg.
6. Alternate sides for the required number of reps.

Reverse Deficit Lunges Variations and Alternatives:

• Dumbbell, barbell, or weighted vest reverse deficit lunge
• Conventional reverse lunge
• Smith machine reverse lunge
• Barbell side lunge
• Dumbbell step-up

3. Glute-Focused Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian or rear-foot elevated split squats are another of those exercises that most people feel in their quads. This makes sense given the amount of knee flexion you get during this exercise. However, with a few subtle changes, you can turn this quads-dominant exercise into a very effective glute builder.

While it may be tempting to do this exercise with weights, make sure you master the basic movement before adding a barbell or dumbbells. Ensure that you can really feel your glutes working before you start adding additional load.

In my experience, most people get great results doing this exercise with just their body weight as resistance.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your back to a knee-high bench.
2. Bend one leg and place the top of your foot on the bench.
3. Hop forward and into a split/staggered stance.
4. Lean forward from your hips so your torso is inclined to around 45 degrees.
5. Bend your legs and lower your rear knee down to within an inch of the floor.
6. Stand back up and repeat.
7. Continue for the desired number of reps and then switch sides.

Glute-Focused Bulgarian Split Squat Variations and Alternatives:

• Conventional Bulgarian split squat
• Barbell Bulgarian split squat
• Split squat
• ATG split squat
• Band one arm single leg split squat

4. Booty Band Goblet Squat

All types of squat involve your glutes. That said, some variations are more effective than others for targeting your butt. In general, squats performed in a wide stance are better for your glutes than those with a narrow foot placement. Keeping your feet close together tends to emphasize your quadriceps.

You can make any squat variation even more glute-centric by incorporating a mini band or booty band into your workout. Worn around your knees, these bands force you to push your knees apart as you squat, significantly increasing glute engagement.

I spend a lot of my time teaching people how to squat and, in my experience, goblet squats are the most accessible squat variation. Combined with a booty band, this exercise is one of the best glute builders and strengtheners I know.  

How to Do It:

1. Put your booty band around your legs so it’s just above or just below your knees.
2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out. There should be noticeable tension on the band.
3. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest. Keep your upper arms close to your sides.
4. Pushing your knees out against the band throughout, bend your legs and descend until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
5. Pause for 1-2 seconds and then drive your feet into the floor and return to the starting position.
6. Perform the prescribed number of reps.

Booty Band Goblet Squat Variations and Alternatives:

• Conventional goblet squat
• Plié squat
• Dumbbell sumo squat
• Wide-stance barbell squat
• Sumo deadlift

5. Reverse Hyperextension

Reverse hyperextensions are a low-back friendly exercise from the world of powerlifting. Competitive powerlifters use reverse hyperextensions to strengthen their glutes and hamstrings for deadlifts and squats while providing their hard-worked lower backs with some much-needed rest and recovery.

Related: 10 Best Assistance Exercises for Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift

While this exercise is traditionally performed using a special machine, you can easily replicate it using a conventional training bench or stability ball. You can even do reverse hypers at home on a sturdy table.

Regardless of how you do it, this exercise definitely deserves a place on the must-do list of glute exercises, even if you have no plans of becoming a bar-bending powerlifter!

How to Do It:

1. Kneel behind a flat bench.
2. Lean forward and rest your upper body on the bench.
3. Grip the sides of the bench firmly to keep your upper body in place.
4. Keeping your legs bent, extend your hips and push the soles of your feet up toward the ceiling. Take care not to hyperextend your back.
5. Lower your legs and repeat.
6. Hold a dumbbell between your feet or strap on some ankle weights to make this exercise more challenging.

Reverse Hyperextension Variations and Alternatives:

• Good morning
• Romanian deadlift
• Donkey kick
• Standing cable hip extension
• Single-leg glute bridge

Sample Glute-Centric Training Program for Women

While all of these exercises have the potential to help you sculpt strong, functional glutes, you’ll get better results from your training if you follow a dedicated program. Of course, you are free to design your own but, to save you the time and trouble, we’ve created one for you.

Do this workout 1-2 times per week for the next 6-8 weeks to transform your glutes from flabby to fabulous!

However, before you start, make sure you prepare your muscles and joints with a thorough warm-up. Begin with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for your knees, hips, and lower back.

So, warmed up and ready to go? Then let’s go!

	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Recovery
1	Glute-focused Bulgarian split squat	2-4	8-12 per leg	2 minutes
2	Reverse deficit lunge	2-4	8-12 per leg	2 minutes
3	Booty band goblet squat	2-4	12-15	90 seconds
4	Reverse hyperextension	2-4	12-15	90 seconds
5	Banded hip thrust	2-4	15-20	60 seconds

Finish your workout with a few more minutes of easy cardio followed by some glute stretches to prevent muscle tightness and soreness.

Closing Thoughts

Stop wasting your time on ineffective, low-intensity glute exercises. You’ll never achieve the results you want if fire hydrants and clamshells make up the bulk of your glute workouts.

Instead, build your training around the five powerful exercises outlined in this article. In my extensive experience, performing these movements is the best way to grow and sculpt your glutes.

Of course, remember that the glutes are just one of over 600 muscles in the human body, so you should combine your glute training with exercises for the rest of your body. That way it won’t be just your glutes that are strong and sculpted, but all your major muscle groups.

Related: Workout Split for Women: The Ultimate Guide to Get Fit and Fabulous

References:

1. Mohamed RR, Abdel-Aziem AA, Mohammed HY, Diab RH. Chronic low back pain changes the latissimus dorsi and gluteus maximus muscles activation pattern and upward scapular rotation: A cross-sectional study. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2022;35(1):119-127. doi: 10.3233/BMR-200253. PMID: 34151823.
2. Warneke K, Lohmann LH, Lima CD, Hollander K, Konrad A, Zech A, Nakamura M, Wirth K, Keiner M, Behm DG. Physiology of Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy and Strength Increases: A Narrative Review. Sports Med. 2023 Nov;53(11):2055-2075. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01898-x. Epub 2023 Aug 9. PMID: 37556026; PMCID: PMC10587333.

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