I’m a Personal Trainer: These 6 Moves Are Secretly Better Than Squats for Glutes

Every lifter has a go-to move, but many claim squats are their favorite just to sound hardcore.

Despite their fame, squats often fall short of sculpting strong, defined glutes.

As a personal trainer with almost two decades of hands-on experience, I’ve seen the squat supremacy myth hold back too many lifters. It breaks my heart seeing so many people suffer through endless sets of squats when there are more effective ways of achieving a stronger, shapelier backside.

I leveraged my experience working with hundreds of clients to compile a list of six exercises that leave squat in the dust. The unique biomechanics of these moves ignite overall glute development by maximizing target muscle fiber recruitment.

In this article, I share the six exercises that will transform your lower body. You’ll also learn how these moves work, why they are better than squats, how to nail their execution, and implement them into your routine.

Why Squats Aren’t the Glute Gold Standard

Don’t get me wrong; squats are great.

However, they engage multiple muscle groups, including quads, hamstrings, and glutes, which might not be a great thing when you’re focusing on growing your bum.

On the other hand, exercises like hip thrusts isolate the glutes, maximizing tension and engagement.

The glutes thrive on targeted work, and you must mix unilateral, isolation, and compound lifts to fire up every glute fiber and unlock your maximum potential.

Understand the Glute Anatomy

Glutes are the biggest and strongest muscles in the human body.

They comprise three muscles: gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, each playing a crucial role in hip extension, rotation, and maintaining posture.

Together, these three muscles create strength and that coveted curve. They also boost performance in day-to-day activities and sports, and reduce the risk of injuries by stabilizing your hips and knees during movement.

While squats are an incredibly effective lower-body exercise, you are shortchanging yourself by limiting yourself to this single move.

The key is to perform exercises that ignite the three gluteal muscles with each rep.

6 Moves That Beat Squats

Squats are the king of lower-body exercises for a reason. They engage almost every muscle in the lower body while emphasizing the glutes and quads. However, this full-body exercise can be incredibly taxing and increases the risk of systemic fatigue, which can hinder recovery and performance.

These exercises take the best of squats and apply them in a way that delivers similar muscle recruitment without hammering your CNS:

Move 1: Hip Thrusts

This exercise might look easy, but it will set your glutes on fire by the time you’re done with your first set. Unlike squats, hip thrusts isolate the gluteus maximus, the biggest derrière muscle.

Research shows that hip thrusts generate higher glute activation due to the horizontal force vector and peak contraction at full hip extension. (1)

Many coaches recommend this exercise, as it allows progressively overloading the target muscles without stressing the spine, making it a game-changer for hypertrophy and strength gains.

How To Perform:

1. Grab a bench and a barbell.
2. Sit on the floor with your upper back against the long side of the bench, knees bent, and feet flat, hip-width apart.
3. Roll the barbell up your legs and position it across your hips. I recommend using a pad for comfort.
4. Grab the bar at shoulder-width for balance.
5. Your body, from your head to your hips, should be in a straight line in the starting position.
6. Brace your core and drive through your heels to lift your hips until your torso forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
7. Prevent your knees from caving in to keep the tension on the target muscles and generate maximum force.
8. Contract your glutes in the fully shortened position before lowering slowly while keeping tension on the target muscles.
9. Perform 8-12 reps with a slow, controlled tempo.

Avoid tucking your chin or letting your head fall back during this move, as it can strain your neck.

Experienced lifters can try the unilateral variation of this exercise to further engage the core and challenge their stability. You could also add a band around the bottom of your thighs to intensify the burn at the top.

Move 2: Bulgarian Split Squats

Most people, including me, have a love-hate relationship with Bulgarian split squats. No one knows how they got their name or who invented them. I think this information has been retracted for the safety of the inventor.

Yes, this exercise is that brutal.

BSS targets your glutes with laser focus and improves your balance and unilateral strength. It involves lunging with your rear foot on a bench. Adding this exercise to your arsenal ensures greater gluteus maximus and medius engagement by delivering a deeper stretch and controlled contraction.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Stand two feet from a flat bench, facing away. Lift one foot off the floor and place its toes on top of the bench. Experienced lifters can hold a dumbbell in each hand to add resistance and make the move more challenging.

Remember, your front foot should be far enough forward to allow a 90-degree knee bend without your knee passing your toes.

I have my clients sit on the bench and then stretch out their legs with their heels on the floor and toes raised. Then, push yourself off the bench and stand upright without changing your heel position. This is usually the best position for this exercise.

Lower your back knee toward the floor while keeping your torso upright and your front knee over your ankle. Drive through your front heel to return to the erect position and squeeze your glutes at the top.

Focus on feeling a stretch and contraction in your front quad and glute throughout the range of motion.

Move 3: Glute Bridges

This unassuming exercise is a hip thrust variation that is perfect for people who train at home, as it doesn’t require any equipment. Nonetheless, you can add weights if you’re trying to push your limits.

The short range of motion involved in glute bridges ensures constant tension on the glutes, maximizing target muscle stimulation and subsequent adaptations.

Plus, they are low-impact, making them perfect for people dealing with lower-body joint issues or those undergoing rehab.

Master the Movement:

1. Setup: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Place a dumbbell across your hips if you’re adding weight.
2. Movement: Drive your heels into the floor and raise your hips toward the ceiling until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
3. Return: Hold the peak contraction for a couple of seconds before returning to the starting position.

You shouldn’t push with your toes during this exercise. Instead, drive solely through your heels. Avoid letting your hips sag or overextending your back at the top. Prioritize a slow and controlled motion to feel the burn in the target muscles.

Move 4: Step Ups

Unilateral exercises, which involve training one side of your body at a time, are incredibly effective for identifying and ironing out muscle and strength imbalances.

Get ready by holding a dumbbell in each hand and standing in front of a knee-high bench or platform. Plant one foot firmly on the bench, drive through your heel, and lift your body until your lead leg is fully extended. Place both your feet on the platform at the top.

Slowly reverse the motion to return to the starting position. Avoid dropping your foot back down, as the impact can strain your knee.

Step-ups are a must-have in your arsenal as they mimic real-world action like climbing stairs and running. These exercises emphasize hip extension to engage your gluteus maximus directly.

Cues for this exercise: Keep your chest up, core braced, and lead foot flat on the bench. Focus on the front leg to maximize glute fiber activation.

Variation for Better Results

• Use a taller platform to increase your range of motion and achieve optimal muscle recruitment.
• Perform lateral step-ups to hit your gluteus medius for side-to-side stability.

Move 5: Romanian Deadlifts

It is now time to shift our focus to a posterior chain powerhouse move. Most experts agree that the muscles at the back of your body are much harder to develop, as it’s more complex to achieve a deep mind-muscle connection with them while training.

Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) are a hip-hinge exercise that prioritizes glutes and hamstrings. This exercise doesn’t just build a jacked posterior chain, but it also boosts overall functionality by powering everything from sprints to deadlifts.

Instructions:

1. Stand upright with a hip-width stance while holding a barbell against your thighs with an overhand grip.
2. Initiate the movement by driving your hips back. Then, hinge at your hips and lower the weight toward the floor while keeping your back straight.
3. Maintain a slight bend in your knees during the descent to achieve a deep hamstring and glute stretch.
4. Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position and contract your glutes at the top.

Always keep your core tight, shoulders pulled back, and chest proud during this exercise to minimize the risk of lower back strain. Also, the weight should be as close to your legs as possible to control the hinge.

Move 6: Cable Kickbacks

Isolation exercises are incredibly effective for zeroing in on the target muscle and achieving a robust mind-muscle connection and pumps. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concluded that better muscle pumps can lead to greater adaptations over time. (2)

Here’s how to perform cable kickbacks correctly:

1. Adjust the cable pulley at the lowest setting and attach an ankle strap. Wrap the strap around your ankle and stand facing the machine.
2. Take a big step back, hinge at the hips while maintaining a neutral spine, and hold the pulley’s frame with both hands for balance.
3. Lift the target leg off the floor and hold it behind your midline. This will be your starting position.
4. Drive the leg behind your body while maintaining slight knee flexion until it is at least parallel to the floor.
5. Pause at the top before returning to the starting position.
6. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.

Folks who train at home can use a resistance band and anchor it to a sturdy object like a table. The best part about this movement is that the constant tension from the cable or band keeps your glutes firing throughout the range of motion, unlike squats, which lose tension at certain points.

How to Incorporate These Moves Into Your Routine

The effectiveness of your training routine will ultimately come down to your workout implementation.

Here is a workout that you can try the next time you hit the gym:

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Hip Thrusts	3-4	8-12	60-90 seconds
Bulgarian Split Squats	3-4	8-12 per leg	60-90 seconds
Romanian Deadlifts	3-4	8-12	60-90 seconds
Glute Bridges	3	15-20	45-60 seconds
Cable Kickbacks	3	12-15 per leg	45-60 seconds
Step Ups	3	10-12 per leg	60 seconds

Consider this a blueprint and adjust the workout as per your unique needs.

Beginners should start with a light weight on each exercise and gradually increase the resistance as they gain more experience.

There are several ways of implementing progressive overload in your workout. You could increase the number of sets and reps, use heavier weights, employ advanced training techniques, or limit the rest time between sets.

Remember, your glutes don’t work alone. You must blend these moves with other lower-body sessions, including quad-focused days, to achieve balanced growth. Besides this, perform a full lower-body session every alternate week to avoid developing imbalances.

Conclusion 

The six exercises listed above outshine squats by targeting your glutes with precision and power. Make them a staple in your routine, and you’ll feel the difference in strength and shape within a few weeks.

Consistency is one of the most important factors when it comes to developing a round and strong butt. Adjust the training volume, intensity, and frequency depending on your current physique and training objectives to get the best bang for your training buck. Best of luck!

References:

1. Fitzpatrick DA, Cimadoro G, Cleather DJ. The Magical Horizontal Force Muscle? A Preliminary Study Examining the “Force-Vector” Theory. Sports (Basel). 2019 Jan 22;7(2):30. doi: 10.3390/sports7020030. PMID: 30678251; PMCID: PMC6409580.
2. Hirono T, Ikezoe T, Taniguchi M, Tanaka H, Saeki J, Yagi M, Umehara J, Ichihashi N. Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Feb 1;36(2):359-364. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003478. PMID: 31904714.

---