Jeff Cavaliere Explains How to Fix Flat Glutes With 2 Activation Drills & 3 Exercises

Fitness coach Jeff Cavaliere has tricks up his sleeve to grow any muscle. In his latest video, shared on Sept. 17, 2025, he broke down how to build bigger, rounder glutes with two activation drills and two exercises. 

“If you have underdeveloped glutes that you wish were bigger and looked better, or if you have the side effects of dysfunction, like low back pain or hip pain that comes from having underdeveloped glutes, I’ll help you activate those underactive glutes.” 

Cavaliere has years of experience helping shape athletes. He served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach to the New York Mets and continues to offer his teachings online through his YouTube channel, boasting over 14.1 million subscribers. Whether you’re a bodybuilder or average gym-goer, glute training can be tricky, which is why Cavaliere is shedding light on how to get it done safely and effectively. 

Jeff Cavaliere Shows How To Fix Flat Glutes With Targeted Activation Drills & Exercises 

Cavaliere’s Activation Drills 

• Lying Leg Swing 
• Standing Leg Swing 

In the video, Cavaliere shared that internally rotating the hip is crucial to hit the glute medius while lying down. 

“First thing you want to do is get on your side like this and then you’re going to take your leg and put it in front of your body in this flexed state of the hip. In this position, the way to attack the glute medius specifically is to internally rotate the hip.” 

As for the standing variation, he notes that swinging the leg in front of the body into hip flexion also helps grow the glute medius. 

“We’re doing it in a very specific way,” he shared. “Get that leg out in front of the body or into hip flexion. Then, we’re going to lift the leg up, but at the same time, turn the toe down. We’re going for that same idea of that toe stabber down, but we’re keeping the leg in from the body.” 

Cavaliere’s Go-To Glute Exercises 

• Reverse Dumbbell Lunge
• One-Leg RDL 
• Glute Bridge 

Beyond functionality, Cavaliere unpacked how to grow bigger, stronger glutes with weighted reverse dumbbell lunges. Best of all, his variation keeps the knees protected. 

“Separate from those activation drills, if you want the bigger, more well-developed glutes, this is how you’d do it. You have to add a little bit more weight, and just a single dumbbell will allow you to do this. But it’s choosing the right exercises and doing them the right way, which is often the case.” 

“One of my favorite ways to do this is with an offset reverse dumbbell lunge,” he said. “It helps to alleviate some of the pain that we get in the knee when we lunge forward. We’re not going to have to worry about that because we lunge backwards.” 

He also credited the one-legged RDL as a helpful tool for glute development. 

“What you’re trying to do is go down and then drive out through that down glute.” 

Lastly, Cavaliere highlights why his bridge variation is essential to creating rounder glutes: 

“Not a regular glute bridge, but one done from this externally rotated hip position. I put the dumbbell right here on my junk right across here, and I lift up into that bridge. You can see that I’m favoring the glute medius because I’ve externally rotated the hips by putting the soles of my feet together and flat on the ground.” 

He has solutions for achieving a tighter midsection as well. While many in the fitness community might insist you need a handful of exercises to achieve a six-pack, Cavaliere emphasized that all you need are two. For beginners, he said the reverse corkscrew and upper circle are the best options. 

Between activation drills and these exercises, Cavaliere is confident this system can help anyone grow the glutes. In addition to the benefits of muscle growth, he maintains that stronger glutes can help alleviate lower back pain. 

RELATED: Jeff Cavaliere Shares the Best Way to Get Lean at Any Body Fat Level

Watch the full video from the ATHLEAN-X YouTube channel below: 

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