Build a Better Butt: The 7 Best Trainer-Approved Glute Exercises

Whether you are training to look good, stay healthy, or dominate your chosen sport, glute training should be at the top of your to-do list. The glutes are your body’s engine and are involved in almost every significant movement you perform.

From walking to running to jumping to kicking, it’s your glutes that drive you.   

Unfortunately, a lot of people have weak, underdeveloped glutes. One reason for this is prolonged sitting, which puts your glutes in a relaxed, stretched position and keeps them there for many hours.

As well as affecting how well your jeans fit, this glute deficiency can also contribute to lower back pain (1), as the work that should be done by your glutes ends up being directed toward your lumbar spine. Given how prevalent lower back pain is, it’s safe to say that almost everyone would benefit from some extra glute training.

The glutes are actually a complex of three muscles, and while they commonly work together, each one needs to be developed to optimize appearance and performance.

The muscles that make up the glutes are:

Gluteus maximus – the largest of the glute muscles, and mainly responsible for hip extension.

Gluteus medius – the middle-sized glute muscle, primarily responsible for hip abduction and stabilization, e.g., during walking.

Gluteus minimus – the smallest of the glute muscles, also involved in hip abduction and internal rotation of the thigh.

And yet, despite their obvious importance, a lot of people neglect their glutes altogether or train them with ineffective movements.

I’m a veteran personal trainer and I’ve been helping my clients exceed their health and fitness goals for more than 30 years. In this article, I share my favorite exercises and workouts for awesome glutes!

Ignite your Glutes with These Seven Exceptional Exercises

Most glute workouts revolve around conventional squats and deadlifts. And while these are not bad exercises for training the glutes, they aren’t necessarily the best. That’s because both squats and deadlifts involve many additional muscles, so the glutes tend to work in a supporting role rather than being the star of the show.

I prefer a more direct approach to glute training. In my experience, targeting the glutes more precisely produces better results in less time. This is like doing curls instead of pulldowns for your biceps.

That’s not to say my list of top glute exercises doesn’t include squat or deadlift variations. However, I’ve modified these movements to make them much more glute-centric.

So, without further ado, here are seven essential exercises for building the glutes of your dreams!

1. Banded Hip Thrust

Hip thrusts are a popular exercise. Usually done with just bodyweight or a barbell for resistance, this move targets the hip extension function of your glutes. Hip thrusts are also very lower back-friendly, making them ideal for rehab and prehab.

However, for most lifters, the bodyweight version of hip thrusts is too easy, and the barbell version is awkward and uncomfortable. Both of these shortcomings vanish like donuts on cheat day with this banded variation.

Steps:

1. Sit on the floor with your back facing a sturdy bench. Bend your legs and place your feet flat on the floor.
2. Using a loop-type resistance band, place the band under one foot, over your hips, and under the other.
3. Once you are in position, lean back against the bench and brace your core.
4. Next, drive your feet into the floor and lift your hips until they form a straight line between your knees and shoulders. Take care not to hyperextend your spine.
5. Lower your butt back to the floor and repeat.

Squat Vs Deadlift Comparison: Which One is King?

2. Cable Pull-Through

The cable pull-through is something of a powerlifting staple. Some of the strongest athletes on the planet use this exercise to strengthen their glutes and increase their squat and deadlift performance. With a pedigree like that, it’s safe to say that this exercise is incredibly effective and deserves its place in your glute-building workouts.

Steps:

1. Attach a rope handle to a low pulley machine.
2. Stand with your back to the weight stack and astride the handle. Brace your core.
3. Pick up the handle, stand up, and take 1-2 steps forward to tension the cable. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent.
4. Hinging from the hips, push your butt back and lean forward. Reach back between your legs with your arms. Take care not to round your lower back.
5. Pause in this stretched position and then drive your hips forward, tensing your glutes hard at the top of each rep.

No cable machine? No problem! You can also do this exercise with a resistance band.

3. Dumbbell Booty Band Goblet Squat

Squats are a great lower-body exercise, but they tend to hit your quadriceps (thigh muscles) more than your butt. That all changes when you use a booty band. With a booty band around your knees, you’ll have to work hard to prevent your legs from caving inward, which increases glute activation enormously. And yes, your quads will get a good workout, too!

Steps:

1. Carefully step into your booty band and pull it up around your knees.
2. Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward.
3. Hold a dumbbell vertically in front of your chest and just below your chin. Brace your core. You can also use a kettlebell if preferred.
4. Keeping your chest high, bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor. Push your legs out against the resistance offered by the band.
5. Drive your feet into the floor, stand back up, and repeat.

4. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Like squats, Romanian deadlifts are a pretty good glute exercise. However, this single-leg variation turns good into great. Standing on one leg forces you to work much harder to stabilize your pelvis, which is the job of the glutes medius, and minimus. Combined with a large hip hinge motion, this exercise is the best kind of butt-kicker.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand and shift your weight over onto your right foot.
2. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
3. Hinging from the hips, lean forward and lower the dumbbell down toward the floor. Extend your left leg out behind you for balance.
4. Use your glutes and hamstrings to pull you back upright and repeat.
5. Do this exercise next to a railing, pillar, or wall if you need help balancing.

5. Dumbbell Reverse Deficit Lunge

Lunges are usually thought of as a quads exercise. That’s a fair appraisal as, when done conventionally, most people feel lunges in the fronts of their thighs. However, with a few simple tweaks, you can turn quads-centric lunges into a fantastic glute exercise. Once you’ve tried them this way, you will never look at lunges the same way again!

Steps:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand on a 4 to 6-inch high platform, e.g., a bumper plate or two, or a step box top.
2. Take a large step backward, bend your legs, and lower your rearmost knee down to within an inch of the floor. Lean forward from the hips to increase glute activation.
3. Push off your back leg and return to the platform.
4. Do your next rep with the same leg or switch sides and alternate as preferred.

6. Banded Clamshell Against a Wall

Clamshells are a staple of many group exercise classes. However, most people find them too easy to be effective or lean back to make pumping out lots of reps in time to music more manageable. Targeting gluteus minimus and medius, using a mini band and a wall eliminates both of these issues to make clamshells much more challenging and productive.  

Steps:

1. Lie on your side with your back against a smooth wall. Put your mini band around your knees. Rest your head on your outstretched arm.
2. Bend your legs and place your feet flat against the wall.
3. Lift your uppermost knee out and up while keeping your lower back pressed against the wall. Think about drawing an arc with your knee.
4. Pause in the topmost position for 1-2 seconds and then slowly return to the start.
5. Continue for the desired number of reps and then switch sides.

7. Russian Kettlebell Swing

Most glute exercises are done using a slow, controlled tempo. There is a good reason for this – it eliminates the momentum that would otherwise take work away from the target muscles. However, speed is your friend during Russian kettlebell swings, and they’ll help you develop the powerful, athletic-looking glutes you’ve always wanted.

Steps:

1. Hold a kettlebell in your hands and stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
2. Keeping your legs slightly bent, push your hips back and hinge forward to lower the weight between your knees.
3. Drive your hips forward and use this momentum to swing the weight forward and up to about shoulder level.
4. Tense your glutes as hard as you can at the top of each rep.
5. Lower the kettlebell and repeat.

Build A Better Butt with These Proven Workouts

Doing any of the exercises listed above will help strengthen your glutes. However, you’ll get better results if you follow a more prescriptive program. While there is nothing to prevent you from writing your own, here are two workouts that feature my seven favorite glute builders.

Workout One: Home Alone

You don’t need a gym to build a powerful, picture-perfect butt. In fact, all you really need is some space and a selection of resistance bands. Do this workout anytime you are unable to make it to the gym, e.g., on vacation or during holidays when the gym is closed.

	Exercise*	Sets	Reps	Recovery
1	Banded Hip Thrust	2-4	8-12	60-90 seconds
2	Reverse Deficit Lunge	2-4	10-15	60-90 seconds
3	Banded Clamshells Against a Wall	2-4	8-12	60-90 seconds
4	Banded Pull-Through	2-4	15-20	60-90 seconds

*This session includes some of the exercises described above but with body weight instead of dumbbells for resistance.

Workout Two: Gym-Based Butt Kicker

If gym-based training is more your speed, this is the workout for you! It includes most of the exercises outlined above with set, rep, and recovery recommendations to ensure you work your glutes hard enough to achieve the desired results.

	Exercise*	Sets	Reps	Recovery
1a	Banded Hip Thrust	4	12-15	90 seconds
1b	Dumbbell Booty Band Goblet Squat
2	Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift	3	8-12	60 seconds
3	Dumbbell Reverse Deficit Lunge	3	8-12	60 seconds
4	Russian Kettlebell Swing	3	5, 10, 15*	90 seconds

Do exercises 1a and 1b as a superset. Perform exercise 1a and then immediately do a set of exercise 1b. Rest for the allocated time and then repeat the pairing.

* Rep ladder: Do 5 reps, rest for 5-10 seconds, do 10 reps, rest for 10-20 seconds, do 15 reps, and then rest for 90 seconds. Repeat for three sets/ladders in total.

Closing Thoughts

You need more than plain old squats, lunges, and deadlifts if you want to build the glutes of your dreams. While these exercises do involve your glutes, other exercises work your butt more effectively, and in my experience, those listed in this article are among the best.

So, create your next glute workout around these awesome movements, or give either of the programs provided a try. You’ll soon be on your way to developing the glutes you’ve always wanted.  

References:

1. Nadler SF, Malanga GA, Feinberg JH, Prybicien M, Stitik TP, DePrince M. Relationship between hip muscle imbalance and occurrence of low back pain in collegiate athletes: a prospective study. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2001 Aug;80(8):572-7. doi: 10.1097/00002060-200108000-00005. PMID: 11475476.

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