The Only 3 Glute Exercises You Need For a Bigger Butt

Booty. Ass. Buttocks. Cake. Okay, sufficient of the cheeky banter, and let’s get straight to the underside of this text. Relating to sculpting a rounder, firmer, and general greater derrière, there’s actually no scarcity of exercise routines promising insane outcomes.

The largest factor to concentrate on when attempting to work your butt is to concentrate on the right workout routines that ship the largest influence. As somebody who is part of the large butt membership, I am going to present you the three glute workout routines I do (spoiler: Step-Ups, Deadlifts, and Hip Thrusts) and probably assist you to to realize your objectives effectively and successfully.

Desk of Contents

• The Three Finest Glute Workout routines
• Why Ought to You Construct Greater & Stronger Glutes?
• Muscle Anatomy of the Glutes

The Three Finest Glute Workout routines

1. Step-Ups

Now, you could be shocked to see step-ups within the primary spot, as an alternative of the typically lauded squats, however hear me out. Not solely is the vary of movement on a step-up higher than lots of people can carry out on a standard squat, step-ups truly activate the glutes considerably greater than most workout routines. Simply try the chart beneath from a research printed in 2020.¹

Determine 1: Neto, Walter Krause, et al. (2020)

Simply from a easy look, you possibly can see step-ups have a considerably increased muscle activation than all the opposite decrease physique workout routines carried out.

Why To Do It:

As if that chart above wasn’t purpose sufficient, not like different workout routines, even these on this listing, you do not want any fancy gear to carry out this motion, only a sturdy raised floor. Step-ups may be carried out nearly wherever, making these a flexible solution to get booty work in with out having to pull your self to the gymnasium.

Do not get me incorrect, as a coach, I completely love squats and suppose they need to be part of most individuals’s coaching regimens. However on the subject of focusing on the glutes, these are king. I educate my shoppers to get essentially the most activation out of their glutes by having them concentrate on partaking them first earlier than even beginning the motion.

These with knee issues could discover that this system of pushing along with your glutes fairly than your quads can take some pressure off of your knees.  

How To Do It

1. Begin by going through a raised floor, like a weight bench, chair, or plyo field.
2. Subsequent, stand along with your ft roughly shoulder-width aside or barely wider.
3. Put one foot onto the bench and interact your glutes.
4. Push by means of your heel to carry your physique right into a standing place on prime of the bench.
5. In a managed method decrease your self again all the way down to the ground.
6. Repeat for as many reps as desired and change to the opposite leg.

Coach Tip: Get comfy with the motion earlier than fascinated with including weight. You may be shocked how tough it may be to stability whereas performing this train, particularly on a weight bench that has some give to it. When you’re comfy with the movement, experiment with tempo, suppose explosive pace or a really sluggish, managed tempo. You may be shocked how tough pacing could make this train. Shoot for no less than 10 reps per leg for 3 units.

Variations:

Dumbbell Step-Ups: This different requires you to seize a pair of dumbbells to extend the problem.

Crossover Step-Ups: Be forewarned, these are completely brutal. As an alternative of going through the bench, stand subsequent to it. Use your outdoors foot to…look forward to it…crossover in entrance of your different foot onto the bench. Push off the leg on the bench to carry your self to standing on the bench. Decrease your self all the way down to the opposite facet of the bench, nonetheless on one foot. Reset to each ft on the ground, and down the identical movement for the opposite facet. When you get good at these, do not be afraid to seize a set of sunshine dumbbells to jack up the depth.

Lateral Step-Ups: Identical to the crossover step-ups, you may be standing subsequent to the bench fairly than going through it. Elevate your inside leg onto the bench, push your self to standing, than decrease your self down. These are mainly the identical movement as an everyday step-up, simply rotated 90º.

2. Deadlift 



Now it was a decent race whether or not I needed to place the deadlift or Romanian deadlift (RDL) right here as they each are hinge actions that primarily goal the hamstrings and glutes whereas additionally partaking the decrease again, quads, and core muscle groups. Finally, I went with deadlifts as a result of the analysis is clear on the subject of which considered one of these workout routines reigns supreme.²



Determine 2: Lee, Sangwoo, et al. (2018)

I did discover it fascinating although, after I gave a ballot to my shoppers, the bulk stated that Romanian Deadlifts focused their glutes essentially the most.

Why To Do It:

Deadlifts have a considerably intimidating popularity as a result of they’re a staple of a powerlifter’s routine, and it isn’t unusual to see the human equal of a water buffalo lifting the load of a small automotive on a deadlift platform. Whereas this may be off-putting to somebody that simply desires to place a bit of junk of their trunk, it is nicely value giving this train a shot.

Not solely will it assist you to fill out your denims, deadlifts can assist construct up core power in addition to a number of different advantages coated in our article on Deadlift Benefits.

How To Do It:

1. Stand along with your ft shoulder-width aside behind a barbell.
2. Place your arms on the bar simply outdoors of your legs, some folks like to make use of a combined grip, with their arms going through reverse methods. I desire to make use of an overhand or hook grip.
3. Brace your core, maintain your chest up, and sink your hips all the way down to nearly a squat place.
4. Retaining the bar near your legs, squeeze your glutes, begin pushing your hips ahead.
5. Hold your again straight because the bar begins rising, aiming on your again and knees to be coming to a standing place on the similar time.
6. Maintain the highest place for a second, then decrease the load to the ground in a managed method.

Coach Tip: Begin with a lighter weight, and actually concentrate on utilizing your glutes to drive the motion. When you’re comfy with the motion, then you can begin including some weight. To make that booty develop, you are gonna need to be within the 8-10 rep vary (decrease reps will assist make you stronger, however hypertrophy is what we’re aiming for). As a result of it is a compound exercise, you ought to be doing this towards the beginning of your exercise.

Variations:

Romanian Deadlifts: It is a improbable variation I do each different leg exercise. To do it correctly, maintain your knees barely bent, the bar tight to your legs, and actually squeeze your glutes on the backside of the motion the get essentially the most out of it.

Sumo Deadlifts: With the identical concept because the deadlift, the Sumo deadlift includes spreading your ft out right into a wider stance, so your arms are grabbing the bar inside your legs. When you begin sinking into the stance, you may perceive why these are a fantastic alternate so as to add to your decrease physique exercises.

Banded Romanian deadlifts: A fan favourite amongst my shoppers, add a resistance band round your hips or underneath your ft to extend rigidity all through the motion, particularly on the prime, the place the glutes would be the most activated.

3. Hip Thrusters



On Instagram and TikTok, you will notice principally girls performing this transfer, however do not let that deter you, gentleman. Hip thrusters are top-of-the-line methods to isolate and strengthen the posterior chain, particularly the gluteus maximus, medius, and hamstrings. Going again to Determine 1, hip thrusts had the second highest muscle activation, which suggests they need to be a mainstay in everybody’s butt exercises.

Why To Do It:

If you happen to wrestle with decrease again ache however nonetheless need to raise heavy weights, then hip thrusters are a superb train for you! Hip thrusters are nice at isolating the glutes by putting them in a very good place for max muscle activation whereas additionally decreasing the pressure on the decrease again muscle groups. 

Lifting the hips in opposition to resistance successfully stimulates muscle development and power improvement within the glutes, main to raised form and definition.

How To Do It:

1. Begin by sitting on the bottom along with your higher again in opposition to a bench and a barbell positioned throughout your hips.
2. Roll the barbell in direction of your physique to relaxation simply above your hip bones. I like to recommend utilizing a pad on the bar to maintain your hips from being bruised by weight.
3. Plant your ft flat on the bottom, shoulder-width aside, and brace your core.
4. Drive by means of your heels, lifting your hips in direction of the ceiling whereas squeezing your glutes on the prime of the motion.
5. Slowly decrease your hips again down underneath management, sustaining rigidity on the glutes all through the motion.

Coach Tip: I’ll often begin out my leg days with three or 4 heavy units of 6 reps to hit my glutes whereas they’re recent. However what I actually like doing is throwing these in on the finish of my leg days, to completely burn out my glutes. I am going to often go for increased reps, round 20, for 3 units.

Variations: 


Single-leg hip thrusters: If you happen to’re searching for a enjoyable problem and need to work your indirect extra, do hip thrusters with one leg elevated. Give attention to driving by means of the heel of the working leg to interact the glutes unilaterally. 

Weighted hip thrusters: As an alternative of utilizing a barbell like most individuals do, you may as well use a dumbbell, kettlebell, or a weight plate throughout your hips to extend resistance and problem the glutes in a barely totally different approach.

Band-resisted hip thrusters: Loop a resistance band round your hips and anchor it to a sturdy object in entrance of you so as to add additional resistance all through the motion, notably on the prime the place the glutes are absolutely contracted.

Why Ought to You Construct Greater & Stronger Glutes?

Moreover the plain advantages of getting a fuller, rounder set of buns, there are a number of different nice causes to prioritize glute improvement in your health routine:

Improved athletic efficiency: I do not find out about you guys, however I’ve been actually entering into pickleball these days, and I’ve observed that engaged on my glutes has performed an enormous half in my explosive energy. It is because robust glutes play an important position in athletic actions reminiscent of operating, leaping, and lifting by enhancing energy, pace, and agility.

Diminished danger of harm: These of you who suppose that having good glutes is pointless most likely do not understand that having weak glutes can contribute to imbalances and pressure different muscle groups to attempt to compensate in motion patterns, which will increase the danger of accidents reminiscent of decrease again ache, knee ache, and hip points.

Enhanced purposeful power: Robust glutes are important for on a regular basis actions like strolling, climbing stairs, and lifting objects, enhancing general purposeful capability and high quality of life.

Muscle Anatomy of the Glutes



(Picture credit score to authentic proprietor)

Whereas it could not appear essential, understanding the glutes’ anatomy can present priceless perception into their perform and the very best methods to coach them optimally. The gluteal muscle groups include three predominant elements:

Gluteus maximus: The largest and strongest muscle within the gluteal group. It’s accountable for hip extension and helps the prolonged knee by means of the iliotibial tract and rotation. Principally, it helps you skip, run, stroll, and bounce. Additionally it is the muscle that makes up the majority of the shape and form of the butt and hip space.

You will discover our favourite Gluteus Maximus Exercises here.

Gluteus medius: That is an fascinating muscle as a result of it’s formed like a hand fan. It’s positioned on the outer floor of the pelvis; this muscle helps hip abduction and stabilization of the pelvis throughout motion.

Wish to actually work these higher glutes? Discover our really useful Gluteus Medius Exercises here.

Gluteus minimus: Located beneath the gluteus medius and the smallest of the three muscle groups, this fan-shaped muscle additionally aids in hip abduction and stabilization, particularly in weight-bearing actions.

Why not spherical out your glute constructing journey by testing the Best Gluteus Minimus Exercises?

Outro

Regardless of what you see throughout social media, constructing a much bigger, extra muscular butt does not require an advanced array of workout routines and gear. Figuring out simply the glutes for hours at a time is not even mandatory.

As an alternative, by specializing in the three powerhouse strikes outlined on this article—step-ups, deadlifts, and hip thrusters—you possibly can effectively and successfully sculpt the ass cheeks of your goals. So, prioritizing glute improvement can yield spectacular outcomes for those who purpose to boost your physique, enhance athletic efficiency, or just look caked up when out in public.

Now that you just’re in your solution to beefing up your bottom, it could be time to consider including some muscle to the remainder of your physique, and the proper approach to do this is the SFS Hypertrophy Program.

Citations:

1. Neto, Walter Krause, et al. “Gluteus Maximus Activation throughout Frequent Energy and Hypertrophy Workout routines: A Systematic Overview.” Journal of Sports activities Science & Medication, vol. 19, no. 1, 24 Feb. 2020, pp. 195–203, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7039033/.
2. Lee, Sangwoo, et al. “An Electromyographic and Kinetic Comparability of Standard and Romanian Deadlifts.” Journal of Train Science & Health, vol. 16, no. 3, Dec. 2018, pp. 87–93, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2018.08.001.