15+ Of The BEST Glute Exercises (Plus a 20 minute Glute Workout!) (2024)

Thanks to Instagram, shapely butts are everywhere! But as a , one thing that isn’t common knowledge on the gram is that the glute muscles respond best to variety & load.

Meaning, if you want the best possible results, you’ll want to adjust your training to include booty exercises with weights, glute isolation exercises, and glute activation exercises with a mini band.

Likewise, ensuring you hit all functions of the glutes and use multiple volumes. Learn more about the rule of thirds and how to use it.

Glute Exercises With Weights

If you want the BEST results from your glute training, start doing dumbbell glute exercises (or barbell). Adding weight to your glutes is the best way to transform your butt.

The exercises below include a variety of the best exercises you can do for your glutes. They require a dumbbell or a barbell and most of them have multiple variations.

And though all the glutes work together, they primarily target the gluteus maximus.

Keep in mind that while the weighted exercises are listed and explained with dumbbells, that many of them (especially deadlifts, squats, lunges) work with a barbell as well – and even provide a new kind of stimulus!

Exercise 1: Dumbbell Glute Bridge

The dumbbell glute bridge is a classic glute exercise and a sure-fire way to work your peach!

1. Lying on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder width apart roughly. Place the dumbbell on your hips.
2. Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
3. Pause at the top for maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bring the hips back to the starting position.

Perform anywhere from 8-25 repetitions.

Exercise 2: Barbell Hip Thrust

1. Place your back against the bench while sitting on the floor. Roll the bar over your legs and onto your hips. Bend your knees and bring them into your chest keeping the feet shoulder width apart as you lift your back onto the bench
2. Hips should be hovering over the floor and the strap of your bra should on the bench. Push through the heels, squeeze the gluteus maximus, and lift the hips towards the ceiling. Keep your eyes facing forward so that the upper back is slightly rounded and not extended over the bench!
3. Squeeze the glutes to lock out. Then release the tension and bring your hips towards the floor (the starting position).

Perform 5-15 repetitions

Obviously, a hip thrust with a dumbbell works amazingly too!

Exercise 3: Dumbbell Single Leg Hip Thrust

1. Set up in hip thrust position with your back on the bench (running roughly along your bra strap) and the left knee bent and over the heel. The right leg will be raised and the dumbbell will be on the hip of the left leg.
2. Dip your hips towards the floor making sure that the left knee stays facing forward and not caving. Squeeze the glutes and lift the hips towards the ceiling while squeezing the glute.
3. Your back will extend flat on the bench. Lock out the glute briefly, release the tension and return to the starting position.

Perform all repetitions on the left leg before moving on to the right leg.

Exercise 4 American Deadlift

1. Standing upright, hold a set of dumbbells resting on your thighs. With knees slightly bent, hinge forward at the hips and sink the weight backward keeping a flat back (learn how to hip hinge to master this).
2. Reverse the movement and at the top, bring the pelvis into a posterior pelvic tilt and “lockout” the glutes (without leaning backward excessively).
3. Release the tension and return to a neutral starting position.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise 6 Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats

1. Set up in lunge position with the left leg elevated on the bench and the right knee over the heel. Hold the dumbbells in your hands.
2. Hinge forward slightly (to create more tension on the back of the body: glutes) as you push backward and drop the left knee towards the floor while keeping the right knee facing forwards.
3. Squeeze the glute of the right leg as you push through the heel to reverse the movement and extend the hips to the starting position.
4. Perform all repetitions on the right leg before moving on to the next.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise 7: Supported Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

1. Beside a chair or bench, hold a dumbbell in your right hand and use the chair as support in your left.
2. With a slight bend in the right knee, slowly hinge forward and sink the hips backward (keeping the bend in the right knee). The left leg (back leg) should lift behind you but the hips should remain squared (keep the top hip flexor facing the ground).
3. Keep a flat back with the shoulder blades tight the entire time. Dig in through the right foot and use the glutes to reverse the movement and bring your body back to an upright starting position.

Perform all repetitions on one leg before moving on to the next.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise 8: Feet Elevated Dumbbell Glute Bridge

1. Using a bench, yoga blocks or stairs, lie on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum on the elevated surface. Place the dumbbell on your hips.
2. Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back. Pause at the top for maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back towards the floor.

Perform anywhere from 8-25 repetitions.

Exercise 9: Sumo Deadlift

1. With the dumbbell sideways in front of you, set up with your feet wide and toes slightly pointed out.
2. Hinge from the hips and reach for the dumbbell with both hands. Chest up, back flat and shoulders down.
3. This is your starting position. Push the floor away from you as you extend up slightly, then thrust the hips forward to meet your hands. Lock out with a glute squeeze (don’t lean backward).
4. Release the tension and begin to reverse the movement by hinging the hips backward.

Note: if you don’t have the mobility or flexibility to keep a flat back as you set up, elevated the dumbbell on some blocks or plates. Work WITHIN your range of motion.

Perform 5-10 repetitions.

Exercise 10: Deficit Lunge

1. Using a bottom step or yoga blocks, stand upright, chest lifted, on the step while holding dumbbells on your hands at your side.
2. Step the left foot back onto the floor and begin bringing the knee down towards the floor as you hinge the upper body forward slightly.
3. Pause at the bottom and then reverse the movement and pull up your body with the right leg (don't push off the left foot!), extending the hips back into a standing position.

Perform 8-12 repetitions per leg.

Exercise 11: Quadruped Dumbbell Hip Extension

1. Come into a tabletop position on all fours. Place a dumbbell (a light-ish one) on the back of one knee.
2. Keeping that knee flexed to hold the dumbbell in place and keeping the core strong and engaged (you need to have mastered bird dogs for this), move through the hip as your raise the foot towards the floor.
3. Do not let the low back drop and make sure to keep the knee bent to hold the dumbbell in place. Return the knee towards the floor by releasing the tension in the glute.

Perform for 8-12 repetitions per leg.

Exercise 12: Dumbbell Sumo Squats

1. Grab one dumbbell and set up in a very wide squat (feet outside of shoulder width) with toes pointed out just a few inches.
2. Hold the dumbbell in front of you, straight arms, hanging down.
3. Begin to squat down and as you do, drive the knees out as much as possible (using more of your gluteus medius), feel a stretch in the inner thighs and use the butt muscles to pull the knees over the toes.
4. Pause briefly and push up through the heels to return to the start position.

Perform for 8-15 repetitions.

Exercise 13: Kettlebell Swing

This movement is a power move that initiates from the hip hinge. Learn to hinge first before adding momentum.

1. Standing upright with the kettlebell held with straight arms in front of you. Start with feet hip width apart and adjust further as needed. Knees slightly bent. Hinge forward and keeping the bell high on your legs, let it go behind you slightly.
2. Use your glutes to thrust the kettlebell forward and up. Then, let the bell pull you back into the hip hinge position.

Think of a pendulum on a clock, it swings, don’t control the movement.

For example do’s and don’ts check out the video below.

Perform 10-30 repetitions

Exercise 14: Crossack Squat

1. Stand with your feet greater than shoulder width distance apart as if you were doing a side lunge.
2. Sink the hips back and down to one side making sure to keep the heel of that foot on the floor. The other leg should remain straight with the toe rotating towards the ceiling.
3. Aim to touch the back of the leg to the calf of the leg you’re working. Reverse the movement by pushing up through the heel back towards the starting position. Make sure not to let your hip come up before your chest.

Perform 3-8 repetitions on each side.

Exercise 15: Dumbbell Box Squat

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Place a box/chair/stair just behind you just below knee height.
2. Feet hip width apart or slightly more.
3. Sink the hips back and slowly lower down to the box. Rest briefly. Lean forward slightly and push through the feet to reverse the movement to the starting position. Do not swing the torso backward then frontwards to get up.

Perform 5-15 repetitions.

Exercise 16 Weighted Reverse Hyperextensions

Typically, this exercise is done in the gym with a specific machine (see here for a demo). However, it can be done at home as well.

Normally when performing reverse hyperextension at home, you'll elevate your body further with a swiss ball like in this video.

However, when using a dumbbell, you'll want to just perform this on a bench.

1. Lay belly down on a bench with the end of the bench at your hips (legs hanging off). Place a dumbbell between your feet.
2. You can do this with straight legs or bent knees. Squeeze your glutes so that your legs raise up and your hips extend (go from bent to open). Pause and return the feet towards the floor.

Perform 15-25 repetitions.

How To Use The Exercises

Begin by choosing 3-5 of the exercises and working them into your training programs.

You can do this by adding one or two exercises to each session or having a full day dedicated to the glutes (like using the dumbbell glute workout below).

Repetitions can range from 5-20 depending on the weight you choose and the nature of the exercise.

For example: exercises that are heavy on the eccentric component (Bulgarian split squats, lunges, single-leg deadlifts, crossack squats to an extent) should be performed with 8-10 repetitions. Any higher and you risk a lot of muscle soreness.

Dumbbell Glute Workout

The dumbbell glutes workout below is a great way to kickstart your glute transformation!

Grab dumbbells that will be challenging but not excessive (15-20lbs makes a great workout). You need a bit of elevation for this workout so set up with two yoga blocks or even the bottom stair in your house.