Want a stronger, shapelier butt? It starts with training your glutes. The glutes (butt muscles) consist of the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, which are among the largest and most powerful muscles in your body. They're responsible for key movements like hip extension and hip abduction, as well as stabilizing your hips. Strong glutes improve posture, boost athletic performance, and help prevent lower back or knee pain.
Many of us sit for hours each day, causing our glutes to become weak or "asleep." The remedy is targeted training. Here are 10 of the best glute exercises to build strength, improve hip stability, and shape a firmer backside from every angle. Add these moves to your routine and feel the difference.
10 Best Glute Exercises
1. Glute Bridge
The glute bridge is a basic bodyweight move to isolate the glutes. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Drive through your heels to push your hips up, and squeeze your glutes at the top before lowering. It's gentle on your spine and perfect for learning to fire your glute muscles. To make it harder, add a weight across your hips or try single-leg variations.
2. Barbell Hip Thrust
The barbell hip thrust is a top exercise for glute strength and size. Position your upper back on a bench and a barbell across your lap, then drive your hips up by pushing through your heels. Squeeze your glutes at the top before lowering under control. This move hits the gluteus maximus intensely. Hip thrusts also allow heavy weights for progressive overload, letting you continually challenge your glutes as they get stronger.
3. Squats (Back Squat)
Squats are a fundamental exercise for building strong glutes, along with your quads and hamstrings. To perform a back squat, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower down, then drive through your heels to stand up. Lowering until your thighs reach parallel (or below) engages the glutes even more, especially when you squeeze your glutes as you rise. A wider "sumo" squat stance can also put extra emphasis on the glutes.
4. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a powerhouse exercise for your entire posterior chain, including the glutes. It's a hip-hinge movement: you bend at the hips with a flat back to lift a weight off the ground, then drive your hips forward to stand up tall. This motion heavily engages the gluteus maximus. Deadlift variations (conventional, sumo, Romanian, etc.) all work your glutes along with the hamstrings and lower back. Plus, deadlifts let you handle heavy loads, giving a huge strength-building stimulus to your glutes. Just keep your back straight and core braced as you lift.
5. Lunges
Lunges are excellent single-leg exercises for the glutes. When you step into a lunge, the glute of your front leg works hard to lower and lift your body. Reverse lunges (stepping backward) or walking lunges tend to hit the glutes the most. Take a long step so your front knee stays behind your toes. Then push through your front heel to rise back up, this really fires the glute. Lunges can be done with just bodyweight or with added weights, and they help build balance and unilateral strength.
6. Bulgarian Split Squat
The Bulgarian split squat is an advanced single-leg exercise that seriously targets the glutes. Elevate your rear foot on a bench behind you, and squat down on your front leg. You'll feel a deep stretch in your front-leg glute as you lower, then push through that heel to stand back up, squeezing the glute at the top. Bulgarian split squats are fantastic for building glute strength, improving balance, and correcting left-right muscle imbalances. It's a tough move, so start with just bodyweight and master the form before adding weight.
7. Step-Ups
Step-ups are a straightforward exercise for your glutes and legs. Step onto a sturdy bench or platform with one foot and push through that heel to lift yourself up. This targets the glute and quad of your leading leg. Press mainly with the front heel (not the back foot) so your glute does most of the work, then step back down slowly under control. You can do step-ups with just bodyweight or hold dumbbells to make it harder. This move builds single-leg strength and stability that improves your balance and functional fitness.
8. Hip Abduction Exercises (Lateral Band Walks or Machine)
To fully develop your glutes, don't neglect the gluteus medius and minimus, the smaller side-hip muscles that move your legs outward and stabilize the hips. An easy way to train them is with lateral band walks (side-stepping against a resistance band around your thighs). Another option is the hip abduction machine at the gym, where you press your knees outward against resistance. Do these movements slowly and with control. Strengthening these abductors will round out your glutes and improve hip stability, helping prevent your knees from caving inward.
9. Glute Kickbacks (Donkey Kicks)
Glute kickbacks isolate the gluteus maximus with a straight-back "kicking" motion. Often done as donkey kicks on all fours, you keep one knee bent and kick your foot up toward the ceiling using your glute (without arching your back). Squeeze at the top, then lower and repeat. You can also do kickbacks using a cable machine or ankle weights for extra resistance. This exercise is great as a high-rep finisher to burn out your glutes and strengthen that mind-muscle connection.
10. Clamshells and Fire Hydrants
Clamshells and fire hydrants are simple moves that target your outer glutes (gluteus medius and minimus) to improve hip stability and give your butt a more rounded shape. Clamshells, Lie on your side with knees bent and feet together, then raise your top knee while keeping your feet touching. Fire hydrants, From all fours, keep one knee bent and lift that leg out to the side without twisting. These exercises may seem easy, but higher reps (or adding a resistance band) will really burn those smaller glute muscles.
Build Your Best Glutes
Consistently train your glutes with these moves and gradually increase the challenge. You'll build stronger, more powerful glutes that boost your performance, reduce injury risk, and give you a firmer, shapelier butt.