The best glute workout has a bit of gender imbalance when it comes to how it's seen. Some people – usually but not always women – want to get a big butt. Some other people, of all genders, want to get a toned butt or learn what the best glute workout is. That's an unusual state of affairs. Most workout Google searches – the best biceps and triceps workout for home for instance – are pretty unisex.
Anyway, whatever way you want to phrase it, anyone can benefit from a strong butt. You get improved posture, a stronger core, and men and/or women will think you look more hot. It's true; men can build up their big arm muscles all they want or get a six pack, but it's your butt that is really getting looked at.
You won't need the best home gym equipment to train your butt muscles at home. What you will need is a yoga mat, some resistance bands and ideally ne of the best kettlebells … or a dumbbell at a push.
It is also advised to track your heart rate during exercising in general, so a good heart rate monitor, running watch or a fitness tracker could come in handy too. Apart from tracking heart rate, logging and analysing your exercises in the accompanying apps can help you stay motivated on the long run.
The workout consists of two sets of three glute exercises. Do each set four times with no breaks between the exercises but 60 seconds between the sets. Once done with the first set, have a 2-minute break and proceed to the second set and do the same as you did in the first set. Next stop: big butt. Or toned glutes. However you prefer to put it, your troubles are all behind you now.
- Best glute exercises – let's break it down
What are glutes?
Simply put, glutes are your butt. Well, they're the muscles in your butt. There are three glute muscles: the gluteus maximus – no, not a gladiator; this is the biggest muscle that sits in the middle of your butt cheek; the gluteus medius, a longer, thinner muscle that sits on the outer side of your buttocks; and the smaller gluteus minimus which sits under the maximus at the bottom of each butt cheek. The maximus is what’s primarily responsible for the shape of your buttocks.
Glutes help with strength, balance and posture, so it’s important to maintain them with a variety of the best glute exercises that work all three muscles.
This whole workout is designed to be done without weights, so you can do it at home just as easily as in the gym. Of course, many of these exercises can be made more difficult by adding weights – primarily kettlebells or dumbbells – thereby giving your glutes even more of a burn.
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Make sure you warm up before you start exercising
Warmup
Although you won't be using heavy weights during this workout, it is still advised to warm up and stretch your muscles properly before you start working out. Glutes are the biggest muscles in your body and you don't want to get muscle cramps in them as you do your workout.
You will mainly be using your lower body in this exercise, therefore we recommend doing the following warmup exercises:
- Ankle circles (30 seconds each side)
- Knee to chest (3-5 times each side)
- Knee to butt (3-5 times each side)
- Standing to touches (15-30 seconds)
- Standing spinal twist (3-5 turns each side)
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Set #1
Goblet squat
Do this for 60 seconds.
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing forwards. Hold the kettlebell up to your chest, your back straight, core engaged. Bend your knees and squat down, all the while keeping your back straight. Use your glutes and quads to push yourself back up. The movement should be slow and controlled for maximum muscle activation.
Single leg deadlift
Do this exercise for 60 seconds.
To perform a single leg deadlift, stand with the kettlebell/dumbbell in one hand and the other hand placed on your waist. Bend forward, keeping your back straight, whilst also keeping your arm – the one holding the weight – straight, lowering it to the ground as you bend forward. Simultaneously, raise your extended leg behind your on the other side of your body. Stop when your back is parallel to the ground, then lift your back up to the starting position.
Side lunge
Do this exercise for 60 seconds.
To perform a side lunge, stand with your legs roughly shoulder width apart, body fully upright, with your hands in front of your body – just like on the picture above, but without holding a weight. You can use a weight if you want to to increase intensity.
When ready, step to the side as far as it feels comfortable, then bend the knee of your supporting leg slightly. Don't try to overdo it and go all the way down when you are in the side step position. Especially if you haven't exercised much before, you might find it difficult to push yourself back up from a deep squat position.
After the squat, extend your leg again and step back to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
Set #2
Donkey kicks
Do this exercise for 30 seconds each side.
Place the yoga mat on the floor and go down on all fours. Back straight, hands under the shoulders and legs under the hips (tabletop position).
Starting on your right side, shoot your leg straight up and down behind you. Each time your leg comes down it should not return all the way to the floor but hover just above it. After 30 seconds, switch legs and repeat.
Fire hydrant
Do this exercise for 30 seconds each side.
Same starting position as above (tabletop position). Fire hydrants are similar to donkey kicks but as opposed to kicking your leg back, you swing your legs to the side, one at the time. Leg stay bent, you only work your glutes as you rotate the leg out. Don't place the leg down when it returns to the starting position, hover it over the floor just a tiny bit. After 30 seconds, switch legs.
Glute bridge
Do this exercise for 60 seconds,
Turn onto your back and lie down with your legs bent at the knee and your feet flat on the floor. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and pointing forwards. Raise your hips as high as you can keeping your feet flat on the floor. On the last raise hold the position when your butt is lifted for as long as you can and squeeze your glutes for added intensity.
You can make this harder by adding a bar weight across your hips so that you are lifting additional weight.
The cobra pose is great way to finish off the glute workout
Cooldown
By the end of this home glute workout, your butt will feel pretty exhausted. To bring the heart rate back down, try doing some stretching and some yoga poses. Two great yoga poses are the cat-cow pose, the extended puppy pose and the cobra pose.
The cat-cow pose start with taking on the tabletop pose. Then drop your belly down by curving the back. Hold the pose for three breaths then push the back up and really arch your back. Hold this pose for three breaths, then return to the staring position.
The extended puppy pose also starts in the tabletop position. Slide your hands forward and slightly outward until your nose touches the mat. Your back should be straight and your butt sticking up as you hold the pose. Do this for 3-5 breaths.
For the cobra pose, pay down on your belly, palms on the floor just under your armpits, elbows bent. Your whole body, apart from the elbows, should be flat on the floor. Then, push your arms up and arch your back, trying to look upwards. Only extend your arms as long as it feels comfortable and don't try to over-reach. Keep the pose for three breaths and return to the starting position.
Kettlebells will make the best glute exercises even tougher
Alternative best glute workout
Round one of the best glute exercises: squats
Exercise: Squats (regular)
Reps: 20
Sets: 5
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing forwards. Now squat, bending at the knees and imagining there is a chair behind you that you are sitting down on.
Your knees should not pass over your toes, instead you should push your bottom backwards and press your heels into the floor so that your weight is going into your heels.
Do this 20 times before resting, and then repeat the set five times.
If you want to make the squat more difficult then you can either hold a dumbbell in each hand to add weight to each squat. Between 2kg and 4kg would be a good weight to start with.
Exercise: Plié squats
Reps: 20
Sets: 5
Take a much wider stance than you did for the regular squats – wider than shoulder width apart – with your feet pointing outwards and squat. Again do 20 reps of this glute exercise, and repeat five times.
Because your feet are so much wider apart the movement is less like sitting down and leaning forward as you push your buttocks back, and more like a straight down and up movement. Again your weight should be pushing into your heels and not forwards onto your toes.
As with the regular squats you can make plié squats harder by adding a weight. Try squatting with a kettlebell: hold the kettlebell in front of you with both hands as you squat. If you wanted to work your arms too you could lift the kettlebell in an upright row as you squat.
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Exercise: Knee raise squats
Reps: 20 (10 per leg)
Sets: 5
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, so somewhere in between how you stood for your regular and plié squats.
Squat normally, but then as you come back up lift your right knee to hip height. Repeat this ten times and then do the same again but raising your left knee instead. Rest once you have done 20 squats and 10 raises of each knee, and then repeat the whole exercise five times.
You may find that your stance needs to shift slightly as you figure out your balance.
Exercise: Squat walks
Reps: 20
Sets: 5
Stand in the same position you did for your plié squats and then take two steps to the right and two steps back to the centre, ensuring that you maintain the squat and keep working your glutes by staying as low as you can.
For this exercise, a rep constitutes two steps out and two steps in. Do ten reps stepping to the right and back to the centre, followed by ten reps stepping to the left and back to the centre without coming out of the squat.
This gives you a total of 20 reps before you rest and then repeat five times.
Round two of the best glute exercises: floor exercises
For the next four of the best glute exercises you'll need a yoga mat (or just a folded hoodie or soft carpet floor will do).
Get onto your hands and knees with your pelvis tucked under. Your back should be curved slightly upwards as if there's a piece of string between it and the ceiling, rather than down and your bum pushed up (think cat rather than cow pose).
Now you're ready to try the best floor exercises for your glutes.
Exercise: Sideways extensions
Reps: 10 per leg
Sets: 5
Starting on your right side, raise your leg to the side with your knee ben: this is your starting position.
Fully extended your leg out to the side and then return it to the starting position (knee elevated and bent, not on the floor). Do ten reps with your right leg before switching to do ten legs on your left leg. Repeat five times.
Exercise: Donkey kicks
Reps: 10 per leg
Sets: 5
Starting on your right side, shoot your leg straight up and down behind you. Each time your leg comes down it should not return all the way to the floor but hover just above it.
Do ten reps with your right leg before switching to do ten legs on your left leg. Repeat five times.
Exercise: Fire hydrant
Reps: 10 per leg
Sets: 5
Starting with both knees on the floor, lift your right leg away from your body at your hip and then return it to touch the resting leg. The working leg should stay bent at 90 degrees so that it mirrors the position of the resting leg even when moving.
As always, do this ten times on your right leg followed by ten times on your left leg. Repeat the set five times.
Exercise: Glute bridge
Reps: 20
Sets: 5
Turn onto your back and lie down with your legs bent at the knee and your feet flat on the floor. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and pointing forwards.
Raise your hips as high as you can keeping your feet flat on the floor. Do this 20 times. On the last raise hold the position when your butt is lifted for as long as you can and squeeze your glutes for added intensity.
You can make this harder by adding a bar weight across your hips so that you are lifting additional weight.
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