Whether you want to improve your running or walking game, tone your backside or increase your lower-body strength, focusing on the glutes is a must.
The glutes are made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The largest muscle in the body, the gluteus maximus, helps hold you upright and stabilizes the hips, making it essential to everyday movement. And yes, working all three glute muscles will help tighten and tone your butt.
I’ve compiled a list of the best butt exercises to build your backside by strengthening the glutes from every angle. Pick your favorites from the list and string them together for a killer butt workout!
Glute bridge
The glute bridge will help you activate and strengthen your glutes before starting your work out. Begin lying on the floor with your back on the ground and your arms at your sides. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground. Using your glutes, lift your back and butt off the floor and into the air. Make sure you’re fully engaging your glutes and not relying on any other muscles, like your legs, instead. If you allow your other muscles to take over, you’re not fully activating your glutes. Think about squeezing your butt to lift your body.
Single leg glute bridge
Begin the same as you would with a standard glute bridge: on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor in front of you. With this variation, start by keeping your left heel on the ground and raising your right leg straight up in the air. Squeeze the left glute and hamstring muscles, keeping your core activated as you lift your hips. Keeping your right leg raised, slowly lower your hips back to the floor. Repeat and then switch sides.
Chair squats
Place a chair behind you and stand in front of it with feet hips-width apart. Push the hips backward to begin squatting slowly until your butt taps the chair. Stand back up and repeat. The seated squat still successfully targets the muscles in your lower body while the chair serves as a safety for those who aren’t fully comfortable squatting or are still mastering the form.
Crab walk
For this exercise, you may want to use a resistance band. Begin standing in a half-squat position with the band around your ankles. Take a step toward your right, then follow with your left foot. Take two steps in one direction and then two steps in the other, squeezing your glutes with each step. If you don’t have a resistance band, that’s not a problem. With awareness, you can make sure that you’re truly squeezing your glutes with each step. This is another good exercise to help wake up your butt muscles before working out.
Squat with side leg lift
This exercise fires up your glutes and then specifically targets the gluteus medius. It also works your balance in the standing leg as you do the side leg lift. Start standing with your feet as wide as your hips. Bend your knees and reach your glutes back as if you’re sitting into a chair, then as you stand up press down through the left foot as you lift the right leg out to the right as high as the hip. Feel the outside of the right hip tighten as you lift. Then lower it back down into the standing position, repeat the squat, and perform a left side leg lift. Repeat 20 squats total; 10 side leg lifts on each side.
Clam
The clam targets your gluteus medius specifically, making it the perfect move to combat dead butt syndrome. The clam will also help with hip stabilization and range of motion. Lie down on your left side with your head resting on your arm or propped up on your forearm. Bend both of your knees, stacking them on top of each other and pull them up closer to your torso. Keep the bottom leg resting on the floor while lifting the other into the air, opening your hips. Keep your feet glued together the entire time. This should activate your right glute. After ten repetitions, flip over to lie on your right side and repeat the same process. Again, make sure you are not involving other muscles that may make this process easier. Squeeze your glutes — and even add a resistance band around your thighs for extra glute activation!
Fire hydrant
This exercise involves a similar type of movement as the clam, which means it also directly targets the gluteus medius. Start on all fours with your hands and knees on the ground. Keeping your right knee bent, lift your right leg out toward the side of your body until your leg is parallel with the floor. Repeat this motion ten times before switching to your other leg.
Donkey kick
The donkey kick engages your glutes in a backward motion of the legs. It’s important to make sure you’re not relying on your quads for help during this exercise as it’ll hinder glute activation. Begin on all fours. Keep your knee bent at a 90-degree angle and lift your right leg backward until your your thigh is aligned with your back, keeping your foot flexed. Think of stamping the ceiling with the bottom of your foot. Lower your leg back down and back up in a continuous motion. Repeat ten times, then switch legs and repeat.
Donkey kick into fire hydrant
Perform the donkey kick, reaching the right leg up toward the ceiling. Then once you come back to center, immediately open the right knee to the side into the fire hydrant. Repeat this 10 times before switching sides.
Side lunge
Start standing with feet hips-width apart. Step your right foot out to the right. Bend the right knee and reach the right glute back into a side lunge. Keep the left leg straight. Press down through the right heel to come back to center. Perform 10 repetitions and then repeat on the left side.
Side leg lift
Start standing with feet hips-width apart. Move the right leg out to the right, pointing the right toe and resting it on the ground. Then engage the glute and hip to lift the right leg up almost as high as the hip. Lower it down and repeat for 10 repetitions before switching sides.
Skaters
Start standing straight. As you step to the right, cross the left foot behind the right to tap the ground behind the right foot. At the same time, swing your arms like an ice skater. Then, step to the left and bring the right foot behind the left to tap the ground as you swing your arms. For an added challenge, turn the step side to side into a jump.
Backward lunge
Standing with your feet as wide as your hips, step your right foot back into a reverse lunge. Lower the right knee down toward the floor and bend the left knee over the left ankle. Press down through the left heel to step the right leg back to center. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides.
Backward leg lift
Start standing with the feet as wide as the hips. Then point the right leg back behind you. Lift the right leg straight up toward the ceiling, squeezing the glute, and then lower it down. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides.
Wide leg open toe squat with calf raise
Stand with your feet as wide or wider than your shoulders and turn your toes out. Pull your abs in and bend your knees out to the sides as you lower down into a wide squat. Keep your back straight and your pelvis tucked under. At the bottom, come up onto your tip toes and balance for one second. Then press the heels back down into the ground and drive up to a standing position. Start with 3-5 repetitions total and build from there.
Curtsy lunge with knee raise
Start standing with your feet as wide as your shoulders. Step your right foot back behind and slightly to the left of your left foot. Bend both knees as you lower down into a lunge in this curtsy position. Then press down through your left heel to bring your right leg back to center. Repeat 10 times and then switch to the other side.
Squats
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed forward. (As you move through the exercise, be mindful that your knees never go forward past your toes.) Keep your chest up and make sure not to tilt your head down. Pull your navel in toward your spine to engage your core. Bend the knees while keeping your heels and toes on the floor, slowly sitting back into a squat position with your chest up, your shoulders back and abs in. Lower down until your knees are bent at as close to a 90-degree angle as possible. Then straighten your legs by pressing into your heels to stand back up. Squeeze your glutes at the top, tilting your pelvis forward. Repeat.
Single-leg deadlift
Stand with your feet as wide as your hips. Put your weight into your left leg and begin to hinge at your waist, keeping your left knee soft. Place your hands on your hips for balance. Continue to hinge forward and lift your right leg up and back until your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Ensure that your hips stay square to the ground. Pause, and then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides.
Chair into reverse lunge
Stand with your feet as wide as your hips. Bend your knees and reach your butt back. Sink down low toward the ground in this narrow squat position and look down to ensure your knees aren’t further forward than your toes. From here. Step your right foot back into a reverse lunge, then bring it back to chair pose. Repeat this 10 times with the right leg, then take a break. Come back into chair pose and repeat 10 times with the left leg.
Frog on your belly
This Pilates exercise strengthens the core, hamstrings, glutes and low back. Lie face down on the floor. Place your hands on top of each other with your elbows out to the sides and rest your forehead on your hands. Open your legs as wide as the hips and bend the knees, bringing the heels together with the toes apart. Pull the naval away from the ground to engage your core. Then, activate your hamstrings and glutes as you press the bottoms of the feet up toward the ceiling and lift your quads off of the ground. Release the legs back down and repeat 10 times.
Mountain climbers
Begin in plank position, keeping your back straight, your hips low and your core engaged. Bring your right knee under your chest toward your right elbow. Straighten the leg back to plank position, and bring your left leg under your chest toward your left elbow. Repeat, alternating your legs and keeping a steady pace for 10 reps on each side.
