Glute Exercises

Anton YefanovUpdated October 10, 2026

The best glute exercises are the barbell hip thrust, the Romanian deadlift, the Bulgarian split squat and a hip abduction exercise such as the machine hip abduction. Between them they cover the three things your glutes do: drive the hip into extension, control your pelvis when you stand on one leg, and move the thigh out to the side.

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body. It powers sprinting, jumping, climbing and lifting anything off the floor, while the smaller gluteus medius and minimus keep your hips level with every step. A good glute workout trains both jobs, and most programs that stall only train one.

Use the picks below for a quick shortlist, then read on for the anatomy, a comparison of the main glute exercises, sets and reps, sample sessions for the gym and for home, and the mistakes that hold glute growth back. If you train without weights, the bodyweight glute exercises section shows how to make them hard enough to work.

Best Glute Exercises

These are the glute exercises worth building a program around, ranked. A strong week of training uses one thrust or bridge, one hinge or single-leg movement, and one abduction exercise.

No. 1Best Overall
Barbell Hip Thrust
The hip thrust loads hip extension heavily with almost no balance or lower-back demand, and it is hardest at the top, where the glutes are fully contracted. It is easy to learn and easy to progress in small jumps. For most people training for glute size, it belongs in the program.
No. 2Best Stretch Under Load
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift loads the glutes and hamstrings while they lengthen under a heavy bar, the opposite end of the range from the hip thrust. Push your hips back, keep the bar close to your thighs, and stop when your hips stop moving back. Paired with a thrust, it covers the full range of hip extension.
No. 3Best Single-Leg Exercise
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
Take a longer stride and lean your torso slightly forward, and the Bulgarian split squat becomes one of the hardest glute exercises you can do. It trains the glute max through a deep hip bend and makes the glute medius work to keep your pelvis level. All it takes is a bench and two dumbbells.
No. 4Best for Side Glutes
Machine Hip Abduction
Pressing the pads outward isolates the gluteus medius and minimus, the muscles on the upper outer hip that thrusts and squats barely load. It is simple, safe to take close to failure and easy to progress. Leaning your torso forward over the seat brings in more of the upper glute max.
No. 5Best for Beginners
Glute Bridge
The glute bridge teaches you to extend the hips with the glutes rather than the lower back, and it needs only the floor. Squeeze at the top for a full second on every rep. When 20 slow reps feel easy, move on to the single-leg bridge or a loaded hip thrust.
No. 6Best Bodyweight Option
Single-Leg Hip Thrust
With your upper back on a bench or couch, one glute lifts your entire body weight through a longer range than a floor bridge. That is enough to challenge most people without any equipment. It also shows you quickly if one side is weaker than the other.
No. 7Best for Power
Kettlebell Swing
The swing trains the glutes to extend the hips explosively, the same action you use to jump and sprint. A single kettlebell gives you strength, power and conditioning in a few minutes. Snap your hips forward to move the bell rather than lifting it with your arms.
No. 8Best Cable Isolation
Cable Kickback
The cable keeps tension on the glute through the whole kickback, and working one leg at a time lets you focus on each side. It is a useful finisher after your heavy lifts. Keep your torso still and stop when your hip is fully extended rather than arching your back to kick higher.

Glute anatomy: maximus, medius and minimus

Your glutes are three muscles layered over the back and side of the pelvis. The gluteus maximus is the large outer one that gives the backside its shape. It extends the hip (drives the thigh backward), rotates the thigh outward, and its upper fibers help lift the leg out to the side. The gluteus medius sits higher on the side of the hip, partly under the maximus, and the small gluteus minimus lies beneath the medius.

The medius and minimus abduct the hip and, more importantly, hold your pelvis level whenever you stand on one leg. That is why they work hard in lunges, step-ups and single-leg hinges even though those look like front-to-back movements. Thrusts and hinges build the maximus; abduction and single-leg work build the medius and minimus.

It also helps to think about where in the range an exercise is hardest. Thrusts and bridges load the glute max at the top, when it is short. Romanian deadlifts and split squats load it at the bottom, when it is stretched. Training both positions gives you the most complete development.

Glute muscles and positions, what each does, and the exercises that train it best
Part	What it does	Best exercises
Gluteus maximus, stretched position	Extends the hip out of a deep bend, as when you stand up from a squat or hinge	Barbell Romanian Deadlift, Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat, Deficit Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Gluteus maximus, shortened position	Finishes hip extension and locks the hips out	Barbell Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge, Cable Kickback
Gluteus medius	Lifts the leg to the side and keeps the pelvis level on one leg	Machine Hip Abduction, Cable Hip Abduction, Kettlebell Alternating Curtsy Lunge
Gluteus minimus	Assists the medius with abduction and hip stability	Bodyweight Hip Abduction, Band Hip Abduction, Single Legged Romanian Deadlifts

Glute exercises compared: thrusts, hinges, lunges and abduction

The most useful way to compare glute exercises is by where each one is hardest. Hip thrusts, bridges and kickbacks challenge the glutes most at the top. Romanian deadlifts and split squats challenge them most at the bottom, in a stretch. You will build fuller glutes by including at least one of each every week than by picking a single favorite.

Equipment then narrows the list. With a barbell, the hip thrust and Romanian deadlift are the core. With machines and cables, the machine hip thrust, cable pull-through and hip abduction give the same coverage with less setup. With nothing at all, single-leg bridges, thrusts and split squats do the job.

Comparison of ten glute exercises by equipment, difficulty, best use and the point in the range where each is hardest
Exercise	Equipment	Difficulty	Best for	Hardest point
Barbell Hip Thrust	Barbell	Intermediate	Glute size and lockout strength	Top, hips fully extended
Barbell Romanian Deadlift	Barbell	Intermediate	Glutes and hamstrings together	Bottom, in a deep stretch
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat	Dumbbell	Intermediate	Single-leg strength and hip control	Bottom
Machine Hip Thrust	Machine	Beginner	Thrusting without a barbell setup	Top
Cable Pull Through	Cable	Beginner	Learning the hinge with little back strain	Top half
Kettlebell Swing	Kettlebell	Intermediate	Power and conditioning	The hip snap
Reverse Hyperextension	Bodyweight	Intermediate	Hip extension with little spinal load	Top
Machine Hip Abduction	Machine	Beginner	Glute medius isolation	Legs fully apart
Cable Kickback	Cable	Beginner	Single-leg isolation finisher	Leg extended behind you
Glute Bridge	Bodyweight	Beginner	Learning hip extension	Top

All 101 Glute Exercises

All 101 glute exercises in the library, grouped by difficulty. Each one has a video, step-by-step form and the muscles it works.

Beginner Glute Exercises48

Intermediate Glute Exercises42

Advanced Glute Exercises11

How to train glutes: sets, reps and weekly volume

The glutes recover well and work in almost every lower-body exercise, so they handle frequent training. Two to three sessions a week with 10 to 20 hard sets in total works for most people, and squats, lunges and deadlifts count toward that number. If your program already includes heavy squats and hinges, 6 to 10 sets of direct glute work on top is often enough.

Match reps to the exercise. Heavy thrusts and Romanian deadlifts work well in the 6 to 12 range. Abduction, kickbacks and bodyweight bridges suit 12 to 20 or more, because small, stable movements need more reps to reach real effort. Pause for one to two seconds at the top of every thrust and bridge so the glutes, not momentum, finish the rep.

Progress the hip thrust by adding load. Progress bodyweight and single-leg work by range, tempo and pauses before adding weight. Logging your sets matters here: glute exercises are easy to progress in small steps, but only if you know what you did last week.

Glute training guidelines by goal: sets, reps, rest and weekly frequency
Goal	Sets	Reps	Rest	Frequency
Strength	3 to 5 per main lift	4 to 8	2 to 3 minutes	2 times per week
Muscle size	3 to 4 per exercise, 10 to 20 per week	8 to 15, up to 20 for abduction	60 seconds to 2 minutes	2 to 3 times per week
Power	4 to 6	5 to 10 explosive reps	60 to 90 seconds	1 to 2 times per week
Bodyweight and endurance	2 to 4	15 to 30	30 to 60 seconds	2 to 4 times per week

Sample glute workouts: barbell, machines and bodyweight

Each session opens with the heaviest hip extension exercise, follows with a stretch-focused or single-leg movement, and finishes with abduction. Run one twice a week alongside your normal squats, or use it as your full lower-body day if glutes are the priority. Rest at least a day between sessions.

Three sample glute workouts: barbell gym session, machines and cables, and bodyweight at home
Workout	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell	Barbell Hip Thrust	4	6 to 10	2 minutes
Barbell	Barbell Romanian Deadlift	3	8 to 10	2 minutes
Barbell	Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat	3	8 to 12 per leg	90 seconds
Barbell	Cable Hip Abduction	3	12 to 15 per side	60 seconds
Machines and cables	Machine Hip Thrust	3	10 to 12	90 seconds
Machines and cables	Machine Leg Press	3	10 to 15, feet high and wide	90 seconds
Machines and cables	Cable Pull Through	3	12 to 15	60 seconds
Machines and cables	Glute Kickback Machine	2	12 to 15 per leg	60 seconds
Machines and cables	Machine Hip Abduction	3	15 to 20	60 seconds
Bodyweight	Single-Leg Hip Thrust	3	12 to 15 per leg	60 seconds
Bodyweight	Bulgarian Split Squat	3	10 to 12 per leg	90 seconds
Bodyweight	Single Legged Romanian Deadlifts	3	10 per leg	60 seconds
Bodyweight	Frog Pump	2	20 to 30	45 seconds
Bodyweight	Bodyweight Hip Abduction	2	15 to 20 per side	45 seconds

Glute training mistakes that hold back results

These are the habits that most often leave people training hard without seeing their glutes change.

Arching your back to finish a hip thrust. Driving the last few inches with your lower back takes the work off the glutes. Tuck your chin, keep your ribs down, and stop when your hips are in line with your torso.
Doing only thrusts and bridges. These challenge the glutes at the top of the range and leave the stretched position untrained. Add a Romanian deadlift or split squat, plus an abduction exercise for the glute medius.
Letting the quads take over squats and lunges. A short stance and very upright torso make these quad-dominant. For more glute work, take a longer lunge stride, lean slightly forward, and squat to full depth.
Rushing high-rep band work. Fifty fast band reps rarely come close to failure. Use a band or cable that makes 15 to 20 slow reps hard, and hold the end position briefly on each one.
Skipping single-leg work. Two-legged lifts let a stronger side cover for a weaker one and barely challenge the glute medius. Include at least one single-leg exercise every week.
Treating activation drills as the workout. A few band exercises are a fine warm-up, but they do not replace heavy, progressive hip extension. Keep warm-ups short and save your effort for the main lifts.

Bodyweight glute exercises that actually work

Bodyweight glute exercises build muscle only when the sets are hard, and the glutes are strong enough that two-legged bridges and air squats get easy fast. The fix is to work one leg at a time, increase the range by elevating your feet or shoulders, and slow down. A single-leg hip thrust puts your whole body weight on one glute with no equipment at all.

Work through the stages below, pairing one hip extension exercise with one single-leg or stability exercise. Move up a stage when you can hit 20 reps with a slow lowering and a one-second squeeze at the top. Once the last stage is easy, a backpack across your hips or held at your chest is the simplest way to keep progressing.

A three-stage progression of bodyweight glute exercises, split into hip extension and single-leg work
Stage	Hip extension	Single-leg and stability
Stage 1	Glute Bridge, Frog Pump	Bodyweight Reverse Lunge, Bodyweight Hip Abduction
Stage 2	Single Leg Glute Bridge, B-Stance Hip Thrust	Bulgarian Split Squat, Single Legged Romanian Deadlifts
Stage 3	Single-Leg Hip Thrust, Reverse Hyperextension	Single-Leg Step-Down, Bodyweight Alternating Lateral Lunge

Frequently asked questions

What is the best exercise for glutes?

The barbell hip thrust is the best single glute exercise for most people, because it loads hip extension heavily with little technique or balance demand. It is not complete on its own, though. It is easiest at the bottom of the range, so pair it with a Romanian deadlift or Bulgarian split squat that loads the glutes in a stretch, and add an abduction exercise for the glute medius.

Can you grow your glutes with bodyweight exercises?

Yes, especially if you are new to training, as long as the sets are genuinely hard. Two-legged bridges and squats become easy quickly, so move to single-leg hip thrusts, Bulgarian split squats and single-leg Romanian deadlifts, with slow lowering and pauses. Once those are easy at 20 reps, adding a loaded backpack or dumbbells will speed up your progress.

Do squats build glutes?

Squats train the glutes well, particularly at full depth where the hips are deeply bent. They challenge the glutes very little near the top, and a narrow, upright squat shifts the work toward the quads. Squats make a strong base, but most people get better glute results by also including a hip thrust or bridge and a hinge such as the Romanian deadlift.

How often should you train glutes?

Two to three times a week works well for most people. The glutes recover quickly from the moderate and high-rep work that suits them, and spreading 10 to 20 weekly sets over several days means each set is done fresh. Count squats, lunges and deadlifts toward that total, so a separate glute day is not always necessary.

Do I need glute activation exercises before training?

They are optional. A few sets of band hip abduction or glute bridges make a useful warm-up and can help you feel the glutes working during your main lifts. They do not switch on muscles that were otherwise off, and they build little on their own. Keep them to about five minutes and save your effort for the heavy work.

Why do I feel hip thrusts in my hamstrings or lower back?

Hamstring cramping usually means your feet are too far from your hips; bring them closer so your shins are vertical at the top. Lower back strain usually comes from arching to finish the rep. Keep your chin tucked and ribs down, and stop at a straight line from shoulders to knees. Driving through your heels also keeps the glutes doing the work.

Glutes exercises by equipment

Narrow the list to what you actually have to train with.