Dumbbell Glute Exercises

Dumbbells suit glute training better than almost any other muscle group, because the best glute exercises are single-leg and single-leg work does not need much absolute weight to be hard. A dumbbell Bulgarian split squat, a single-leg Romanian deadlift or a kickstand RDL will challenge a strong lifter with weights that would be a warm-up on a barbell.

The page splits into three patterns. Hinges, meaning Romanian deadlifts in every variation from deficit to cross-body, kickstand and single-leg, train the glute in a stretch. Squats and lunges, including goblet squats, sumo squats, curtsy lunges, split squats and step-ups, train it through the bottom position. Hip thrusts and glute bridges, with a dumbbell across the hips, train it at full contraction. Take one from each family and the glutes are covered properly.

Beginner10

Intermediate12

Advanced4

Other equipment for Glutes

Frequently asked questions

Can you build glutes with just dumbbells?

Absolutely. Single-leg Romanian deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats and dumbbell hip thrusts load the glutes hard without needing a barbell. The main limit is hip thrusting, where a dumbbell eventually becomes too light. Everything else scales for a long time.

What is a kickstand Romanian deadlift?

A hinge with most of your weight on one leg and the other foot resting just behind for balance. It gives you close to the single-leg loading of a true one-legged RDL without the balance being the limiting factor, which means you can actually load it.

Goblet squat or dumbbell Romanian deadlift for glutes?

The Romanian deadlift is the more glute-specific of the two, since the goblet squat is mostly a quad exercise with glute involvement. Run the RDL as the main glute movement and the goblet squat for legs generally.