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    Home » Main Meals

    6 Hip Dominant Exercises To Grow Glutes

    Modified: Mar 7, 2025 · Published: Mar 27, 2017 by Shelby Stover · This post may contain affiliate links · 16 Comments

    Pin image with text: woman in maroon shirt and black tights performing a hip thrust off a workout bench with a dumbbell in her lap.
    Pin image with text: woman in maroon shirt and black tights performing a hip thrust off a workout bench with a dumbbell in her lap.
    Pin image with text: woman performing a side lunge with white text block over the image and text about hip dominant exercises for glutes
    Pinterest image with text: women in black sweater and colored pants with back ona workout bench performing a single leg glute exercise. Image two Woman in black sweater and colored pants in gym with a green band around feet
    Pinterest image with text: three images of a woman in black pants and a grey shirt performing glute exercises at home
    Pin image with text: woman in maroon shirt and black tights performing a hip thrust off a workout bench with a dumbbell in her lap.

    Beginner-friendly and low-impact, these hip dominant exercises place extra tension on the glutes and hamstrings. Given that the glutes are one of the largest muscles in the body, getting strong in these six exercises can help improve posture, boost athletic performance, and reduce back pain.

    As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, I rotate through these six hip dominant exercises within each training program I create. All of them can be done with multiple variations to adapt to your skill set.

    Pin image with text: woman in maroon shirt and black tights performing a hip thrust off a workout bench with a dumbbell in her lap.

    Smash your training with these hip dominant exercises!

    Hip dominant exercises primarily focus on breaking at the hips first where as knee dominant exercises (like squats) will place the emphasis there.

    As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, I can tell you that the glutes respond best to variety (learn more about glute training) in both exercise and repetitions.

    And though these hip dominant exercises primarily hit the glutes, they target all three areas of the glutes, not just hip extension and not just the gluteus maximus (which is important when learning how to grow your glutes). This is because the three muscles of the glutes work together and not individually.

    Most of these hip dominant exercises can be done at home and all of them are amazing for beginners just starting out with training glutes as well as anyone who can't make it to the gym consistently. Make sure incorporate these effective glute stretches in with your exercises too.

    The glute exercises you need:

    • Glute bridges
    • Hip Thrusts
    • Deadlifts
    • Pull through
    • Kneeling squat
    • Quadruped hip extension
    • Bulgarian split squat

    Scroll down to learn more about these hip dominant exercises and you can use them best to grow your glutes!

    Benefits Of Strong Glutes?

    For many people, our glutes are under-activated. Placing the focus on them with hip dominant exercises can have big effects on daily activities.

    The benefits of strong glutes include:

    • easier time with day to day tasks (carrying, holding)
    • reduced knee pain
    • less back pain
    • They help keep our pelvis stable during and post-pregnancy
    • Better performance (running, jumping, lifting, climbing)
    • improving posture (as they're part of the posterior chain)
    • they're also a key component in our pelvic floor (check out why you should see a pelvic floor physio)

    Strong glute muscles help in all of these scenarios. Not prioritizing hip dominant exercises is where most moms fail.

    Learn more about what exactly the glutes can do for your lifestyle in this blog post: The Benefits Of Strong Glutes & Why You Need Them. Or jump right into a progressive at-home workout plan with this Glute Guide For Moms that contains the exact glute workouts I use with clients.

    The Best Hip Dominant Exercises

    These hip dominant exercises below are all easy to learn making them great for beginners. Though some of the variations seem intimidating, they can be broken down easily.

    Likewise, these hip dominant exercises are all low-impact. No jumping or swinging required. This allows you time to truly master the exercise and not just go through the motions.

    Pro tip: the glutes give instant feedback when activated. This means that if you don't feel them working within the first 2-3 reps, your form needs to be tweaked a bit. Strive for engagement, not just going through the motions. Learn how to activate glutes before jumping in.

    You can use these hip dominant exercises to make mini glute circuits, glute finishers or to just throw them into your warm-ups and your workouts!

    Likewise, you can even put glute training into or at the end of a total body workout like this for extra emphasis.

    Or, rock something like this underbutt workout to get you started.

    There's no right or wrong way- just train glutes!

    Woman in blue pants and leopard sports bra performing a glute exercise in a reverse table top position with text on the image.

    Equipment For Training Glutes

    The best hip dominant exercises can be done using just your own bodyweight (and should be until they're mastered!).

    Once you're ready to progress though, use a variety of resistance bands (a mini green band works best for glute training!) or dumbbells.

    Strengthening your glutes with external resistance will progress your glute training faster.

    You can learn about the best home gym equipment for small spaces.

    Exercise #1 Glute Bridge

    Bridging is the basics of training and once mastered you can move on up the chain (loaded hip thrusts etc). Remember that your hips can extend more than you think so you're aiming for that top range and really squeezing your bum cheeks together.

    To hit this range, and really target glute muscles though, make sure you're not cheating by arching the low back. Also, keep the weight more in your heels and your feet slightly wider.

    To really feel a burn, place a mini band around your knees and drive out against the band.

    Pro tip:: you can progress your glute bridges by implementing a ton of glute bridge variations.

    How to perform glute bridges:

    1. Lying on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder-width apart roughly.
    2. Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
    3. Pause at the top for one second with a maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back to the starting position.

    Perform anywhere from 8-25 repetitions.

    Woman in blue shirt and black pants performing a glute bridge on the floor two different ways, both with knees bent

    Exercise #2 Quadruped Hip Extensions

    Another of my favorite butt exercises at home to target those hip extensions.

    With this exercise, you'll have to work slightly harder to keep a neutral spine and contract while moving the leg.

    Ensure your foot remains flexed and your knee stays at ninety degrees. If you're not feeling glutes chances are you're putting the leg too high without actually squeezing your bum.

    How to perform quadruped hip extensions:

    1. Come into a tabletop position on all fours.
    2. Keeping the knee of the working leg flexed the core strong and engaged (you need to have mastered bird dogs for this), move through the hip as your raise the foot towards the floor.
    3. Do not let the low back drop and make sure to keep the knee bent. Return the knee towards the floor by releasing the tension in the glute.

    Perform for 8-12 repetitions per leg.

    Two images of a woman in maroon shirt and black pants performing quadruped hip extensions

     

    Exercise #3: Hip Thrusts

    Hip thrusts provide a greater range of motion than glute bridges but the trick is to keep your upper back slightly rounded even at the top position.

    Likewise, shifting to only one leg creates more tension for that individual glute and pausing at the top gives a nice isometric contraction (here's how to do single leg hip thrusts). Focus on really squeezing and nut using momentum to get your hips up.

    How to perform a hip thrust:

    1. Begin by placing your mid to upper back (right about the bra strap line) on a bench (or table, or couch).
    2. Feet flat on the floor and hips dipped towards the floor. The feet will be slightly outside of your hips. At this bottom position, your knees should be slightly behind the bridge of your feet/your heels.
    3. Begin to push through the heels, squeeze the glutes and lift the hips towards the ceiling.
    4. As you do, the shins should come into a vertical position. Keep the upper back slightly rounded as you look forward and not straight up. Meaning, do not lay your upper back flat on the bench.
    5. At the top of the movement, “lockout” with a big glute squeeze. Reverse the movement leading with the hips breaking and moving back toward the floor.

    Perform for 8-20 repetitions.

    Learn more about how to do a hip thrust, important form tips for hip thrusts, and all the fun hip thrust variations!

    Woman in pink shirt and dark pants performing a glute bridge in a bench with multiple arrows and text showing the key technique points to perform the exercise

    Exercise #4 Kneeling Squat

    The kneeling is a great glute exercise you can do at home or in the gym. It removes a very long lever which makes the primary focus the hips and glutes. Once you master the movement, load up your shoulders with dumbbells, wear a weighted vest, or attach a band behind you and around your hips for a different kind of resistance.

    How to perform a kneeling squat

    1. Come onto your knees and keep the torso tall.
    2. Push the hips back as you tuck your chin a bit and lower your bum to your ankles.
    3. L:reading with your hips, extend the hips (open them) and come back to a tall position.
    4. Lockout at the top by tucking the hips under and squeezing your bum.

    Perform 12-20 repetitions.

    Exercise #5: Bulgarian Split Squat

    Though Bulgarian Split Squats and lunges are often seen as knee dominant exercises, with a few slight adjustments you can shift the focus onto your hips and thus onto the glutes and hamstrings. Here's a fun variation of the Bulgarian split squat that really focuses on the glutes.

    And the trick is to hinge forward!

    1. Set up in lunge position with the left leg elevated on the bench and the right knee over the heel.
    2. Hinge forward slightly (to create more tension on the back of the body: glutes) as you push backward and drop the left knee towards the floor while keeping the right knee facing forwards.
    3. Squeeze the glute of the right leg as you push through the heel to reverse the movement and extend the hips to the starting position.
    4. Perform all repetitions on the right leg before moving on to the next.

    Perform 8-12 repetitions.

    Two images of a woamn in colorful pants and black shirt performing a bulgarian split squat with text about how to tweak for targettng glutes

    Exercise 6: Deadlifts

    Any and all deadlifts will work as a hip dominant exercise (learn about the benefits of deadlifts). And because there are so many deadlift variations, there is always one that is suited to your abilities.

    The first step in mastering a deadlift though is learning how to hip hinge.

    From there, I like to use a combination of traditional deadlifts from the floor and romanian deadlifts to target the glutes and hamstrings. To work out at home and nail down the movement, start by using the band deadlifts below or just mastering the hinge or supported deadlifts. Here's a glute-focused deadlift too.

    To perform a band deadlift:

    1. Wrap a resistance band around your feet and grab one end in each hand.
    2. Hinge from the hips, bend the knees slightly, and keep the upper back flat as you sink back into the starting position.
    3. Drive through the feet and thrust the hips forward as you come into an upright position.
    4. Lockout the glutes at the top (but don't lean back) and then break the movement with a hip hinge to get back into the starting position.

    Remember there is always a deadlift variation you can fit into your workout program. Find the one best suited and work with it.

    Woman in blue shirt and black pants performing a band deadlift with text about the dos and donts

    How To Activate The Glutes

    The number one mistake I see when people are training glutes is that they stop at hip extension and never follow through to hyperextension.

    Your hips can actually hyperextend thirty degrees more than you think. It's this small range that gives you a huge advantage when you're training them.

    Glutes also give you immediate feedback.

    Your glutes (all of them) change shape when you contract them fully and thus, it's easy to tell when you're using them and when you're not.

    Simply place your hand on your glutes when working them and ensure they're contracting full.

    Learn how to engage your glutes in just 3 steps.

    One of the main tricks to training glutes at home is to train their multiple movements. 

     

    Pinterest image with text: woman in black shirt and orange pants performing a glute exercise on a bench in the gym

     

    Stronger glutes = less back pain, better posture, more power.

    This no-gym workout plan builds serious strength in just minutes a day.

    Multiple images from an ebook.
    STRONGER GLUTES START WITH THIS E-BOOK

    Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Dominant Exercises

    How do you strengthen glutes at home?

    First, choose 5-6 exercises that vary in which gluteal muscles the target. Make sure you have a variety in hip extension and hip abduction. Use the exercises to create a 10-minute circuit that you can perform at home 3-4 times per week.

    What exercise hits the glutes?

    One of the best hip dominant exercises for the glutes are hip thrusts. Start by performing the hip thrust without weight before moving on to the unilateral version (single-leg hip thrust) before progressing to loading your hip thrust with a dumbbell, resistance band, or barbell.

    How many reps should I do for each exercise?

    For low-impact exercises, using repetition ranges of 10-30 is a great start. Exercises with more load should start around 8-12 repetitions.

    How do I become hip dominant?

    The first step in becoming hip dominant is to learn how to hip hinge properly. This includes breaking at the hip flexors, shifting the weight back, and activating the posterior chain (back of the body). Only then will you be able to maximize your hip exercises.

    Which is better: hip or knee dominant exercises?

    Both exercises have their place in a training program and will target the muscles of the lower body. However, when it comes to training the posterior chain, specifically the glutes, hip dominant exercises should be the priority.

    What are the benefits of hip dominant exercises?

    Hip dominant exercises help strengthen the muscles around your hips, thighs and glutes. These muscles help to stabilize the pelvis, reduce back pain, and improve athletic performance.

    Other Fitness Tips To Help You Smash Your Goals

    If you need more help or visuals, check out the glute-focused workouts on my YouTube Channel.

    Another option to build your glutes with hip dominant exercises is to add glute workout finisher into your current training program.

    Learn how to boost the intensity of your workouts without adding weight so that you can make them harder at home.

    Nail down how to fit your workouts into your schedule and learn more about getting started with strength training.

    Below are some good resources, workouts, and informational tips on why strong glute muscles are awesome.

    • Glute training 101: Everything you need to know
    • How to reduce back pain
    • Benefits of strong glutes
    • How to perform reverse hyperextensions at home
    • Strong glutes during pregnancy
    • Glute workout finishers
    • Glute exercises for pregnancy
    • Follow along home workouts
    • Follow along glute workouts at home

    More Fitness Tips For Moms

    • Woman laying on floor with one knee bent and other in a hamstring stretch.
      5 Best Hamstring Exercises for Runners
    • Woman in blue shorts and tank top running outside.
      Want to Run Better? These 11 Tips Change Everything
    • Woman performing a squat with a pink mini band around her legs.
      36 Mini Band Exercises + A Full Body Workout
    • Woman in piegon pose on a bench for a glute stretch.
      9 Best Glute Stretches

    Comments

    1. Paige Butler says

      March 30, 2017 at 11:32 pm

      I am going to have to try these for sure!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        March 30, 2017 at 11:44 pm

        Dooo it 🙂 Fair warning.. they definitely get your glutes toasty!

        Reply
    2. Amber says

      March 31, 2017 at 12:25 am

      Omg, looove working my flutes. It's the kind of pain that feels so good. Kind of addicted to lactic acid. Love bridges and classic squats, but favorite way to work them is actually Banded Quadruped Abductions! They work so well and love the resistance.

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        March 31, 2017 at 1:25 am

        Omg you're my new favorite person! haha I love quadruped abductions- they just burn so good! HI love that you can work glutes frequently though without excessive soreness- they just improve so nicely!

        Reply
    3. Regina Chustz says

      March 31, 2017 at 12:40 am

      I've never tried exercise #4. I'll add that one to my next workout. That looks like a killer butt workout btw. Thanks for the share.

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        March 31, 2017 at 1:24 am

        Ohh do it! Anything single leg kills me haha it's such a simple way to progress exercises though! Let me know how it feels!

        Reply
    4. Jennifer says

      March 31, 2017 at 1:48 am

      These look so easy and quick! The bridge one looks like it might also be an awesome stretch!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        March 31, 2017 at 6:09 pm

        They are definitely quick! You can put them all together and rock a ten minute circuit and you're done! That said.. your bum will be burning haha it's magical 😀

        Reply
    5. GiGi Eats says

      March 31, 2017 at 2:31 am

      I am trying soooo hard to pop my booty and I THINK it's working! I loveeeeeeeeeee donkey kicks!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        March 31, 2017 at 6:09 pm

        Ahh I love it! I have really "stubborn" glutes and it took my about six months of dedication to get it to "pop". I found training glutes six times per week with varying loads (heavy-light) worked the best for me. Good luck!!

        Reply
    6. Aarika says

      April 04, 2017 at 3:49 am

      These are some awesome glute exercises! The glute bridge is one of my favorites. I look better to trying your other exercises. Cheers!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        April 04, 2017 at 1:07 pm

        Thanks for stopping by Aarika! The glute bridge is the most basic and effective one- and it's even better with a green mini band for some tension! I do love them all though they definitely get your muscles burning. Try them and let me know what you think!

        Reply
    7. Donna says

      April 01, 2024 at 7:57 pm

      Love how detailed this is. I am new to exercising without an instructor, so really need things spelled out to me like a baby, and this was perfect!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        April 02, 2024 at 2:19 pm

        Happy to help, if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out.

        Reply
    8. Vera says

      February 02, 2025 at 7:18 pm

      These are some great tips! Thanks!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        February 23, 2025 at 11:02 am

        Thanks so much glad you found them helpful!

        Reply

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    Welcome!

    I'm Shelby, a Certified Strength & Nutrition Coach who has spent the last 10 years helping women feel more comfortable in their skin though home strength training and healthy food- no diets, no shortcuts

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