Build strength at home with these Glute Exercises With Dumbbells. No machines, and no complicated setup. With just a set of dumbbells, you can target your glutes effectively, improve stability, and get in a solid workout without ever leaving your living room.
Glute training is everywhere, but what most people miss is that your glutes respond best to variety and load. If you want real results, you need a mix of weighted exercises, glute isolation exercises, and glute activation exercises, while training through different ranges and volumes.
If you want to build stronger, more defined glutes at home, dumbbell exercises are one of the best tools you can use.
The movements below target your glutes through different patterns using simple equipment. While they’re demonstrated with dumbbells, many can also be done with a barbell for added progression.
And while all three glute muscles work together, these exercises place the most emphasis on the gluteus maximus.
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Why Dumbbells Are Great For Training At Home
Dumbbells are one of the easiest ways to train your glutes at home (though bodyweight glute exercises are amazing). They’re simple to use, easy to adjust as you get stronger, and perfect for single-leg (unilateral) exercises that help build balanced strength (check out these unilateral exercises for muscle imbalance).
Best of all, you don’t need machines,just a set of dumbbells can effectively challenge your glutes and drive results.
How To Use The Dumbbell Exercises
Choose 3–5 exercises and work them into your routine 1–2x per week, or use the full dumbbell glute workout below for a dedicated glute day (followed up by these glute stretches).
As you get stronger and increase weight, your reps should naturally decrease. Heavier lifts will fall in the 5–10 rep range, while lighter or more controlled movements can be done for 10–20 reps.
Focus on variety in your training (tempo, load, and movement patterns) to get the best results. If you’re unsure how to structure it all, learn more about glute training as well as glute exercise benefits.
Exercise 1: Dumbbell Glute Bridge
The dumbbell glute bridge is a classic glute exercise and a sure-fire way to work your peach! Learn how to do a glute bridge before you dive in.
- Lying on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder-width apart roughly. Place the dumbbell on your hips.
- Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
- Pause at the top for maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back to the starting position.
Exercise 2: Dumbbell Hip Thrust
One of the best hip dominant exercises you'll find.
- Place your back against the bench while sitting on the floor. Roll the bar over your legs and onto your hips. Bend your knees and bring them into your chest, keeping the feet shoulder-width apart as you lift your back onto the bench
- Hips should be hovering over the floor, and the strap of your bra should be on the bench. Push through the heels, squeeze the gluteus maximus, and lift the hips towards the ceiling. Keep your eyes facing forward so that the upper back is slightly rounded and not extended over the bench!
- Squeeze the glutes to lock out. Then release the tension and bring your hips towards the floor (the starting position).
Reps: 5-15 repetitions
Exercise 3: Dumbbell Single Leg Hip Thrust
This is a great glute exercise to stabilize the hips and one I use in a 10-minute glute workout I love, and when I'm teaching others how to grow glutes. Watch a video on how to do a single leg hip thrust so you don't have any questions.
- Set up in hip thrust position with your back on the bench (running roughly along your bra strap) and the left knee bent and over the heel. The right leg will be raised, and the dumbbell will be on the hip of the left leg.
- Dip your hips towards the floor, making sure that the left knee stays facing forward and not caving. Squeeze the glutes and lift the hips towards the ceiling while squeezing the glute.
- Your back will extend flat on the bench. Lock out the glute briefly, release the tension, and return to the starting position.
Perform all repetitions on the left leg before moving on to the right leg.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions.
Exercise 4 American Deadlift
- Standing upright, hold a set of dumbbells resting on your thighs. With knees slightly bent, hinge forward at the hips and sink the weight backward, keeping a flat back (learn how to hip hinge to master this).
- Reverse the movement and at the top, bring the pelvis into a posterior pelvic tilt and “lockout” the glutes (without leaning backward excessively).
- Release the tension and return to a neutral starting position.
Reps 8-12 repetitions. Bret Contreras gives the best video demo of this deadlift variation.
Exercise 6 Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats
- Set up in a lunge position with the left leg elevated on the bench and the right knee over the heel. Hold the dumbbells in your hands.
- 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 forward.
- 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.
- Perform all repetitions on the right leg before moving on to the next.
Here is a great resistance band Bulgarian Split Squat that hits the glutes hard. Perform 8-12 repetitions.
Exercise 7: Supported Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
- Beside a chair or bench, hold a dumbbell in your right hand and use the chair as support in your left.
- With a slight bend in the right knee, slowly hinge forward and sink the hips backward (keeping the bend in the right knee). The left leg (back leg) should lift behind you, but the hips should remain squared (keep the top hip flexor facing the ground).
- Keep a flat back with the shoulder blades tight the entire time. Dig in through the right foot and use the glutes to reverse the movement and bring your body back to an upright starting position.
Perform all repetitions on one leg before moving on to the next.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions.
Exercise 8: Feet Elevated Dumbbell Glute Bridge
- Using a bench, yoga blocks, or stairs, lie on your back, bend your knees, and bring your heels close to your bum on the elevated surface. Place the dumbbell on your hips.
- Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back. Pause at the top for maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back towards the floor.
Reps: anywhere from 8-25 repetitions.
Exercise 9: Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift
- With the dumbbell sideways in front of you, set up with your feet wide and toes slightly pointed out.
- Hinge from the hips and reach for the dumbbell with both hands. Chest up, back flat, and shoulders down.
- This is your starting position. Push the floor away from you as you extend up slightly, then thrust the hips forward to meet your hands. Lock out with a glute squeeze (don’t lean backward).
- Release the tension and begin to reverse the movement by hinging the hips backward.
Note: if you don’t have the mobility or flexibility to keep a flat back as you set up, elevate the dumbbell on some blocks or plates. Work WITHIN your range of motion.
Reps: 5-10 repetitions.
Exercise 10: Dumbbell Deficit Lunge
- Using a bottom step or yoga blocks, stand upright, chest lifted, on the step while holding dumbbells in your hands at your side.
- Step the left foot back onto the floor and begin bringing the knee down towards the floor as you hinge the upper body forward slightly.
- Pause at the bottom and then reverse the movement and pull up your body with the right leg (don't push off the left foot!), extending the hips back into a standing position.
Reps 8-12 repetitions per leg.
Exercise 11: Quadruped Dumbbell Hip Extension
- Come into a tabletop position on all fours. Place a dumbbell (a light-ish one) on the back of one knee.
- Keeping that knee flexed to hold the dumbbell in place and keeping the core strong and engaged (you need to have mastered bird dogs for this), move through the hip as you raise the foot towards the floor.
- Do not let the low back drop, and make sure to keep the knee bent to hold the dumbbell in place. Return the knee towards the floor by releasing the tension in the glute.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions per leg.
Exercise 12: Dumbbell Sumo Squats
- Grab one dumbbell and set up in a very wide squat (feet outside of shoulder width) with toes pointed out just a few inches.
- Hold the dumbbell in front of you, straight arms, hanging down.
- Begin to squat down, and as you do, drive the knees out as much as possible (using more of your gluteus medius), feel a stretch in the inner thighs, and use the butt muscles to pull the knees over the toes.
- Pause briefly and push up through the heels to return to the start position.
Reps: 8-15 repetitions.
Exercise 13: Swings
This movement is a power move that initiates from the hip hinge. Learn to hinge first before adding momentum. The video uses a kettlebell, but a dumbbell held vertically works.
- Standing upright with the kettlebell held with straight arms in front of you. Start with feet hip-width apart and adjust further as needed. Knees slightly bent. Hinge forward and keep the bell high on your legs, let it go behind you slightly.
- Use your glutes to thrust the kettlebell forward and up. Then, let the bell pull you back into the hip hinge position.
Think of a pendulum on a clock, it swings, don’t control the movement. For example, dos and don’ts check out the video below.
Reps 10-30 repetitions
Exercise 14: Dumbbell Crossack Squat
Hold the dumbbell goblet-style when first learning before trying a front-loaded position.
- Stand with your feet greater than shoulder-width distance apart as if you were doing a side lunge.
- Sink the hips back and down to one side, making sure to keep the heel of that foot on the floor. The other leg should remain straight with the toe rotating towards the ceiling.
- Aim to touch the back of the leg to the calf of the leg you’re working. Reverse the movement by pushing up through the heel back towards the starting position. Make sure not to let your hip come up before your chest.
Reps: 3-8 repetitions on each side.
Exercise 15: Weighted Reverse Hyperextensions
Typically, this exercise is done in the gym with a specific machine (see here for a demo). However, it can be done at home as well.
Normally, when performing reverse hyperextension at home, you'll elevate your body further with a Swiss ball.
However, when using a dumbbell, you'll want to just perform this on a bench. Know that ankle weights work really well for this, too!
- Lay belly down on a bench with the end of the bench at your hips (legs hanging off). Place a dumbbell between your feet.
- You can do this with straight legs or bent knees. Squeeze your glutes so that your legs raise up and your hips extend (go from bent to open). Pause and return the feet towards the floor.
Reps: 15-25 repetitions.
How To Actually Target Your Glutes With Dumbbells
To really feel your glutes working (instead of your quads taking over), focus on how you perform each rep, not just getting through it.
A slight forward lean helps shift the load into your glutes, while driving through your heels keeps the emphasis on the back of your legs. From there, slow your tempo down and move through a full range of motion; this is where the real results come from.
If you’re just rushing reps or staying shallow, you’ll miss the muscle completely.
If you’re not sure how to actually put this into a plan (and not just collect exercises), that’s exactly what my Glute Guide For Women walks you through, simple, effective workouts designed for real life.
At-Home Dumbbell Glute Workout
The dumbbell glutes workout below is a great way to kickstart your glute transformation!
Grab dumbbells that will be challenging but not excessive (15-20lbs makes a great workout). You need a bit of elevation for this workout so set up with two yoga blocks or even the bottom stair in your house.
| Dumbbell Deficit Lunge | 10 reps per leg |
| Elevated Dumbbell Glute Bridge | 25 reps |
| Rest | 20 seconds x 2 sets |
| 1.5 rep Sumo Squats | 12 reps |
| Dumbbell Froggy Pumps | 12 reps |
| Isometric Dumbbell Froggy Hold | 12 seconds |
| Rest | 30 seconds x 2 sets |
Perform the first two exercises back to back without rest. After the dumbbell glute bridge, rest for twenty seconds and then repeat for a total of two rounds before moving into the next group.
Perform the exercises back to back without rest. After the froggy hold, rest for thirty seconds and then repeat for a total of twice through.
More Fitness Tips To Help You Smash Goals
Dumbbell Glute Exercises FAQs
Adding 1-3 exercises into each workout is a great place to start. Remember to choose a variety of exercises that target all areas of the glutes (max, minimus & medius) as well as a variety of functions (hip extension, abduction, external rotation, etc). The glutes respond best to variety, having different exercises and repetition ranges in your training program is key.
Yes, you can build glutes with dumbbells at home if you train consistently and increase the challenge over time. Focus on good form, full range of motion, and progressive overload to see results.
The weight you choose when performing dumbbell glute exercises varies person to person. Make sure you have mastered the bodyweight versions of the exercises first. From there, for the bigger exercises (like lunges, hip thrusts & dumbbell glute bridges) begin with a 15lbs dumbbell and scale up. The sky is the limit on how much you can lift when it comes to your glute training.
Hip thrusts, deficit lunges, deadlifts. and reverse hyperextensions are some of the best exercises to strengthen glutes. These exercises primarily target hip extension and the gluteus maximus but the other areas of the glutes kick in too.
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