This Upper Glute Workout targets the gluteus medius to help lift, firm, and shape your hips for that sculpted “glute shelf.” Since the glutes are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, focusing beyond basic bridges is key to building strength and staying injury-free.
A Quick Look At The Workout
- 💭Equipment: Mini band
- ⏲️Duration: 20 minutes
- 📖 Warm up: You can grab a lower body warm up, but it's not really needed.
- 📋Intensity: Beginner-friendly
- 📖 Frequency: Do this workout 2-3 times per week
- ⭐ Muscles used: All gluteal muscles and a bit of hamstrings and quadriceps.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Though many people are starting to place an emphasis on glute training (which is awesome!), there’s more to it than mastering the glute bridge or hip thrusts.
If you want a shapely backside and round glutes, you’ll need to hit all three glute muscles to do so and incorporate some of the best glute stretches. Check out these glute workouts that get results.
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What Are The Gluteal Muscles (Anatomy)?
The glutes are a series of three muscles that make up the buttocks.
Broken down, these muscles are the gluteus maximus (the largest part of your bum), the gluteus minimus (on your outer hip), and the gluteus medius (just above the hip and is over top of the minimus).
They work together to bring you the functions below (and more):
- Hip extension (think bridges or a barbell hip thrust)
- Hip abduction (taking your leg away from your body to the side)
- Hip external rotation (turning your leg outwards)
Learn more about the gluteal muscles and what exactly they do in my blog post: glute training at home
Benefits of Upper Glute Exercises
The upper glutes play a huge role in stabilization and strength. There are a ton of glute exercise benefits in general, but by using upper glute exercises consistently you’ll notice:
- Less back pain
- Reduces knee pain
- More stability
- Reduced injury risk
Some pretty wicked benefits for one muscle group- learn more about glute burnouts to reap more perks!
One thing to note is that though we can target the upper glutes, all three glute muscles work together to create movement. Meaning, you’ll still be using your glute muscles as whole to some extent.
Upper Glute Workout
The workout below can be done in just 20 minutes and is practical for beginners (just like the Strong Glute Program).
It uses 5 of the best upper glute exercises to strategically target the upper glutes and promote muscle growth.
You will need a mini loop to perform the workout (here's more mini band exercises). Adding some resistance to your upper glutes is what will develop them the fastest (though here are the best bodyweight glute exercises if you need them).
| Lateral Lunge | 10/leg |
| Quadruped Side Raise | 15/leg |
| Banded Clamshells | 20/leg |
| Curtsy Lunge | 10/leg |
| Rest | 60 seconds x 4 sets |
| Single Leg Bridge | 15/leg |
| Rest | 30 seconds x 3 sets |
How to perform it:
Perform the first four exercises back to back without rest for the repetitions listed. Rest for 60 seconds at the end of the set and repeat for a total of four rounds.
Then, move on to the single leg bridges and perform them for three sets with 30 seconds of rest between them.
Exercise Tips
Below are the upper glute exercises from the workout with a breakdown of how to perform them so that you're never left guessing.
Lateral Lunge
- Stand upright.
- Step out to the side with your left foot.
- Push the hips backward and sink them down while keeping the heel on the floor.
- Pause briefly.
- Push up through the foot to extend the hip and bring the foot back into the starting position.
- Perform all the repetitions on one leg before moving on to the next.
Quadruped Side Raises
- For this exercise, place the strength band around your ankles.
- Come into table top position.
- Engage the core for a stable back and keep the left leg straight, move the foot away from the body at hip height.
- Pause briefly and return to the center position.
Banded Clamshells
- Lay on your right side with your legs stacked and knees bent. Make sure your shoulders, hips, and heels are in one line.
- Place your top hand on your top hip. Keeping your heels together, squeeze your glute while opening up at the knees.
- Release the squeeze and return the knees to meet each other (the starting position). You should feel the muscles under your hand contract.
Curtsy Lunge
- Stand upright in a comfortable position. Step the left foot back and across the line of the left leg. Lower the knee toward the floor while hinging slightly at the hips. Keep the foot of the right leg fully on the floor.
- Push through the right foot and return the left foot back to the standing starting position.
Single Elevated Leg Bridge
- Lay on the ground with your heels elevated on a couch, stairs or bench.
- Raise your right foot into the air.
- Push through the left foot and lift the hips high without excessively arching the low back.
- Pause and return the hips toward the starting position on the floor.
- Perform all the repetitions on one leg before moving on to the next.
Tips To Grow Your Glute Shelf
If you want to actually build your upper glutes, a few things matter most:
Eat enough: To grow muscle, you need fuel. Undereating is one of the biggest reasons glutes don’t grow (learn more about how to grow glutes and go master hip thrusts).
Activate your glutes: If your glutes aren’t firing properly, they won’t grow. Learning how to engage your glutes is key.
Progress your training: Doing the same workout won’t cut it. Increase the challenge by.
- Add more weight
- Make use of pause reps
- Amp up the reps
- Add an extra day of training
In order for you to grow your glute shelf, you need to progress your exercises and make them more challenging. You can learn more about how to increase the intensity of your workouts to keep challenging yourself. This glute hypertrophy workout can help with that, too.
More Glute Resources You’ll Love
Want a simple plan to actually build your glutes? My Glute Guide For Moms gives you step-by-step workouts you can follow at home, so you grow stronger, more defined glutes without the guesswork.
Upper Glute Exercises FAQs
To build the upper glutes you want an upper glute workout with a combination of basic hip extension movements like bridges, back extensions, and lunges paired with smaller, isolated abduction movements like fire hydrants.
If you’re looking for visible changes, it will take 6-8 weeks to grow the upper glutes. However, you should notice an increase in strength around 4-6 weeks from consistently using upper glute exercises.
You can use the upper glute workout 2-3 times per week on non-consecutive days. Upper glutes don’t tend to get too sore and they respond well to volume.
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