Bodyweight Glute Exercises are one of the easiest ways to build strength at home, no equipment needed. And since the glutes are one of the largest muscles, the best bodyweight exercises for glutes target your hips from multiple angles to improve strength, stability, and shape.
Most women think they need weights to grow their glutes, but that’s not entirely true.
While there are lots of wicked glute exercises with weights, glute exercises for women at home can still be incredibly effective when done properly and progressed over time. Single-leg movements, tempo work, and actually feeling your glutes do the work go a long way (learn how to engage glutes).
Before you dive in, it helps to understand how your glutes actually work as well as glute exercise benefits. Also, learn more about glute training at home so you get the most out of every rep.
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How To Build The Glutes
To build your glutes, you need tension, fatigue, and progression over time.
That doesn’t mean you need weights (though glute exercises with dumbbells can really help), but it does mean you need to challenge your muscles. Slowing down reps, using single-leg exercises, and increasing time under tension all help create that stimulus.
Master the basics first (like glute bridges), then build from there. If you’re not sure how to progress, check out how to make your home workouts harder. Growing a muscle is about progressing it, meaning: making it harder. And there are lots of ways to do that without weight.
The Best Bodyweight Glute Exercises
Bodyweight glute exercises work because they train your glutes through control, stability, and a full range of motion, not just load. When done properly (and pushed close to fatigue), they can be surprisingly effective for building strength at home.
The key is choosing movements that challenge your glutes from different angles and actually make them work, not just going through the motions. Start with a few of the exercises below, focus on quality reps, and you’ll feel the difference fast.
Exercise #1: Bulgarian Split Squat
- Set up in a lunge position with the left leg elevated on the bench and the right knee over the heel.
- 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. Watch a video on how to perform a glute-based Bulgarian Split Squat.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions.
Exercise #2: Paused Glute Bridges
Nailing down how to perform a glute bridge is crucial for any glute training.
- Lying on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder-width apart roughly.
- Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
- Pause at the top for three seconds with a maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back to the starting position.
Reps: anywhere from 8-25 repetitions.
Exercise #3: Single Leg Hip Thrust
- 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.
- 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 for the v on the left leg before moving on to the right leg.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions.
Exercise #4: Side-Lying Hip Raise
- Lay on your right side with your knees bent and feet together. Hips and shoulders in one line, and the right arm under the right shoulder.
- As you raise up into side plank position and lift the hips off the ground, raise the left leg up using the left glute.
- Keep the knee bent and flex the left foot. Pause and return to the starting position.
Reps:10-15 repetitions.
Exercise #5: Extended Range Abductions
- Laying on your right side on a bench (or table etc), bend your bottom leg so it’s out of the way. Keep the left leg straight and let it dangle off the bench while having your thighs together.
- Lift the left leg from the “deficit” position against the band. Pause at the top and return to the start potion.
Reps: anywhere from 15-30 repetitions per side.
Exercise #6: Froggy Pumps
- Laying down, being the soles of your feet close together and towards your bum.
- Squeeze the glutes and with your knees driven out (knees wider than hip-width apart) raise the hips.
- Pause and return the hip to the floor.
Reps: 15-40 repetitions of the banded froggy pumps.
Exercise #7: Clamshells
- Lay on your right side with your legs stacked and knees slightly 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. You should feel the muscles under your hand contract.
Reps: 10-15/side.
Exercise #8: Bodyweight Feet Elevated Glute Bridge
- Lay with your back on the floor and feet on a bench, couch, or stair roughly hip-width apart. The knees should be bent. Squeeze the glutes and lift the hips into hip extension.
- Do not arch the back but lockout at the top briefly.
- Release the glute squeeze and return to the starting position.
Reps: 15-25 repetitions
Exercise #9: Deficit Lunge
- Using a bottom step or yoga blocks, stand upright, chest lifted, on the step.
- 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 #10: Quadruped Hip Extensions
- Come into a tabletop position on all fours.
- 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 you raise the foot towards the floor.
- 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.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions per leg. Watch a video on how to perform hip extensions if you need the visual.
Exercise #11: At Home Reverse Hyper Extensions
Typically, this exercise is done in the gym with a specific machine (see here for a demo) and is one of my favorite hip dominant exercises.
Normally, when performing reverse hyperextension at home, you'll elevate your body further with a swiss ball, check out this swiss ball reverse hyperextension.
However, you can easily perform this on a bench.
- Lay belly down on a bench with the end of the bench at your hips (legs hanging off).
- 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 to the floor.
reps: 10-30 repetitions.
Exercise #12: Bodyweight Glute March
- Laying on the ground on your back, bring the heels close to the bum. Raise the hips into a glute bridge position. Keeping the glutes squeezed and the hips squared, begin walking each foot out away from the bum.
- Walk the feet out until you can no longer support the low back or the hips and then walk them back into the bum again.
Reps: 30-45 seconds.
Exercise #13: Quadruped Straight Leg Abductions
- Come into table top position and make sure the core is engaged and low back is neutral. Take the left foot out to the side and keep the left leg straight with the toes pointed.
- Use the left glue to lift the left foot up and down.
Reps: 10-15 per leg. Learn how to do straight leg abductions.
Exercise #14: Curtsy Lunge
One of my favorites for a glute hypertrophy workout, these lunges are a special kind of fire.
- 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 starting position.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions per leg.
Exercise #15: Single Leg Romanain Deadlift
Though definitely a hamstring exercise as well, the stability needed for this is a ton of glutes as well.
- Standing upright keep the knees bent, Raise the left foot behind you as you hinge from the hips and shift the weight backward.
- Your hips should remain facing the floor, and the left glute should be engaged. You should have a flat back and feel a stretch in the right hamstring.
- Pause briefly and bring the left foot back toward the floor.
Reps: 8-12 repetitions per leg.
Exercise #16: Wall Glute March
- Lie with your back on the ground and feet planted on a wall. Knees bent. Lift the hips up into extension as if you were performing an elevated glute bridge.
- Keep the glutes engaged, the hips squared and high as you raise the left foot and then the right foot (as if you're marching).
Reps: 30-45 seconds.
Exercise #17: Reverse Plank
- Begin with your hips on the ground, legs straight out in front of you and your hands with fingers pointed out a few inches behind your hips.
- Squeeze the glutes and raise the hips high into the air coming into a posterior pelvic tilt. Open up the chest and hold.
Reps: 20-40 seconds.
Exercise #18: Crossack Squats
- Stand with your feet much wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep the right leg straight as you push your hips back and start to bend the left leg and sink down.
- Keep the left foot fully on the ground and aim to touch your bum to the back of your calf. While doing this, the right leg can rotate so that the toe points up.
- Reverse the movement and come to the top of the position.
Reps: 5-8 on each leg. Learn more about crossack squats.
How To Use The Bodyweight Exercises
The bodyweight glute exercises above can be worked into your current training programs (choose 1-2 per workout) or used in warm-ups.
But they can also be used a workout themselves.
Choose 4-6 exercises and perform them back to back. After the last exercise, rest for 60 seconds and perform it again for a total of three rounds or follow a plan to get stronger with the Glute Guide.
More Resources On How To Workout At Home
Below are a few resources to strengthen your glutes at home. If you're sick of piecing ogether workouts though, try the 8-week plan in my Glute Guide to get you started.
Bodyweight Glute Exercises FAQs
Building a muscle can be done with or without weights. So long as you create a progressive stimulus (constantly challenge the muscle more and more), the muscle will grow. Instead of adding weight to an exercise to make it harder, be strategic with repetitions, tempo of the exercises, and exercise style.
Yes, you can grow your glutes without weights by using bodyweight exercises that challenge your muscles. Focus on single-leg movements, slow tempo, and pushing close to fatigue to see results.
You should train your glutes 3–4 times per week, depending on your experience and recovery. Focus on quality workouts and allow at least a day of rest between sessions to help your muscles rebuild and get stronger.
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