Skyrocket your glute gains with this glute hypertrophy workout! With an emphasis on moderate weight and medium to high volume, this glute training plan can be done at home or in the gym. So, set aside 20 minutes a few times per week and get started!
What Are The Glutes?
The glutes are a group of muscles surrounding the hips and bum. The gluteus maximus is the biggest part on your bum and the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius are located more on the outside of your hips.
This muscle group helps improve posture, stabilize the core, and relieve back pain when trained properly. The glute muscles perform movements like hip extension, hip abduction, and more. Learn more about the benefits of glute training and grab the best glute burnout exercises.
Great exercises for the gluteal muscles include:
- Glute bridges
- Split squat
- Hip thrust exercises (barbell hip thrust and single leg hip thrusts)
- Hip abduction
Glute Hypertrophy Workout
A hypertrophy workout is one that focuses more on gaining muscle mass than it does strength. This workout prioritizes the best glute exercises to help you do that and amps up the volume on them.
As a Certified Strength Coach, I love that it can be done at home or in the gym as it only requires a set of dumbbells and a mini band. This equipment is the only thing I use for my signature SMASH Fit For Life workout program as it’s simple and effective.
| Banded Dumbbell Curtsy Lunges | 45 seconds alternating |
| Dumbbell Feet Elevated Glute Bridge | 20 |
| Side Lying Hip Raise | 10/side |
| Rest | 30 seconds x 3 sets |
| Glute Squat | 12 |
| Reverse Hyperextension | 20 |
| Rest | 10 seconds x 4 sets |
To perform the workout:
Start by performing the first three exercises back to back without rest for the repetitions listed. At the end of the hip raises, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat the sequence. Do this for a total of 3 rounds through.
Next, move on to the next two exercises and perform them back to back. Rest for only 10 seconds and repeat the exercises for a total of 4 rounds.
Before you begin make sure that you have mastered how to engage glutes. Without proper activation, you won’t maximize hypertrophy. Focus on FEELING and not rushing through. And of course, at the end of the workout rock some glute stretches to ease up the tension.
What Size Dumbbells Do I Need?
A set of dumbbells that is challenging but not crippling is what you need and keep in mind the volume is high. I’d recommend starting with a set of 15 pounds of this workout and scaling from there.
Likewise, for the resistance band, opt for one of the stronger latex ones. This way you get a good amount of tension without sacrificing form.
The Glute Exercises
The goal of this workout is to maximize engagement and weighted volume. So, make sure you’re clear on form before you begin so that you’re not just going through the motions. Aim for coming just shy of failure on both the curtsy lunges and the glute squats
Banded Curtsy Lunge
The curtsy lunge is a great exercises as it targets all areas of the glutes at once. Adding a mini resistance band places extra tension on the gluteus medius and minimus and the dumbbell weights the gluteus maximus.
- Stand upright in a comfortable position with a mini band wrapped around the legs above or below the knees.
- 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.
Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Adding a mini elevation to the glute bridge makes it so that you have a greater range of motion and thus, more chance to target the glutes. Make sure to keep the heels fully planted.
- 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 a second seconds with a maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back to the starting position.
Know that if you're rocking this glute workout in a gym, you can substitute this exercise for a barbell hip thrust. The hip thrust is one of the "kings" of all glute exercises and would be a great addition!
Side Lying Hip Raise
A great exercise for core strength and glute strength. Though it does have a lot of moving parts, nailing down the movement is a great way to challenge stability.
- 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.
- Place a mini resistance band around your legs above the knees.
- As you raise up into the 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.
Glute Squat Exercise
This type of squat places an extra emphasis on the glutes by hinging forward slightly. Really squeeze the glutes as you come up.
- Stand upright with your feet wider than hip distance apart holding a dumbbell at chest height.
- Hinge forward and push the weight back slightly as you bend the knees and drop into a bottom squat position.
- Push through the heels, drive the knees out, and extend upwards while still keeping a light forward lean.
- Squeeze the glutes at the top and repeat.
Reverse Hyperextensions
Though this glute exercise can be done on a machine at the gym, it can just as easily be done at home on your couch or a table as well- watch this reverse hyperextension video. And if that doesn’t suit you, opt for this modified reverse hyperextension instead.
- Lay your 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.
How Often Should I Do This Workout?
You can add this glute hypertrophy workout into your training routine 2-3 times per week. As you become more accustomed to the exercises, you may want to step up the weight of the dumbbells a bit to continuously challenge your glutes.
Remember, aim to just shy of failure.
Before You Start
Before you can build muscle groups you need to make sure you have nailed down muscle activation. Glutes are especially easy to do this as they change shape when contracted and provide immediate feedback.
Learn how to engage your glutes and MASTER both gluteus maximus activation as well as glute medius and minimus engagement in hip abduction exercises before you perform this glute workout program.
More Glute Training Resources
- Glute isolation exercises
- Best at home glute exercises
- Workout finishers for strong glutes
- How to grow glutes in 6 steps
- Glute workouts on YouTube
- Glute training 101: everything you need to know
Stronger glutes = less back pain, better posture, more power.
This no-gym workout plan builds serious strength in just minutes a day.
Frequently Asked Questions About Glute Training
Growing glutes requires a balance of heavy compound glute work like deadlifts and hip thrusts along with smaller, high-volume exercises in your training session. In addition to that, glutes will not grow as well if you’re consistently in a calorie deficit. For muscle mass to develop, you need to eat to gain.
Growing your glutes is different for everyone and requires consistent effort. If you stay dedicated to your plan, your glutes will become stronger in six weeks, start changing shape in ten weeks, and keep growing from there. Optimal glute growth can take anywhere from eight months to sixteen months of solid effort.
It could be a combination of things but the number one mistake females make in muscle growth is that they’re not eating enough. That and that they focus too much on the gluteus Maximus and not enough on the other glutes. Likewise, to build glutes you need to use a progressive overload approach to your glute training.
Though Romanian deadlifts require the glutes to extend the hips, they are primarily a hamstrings exercise. That said, you can vary the movement by engaging the glutes more at the top lockout position and rounding the back slightly to make the "gluten-dominant" Romanian deadlift.
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