Ready to wake up your weak glutes, reduce injury risk, and make your day-to-day life better? Work the 6 best glute exercises into your training routine and start reaping the benefits of a strong, perky peach.
As the largest muscle in our bodies, our gluteal muscles help us run, jump and climb as well as improve posture and reduce pain. If you’re not making glute exercises part of your weekly routine, you’re missing out.
"These were so helpful! Ever since having my baby, I’ve had all kinds of leg and hip pain. These exercises have really been helping." - Kim
I became obsessed with glutes when I realized how crucial they were during pregnancy and postpartum (here are the best pregnancy hip exercises).
Since then, I’ve been known to repeatedly say “glutes solve life problems” with my clients. Because they do!
Glute strength ties into:
- Better posture
- Better postpartum recovery
- Less injury risk
- Amazing sport performance
- Reduced back pain
Learn more about the daily benefits of strong glutes.
Why Your Glutes Might Be Weak (and What That Means)
You don’t need to memorize muscle names or anatomy charts, but it helps to understand why your glutes might not be doing their job.
Your glutes (aka your bum muscles) are supposed to power you through things like walking, lifting, climbing stairs, and standing up without putting strain on your lower back or legs. But for a lot of us, especially busy moms, those muscles have gone quiet.
Here’s how that shows up in real life:
- Your bum feels flat or soft, no matter how much you work out
- You get lower back aches after standing or walking
- Your thighs or hips do all the work during squats and lunges
- Your knees feel wobbly or cave inward during movement
- You feel off-balance or unstable when standing on one leg
Why does this happen? Mostly because:
- We sit a lot (think nursing, commuting, working, or just getting five minutes of peace)
- We rely too much on other muscles, like the quads or hip flexors
- We rush through workouts without thinking about muscle activation
Even if you're doing all the “right” exercises, your glutes can still stay quiet, which means other muscles step in and overwork, leading to aches, tightness, or frustrating plateaus (learn more about glute amnesia). This is why it's important to properly engage glutes.
The good news? With a little awareness and the right exercises, you can re-activate your glutes and get them firing again so your body feels stronger, more supported, and better balanced.
Quick Tip: Stand on one leg in front of a mirror for 10–15 seconds.
If your hip drops on the side of the lifted leg, or if you feel super wobbly, there’s a good chance your glute medius (the stabilizer on the standing leg) isn’t firing properly. Don’t worry, that’s exactly what the exercises below are here to fix.
What Are The Glute Muscles?
Your glutes are made up of three muscles that work together to move and support your hips:
- Gluteus maximus – the biggest part of your bum
- Gluteus medius – along the side of your hip
- Gluteus minimus – tucked underneath the medius
These muscles help with movements like lifting your leg to the side, turning it out, or driving your hips up (like in bridges or hip thrusts). Most glute exercises work all three muscles, but you can shift the focus depending on the movement.
5 Best Glute Exercises
Listen, there are a ton of exercises out there that will hit your glute muscles. Here are the best gluteus maximus exercises and great gluteus minimus exercises. Classic exercises like clamshells, side lying abductions, and seated abductions are all great staples.
However, the exercises below are the ones I use most often for weak glutes.
Though you can easily vary the load or tension on the exercises (bands, dumbbells, etc), you can also use them with different repetition variations (pause reps, 1.5 reps).
Choose 2-3 and work them into your weekly program to get you started with some glute strength.
Want a more done-for-you approach? Grab the Glute Training E-book. A 25-page ebook with the exact glute workouts I use with clients.
The Hip Thrust
This move is the KING of all glute exercises. And rightfully so.
It targets your glutes through hip extension (and hyperextension) and the elevated back gives you a better range of motion so that you can target them MORE.
Learn how to do a hip thrust, how to do a weighted hip thrust, and know that this exercise can be done with multiple variations: single leg, banded, feet elevated etc.
How to perform
- Begin by placing your mid to upper back (right about the bra strap line) on a bench (or table, or couch).
- 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. Beginners will normally hook their elbows on the bench. This is fine so long as you don’t press into the bench with them for support.
- Start to push through the heels, squeeze the glutes and lift the hips towards the ceiling.
- 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.
- 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 and the starting position.
The exercise can be used from anywhere between 3-30 repetitions depending on tension levels.
Deficit Lunges
Again, this glute exercise provides a greater range of motion than a typical lunge thanks to its elevation which makes it ideal for weak glutes. Make sure to hinge forward slightly to maximize tension on the back of the leg and not the front.
How to perform
- 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 the starting position.
Aim for 8-12 repetitions on each leg.
Reverse Hyper Extensions
Now, this is an exercise most people think can only be done in a gym.. wrong! Learn how to do a reverse hyperextension at home!
A great exercise to really nail down the posterior pelvic tilt. A reverse hyperextension can be done with a band, straight-legged, straddle-legged, or froggy legs!
How to perform
- 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.
Perform this exercise for 12-30 repetitions.
Sumo Walks
Not as fancy or intense as the exercises above but this one has merit. It places the focus on the outer glutes (gluteus minimus and gluteus medius) and not just gluteus maximus (big glute).
It’s amazing for hip stability and one of my most prescribed for runners. I use it in this glute HIIT workout for busy days.
How to perform:
- Standing upright you can place the band around the top of the knees, below the knees or over the shoelaces for different tensions.
- Hinge forward slightly keeping your weight pushed backward and a flat back. Stand on your right foot as you move the left leg sideways using your glutes to push against the band.
- Step down and continue this process one way before completing the same motion on the other side.
Perform for 10-20 repetitions each way.
Fire Hydrants
Another one that focuses more on the smaller glute muscles and great for beginners. With fire hydrants weak glutes must actively work to raise the leg through a large range.
- In a tabletop position, place the band below the knees.
- Maintain core engagement and try not to twist the hips as you cock your leg (keeping the knee bent at ninety degrees) out to the side against the band.
- Pause and return the knee to the starting position. Perform all reps on one side before moving to the next.
Aim for 30 seconds per leg.
High Step Ups
A powerful way to build glute strength while improving pelvic stability, hip control, and balance. By driving through one leg to lift your body upward, you challenge your glutes to stabilize and control movement, something especially important if you struggle with hip drop or wobbly knees.
- Find a high bench or chair with support as needed. Your hip should be below your knee.
- Place the full foot of the working leg on the high bench, lead forward slightly, and use the working leg to PULL your body up (don't push off the ground) to stand tall.
- Reverse the movement by slowly bending the knee, leaning forward, and coming back to the ground. Aim for this to take at least 2-3 seconds.
- Continue on the same leg for 8-10 repetitions.
Know that lateral step ups are also a great way to work the glutes and especially if you focus on the eccentric part (the lowering).
How To Strengthen Weak Glutes
- Learn to properly activate the glutes
- Use the five exercises above 2-3 times per week
- Make use of mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage
If you want to strengthen a weak muscle you need to be able to activate it (this also requires some glute mobility so you can take them through a full range of motion or using some of the best glute stretches on a regular basis.
Here is a 10-minute glute workout you can start to work into your week.
Since many of us tend to tuck our bums under (think of a dog tucking its tail), we’re very prone to tight glutes (tight glutes are weak glutes!).
This means that other muscles (like hip flexors) end up doing more jobs than they should be and it results in poor movement mechanics and back pain. Basically, it's dead butt syndrome.
So, untuck your butt, get into a glute bridge, start glute training on a regular basis.
Other Tips For Improving Your Glute Strength
- The best glute isolation exercises
- Glute training for busy moms: 5 week program
- Exercises to target the gluteus maximus
- Glute activation exercises
- Glute training 101: everything you need to know
- Glute finishers for a wicked peach
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
First, make sure that you can take the glute muscles through a good range of motion. You should be able to sit comfortably in a straddle position with a flat low back. Begin learning how to activate both the gluteus maximus as well as the outer glutes, and begin by adding in bodyweight glute exercises like lying abductions, clamshell,s and glute bridges into your training program.
The truth is, we just don’t use our glute muscles enough. Sitting on them causes them to become more dormant than necessary because other muscles then take over to do their job. Likewise, through pregnancy and postpartum, a woman's posture drastically shifts, and we tend to tuck our bums under,r which chronically shortens them.
Kimmy says
Tried the glute bridge yesterday based on this article, and WOW!Feeling the soreness today in a good way. This is such a helpful guide, especially for someone new to glute exercises. Thanks!
fitasamamabear says
Wahoo!!!
Rebecca says
I learn so much from this site! I've been doing these exercises for 2 weeks now and I can already see (and feel!) an improvement in my posterior. 🙂 For the first time maybe ever, I'm a little bit excited about swimsuit season. Thanks so much!
fitasamamabear says
I love this! So happy to hear it's all helping!
MacKenzie says
These tips and workouts are great. I am 5 months postpartum and am always looking for simple workouts I can do at home.
fitasamamabear says
Awww mega congrats on the little one! If you ever have questions feel free to reach out!
Glenda says
Every single time, you are 100% correct and the exercises are just what I need. But, I can tell I spend too much time in front of the compute typing. lol The burn is real! This is also helping me be more conscious of my posture, too. Thanks, Shelby!
Nicole Johnson says
Great information! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to put some of this into practice!
Kim says
These were so helpful! Ever since having my baby, I’ve had all kinds of leg and hip pain. These exercises have really been helping.
Mandy Applegate says
I certainly knew about it the day after I did the glute exercises - but no pain no gain - right? Looking forward to seeing the results!
Jennifer says
Daaamn girl, I want glutes like yours! I'm on these exercises starting today!
Kate says
I did a couple of these glute exercises today and they were so helpful! I am feeling so much stronger now!
fitasamamabear says
Love it!
fitasamamabear says
Hahaha thank you! My glutes struggle to grow so I've been working hard. Thanks for the ego boost!
Claire says
I have been working out at home after each child in turn has either had covid or has been isolating due to being a close contact. So the gym has been out. I am loving all of your workouts, I am learning so much about my body and I am sure when i do get back to the gym that I'll be doing more than just 30 minutes on the treadmill and a few weights.
Thank you
fitasamamabear says
Oh god, honestly the struggle is real regarding all kids being healthy at once! Sorry mama, I nkow that feeling. That said though... yay! Glad I can give you some ideas, inspiration and tips to keep you going!
K says
Glutes are such a big deal for me! How does the hip thrust compare to a traditional bridge for building and strengthening?
fitasamamabear says
Too funny, I actually break them down in a comparison a bit in this post: https://fitasamamabear.com/bench-glute-bridge/ --> basically both are awesome. You have to have mastered the bridge to rock a hip thrust. Both are low impact and good for beginners but the hip thrust takes the glutes through a bigger range of motion so it tends too have a bigger bang for your buck in some ways.
Shruthi says
Thanks so much for a great workout! It’s so easy (from a simplicity standpoint). But wooooo, burn!
fitasamamabear says
Hehe simplicity is key.. but the burn is real!