Butt Exercise: Leg Press Kickback
Degree of difficulty: 4 out of 5
- Overview: If your gym doesnt have a dedicated butt blaster machine, use this insteadit uses the same range of motion, and targets the middle portion and upper crest of the glutes.
- Get ready: Turn yourself around in a 45° leg press machine so your stomach and elbows are resting on the back pad, knees on the seat. Put one foot in the middle of the platform.
- Go: Unhinge the weight, then press your foot back at a 45° angle by straightening your leg, squeezing the glutes at the top. Return halfway to the starting position, then repeat for reps.
Kims tip: Dont arch your back. Make sure your foot is square so your toes are pointing straight down, and dont use a weight thats too heavy.
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Eating For A Bigger Booty
If your goal is to get a bigger bum, doing the best butt workouts is just part of the equation. You also need to be strategic with your nutritional intake and supplementation.
Healthy, fast-burning carbohydrates consumed before your butt workout will keep your energy consistent, from the first lunge down to the last jump squat.
Just as important is your post-workout protein intake, which the body needs for muscle growth and repair. With 20 grams of protein per serving, Beachbody Performance Recover offers a quick, convenient solution.
Besides fast-absorbing protein, Recover contains pomegranate extract, which has been shown to help promote muscle recovery and reduce soreness.
Pro tip: If youre a vegetarian or following any other plant-based diet, try Plant-Based Chocolate Recover.
Double Band Glute Bridge
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Build Your Best Butt Workout
There are many ways to train legs. The upper/lower body split is a popular training protocol, while some choose to isolate their quad and hamstring workouts. Plenty of women have gone booty-crazy and do full glute-only workouts.
As for me, I prefer to train glutes and hamstrings together, on a day separate from quads. Here’s why:
Some exercises recruit both muscle groups in one movement for example, the conventional deadlift, Romanian deadlift, and kettlebell swing variations.
Hamstrings are your athletic powerhouses and building them can do more to help your butt stand outâand help make you more athleticâthan most of the so-called “butt-lifting exercises” you’ll see online.
You don’t need equipment for a lot of glute work, so it’s easy to superset glutes with hamstrings in a gym without hogging a lot of equipment.
Another benefit of this approach: You’ll still work your glutes on quad day, as they contribute to any movement that involves pressing with your legs, stepping, or hip extensions. Consider that free butt-building volume!
Of course, building any body part requires eating adequate calories and protein. Don’t undereat, overtrain, and expect results.
Get a “leg up” on your protein needs!
How Long Does It Take To Grow Glutes
If you are dedicated to following a good training and nutrition program, you can expect to see glute growth in 8-12 weeks.
However, it is hard to know exactly how long it will take you to grow your glutes as it depends on several factors, such as your:
Your glutes are weak if:
- Your lower back arches when you extend your hips
- You have low back pain, hip, or knee pain when using heavy weights
- You notice that one hip is higher than the other
Also, you likely have weak glutes if you are unable to complete a full range of motion glute bridge.
*There should be a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.*
But all hope is not lost!
If your glutes are weak, then you can do exercises that target them directly, as weak glutes can lead to injury and postural misalignments.
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Flybird Adjustable Dumbbell Best For Mass And Strength
If you prefer more traditional weight lifting movements, then simply getting a pair of good dummbells is worthwhile.
Dumbbells are incredibly versatile too, and can be used for all sorts of exercises. You can effectively target every muscle in your body with dumbbells so they really are a great investment for your home fitness gym.
Dumbbells lend themselves really well for things like weighted squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and lunges exercises that will engage and activate the glutes.
We picked FLYBIRDs adjustable dumbbells as we feel these provide versatility for different exercises and avoid the need to buy a big selection of dumbbells. It is easy to change the weight of them so you can spend less time changing weights and more time exercising.
FLYBIRD topped our list of the best affordable dumbbells for women in our recent buyers guide, due to the ability to change the weight so easily and the quality of the product.
You could of course select other dumbbells and still be able to do the same exercises. The main decision is whether you opt for adjustable dumbbells or buy a set that includes different weights. Youll find with some glute exercises, like Romanian deadlifts, that you can lift heavier than say a bicep curl, so having different weights is definitely an advantage.
The Best Butt Workouts At Home
Being in great shape means training the entire body, including the glutes. All athletes and fitness enthusiasts should incorporate exercises for the largest muscle group in the body. If you work out at home, you might think that you cant train the glutes effectively, but rest assured that thats not the case.
In this guide, we provide you with a variety of effective, at-home glute workouts. The exercises range from beginner to advanced, plus you can group some of these together if youre low on time. Ultimately, these at-home glute workouts are designed to help you lose fat, build muscle, and get stronger.
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Bridge With Leg Extension
“The bridge isolates the gluteus maximus because the leg is bent at the knee and therefore the hamstring is less active,” says Robert Forster, a physical therapist and founder of Phase IV and Forster Physical Therapy. “Extending the opposite leg serves to put much more work onto the glute of the stationary leg, and balancing on one foot recruits the other glute muscles on the outside of the pelvis for stability,” he explains. While you power through this move, remember to avoid overextending your hips, which causes you to arch your back and turns your butt exercise into a backbend.
A. Lie faceup with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hands at sides.
B. Do a pelvic tilt, making sure lower back is pressing into the floor. Then squeeze glutes and press through heels to raise hips off the mat to create a straight line with body, aligning knees, hips, and shoulders.
C. Straighten right leg, keeping quads and knees aligned, and hold for 3 counts.
D. Drop right foot to the ground to return to starting position. Switch sides repeat. Continue alternating.
Try to do 3 sets of 10 reps per side.
The Best Butt Workout Moves For Stronger Glutes
PSA: Your butt workouts shouldn’t solely focus on aesthetics building stronger butt muscles will not only improve your speed and explosiveness, but will also protect your lower back and knees from injury. Plus, all good butt workouts, at the gym or at home, will target the biggest muscle in your body the gluteus maximus, or glute max for short so you’ll maximize your benefits both during and after your workout.
Still, you want to be sure you’re working all your butt muscles to get the most out of your effort. These exercises accomplish all that and more.
How it works: How you incorporate these exercises into your butt workouts is totally up to you. There are suggested reps and sets for each, but otherwise, they are totally customizable. You can try a few as a finisher to a lower-body workout, do one set of each for a circuit-style workout, or simply incorporate your favorites into your usual full-body workout.
What you’ll need: While you can effectively work your butt with just your bodyweight, many of these trainer-approved exercises utilize tools and equipment that take your glute work to the next level. Some items that you’ll want to familiarize yourself with for this butt workout: a stability ball, tall step or stable box, glute-ham developer machine, barbell, and set of medium or heavy dumbbells.
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What Are The Glutes
The glutes are a series of three muscles that make up the buttocks. Broken down, these muscles are the gluteus maximus , the gluteus minimus , and the gluteus medius .
Though there are three gluteal muscles, they all work together to bring you a variety of functions:
- Hip external rotation
Every glute exercise you use will target all of the glute muscles. However, it is possible to place extra emphasis on one over the other.
Learn all the ins & outs of glute training with this blog post on Glute Training 101.
The Glute Exercises At Home Overview
This routine combines five separate workouts all mainly targeting the glutes. You might see some of the workouts using resistance band but that is optional.
That being said, you should have invested in a resistance band by now as they are super affordable.
You can actually get them at any fitness or health store in your area.
If you plan to take glute training seriously, you must invest in one of these.
Resistance band is one of the easiest ways to add more challenge to your workout to grow your glutes bigger beyond the plateau.
However, it is still optional.
Keep your rest times between 30 to 50 seconds.
You will be given a workout chart below showing the amount of sets and reps for each workout.
Without further ado, lets get started!
1. Banded Squat
When trying to grow any part of your lower body, squats is a must.
Whether glutes or legs you must include squats in your routine as its one of the ultimate compound exercises.
It engages every single muscle in your lower body, especially when you do it with proper form.
How to do it
- Stand shoulder-width apart with the resistance band around both legs above your knee caps.
- Slowly lower your body into the squat position with both thighs parallel to the ground and hold for one second.
- Return to the starting point and repeat.
2. Fire Hydrant Front Stretch
A classic glute exercise with a variation that would activate those gluteal muscles.
Especially, the gluteus medius.
How to do it
3. Banded Squat 180 Hops
How to do it
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What Is Glute Equipment
The glutes are made up of three muscles the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimums.
They are located above the hamstrings and what most people would refer to as the bottocks .
These muscles are incredibly important for any sort of lower body movement. They provide the power and strength for all sorts of weight lifting exercises, as well as helping to support better overall mobility.
Glute equipment is simply fitness gear that specifically targets these muscles. By activating the glutes, this equipments helps to strengthen and tone them, creating the desired results.
Glute equipment comes in all shapes and sizes, from larger machines to smaller items such as resistance bands.
As the wave of home workouts continues, getting glute equipment in your home is becoming a popular choice for many, as it means the ability to do an effective at-home glute workout has never been easier.
When buying glute equipment for home use, youll want to consider things like price, space and your own skill level.
Beginner Glute Workout At Home
The purpose of this workout is to learn proper form, understand how your glute muscles work, and challenge yourself to train the glutes effectively. We recommend performing two sets of 15 reps with each of these exercises, taking a one-minute rest between sets.
Once you grow more comfortable with these movements, or if youre an intermediate or advanced trainee that needs a quick glute session, do all five exercises as a circuit for 15 reps each. Rest for one minute after you finish a circuit and try performing three rounds of this before calling it a day.
Bodyweight Sumo Squat: 2 sets of 15 reps
Stand tall with your feet wider slightly than shoulder-width apart. Keep your hands clasped together at chest level. Bend your knees and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Keep a straight, neutral spine while lowering down. Drive through your heels when returning to the standing position and squeeze your glutes at the top. Maintain balance before beginning the next rep.
Bodyweight Good Morning: 2 sets of 15 reps
Glute Bridge: 2 sets of 15 reps
Lie on the floor with your legs bent, feet flat against the floor, and your arms flat at 45 degrees to your body. Tuck your pelvis, lift your hips up off the floor and contract the glutes. Use your feet and arms to stabilize the body while you do this. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
Hip Drive from Knees: 2 sets of 15 reps
Side Lunge: 2 sets of 15 reps
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How To Do Frog Pumps
How To Do Sidestep Squats
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Single Leg Hip Thrust
- Set up in hip thrust position with your back on the bench 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. Lockout 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.
- Perform 8-12 repetitions.
How Do You Target All Three Glutes
To target all three glute muscles, you need to perform exercises that target the specific action of each of the gluteal muscles.
In total, there are three gluteal muscles:
Gluteus maximus
The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three glute muscles, and its responsible for hip extension .
In addition, the gluteus maximus helps maintain your erect posture and laterally rotates and abducts your thigh.
Gluteus medius
The gluteus medius aids in hip abduction and helps to stabilize your pelvis when you walk or run.
This muscle also helps flex and extend the hip and medially and laterally rotate the hip.
Gluteus minimus
The gluteus minimus is the smallest of the three, and its function is similar to the gluteus medius.
I go over specific exercises for targeting all three muscles in my post on building strong glutes.
Now, when it comes to exercises that work all three muscles, squats are definitely one of the best and my personal favorite.
It is the king of the lower body movements!
There are many different types of squats that you can do, so you should definitely find a squat variation that works best for you.
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Are Butt Exercises Without Weights Effective
These butt exercises give you a good foundation for shaping your glutes and building a bigger butt without weights. Stay consistent and really feel your glutes burn after each workout. If you have dumbbells, a resistance band, kettlebells, or similar equipment, make sure to include them, too.Muscle building is based on progressive overload, so you need to keep it challenging!
Ready to start working on strong glutes and a bigger butt?
You can find most of these exercises with detailed video instructions in theadidas Training app along with a 12-week bodyweight workout plan you can do at home.
Recommendations For A Well
As with any type of training, variety is key. Thus, dont just take one of the above exercises and beat it to death. Mix things up.
Every muscle has numerous muscle fibers that are stimulated by different movement patterns. By using a variety of glute exercise you will ensure you hit all of them.
With that, here are 4 recommendations when choosing glute exercises for your workouts. On a regular basis, ensure you:
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Side Plank With Leg Lift
This is an advanced version of the side plank that will train both your core and your glutes. Its pretty challenging and youll definitely notice discrepancies between sides.
A 2009 study showed that among various glute exercises, side lying abduction exercises similar to the leg lift in this exercise are the most beneficial at activating your gluteus medius.
How to do it:
Lie on your left side and position yourself so that your bottom forearm is directly under your armpit and your legs are straight with feet stacked. Brace your core and lift your hips in the air, forming a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Next, raise your top leg, without bending your knee, a few inches into the air. Hold for 3-5 seconds, lower the leg, and repeat. Complete required reps then switch sides.
