People do butt exercises because they want a bigger, firmer, rounder-looking butt and because butt exercises are proven to work to achieve this goal. 

If your physique is important to you, then building a solid set of glutes will likely be of high priority in the gym. So, which muscles make up your glutes? This would be the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, and gluteus medius. It is essential to exercise all glute muscles in order to sculpt the best shape; that round, firm and high rear-end that’s so aesthetically pleasing. The type of butt exercises, weight used, reps and focus will be determined by your trainer, and will affect how you should train to grow your glutes.

Your bodily awareness, experience in the gym, and overall goals will determine which exact butt exercises you should start with. In order to optimize building muscle in the glutes, the exercise rep range should be between 6 and 12 reps, and close to a maximal effort. That means when you get to the goal rep, you don’t have a whole lot of juice to squeeze out anymore. That being said, proper form during butt exercises is crucial, which means your body should not change position to compensate to get more reps. When using weights during your butt exercises, always adjust the load to match the consistency of your sets. 

Butt Exercises Improve the Function of Your Glutes, Not Just the Appearance

It’s important to incorporate butt exercises in your exercise regimen, not only for a nicer appearance, but also for the overall functionality of your body. Your gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle in your body. The gluteus maximus produces a lot of force, and is a key factor in building up your strength for big compound lifts such as the weighted squat and the deadlift. 

This means that when you grow your glutes and build muscle in the gluteus maximus, you’ll likely notice improved overall performance at the gym.

Furthermore, strong glutes can make you a better runner, better hiker, and overall better athlete. 

Incorporating Butt Exercises into Leg Day

Before we review some individual butt exercises in detail, let’s discuss how you should be incorporating butt exercises into leg day, and also during whole body workouts.

You should be working out the rest of your body in conjunction with your glutes. It’s common to train your glutes when doing your leg day. If you do a whole body workout, then incorporating the glutes in the beginning and the end of your workout will help to make them grow. Squats and deadlifts should be incorporated at the beginning of your workout. Perform 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps, with a tempo of 3s down, 1 second pause, fast up with a 1-2 second pause at the top. Making sure you squeeze your glutes at the top of both movements consciously and with effort will make a big difference. 

To isolate your glutes maximus, incorporate kickbacks or donkey kicks, again 3-4 sets in the 6-12 rep range. To isolate your medius and maximus, perform 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps of clam shells and hip abduction using bands or the machine. Overall you should be hitting at least 3 exercises, 3-4 sets per exercise and 6-12 reps respectively. Progressions of exercises include adding more reps at the same resistance or more weight for the same reps over a period of time. Remember to mix it up, as our bodies adapt to the stress we put it under.

Below are 12 of the best butt exercises to grow and shape your glutes:

1. Bench Squat

A bench squat is a term for regular sit-to-stand squats where a bench is used as a marker to ensure you’re squatting low enough, without actually sitting on the bench. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with your back to the bench. Point your toes outward at approximately a 45 degree angle. As you lower yourself down to the bench behind you, slowly hinge at your hips, push your butt back, and bend your knees to lower yourself until your butt touches the bench. Avoid sitting down completely. Push your weight into your heels and squeeze your glutes as you return to a standing position. This is one rep. Your personal trainer can tell you how many reps you should complete, Most people complete 2–3 sets of at least 12 reps. You can perform this type of squat with a dumbbell in each hand for added resistance.

2. Sumo Squat

This compound movement trains all three of the major muscle groups in your legs (quads, glutes, and hamstrings) as well as all four muscles of your core (abs and obliques included). The sumo squat hinges on your ability to resist knee movement by keeping your knees pushed outward during the squat, and improves strength in all of the major muscle groups used to squat deeply. You’ll know you’re doing a sumo squat when you’re standing with a much wider stance than you’re in for regular squats. Your legs will be far apart, and your toes are pointed outwards. You can hold a kettlebell weight with both hands as you keep your chest raised, your back straight, and your knees pushed outwards while you squat low like a sumo wrestler. When you rise, you’ll squeeze your glutes and you’ll have completed one rep. Aim for 3 – 5 sets of 12 reps.

3. Split Squats (Single Leg Squats)

Single leg squat exercises, also known as split squats, are fantastic butt exercises for toning the legs and glutes. The single leg squat is a great way to strengthen and tone your quads and glutes. This exercise involves having one leg behind you and elevated off of the ground, focusing your workout on the quadriceps and gluteus maximus as you lower one leg slowly and raise yourself back up. The split squat is more challenging than a regular squat, but you’ll find they get easier as you do them more often and get stronger.

Your form is very important during sumo squats, so ensure you have a personal trainer to guide you while you perform this butt exercise.

4. Goblet Squat

To correctly execute a goblet squat, stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointed straight ahead or very slightly outward, and hold a weight with both hands, parallel to the floor, in front of your chest, with your elbows pointing toward the floor. Push your hips back and bend your knees until your upper legs are almost parallel to the floor. Push yourself back up to start. That was one rep. Try to do at least 24 of these during your workout, which would be at least 3 sets of 12 reps.

5. Single Leg Deadlift with Kettlebell

Many different types of deadlifts are great butt exercises. However, the single-leg deadlift is a challenging exercise that engages the hamstrings, glutes and core muscles. In a standing position, hold a weighted kettlebell in the opposite arm as your standing leg. Keeping your back as straight as possible and your shoulders as relaxed as you can, slowly lower your arm toward the floor as one leg kicks back behind you, and until your chest is perpendicular to the floor. Slowly return to the starting position, using the muscles in your standing leg to balance, and squeeze your glutes as you return to starting position. Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps per side.

Deadlifts should be incorporated at the beginning of your workout when you have more strength.

6. Banded Clamshells

This exercise got the name ‘clamshell’ because of the way you position your bent legs during this exercise, where you’re laying on your side and your legs are bent and stacked on top of each other, hinging open like a clamshell.

Clamshell exercises require a hip abduction movement, and clam shells are a great exercise for isolating your gluteus medius, however, clamshells strengthen both the gluteus medius and the gluteus maximus.

Clamshells strengthen your glutes, but it also strengthens your hip abductors, which is extremely important. People with sedentary jobs who sit too much will likely have very tight hip flexors. This exercise is a great solution. 

Furthermore, hip strengthening exercises such as clamshells are especially important for performance athletes, runners, or anyone who plays sports where running is involved. Weak hips can cause many different sports injuries and running injuries, so strengthening your hip flexors with clamshells can prevent injury in addition to building strong glutes.

You might not know that knee, ankle and foot pain is often caused by weak hips or tight hip flexors. 

To perform clamshells, start by lying on your side. Your hips and knees should be stacked at about 90 degrees, with your ankles stacked (one on top of the other) and ankles kept tightly together. Feel free to rest your head on a foam block during this exercise. 

Keeping your core tight and glutes squeezed, raise and open your top leg while your feet and ankles remain tightly connected. Drive your bottom knee into the floor. As you open and close, keep squeezing your glutes the whole time. 

To ensure your glutes are working, keep a loop resistance band around your knees, providing resistance while you open and close your knees like a clamshell.

Complete 3 – 4 sets of 12 reps, on each side.

7. Standing Kickbacks with a Resistance Band

Standing Kickbacks are essentially the standing version of donkey kicks, but most people find a standing position more comfortable than the table top position used for donkey kicks. It’s also easier to maintain good form with the standing version.

In general, glute kickbacks are a great way to build strength and size in your glutes, and this is one of the best butt exercises for isolating your gluteus maximus. 

The standing glute kickback works best if you have a loop-style resistance band around your ankles. The resistance should be challenging enough that you feel the resistance and your glutes are working, but if you find the resistance impacts your ability to get full range of motion for your kickback, you likely need to switch for a band with less resistance.

To perform standing kickbacks with resistance, stand inside your loop resistance band. The band should sit comfortably around your ankles or mid-calf. Your body should be straight, and with each kickback rep, you should be activating your core and squeezing your glutes.

Slowly kick your right leg behind you, while most of your leg is in your standing leg (left leg). If necessary, for balance, it’s okay to lightly touch the wall in front of you. Kick your right leg directly behind you and upwards. In the lifted and upwards position, engage your glutes, and keep your leg straight. Bring your leg back down to the floor, resting on your toes. Do 12 more reps before switching to your left leg. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps on each side.

To make the most of your kickback exercises, make sure that you activate your glutes beforehand. You can do this with glute-activating warmup exercises such as glute bridges.

8. Weighted Side Lunges

Lunges are exercises that are fantastic for building glutes. Walking lunges, alternating lunges, and many other types of lunges are great for sculpting your butt. To perform a weighted side lunge, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Tighten your core and keep your head straight, aligned with your spine. Lunge by stepping out to the right with your right foot, lowering the dumbbells to the outside of your right leg at knee level. Pause at the bottom, then push back up through your heel to return to starting position. Repeat on the other side. Do eight to 10 reps per side, resting 30 seconds between sets.

9. Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is an exercise where, using both arms, you lift or swing a kettlebell up to shoulder level using momentum and your hips and butt muscles. It’s a great whole-body exercise that will strengthen your butt, abs, shoulders, arms—even your core. Start with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and round your upper body forward, bringing the kettlebell between your legs (your arm should form approximately a 90-degree angle when it is overhead). From this position, swing the kettlebell up to shoulder level in one big motion. Try to do 20 reps in each set, so that each arm gets 10 reps.

10. High Box Step-Ups

Stand facing a box or step that is quite high (at least mid-thigh height) and hold a dumbbell in front of your chest. Place your left foot on the box that you’ll be stepping up onto, and keep your right foot on the floor. Push through the left foot, lifting your body up until you’re in a standing position at the top of the box. Finish the exercise by driving the right knee up until it forms a 90-degree angle. Slowly lower and return to starting position. That’s one rep. These are challenging, so you may only be able to do 8 reps in each set if you’re just starting out.

11. Glute Bridge March

There are many different types of glute bridges, all of which are great butt exercises that work your glutes. The glute bridge march adds an extra challenge to the movement. Lie on your back, on a mat, with your knees bent. Keep your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Engage your core, press your weight into your heels, and squeeze your glutes to raise your hips up in a glue bridge. Then, lift your right knee toward your chest. Pause, then lower your right foot. Repeat with the other leg. That’s one rep of the glute bridge march. Aim for at least 2 sets of 15 reps.

12. Hip Thrusts

If any of you have tried hip thrusts, you know the booty burn is real with this exercise. Hip thrusts with a bar allow you to thrust quite a bit of weight, making this one of the top butt exercises out there. 

You’ll need help from a personal trainer to perform hip thrusts, as correctly placing the bar and keeping your form correct are crucial. Sit on the ground with your back against a bench or box, and your feet planted firmly in front of your body. A barbell with a pad should be placed in your lap by your trainer. Keeping your core tight, lower back and knees stable, push through your heels and raise the barbell by extending your hips, making sure to use the force of your glutes by activating and squeezing your glutes as you raise the bar. You’ll rise until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees (this is a full hip extension), and then slowly descend back to the ground. Do 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps. You’ll do less reps because your trainer will likely have you lifting heavy weights.

Remember That Nutrition is Key When Building Muscle

We’ve just gone over some effective butt exercises, but advice on weightlifting without any advice on nutrition would be bad advice. If you are not eating sufficiently, then you can’t expect to build muscle or grow your glutes the way you want to. It’s important to be in a slight caloric surplus if you want to grow your glutes. If you are trying to lose fat at the same time, then try to eat close to what you burn. In the long run, focusing on muscle gain will assist in burning fat long term. Sufficient protein should consist of  25-30% of macronutrient intake, carbs may be 40-45%, and fats at 20-30%. These are general recommendations and can be different effectively depending on your diet, lifestyle, health, etc. 

Your personal trainer will be able to tailor your nutritional advice to your unique needs and body composition.

Sculpting Glutes are a Focus at Ad Iron Fitness

At Ad Iron Fitness, skipping glute day is never allowed. In fact we make a point of incorporating glute exercises in multiple days of our clients programs to encourage development both for aesthetic and functional reasons. Over the years training clients, we have noticed that glute size is the most common measurement to increase with consistent resistance training. In fact, one of our clients, Brent, a 60+ year old man, who joined Ad Iron Fitness and trained one-on-one with us for a period of over 4 years, managed to gain over 4 inches of size in his glutes, and supported strength goals that he never imagined. 
If you want to build the best butt possible, then we encourage you to find professional help in the form of a high quality personal trainer, to ensure that you receive the best exercises for you.