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Don’t laugh—working on your glutes is one of the most essential exercises in the gym. Whether you’re aiming to tone and shape your rear end, or you just want to become stronger for functional activities like running faster or lifting objects with ease, these moves will do the trick. Here’s a roundup of the best exercises to target your glutes.
The Glutes: What They Are and Their Function
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your butt, and it’s the one that gives it that signature shape. It’s not just the biggest muscle in your rear, but also the largest muscle in your body, and it’s incredibly strong.
The muscles in your butt are commonly called your glutes, which include the gluteus maximus as well as the less familiar gluteus medius (located on the outer side of your hip) and the gluteus minimus (a deep muscle that isn’t visible but is still present).
All the gluteal muscles are responsible for connecting your pelvis to your upper femur (thighbone). The gluteus maximus plays a key role in helping you stay upright, which is why humans have a more developed glute compared to our monkey and ape relatives. It also helps with standing up from a bent-over position, such as during a deadlift, a task shared with the hamstrings.
The glutes also aid in abducting your hip, which means moving your leg away from your body. Think side-lying leg raises—this is a classic abduction movement. While not all of our abductors are glutes, the glutes—especially the gluteus medius—are among the primary muscles for this motion.
Glute exercises won’t eliminate your hip dips.
Before we continue, here's a quick note: If you're doing glute exercises in hopes of changing the shape of your backside, there's something you should know. Many so-called glute influencers (a term I reluctantly use) claim to have the perfect exercises that will give you a perfectly round, bubble-like butt, free of the so-called ‘hip dips’ on the sides.
Let’s be honest: they’re not telling the truth. The so-called 'hip dip' exists because there’s no muscle in that area. There’s no muscle you can grow to fill that gap. Exercises claiming to target the hip dip usually focus on the gluteus maximus and medius, which are situated above and behind the dip. I’ve written more about this misleading claim here.
That said, working your glutes is still incredibly beneficial. Beyond aesthetics, a strong backside makes you a stronger and more capable individual. So, let’s get to work.
The most overrated: hip thrusts
I’m torn on whether hip thrusts deserve a spot on this list. They’re the quintessential glute exercise, the go-to for glute isolation these days, and they make more sense than some other exercises like donkey kickbacks. You can lift heavier with hip thrusts than many other common gym exercises—even more than deadlifts—which makes them thrilling and will show you just how strong you are. If you haven’t tried barbell hip thrusts yet, give them a go at least once.
But let’s be real: unless your gym has a properly designed hip thrust machine, setting them up is a major hassle (sorry). You have to grab your barbell, load the plates, find a bench that’s always the wrong height, prop the bench against a wall to avoid tipping it, and then awkwardly maneuver yourself under the bar, which can be difficult—if not impossible—depending on your body proportions.
Why go through all that trouble? There are plenty of other ways to engage your glutes that require less equipment and a simpler setup. If you love hip thrusts, keep doing them. But I have a feeling you're reading this article because you're looking for a more efficient alternative.
Best low-equipment glute exercise: heavy kettlebell swings
Looking for something straightforward? Grab a kettlebell. A kettlebell swing, performed by hinging at the hips and then snapping your body upright, targets your glutes as the primary movers. Avoid turning it into a squat (your hips should move, not your knees), and use a heavy enough kettlebell so you really have to drive your hips into the motion to keep the swing going. With a sufficiently heavy bell, a set of 10 or 20 reps will leave your glutes feeling like jelly. If you're using smaller bells (less than 50 pounds or so), be sure to do a lot of reps to exhaust those glutes.
Best butt exercise that works more than just your glutes: deadlifts
Deadlifts and their variations were among my top picks for hamstring exercises, and they make an appearance here too. You can try Romanian deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, single-leg deadlifts, or any other variation of picking up heavy weight from the ground. The key is that deadlifts are a hinge movement—where most of the motion comes from your hips—so any version of this exercise is fantastic for your glutes. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with the block pull: it’s essentially a regular deadlift but from a higher surface than the ground.
Best butt exercise for making you feel like a superhero: power cleans
Maybe I’m a bit biased since I’m into Olympic weightlifting, but there’s something undeniably cool about explosively yanking a barbell into the air and then catching it on your shoulders. It also demands a powerful contraction from both your glutes and quads simultaneously. While I don’t do many standard deadlifts or kettlebell swings these days (and I haven’t touched a hip thrust in years), I can’t deny the powerful effects of cleans and snatches.
Overall best butt exercise: Bulgarian split squats
Now that we’ve gone through my favorites (and least favorite), it’s time to give single-leg exercises the respect they deserve. They’re simple to set up, require minimal equipment, and don’t need extensive coaching to get the technique right.
To set up for the Bulgarian split squat (BSS), place the top of your back foot on a bench behind you. You can either hold dumbbells in your hands or a barbell across your back (just like in a back squat), or find other ways to add weight that work best for you. From there, bend your front knee, leaning forward slightly to put more focus on your glutes rather than your quads.
Single-leg exercises are fantastic for targeting the glutes because they engage the abductors—the muscles on the side of the hip—that help stabilize and prevent wobbling from side to side. These exercises are particularly beneficial for runners and athletes who frequently find themselves balancing on one leg mid-stride.
In addition to BSS, other excellent single-leg exercises for your glutes include lunges (forward or reverse), split squats (where both legs remain stationary on the floor), and step-ups (as straightforward as they sound).
