13 Best Glute Exercises For Women
Before you begin exercising, you must warm up. Take 10 minutes to warm up your body properly. Here’s an example of a warm-up routine below:
Warm-up
Neck tilt – 1 set of 10 reps Neck circles – 1 set of 10 reps Shoulder circles – 1 set of 10 reps Elbow circles – 1 set of 10 reps Wrist circles – 1 set of 10 reps Waist circles – 1 set of 10 reps Jogging on the spot – 1 minute Side lunges – 1 set of 10 reps High jumps – 1 set of 25 reps Ankle circles – 1 set of 10 reps
Now that your heart rate is up and your muscles are awake, let’s start with the butt workouts, commonly referred as butt-shaping exercises.
1. Standing Alternate Cross Kicks
Target – Abductors, adductors, and glutes. 3 sets of 15 reps
2. Weighted Walking Lunges
Target – Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and lower abs. 2 sets of 15 reps
3. Side Lying Leg Raises
Target – Glutes, adductors, and hip flexors. 3 sets of 10 reps
4. Weighted Hip Thrusts
Target – Glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, and hamstrings. 3 sets of 10 reps Madison, a health blogger, shares her exercise routine that helped her tone her butt: “My goal, again, was to grow my booty. I wanted it to be bigger and more shapely. So, I wanted to create a split that would help me reach my goal the quickest. What I found was that two lower-body days a week was perfect. This allowed me to hit my glutes twice a week with ample rest time [in] between and every other muscle twice (i).”
5. Squat Jumps
Target – Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, lower abs, and calves. 3 sets of 10 reps
6. Donkey Kicks
Target – Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and core muscles. 3 sets of 10 reps Note: You can try challenging variations of the donkey kick exercise, such as straight leg kicks, or using resistance bands for greater muscle strength and stability.
7. Leg Press
Target – Glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, lower abs, and lower back. 3 sets of 20 reps
8. Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing
Target – Glutes, lower back, shoulders, and lats. 3 sets of 10 reps
9. Single-Leg Deadlift
Target – Glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and shoulders. 3 sets of 8 reps
10. Box Jumps
Target – Glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core muscles 3 sets of 8 reps
11. Fire Hydrant
Target – Glutes, abductors, adductors, hip flexors, hamstrings, and lower abs. 3 sets of 10 reps
12. Weighted Squat Pulse
Target – Glutes, adductors, hip flexors, hamstrings, and quads. 3 sets of 5 reps
13. Frog Pumps
Target – Hamstrings, glutes, and hip muscles. How To Do Sets And Reps 3 sets of 10 repetitions Glute exercises are your best bet if you are aiming to get your buttocks in shape. These not only help you lose the excess flab in your hips, but also help tone and strengthen your glute muscles. Weighted walking lunges, side lying leg raises, hip thrust, leg press, or kettlebell swings, you can choose any of the above-mentioned 12 glute strengthening exercises as per your time, stamina, and location. With proper warm ups and 20 minutes of these glute activation exercises everyday, you would soon find your buttocks in their best shape and strength. Do glute exercises make your bum bigger? Yes, glute exercises make your bum bigger as they work on the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus muscles. Can I train glutes every day? No, it is not necessary to train your glutes every day. You can train them twice or thrice a week as glutes also need time for recovery, which further contributes to their strength. How do you hit all 3 glute muscles? Exercises such as squats and lunges can help you hit all three gluteal muscles. Some trainers suggest following the rule of thirds for glute building. According to it, one-third of your glute workout should contain horizontal exercises such as hip thrusts, one-third should contain vertical exercises such as deadlifts, and the final one-third part should contain rotary exercises such as clamshells. However, there are no relevant studies to support this rule. Can glute exercises help to alleviate lower back pain? Yes, they may help alleviate lower back pain. According to a study on patients with chronic lower back pain, when glute strengthening exercises and lumbar segmental stabilization exercises are performed together, they can increase lumbar muscle strength and balance and significantly reduce lower back pain (1).
Illustration: Best Glute Exercises For A Toned and Sculpted Butt
Discover how to sculpt your glutes and achieve a rounder, firmer back with exercises. Check out the video to know the 5 must-do glutes exercises that will give you the body you desire.