Glute workout: 7 exercises, a sample session and a weekly plan

• Frequency: two sessions a week is enough, three for more experienced lifters, with at least a rest day between.
• Core lifts: hip thrusts and Romanian deadlifts, plus a split squat or a squat. Isolation work like banded side steps supports them but does not drive the results.
• Load: 8-12 reps with a moderately heavy weight, leaving one or two reps in reserve at the end of a set. When that feels easy, add weight.
• No spot reduction: muscle shapes the glutes, but fat comes off the whole body through your calorie balance.

Which muscles does a glute workout train?

The glutes have three parts. The gluteus maximus is the largest and extends the hip: it drives you out of a squat, up stairs and through a deadlift. The gluteus medius and minimus stabilise the pelvis sideways and help rotate the hip outward.

Your glutes also work in squats, lunges and deadlifts, so your leg training already counts for them. Plan the week so you get at least two hard sets of hip extension work (hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts) on top, with squats and lunges adding to the total.

Glute exercises: 7 moves, step by step

Pick three or four per session and rotate which one leads each week. Progress with weight, reps or a slower, controlled lowering phase.

1. Hip thrust

Suggested: 3-4 × 8-12 reps, 90-120 seconds rest

• Bottom of your shoulder blades on a bench, feet flat, knees at about 90 degrees at the top.
• Chin slightly tucked, ribs down, and drive the hips up with your glutes.
• At the top your body forms a line from shoulders to knees without arching the lower back. Pause briefly.
• Easier: from the floor as a glute bridge, without weight.
• Harder: a barbell or weight plate across the hips, later one leg at a time.

2. Romanian deadlift

Suggested: 3 × 8-10 reps, 2 minutes rest

• Soft knees, push the hips back as if reaching for a wall behind you.
• The bar or dumbbells slide close to your legs, back flat.
• Stop where the hamstrings stretch (around below the knee) and drive the hips forward with your glutes.
• Easier: light dumbbells or a kettlebell with a shorter range.
• Harder: a barbell with more weight, a slow 3-second lowering.

3. Goblet squat

Suggested: 3 × 8-12 reps

• Dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest, feet shoulder-width, toes turned out slightly.
• Knees track over the toes, torso stays tall.
• Lower until thighs are about parallel or your technique stays clean, then push the floor away.
• Easier: squat to a box or bench with no weight.
• Harder: a heavier load, or a barbell front squat.

4. Bulgarian split squat

Suggested: 3 × 8-10 reps per leg

• Rear foot on a bench; set the front foot far enough forward that the knee does not travel too far on the way down.
• A slight forward lean brings the glutes in more.
• Lower under control, weight between the heel and the mid-foot of the front leg.
• Easier: a regular lunge or a supported split squat, no weight.
• Harder: dumbbells in your hands, or a heavier pair.

5. Step-up

Suggested: 3 × 10 reps per leg

• Step onto a knee-high bench or box with the whole foot on the surface.
• Let the top leg do the work, do not push off hard from the back leg.
• Stand tall at the top and step down slowly.
• Easier: a lower step, no weight.
• Harder: a higher box, dumbbells in your hands.

6. Banded side step

Suggested: 2-3 × 12-15 steps each way

• Band above the knees or ankles, knees slightly bent in a quarter squat.
• Step sideways with the toes pointing forward and do not lean into the step.
• Keep the band tight throughout and do not drag the trailing leg in abruptly.
• Easier: a lighter band and smaller steps.
• Harder: a stronger band and a deeper hip hinge.

7. Back extension with a glute focus

Suggested: 2-3 × 10-15 reps

• Hips over the pad, feet locked in, arms across the chest.
• Round the upper back slightly, tilt the pelvis back and rise by squeezing the glutes at the top.
• Do not over-arch at the top; stop at a straight line.
• Easier: a smaller range, no weight.
• Harder: a plate on your chest, with a slow lowering.

Sample glute session (45 minutes)

Warm up for 5-8 minutes first: easy walking or cycling, a few glute bridges and banded side steps. Then the heavy sets.

For progress use double progression: when you hit the top of the rep range on every set (for example 3 × 12), add 2.5-5 kg next time and start again from the bottom of the range. Write the weights down, otherwise you cannot see that you are improving.

How often should you train glutes?

Two sessions a week is a solid start, three suits more experienced lifters. In pooled research, training a muscle twice a week beat once a week, but when weekly volume was equal the difference disappeared (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2016). What matters most is your total weekly hard sets.

For muscle growth roughly 10-20 hard sets per muscle a week is the research-supported range (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2017); beginners do well on 6-10. Squats and lunges count too, since the glutes work in them. The ACSM 2009 position stand advises raising the load gradually, by about 2-10%, once you can complete your target reps cleanly.

Common glute training mistakes

• Lifting with the lower back, not the hips: in thrusts and deadlifts the hips should extend, not the spine arch. If you feel your lower back, reduce the weight.
• Too much isolation, too little heavy work: banded moves support but do not replace thrusts and deadlifts.
• No progression: the same weight for months. Glutes only grow if they keep getting a bigger challenge.
• Short rests: between heavy compound sets, 90-120 seconds is the minimum.
• Daily glute training: unnecessary, and a tired muscle works worse. Rest days are part of the training.

Hip thrust or squat: which builds bigger glutes?

Both matter, and you do not have to choose. The hip thrust targets the glutes and loads them hardest at the top, with the muscle fully contracted. Squats and lunges train the legs and glutes together through a larger range of motion. A good weekly plan includes one hip extension exercise (hip thrust or Romanian deadlift) and one knee-dominant lift (squat or lunge).

Home glute workout with no equipment

You can still progress at home: single-leg glute bridges, Bulgarian split squats with the rear foot on a sofa, step-ups onto a sturdy chair, banded side steps and Romanian deadlifts with a loaded backpack. Once bodyweight gets easy, slow the lowering, pause at the top or add weight to the backpack. More ideas on our home workout page.

How your glutes look also depends on body fat. Fat loss happens across the whole body and cannot be aimed at the glutes, so alongside training follow the plan in weight loss, step by step if you want to lower body fat.

What to eat with it

Growing your glutes takes enough energy and protein, and hard leg days burn a lot of carbohydrate, so do not skimp on carbs on heavy days. For muscle gain a small surplus (about 12%) works; for fat loss a moderate deficit (about 15%) with protein kept high.

Daily targets for a 30-year-old training 3-5 times a week (Mifflin-St Jeor, as in The Fit Chef app)

Example	Goal	kcal	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)
Woman, 55 kg, 162 cm	Maintenance	1,940	99	251	60
Woman, 65 kg, 168 cm	Maintenance	2,150	117	270	67
Woman, 65 kg, 168 cm	Muscle gain	2,410	130	304	75
Woman, 75 kg, 170 cm	Fat loss	1,980	135	221	62

Your own numbers come from the calorie calculator and the protein calculator. For people who train, the ISSN suggests 1.4-2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight a day; the high-protein foods chart and the weekly meal plan make it easy to actually hit it.

Recipes for before and after training

Per serving, calculated from the recipe data

Recipe	When	kcal	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)	Time
Banana Protein Pancakes	before	433	35	56	9	15 min
Baked Blueberry Protein Oats	before	454	41	53	10	30 min
Greek Chicken Bowl with Tzatziki	after	495	48	53	9	25 min
Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato	after	435	42	57	4	45 min

Breakfast · 15 minBanana Protein Pancakes433 kcal35 g proteinBreakfast · 30 minBaked Blueberry Protein Oats454 kcal41 g proteinLunch · 25 minGreek Chicken Bowl with Tzatziki495 kcal48 g proteinDinner · 45 minChicken Stuffed Sweet Potato435 kcal42 g protein

The pre-workout recipes are carb-rich and low in fat; the post-workout ones carry over 40 g of protein. Glute growth comes from total daily protein and progression, not from timing. More on timing and more recipes on the pre and post-workout meals page; creatine and protein powder have their own guides.