My Top Five Exercises for Building Strong, Sexy, Well Rounded Glutes!
June 2021 - June 2024
I’ll be the first to tell you that well I lost 40 lbs in 2020, the boobs and butt were first to go (see pic on left). As my goal at the time was purely fat loss focused, I didn’t care all that much about where it came from, I simply cared that it was GONE.
However, come June 2021, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I looked and felt SKINNY when I wanted to look and feel strong, athletic, and sexy with curves in all the right places; which is hard to do when you don’t have enough on your body.
So, from then on I’ve been on a mission to build as much muscle as possible - ESPECIALLY in my glutes which were flat as a pancake!
Since then I have been able to successfully put on additional muscle tissue and BUILD MY BOOTY BACK! And since building strong, sexy, well rounded glutes are at the top of the list for many of my StrongHer Athletes, I wanted to share with you my top 5 favorite glute bias exercises that helped my go from a 🥞 to a 🍑!
Before I get started I do want to start by saying that these are not the ONLY exercises I have used or recommend, and when it comes to choosing which exercises are best for YOUR goal, it’s important to not only take into consideration the exercise itself, but the equipment you have available and what YOU are capable of executing properly.
So, if you can incorporate these in your program - GREAT! If not, you can use these same principles I’ll discuss below to choose other exercises you may be able to incorporate more effectively.
Now, let’s get into it so you can build that booty!
Glute Bias Leg Press
If you have access to a leg press, I HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of it in your programming!
It is one of THE MOST stable, safe, and effective ways to challenge your glutes in a mid-lengthened position with heavy resistances. Which is exactly why it is at the very top of my list for favorite booty building exercises.
Not only are you able to overload the glutes with heavy resistances safely and effectively, you can also train the glutes both bilaterally AND unilaterally. So, if you wanted, you could incorporate both in your program on separate leg days.
To execute the glute bias leg press properly
Set the backrest to a neutral position
Place your feet high and about hip width apart on the foot plate
Ensure you are pulling yourself hard into the seat and bracing your core as you begin each rep.
End your descent when shins are about parallel to the ground and knees are inline with mid foot (limiting knee flexion limits quad engagement).
Think about driving your butt through the seat and press firmly through your heels to return to the top position.
DO NOT NOT LOCK OUT YOUR KNEES!
Supported Drop Lunge
I have recently fallen IN LOVE with several supported unilateral glute variations and the supported drop lunge is one of them.
They have become a staple in my programs these last 6+ months and like the other supported variations I will discuss below, the glute tension you are able to achieve without being limited by additional systemic fatigue (ie. you are getting to failure via your glutes not through loss of core control and stability) is truly out of this world.
It is being able to reach failure via actual glute fatigue that is incredibly important if you are trying to grow them.
To execute these correctly you need to
Select a step, box, or plate that is appropriate for your height and ROM, and place it in front of a bench (as shown), squat rack, etc. The object used for elevation should only be tall enough to allow you to achieve a fully lengthened glute without your back knee running into the ground.
Grab a DB in hand opposite of the working leg - which is the leg that will remain stationary on the box.
Place your hand on your support in line with the shoulder - not across the body.
With your working leg firmly planted on the box, step back into a lunge keeping the shin of your front leg perpendicular to the ground and knee at about a 90 degree angle.
While stepping back you want to hinge forward at the hips and allow your chest to (naturally) travel towards your knee.
Stop the descent when you have reached full hip flexion/glute tension. Your hips should remain facing forward and parallel to the ground; not opening up and/or shifting down.
Push through the front foot and drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.
Supported B - Stance RDL
Similar to the Support Drop Lunge, the Supported B - Stance RDL is another spectacular way to challenge your glutes in the fully lengthened position with minimal systemic fatigue, making it another solid choice for a hypertrophy stimulus.
To execute this RDL variation you will
Stand behind an incline bench set to about a 45 degree angle and extend your arm in front of you so that your torso is upright and your hand is resting comfortably on the bench. This is where your front foot will be planted.
Place a small box or plate weight behind you so that you are able to comfortably place the foot of your non working leg on top.
Stand with your working leg in front of the box with your hand on the same side resting on top of the bench. Your arm should be in line with your shoulder, not across the body.
Grab a DB with the arm opposite of the working leg.
As you push your hips back, think about driving the knee of the non working leg forward and bring the DB towards the shin of the working leg.
You should feel tension in the outer glutes of the forward leg.
Once you can no longer hinge forward, stop the downward movement, push through the front foot as you drive your hips forward and return to the top position.
Supported Cable or DB Step Down
The Glute Bias Step Down is yet another phenomenal lengthened, unilateral, glute bias exercise through which using support can help to increase stability, decrease systemic fatigue, and improve the hypertrophy stimulus.
To set up for the cable variation you will
Place a step, box, or bench in front of the cable machine. The height of which should allow for your forward leg to reach a 90 degree angle at the hip, knee and ankle just as the toe of the back leg is touching the ground (see picture).
Place the foot of your working leg just inside of the cable, toe pointed slightly in.
Grab the D Handle, place your other foot on the box, and perform a squat to stand up into the starting position.
The cable should be just outside of the working leg with your hand in a neutral position.
With your working leg firmly planted, slowly drop the non working leg towards the ground behind you.
The knee of your working leg should stay in line with your toe and so you hinge slightly forward at the hips.
Once the toe of your back foot hits the ground top, push firmly through the planted foot, driving your hips forward to return to the starting position.
Glute Bridge
While training the glutes in a lengthened position is important for hypertrophy, it’s also essential for strength, functional health, and recovery to also train the glutes in the shortened position.
While there are several shortened position variations that I absolutely LOVE, the glute bridge is a tried and true staple as it can be performed with a variety of equipment, making it a solid option for MOST people.
Whereas exercises like kickbacks and the 45 degree hip extension can be difficult to set up and execute for those training at home without the ability to set up modifications that would be equally challenging.
So, those who have access to ONLY DB’s can utilize this exercise in their programs just as effectively as those who have access to BB’s, smith machines, and glute drives.
For both ease of setup and the ability to limit systemic fatigue due to increased stability, I would recommend utilizing a smith machine or glute drive for these. Though it’s important to note that not all glute drives are designed equally and some may require some modifications to set up for maximum effectiveness.
To execute a glute bridge effectively (regardless of equipment being used) you want to
Use a bench or box of an appropriate height for your body. Your shoulders should be about in line with your knees, as if you are a flat table.
Your shoulder blades should be resting on the bench, knees bent to a 90 degree angle with knees directly over your ankles, feet about hip width apart.
Brace your core and push through your legs/glutes to raise the bar from the ground to get into the starting position.
While maintaining a neutral spine, lower your butt towards the ground and stop as soon as your knees start to travel towards you. This is a much smaller ROM than a hip thrust and you should be maintaining tension in your glutes the entire time.
Once you have stopped your decent, contract your glutes and drive your hips towards the ceiling until you have reached fully hip extension (ie. you are a flat table again)
Some of the most common mistakes I see with the glute bridge are
Using too large of a ROM, which limits the bias to the glutes and will result in more hamstring and quad recruitment.
Using too much resistance so you are unable to get full hip extension which defeats the entire purpose of the exercise.
So, make sure you’re keeping ROM small and not lifting with your ego if you want to maximize your progress with this exercise.
And that’s a wrap!
Again, while these are my current top 5 favorite glute bias exercises, there are others that I still use on a regular basis that have helped both myself, and my StrongHer athletes, build strong, well rounded, sexy glutes!
These are simply my current favorite due to the additional stability that makes them GREAT for truly biasing and fatiguing the glutes; which is exactly what you want when your goal is to GROW any particular muscle.
If something else is fatiguing first (grip strength, core strength, cardio endurance, etc.) then you're likely leaving progress on the table.
