How To Build a Bigger Butt (Do These 6 Crucial Exercises)

Lisa Lorraine Taylor, BSc, CPT
Published by Lisa Lorraine Taylor, BSc, CPT | Staff Writer
Last updated: December 26, 2023
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To build a bigger butt, combine a targeted exercise routine with a proper diet.

Over the years, I’ve personally guided hundreds of individuals, closely monitoring their progress.

I’ve celebrated with them as they achieved their dream butt sizes, thanks to the tailored workout routines I’m about to share with you, each tested and proven in real-life scenarios.

Consistency and patience are vital for achieving goals.

Butt exercises are straightforward and can be done at home.

Quick Summary

  • To build a bigger butt, perform crucial exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, split squats, glute raises, and Romanian deadlifts.
  • Personal coaching has led to hundreds of successful butt enlargements through customized exercise plans.
  • Strong glute muscles enhance functional strength, stability, and can reduce lower back injury risks.
  • Personally, I believe that dedication to a consistent workout and diet regimen is essential for building a bigger butt, regardless of genetic predispositions.

The Best Butt Building Exercises

Focus on exercises that target the largest muscle fibers in the glutes.

Here are the top moves that will quickly help you build and bulk up your booty faster.

1. Squats

Woman doing a squat

Squats activate every single muscle in the lower body and part of the upper body as well.

They're one of the best exercises if you want to naturally boost your testosterone and get a bigger butt.

To take your squat position further, you could get yourself a pair of women's weightlifting shoes. These will help you find stability and comfort, even if you go through the most strenuous exercises.

You can do your squat exercises and butt workouts at home and there are so many squat variations that you'll never get bored of this exercise.

  1. To start this workout, get into an upright starting position, feet shoulder-width apart with a barbell across your back.
  2. Unrack the barbell and take a deep breath in.
  3. Keep your knees slightly bent and slowly lower the body all the way down to the ground, going as low as possible. Keep the back upright and core muscles tight. This movement activates your glutes eccentrically.
  4. Pause at the very bottom and then press up to a full standing starting position while exhaling to complete your rep

2. Deadlifts

Woman doing a deadlift

Next up on the workout list for bigger bum is deadlifts.

Stiff-leg or traditional deadlifts are both great for working to get a bigger booty as well as targeting your lower back.

The primary difference between these butt exercises is that traditional deadlifts will also work your quads, while stiff-leg deadlifts work only your hamstrings and glutes.

  1. Position a barbell down by your feet in front of you.
  2. Make sure to stand in an upright position, feet hip width apart.
  3. Bend over and grasp the barbell using an overhand grip. Knees should be slightly bent.
  4. Keeping the back at a straight line, lift the barbell up off the floor while squeezing your glutes until you come to a full standing position.
  5. Pause and then lower the barbell down to the ground to complete the rep.

Tip: Weightlifting belt can help improve your core and stabilize your spine, allowing you to lift heavier.

3. Lunges

Woman doing lunges

Lunges are another excellent booty building workout.

These can be walking lunges, stationary lunges, or reverse lunges.

To really target your booty, you’ll want to place the weight across the back (rather than holding them down by your sides).

These are also great for your adductors.

  1. Hold a barbell across your back and then assume an upright standing position.
  2. Step right foot forward and then begin to bend the knee as you lower yourself down into the ground.
  3. Pause when you’re almost at the ground and then press up to your starting position to complete the rep, bringing the left leg forward and stepping it in front of you.
  4. Now repeat this process, this time to the other side (alternate right leg and left leg).

4. Split Squats

Woman doing split squat

Split squats are another terrific lower body, booty building workout to include in your program for better glute and leg muscle growth.

To get the most out of this workout, lace a dumbbell across your back for this one and think of pushing up through the heel.

  1. Stand in front of a flat bench and place one leg back on top of that bench, bending the knee as you do.
  2. Keeping the back upright, bend the supportive leg as you lunge down and squeeze your glutes. The back knee should almost touch the ground.
  3. Pause in this position and then press up to complete the rep. Perform all reps to one side and then switch sides and repeat.

5. Glute Raises

Woman doing glute raises

A barbell hip thrust or glute raise isn't quite as compound as the previous moves, so they will isolate the glutes better (while also still slightly working the hamstrings).

This workout can be done with weights (often referred to as hip thrusts) or without (aka glute bridge or raise) across your lap depending on your own individual strength level.

  1. Sit on the ground with your back against a flat bench, arms placed up on either side of it, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor in front of you, hip width apart.
  2. Thinking of squeezing the glutes muscles, press the hips up until they are in straight alignment. The key is a complete hip range of motion, so make sure your hips are in the right form.
  3. Pause here and then lower your hips down to the ground to complete the rep.

6. Romanian Deadlifts

Woman doing romanian deadlift

To target your posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and back) – the Romanian deadlift is the perfect workout.

It targets your legs and glutes instead of your back.

To start, you’ll need a weight bar. You can add weights or just use the bar.

  1. Hold the bar by your hips. Your arms should be extended and palms facing down. Stand straight with your back arched, knees bent, and feet hip width apart.
  2. Make sure to slowly lower the bar by moving your hips back as far as you can as you control your glutes, keeping the bar close to your body.
  3. To do the full range of motion, you should feel yourself no longer able to bend your hamstrings (the muscles on the backs of your legs). Going beyond this point doesn’t gain your glutes.
  4. Pause here, then return to starting by moving your hips forward to stand straight.

7. Butt Blaster

Woman doing a donkey kick

Resistance band butt blaster (also called the donkey kicks) is a unique way to strengthen your hamstrings and glutes without putting your weight on your knees.

Donkey kicks can also be done with a leg curler machine or no resistance band at all.

This exercise also activate the gluteus medius, a muscle deep to the gluteus maximus that works to abduct the hip width.

  1. Start by kneeling on the floor. Wrap your resistance band under your right foot, and hold the handle by placing your hands straight under your shoulders.
  2. Keeping your back straight, raise your right knee and push your foot back to extend the band. Focus on squeezing your glutes in this motion.
  3. Pause here, then return by slowly bending your knee back into the starting position. Finish your repetitions with one foot, then switch to the left knee and left foot.

Related: How to Do Butt Kicks Like a Pro

How To Create Big Butt Workout Plan

Now that you know all the main exercises to perform to get a bigger booty, let’s talk about how to structure these butt exercises for an effective bigger bum workout routine program.

Let’s give you a few gluteus maximus and gluteus medius building protocols.

Day 1 - Workout A

  • Squats - 3 sets of 8 repetition, 120 seconds pause in between (best to try out the different variations, ie lower bar squat this week, single leg the next, and so on)
  • Romanian Deadlifts - 3 sets of 10 repetition, 120 seconds pause in between
  • Glute Bridges/Hip thrust exercises - 4 sets of 12 reps, 120 seconds pause in between

Day 2 - Rest

Day 3 - Rest

Day 4 - Workout B

  • Deadlifts - 3 sets of 6 repetition, 180 seconds rest in between
  • Walking Lunges - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, 120 seconds rest in between
  • Split Squats - 3 sets of 12 reps, 90 seconds rest in between
  • Butt Blaster - 3 sets of 15 reps, 60 seconds rest in between

Day 5 - Rest

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7 - Rest

Related: Booty Band Workouts to Sculpt Your Glutes

Advance Training Tips

1. Rep Ranges

"Volume of training (number of sets x repetitions) is more important than frequency per week."
- Candow and Burke, International Journal of Exercise Science Authors

For heavy compound exercises, the optimal muscle growth results come from a rep range of 8-12. This will also help kick-start your metabolic rate, allowing fat burning to take place.

For the isolation moves such as glute raises and clamshells, challenge yourself to take this rep range up to 15-20, depending on various factors, such as your hip width.

2. Rest Between Sets

In the midst of my workouts, those 30-60 seconds of rest between routines were moments of reflection and preparation. I felt my heart pulsating, a rhythmic testament to the effort invested, each beat a prelude to the next set, where muscle fatigue translated into a canvas of growth and transformation.

3. Frequency

Every week, as I marked my calendar, the recurring appointments to target my bum weren’t just schedules—they were milestones. Every session, spaced meticulously at intervals of 3-4 days, was a step forward, a tangible stride towards the aesthetic and strength I envisioned for my buttocks.

More than that might prevent your body from fully repairing and building new muscle.

It’s during this recovery phase that you are growing stronger and gaining that shape to the muscle you want.

4. Good Form

Good form is essential to strength training. At best, bad form targets the wrong muscle groups. At worst, it can cause strain or injury

Between each rep, be sure that you’re keeping good form by fixing your posture and adjusting the difficulty if need be.

When doing bum building exercises - focus on squeezing the glutes and you will get better results in terms of muscle growth.

A personal trainer can help you improve your form during the training process and provide alternative exercises if you have health or range of movement limitations.

Fundamentals of Building a Bigger Butt

Woman doing squats

From personal experience, I can attest that sculpting a bigger bum is an art and science, intertwining a nutritious diet, strategic progression in exercises, and ample rest.

  • Diet - No amount of butt exercises will get you to your big bubble butt dreams unless you watch your eating habits, like eating more lean protein. You’ll need to grow your glute muscles while also slimming down on fat to get that toned look.
  • Progressive Overload - Increase the volume or intensity of your exercises. By consistently pushing on your weight limit and stamina, you’ll blast through plateaus and grow muscle quickly.
  • Rest - Your body builds muscle between bum exercises. If you overtrain or don’t leave enough time between exercises, you not only risk strain or injury, but your body also won’t have time or energy to gain the muscle to make your butt bigger.

Also Read: Best Gym Machines for Firm Glutes

Diet to Help Increase Butt Size

Woman holding a bowl of salad and a apple

First, determine your goal for your buttocks.

  • If weight loss is your goal, you need to eat at a calorie deficit. This means you should consume fewer calories than you burn off over the course of the day.
  • If you need to add more size to your booty, you need to eat in a calorie surplus, which will provide the additional energy needed for your body to sculpt your bottom.

As a general guideline:

  • If you need to lose extra pounds, aim to consume about 12-14 calories per pound of current weight.
  • If you need to build your booty, aim to consume around 16-18 calories per pound of current weight.

As someone who has walked the path, I can affirm that weight gain is a nuanced journey. It isn’t a carte blanche to indulge in unhealthy foods. Each meal, each bite, is a conscious choice, a balance of indulgence and nutrition, echoing my commitment to not just a bigger, but a healthier, well-toned butt.

I’ve lived the truth that the quality of food we consume is directly proportional to the transformation we witness. Every bite of high-quality food was a seed sown, culminating in a harvest of muscle gain, sculpting a butt that’s not just bigger, but defined and toned.

  • Protein - Use a healthy diet that’s well balanced in lean proteins like chicken, fish, lean beef, egg whites, and whey protein powder
  • Carbs - Go for complex carbohydrates like oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, beans, fruits, and vegetables.
  • Healthy Fats - These healthy fats should be used in moderation and should include olive oil, nuts and seeds, nut butter, avocado, and fatty varieties of fish.

If you track your calories and strive for a good balance between the two nutrients, you can be rest assured that you are providing what your body needs, nutritionally speaking, to build a bigger bum.

While exercises and diet are crucial, it’s also important to consider the role of genetics in the shape and size of your booty. Genetic factors influence your butt’s appearance and it's crucial to optimizing your workouts and lifestyle to achieve the best results tailored to your unique genetic makeup.

Learn additional tips here by watching this video:

youtube

Supplements

Woman preparing workout drink

Supplements can help if you're not getting enough protein or need an exercise boost.

1. Protein

I was worried that protein powder would make me bulky, but it actually helped shape and firm my butt without adding bulk.

But getting enough protein from real food can be a pain so I like to opt for protein powders (or protein bars) as they're very convenient and easy. I can get 20g+ of protein in one easy hit.

2. Pre-Workout Supplements

Pre-workout supplements for women focus on making your body fully prepared to make the most of your gym time. Your body needs to have energy available, be able to provide increased blood flow, and fight lactic acid build-up.

3. Creatine

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance in the body. Taking this supplement boosts the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – which helps your body contract muscles.

When combined with heavy resistance training leads to enhanced physical performance, fat free mass, and muscle morphology.

 

Additional Tips

A patient consulting a doctor

1. Sleep at Least 7 Hours

No amount of supplements can make up for lack of sleep. Enough sleep is important for optimal body function – but it’s also when the body repairs muscles.

2. Wear High-Waisted Pants/Shorts

Wearing higher-waisted pants or shorts to the gym gives your bum a nice shape, and it might help you keep your back straight during exercises too.

3. Drink a Lot of Water

Keeping hydrated keeps you energized, and helps you sweat which keeps your body regulated during exercise.

Post-workout, it helps your muscles repair and flushes out toxins getting in the way between you and your dream booty.

FAQs

How Much Time Will It Take for My Buttocks to Get Larger?

It should take around three weeks for your buttocks to get larger, given that you follow our tips. Of course, results will vary based on your diet and exercise routine.

Is It Possible to Get a Bigger Bum in a Week?

No, it's not possible to get a bigger bum in a week. It takes at least three weeks for glute muscles to grow with constant effort.

Can I Get Bigger Buttocks Fast Without Exercise?

No, you can't get bigger buttocks fast without exercise unless there's plastic surgery involved.

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