9 Best Glute Exercises for Mass (Build Your Dream Booty)

If glute development is your aim, incorporating barbell hip thrusts into your glute workouts should be a priority.

According to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study, barbell hip thrusts are ideal for targeting the gluteus maximus muscle (the largest of the three gluteal muscles) [2].

Moreover, based on a study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, it's one of the exercises that showed a very high level of Glute Max activation, over 60% [3].

To perform barbell hip thrusts:

1. Position your back against a bench with your shoulder blades near the edge.
2. Place a padded barbell across your hip crease (lower stomach area).
3. Next, engage your core muscles and drive through heels to lift your hips high until there is a full extension in the hips.
4. Hold for a second before slowly lowering to complete one repetition as you reach full extension.

4. Barbell Glute Bridge

From my training sessions, I've found the barbell glute bridge to be a powerhouse exercise for glute training, effectively strengthening and balancing all glute muscles.

To perform the barbell glute bridge:

1. Lie flat on your back, get a barbell (with an appropriate weight), roll it, and let it set just above your hipbones.
2. Bend your knees 90 degrees and plant them firmly.
3. Drive through the heels to lift your hips off the ground while squeezing your glutes as hard as possible.
4. Drive through the heel to keep good form while holding your body in one straight line from shoulders to knees.
5. Lower slowly and repeat to feel the targeted sensation in your glutes.

Sumo squats engage multiple muscles in the posterior chain, from the hamstrings to the calves and glutes.

It also makes for an excellent functional strength exercise that can help improve balance and stability.

This powerful lower-body movement requires you to:

• Widen your stance with your toes pointed outward, and inhale as you sit back into a deep squat position.
• Exhale while returning to the starting position.

“As one of the “big three” powerlifts, squats are a surefire way to strengthen your lower body and core. To further challenge yourself, try widening your stance to perform a sumo squat instead. This variation can add variety to your lower body strength training routine.”

- Chelsea Evers, Journalist and Certified Personal Trainer

6. Side Lunge

Side lunges are an efficient way to condition your glutes and improve overall leg strength.

When done correctly, they target multiple muscle groups throughout your lower body, including your glutes, and maximize caloric burn during a workout.

They are easy to perform; all you have to do is:

1. Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, then step your left foot out wide.
2. Bend at the same time until the knee of that leg is at a 90-degree angle.
3. Return to the starting position, perform one set, and switch to your right leg.

The Romanian Deadlift, or RDL for short, is an excellent exercise for fast and effective activation of the muscles in the glutes and can be done with any weight equipment. RDL is also one of the best deadlift alternative.

RDL variations are easily customizable to fit any strength level or skill level.

To perform RDLs, you should:

1. Place your desired weight equipment in front of you and stand with your knees slightly bent.
2. Lifting the weight off the ground to about your upper thighs with your back straight and hinging at your hips to move it up towards the body.
3. Tighten your glutes, keep your arms close to your sides, and lower the weight somewhere between your knees and toes until you feel an almost stretching sensation in your hamstrings as you exercise.
4. Shift your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to return to standing straight.
5. Pause for one to three seconds at the top.
6. Repeat until you reach the desired reps.

8. Squats

Squats recruit the major muscles involved in lower body strength.

This makes squats one of the most efficient exercises for developing muscle strength in your glutes and core.

To do squats correctly, you must:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and toes slightly facing outwards.
2. Bend at the hips, using your core to keep your back straight, and then begin by sitting back in your heels as you lower yourself down.
3. Begin slowly rising back up once you have reached a comfortable depth. Utilize the same form you used down as you push through your midfoot and perform a full lockout of muscles at the top of the movement.
4. Repeat for the desired reps.

Kickbacks are a great way to activate the muscles surrounding the hip joint, including the glutes, making them work harder as you extend your leg to the back.

As with any exercise form, proper form and technique are key, so take the time to learn them before beginning your kickback rep.

To properly perform kickbacks, you must:

1. Standing on both feet facing forward, flex your hips so that they are pushed forward slightly.
2. Quickly swing one foot back and then the other in the same situation. Keep your hips forward for balance and maintain focus on whichever leg you plan to do the kickback with.