Glutes and Hamstrings Workout (Strengthen Your Legs)

Here’s our list of best exercises to target glutes and build a strong, bulletproof butt:

1. Barbell Hip Thrust

The hip thrust exercise targets the gluteus maximus and helps improve hip extension, which is essential for athletic performance.

Position yourself on a bench with your shoulders resting on it, your knees bent, and your feet hip-width apart and planted firmly.

Once in the starting position, hold a barbell across your hips and thrust them upward, squeezing your glutes at the top, before lowering back down in a straight line.

You can consider a popular hip thrust machine if you're not a fan of the barbell.

2. Bulgarian Split Squat

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps while improving your balance and stability.

To do this exercise, place your left foot behind you on an elevated surface and your right foot forward.

Lower into a squat with the core tight, keeping the front knee behind the toes. Repeat for reps, and switch feet.

Here’s our list of best hamstring exercises for strength and mass:

1. Romanian Deadlift

This compound movement works your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

When doing this exercise, get into a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Maintain a slight bend in your knees and a neutral spine as you hinge at the hips and lower the barbell toward the ground.

You can also do a single-leg variation to target the right leg and left leg individually.

“[The Romanian deadlift] emphasizes hip extension and doesn't force you to get into a range of motion where you're actually putting your lumbar at risk.”

- Dr. Eric Helms, PhD, Strength & Conditioning Coach

2. Lying Leg Curl

Leg curls are an isolation exercise that directly targets the hamstring muscles.

Adjust the leg curl machine with the appropriate alignment and control the movement throughout the exercise.

You can also do these with your left and right legs individually.

Here’s what a beginner workout split would look like:

• Monday: Leg workout. Include 1–2 hamstring isolation exercises (3 sets of 8–10 reps)
• Tuesday: Chest and triceps workout
• Wednesday: Active rest
• Thursday: Back and biceps workout. Toss in 1–2 glute exercises (3 sets of 8–10 reps)
• Friday: Shoulders
• Saturday: Active recovery or rest
• Sunday: Active recovery or rest

If you’re well into your fitness journey, a sample workout split for your glutes and hamstrings will look like this:

• Monday: Leg workout. Hamstring work will include 3–4 exercises (3 sets of 8–12 reps each)
• Tuesday: Chest and triceps
• Wednesday: Active rest
• Thursday: Shoulders and glute. Glute work will include 3–4 exercises (3 sets of 8–12 reps each)
• Friday: Back and biceps
• Saturday: Active recovery or rest
• Sunday: Active recovery or rest

Here are some friendly tips I always give to my clients to maximize their glute and hamstring strength:

• Form: Perfect form prevents injury and ensures maximum muscle engagement for maximum hypertrophy and strength gains.
• Progressive overload: According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), gradually increasing the weight, volume, or intensity of your exercises will help you make steady progress [1].
• Mind-muscle connection: Focus on the targeted muscles during each exercise to enhance their activation and growth. In our experience, this is especially true when doing glute isolation exercises.
• Supplements: Take high-quality protein supplements to enhance muscle recovery and achieve your fitness goals faster.

Here are a few safety tips that I always tell my clients to keep in mind during their glute and hamstring routine:

• Warm-up: Begin your lifts with a dynamic warm-up to fire up your muscles and joints for the heavy loads. Avoid static stretches because, according to NIH, they can decrease your performance [2].
• Use a spotter: For heavy lifts or unfamiliar exercises, have a spotter ready to assist you with racking, assisted reps, and safety.
• Know your limits: It’s tempting to start heavy, but overloading the glutes and hamstrings can lead to serious injuries. Start very light (even if it means using only your body weight) and slowly progress to prevent injury and promote long-term progress.
• Stretch and cool down: As NIH notes, you should finish your workout with a cool-down and stretch to maintain flexibility and reduce muscle soreness [3].