6 Exercises To Help You Build A Steel-Strong, Head-Turning Booty
Three for home training and three for the gym.
Photo of the Author. Photographer John McGill
Strengthening your gluteal muscles will help create a robust hip joint and a stable, aligned pelvis, protecting you against back and neck pain and creating higher hip mobility.
Your glutes are the muscles that form your buttocks, and there are three different ones: The gluteus maximus,the largest of them all, and “guilty-as-charged” in giving your buttocks their well-rounded shape.
And two smaller ones: the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus.
To know more about the functions of your three gluteal muscles and the benefits of keeping them strong, check out my article Why Should You Care To Build A Strong And Nut-Cracking Booty?
Strong glutes express a strong body.
Here are six exercises: two for each of the three gluteal muscles.
One of them you can do at home and another you can do at the gym:
1- Gluteus maximus
Home exercise: Bodyweight squats
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Squats are among the best exercises, if not the best, to target the gluteus maximus.
How to:
Stand with your feet a little wider apart than shoulder-width and your toes pointed out slightly.
Slowly drop your hips back and down, as if you are about to sit on a chair until your hips reach the level of your knees, thighs parallel to the floor.
A little deeper is even better; the deeper you go, the more you engage your glutes rather than just your quads/thighs.
When you reach your deepest point, hold 5 seconds (secs) at the bottom.
Press with your heels to midfoot to come back up.
Keep your chest up and back as straight as you can.
Routine:
For good results, I would recommend two possible ways:
Three sets of 30 repetitions (reps) with 5 secs holding at the bottom. Rest 30 to 60 secs between sets.
Tabata style: 8 rounds of 20 secs on, 10 secs rest; total 4 minutes.
Although your glutes are a valuable asset for your overall esthetic and gorgeousness, a heavenly booty is only a fraction of why you need to care about building firm, steel-strong, well-shaped buttocks.
Gym exercise: Back squats
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I already find squats to be a powerful and efficient exercise, and even more so when done with heavy weights. So if you have access to a gym, I recommend you include this exercise in your glutes routine.
Use a weight that is challenging for you. What I mean is that if you are performing the exercise easily, then the weight is not heavy enough and needs to be upped some more, otherwise you will not be getting either strength or volume from your workout.
Remember, heavy is relative. Heavy for me could be easy peasy for you.
What I call heavy is a weight that you can lift no more than 5 to 8 reps, with the last three reps being hard to perform but not necessarily to the point where you would need a spotter.
How to:
To protect your spine and neck from the pressure of the bar, make sure you use a thick pad or wrap your towel around the barbell.
Adjust the height of the bar to a level where you can pick it up without having to get on your toes.
Get under the bar, rest the pad on your upper back and pick up the barbell off the rack.
Slowly move a few steps back, enough for you not to hit the rack when you start squatting.
Position your feet: a little wider than shoulder-width, toes pointed out slightly, and get on with your first repetition.
Take about 3 seconds lowering; push the ground out with your feet, pulling your butt to your heels, and keep going down to the point where your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower.
Keep control over the weight at all times. No rush!!!
Do not let yourself, at any point ever, feel pain in your lower back or knees. If you do, something is wrong with your form; stop immediately.
When your thighs reach your deepest point, come back up by pushing through your heels to midfoot and straighten your legs.
You just performed your first rep!
Routine:
Perform 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps each.
2- Gluteus minimus
Home exercise: Elevated single-leg glute bridge
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It is a simple exercise that is extremely powerful. If you find it easy in its standard form, you can add weights to make it more challenging:
Add weights on the hip bone area of the side worked. Dumbbells, books, or even water/wine bottles can all be used as weights; any additional weight will work perfectly well. Be creative: use anything around you that will add a bit of a challenge to getting those hips thrusting.
This exercise requires more hip stability, so it specifically works the gluteus minimus more than the standard two-legs variation.
I highly encourage single-leg exercises: when you work each leg separately, without assistance from the other leg, it takes responsibility for its own performance and improvement.
How to:
Lay on your back, feet flat on the ground.
Move one foot to the center for balance with the knee bent about 90º; a wider angle at the knee will work the glutes less while engaging the hamstrings more.
Lift the other leg up straight.
Pressing with your heel and upper back, lift your hips as high as possible, squeezing your glutes to the max.
Tuck your pelvis in to keep your lower back neutral.
Squeeze hard at the top, holding one second before lowering all the way back to the ground.
Control your lifting and lowering by slowing down your movement.
Routine:
3 sets of 30 to 50 reps on each side.
Perform all reps on one side before switching.
Gym exercise: Hip abduction machine
Even though I generally do not recommend using machines for any of your workouts, in the case of legs I recommend integrating the leg extension and the outer thighs machines into your leg workouts. I certainly use them myself.
However, I only use them in HIIT Tabata style; muscle failure, high-intensity intervals: 20 secs on, 10 secs rest, for 8 rounds, nonstop.
The gluteus minimus plays a primary role in hip stability and hip abduction.
When you use machines rather than free weights or bodyweight, your muscles grow strong but not your joints, ligaments, and tendons, because the machine does the stabilizing work for you.
How to:
Sit up straight with the pads on the outer side of your knees.
Push the pads away by pushing your knees out and externally rotating your hips.
Slowly come back to the start.
Repeat for the total number of reps.
Routine:
To use this machine efficiently, I would recommend two ways:
3 sets of 30 reps.
Tabata style: 8 rounds of 20 secs on, 10 secs rest; total 4 minutes.
3- Gluteus medius
Home exercise: Pistol squat
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Also called single leg squat. This squat performed on one leg develops coordination, balance, and strength.
Your focus is on your foot gripping the ground, with control over your ankle, knee, and hip throughout the exercise.
In my opinion, this exercise is best performed barefoot or with minimalist shoes.
Now you might be thinking:
“Are you kidding me? I can barely do a squat on two legs; how do you want me to do it on one?”
Well, thank you for asking! I am just about to show you how!
How to:
From a standing position, shift your weight to one leg, keeping the weight balance 80/20 or 70/30 or even 60/40 if that is all you can do, as long as there is more weight on the leg that you intend to work.
Slightly touching the ground, move the other foot out forward or about 45º, wherever is more comfortable for you.
Lower slowly into a squat, focusing on the working leg, with just a light spotting from the other foot.
Depending on how strong you are, you can adjust your secondary leg support as needed.
You might use a stool or a box as a target to touch when lowering. I personally prefer not to use one. I would rather focus on dropping my hips as deep as I can. But go ahead and use one if it works for you.
Press with your heel and glute back to the starting position, supporting yourself with the opposite foot.
Repeat for the intended number of reps.
Finish one set on the same leg before switching.
Routine:
3 to 4 sets of 10 reps each.
3 secs lowering with control and focus.
No rush and no speed.
Gym exercise: Barbell reverse lunges
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(The first 4 steps — setting up and picking up the barbell — are the same as for the back squats. For the next steps follow below)
How to:
Step back with one leg and lower your hips into a lunge position.
Press your front-heel-to-midfoot into the ground and squeeze your glutes to return to the starting position.
Repeat the total number of reps on the same leg before switching.
Routine:
3 sets of 6 to 8 reps on each leg.