Glute Building Workout Plan – Your Guide To Ultimate Butt Muscles

If you’re wondering when is a good time to build your glute muscles, the answer is always. A powerful gluteus maximus is vital for keeping your body in alignment and decreasing your risk of injury. Gym machines for glutes, compound exercises, and stability balls are excellent ways to make glute gains.

In addition, many exercises work the lower body and have effective results. We’ll go through some glute exercises here, so you burn fat and gain a tighter butt in no time.

Introduction to the Glute Muscles

Before we dive into a glute workout that might work for you, it’s essential to understand the muscle groups that make up the glutes and how they function.

Gluteus Maximus

The largest and strongest muscle of the glutes is the gluteus maximus. It connects to the coccyx (tailbone), ilium crest and ilium (pelvic bones), and lower part of the sacrum. The gluteus maximus works to help you stand from a seated position, climb stairs, and keep the upper body straight as you stand.

Gluteus Medius

Not to be outdone by the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius allows the thigh to rotate internally and prevents the pelvis from tipping forward when one leg is raised off the floor. It lies between its counterparts, the gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus.

Gluteus Minimus

Although it’s the tiniest muscle of the glutes, the minimus provides hip abduction and stability. Lying beneath the gluteus medius, it works with that muscle to maintain hip stabilization while standing on one leg.

Benefits of Strong Glutes

As you can see, the glutes work to stabilize the lower and upper body. Strong glutes are more than just a firm, round butt. The benefits include

• Minimizing back pain – Since your glutes support the pelvis, hips, and lower spine, strong glutes are essential to reducing lower back pain. Providing adequate distribution to your lower body relieves pressure on the lower back.
• Decreased knee pain – For people who sit for long periods, weakened glute muscles can result in knee pain. Glute exercises help to take pressure off the knees if sitting is part of your full-time job. 
• Increased Athletic Performance – Assisting your hips for forward propulsion is one of the glute’s primary endeavors. They also help with heavy lifting as you should use your legs to squat and lift to take pressure off your back. A glutes workout that strengthens those muscle groups can propel an athlete further in their career.

Best Glute Workouts for Beginners

If you are just setting out to build those butt muscles, we have some excellent exercises to get you started. When beginning with glute workouts, the focus should be on developing skills in hip abduction, extension, and external rotation.

Single Leg Glute Bridge

Lying on the floor with your hips raised, extend your left leg out in front of you at an angle. Perform hip thrusts by lifting and lowering the body. Try for 24 repetitions on each side.

Assisted Split Squat

You knew we were going to through some squats at you, but the split part might have you cringing. Don’t fear this one because of the name. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and step back with your left foot. Lower your body down to the floor, where your front knee is at a 90-degree angle, and your back knee is pointed straight down at the floor. Lift your body back up and repeat.

The assisted split squat is a body weight exercise that allows you to do the movement while holding onto a wall in front or beside you for assistance. As you build your glutes stronger, a barbell or free weights can be added for more resistance. The split squat differs from a lunge because you don’t bring the feet back together. Try for three sets of 15 reps on both legs.

Goblet Squat

More squats?? That’s right, folks. Get ready to squat with your whole body. This compound exercise engages the glutes, legs, and core. To perform, begin with your feet slightly further than hip-width apart and toes in a small turnout. Slowly push your hips back and bend your knees as you lower down into the squat. Make sure you keep your back in alignment and your eyes focused forward.

Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels to lift your body. Ensure that your weight is equally distributed through your foot. Don’t rise on your toes or rock onto your heels. Once you are comfortable with this exercise, adding a kettlebell to hold in front of your chest is an excellent way to further your performance. Perform three sets of 10 reps.

Landmine Romanian Deadlift

Keep one end of a barbell on the floor, stand between your legs, holding the handle with both hands. The feet should be shoulder width apart for this exercise.

Hinge from the hip and lower the body to the floor until the bar is right beneath your knees. Perform three sets of 10 reps for an excellent glutes workout.

Best Glute Workout for Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy training means increasing muscle growth. To do this, heavier weights and more repetition is essential.

Romanian Deadlift

Holding a barbell with an overhand grip, place your feet about shoulder-width apart. Slowly push your hips back, and keeping your shoulders back and your back straight, lower the barbell to the floor. When you reach your knees, rise back to standing. Resist the urge to squat by keeping a soft knee and focusing on the back of the legs as you bring yourself back to the starting position. Repeat this eight times for three sets.

Leg Press

This glutes workout involves a leg press machine. You can do these at inclined or horizontal. Load up the weight on the device and assume the position of either sitting or lying down. Place your feet on the pad in front of you with your knees bent and feet about shoulder-width apart. Press the pad away and slowly bring the knees back to the chest. Try between 8-10 reps for three sets.

Bulgarian Split Squat

This version of the split squat involves the rear foot elevated on a bench or chair before squatting. Do 12 reps with the left foot raised behind you and repeat with the opposite leg. Try doing three sets of each.

Machines Hip Thrust

Doing hip thrusts on a machine is an excellent way to build muscle in your glutes. Sit at the hip thrust machine and place the lap bar across your hips. Lie back and slowly lift your hips, engaging the glutes. Try for as many reps as possible, and then repeat the set three times.

Back Extension

Back extensions can be done by placing your hands on the floor with your legs straight behind you. Push up on your hands as you arch your back and hold the position. Back extension machines similarly work the lower body by locking the feet into the apparatus and lifting to arch the back. Take care not to over-extend the back when performing these exercises. Slow and steady is best without jerky movements. Also, light weights can be added as you become stronger—attempt two sets of 15 reps.

Best Glute Workout for Strength

To increase strength in the glutes, it’s all about heavier reps that promote both skill and strength. Check out all the exercises below to get that glute anatomy stronger.

Barbell Squat

For the barbell squat, you want to start with your feet a little further than shoulder-width apart. Place the barbell on your upper back and slowly hinge from the hip, lowering down into a squat. Press back up using the entire body in this compound exercise. Attempt three sets of 5 barbell squats.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Instead of using a barbell for resistance, use a dumbbell in each hand. The movement is the same as the Romanian deadlift. Try for three sets of 8-10 reps.

Bulgarian Split Squats

These split squats appear again to help lose fat and build strength in the glutes. 8-10 reps for each leg with three total sets should do the trick.

Machine Hip Thrusts

An excellent hip thrust goes a long way for a glutes workout, especially when building strength. Do as many as you can and then rest and repeat it all two more times.

Best Glute Workout for Sport

Athletes need explosive power and strength when training their glutes. Let’s take a look at what exercise benefit them the most.

Box Jump

Yes. It’s just what it sounds like. Place a box in front of you with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and jump onto the box with both feet simultaneously. Perform three sets of 10 jumps.

High Bar Squat

The high bar is a squat where a high bar is placed high on the back right on the trapezius muscles. The added weight with the squat makes this squat harder. Perform three sets of 6-8 squats.

Contralateral Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

This particular deadlift involves lifting a leg straight behind you as you deadlift. It involves more core muscles to stabilize the body as you bring your upper body towards the floor. Repeat ten times on both legs and perform two sets.

Ipsilateral Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat

More split squat fun! In this split squat, one foot is elevated behind you with a dumbbell in the hand of the forward leg. Try for two sets of 10 reps.

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

A glute bridge done while lying on the floor with one leg in the air is more great work for the butt muscles. Perform two sets of 12 reps per leg.

Best Glute Workout for Endurance

Strong glute development helps the entire body by taking the strain off joints and other muscle groups. Muscles built for endurance ensure better overall well-being. Here are some exercises that provide muscle endurance.

Reverse Lunge into Sprinter Pose

This lunge is performed by lunging back with one leg until the knee almost touches the floor. Then press back up and bend the leg up in front of you. Repeat on both sides ten times. Try for two sets.

Tempo 1 and 1/2 Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is a compound exercise using the kettlebell, and the tempo is the speed of your reps to increase intensity and hypertrophy. Hold the kettlebell to your chest with your arms pressing down into your sides to perform the goblet squat. Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a small turnout in the toes. Bend the knees and hips as you descend into the squat, making sure to keep your core tight and your back straight. Squat as far as you can and then come back halfway. Squat down again and then return to the starting position. Maintain the same tempo throughout the exercise. Perform two sets of 12 reps.

Step Up

Don’t be tricked by this simple exercise, as it torches body fat by engaging the lower body. Place a step in front of you to the desired height. Step up with one foot and use the muscles of that leg to propel your other foot onto the step. Step down, repeat, and be sure to switch legs. Do three sets of 12 reps per leg.

Staggered Stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Another form of the deadlift involves placing one foot behind the other with the weight on the toe. Perform the deadlift by hinging from the hip with a dumbbell in each hand. This exercise drives the glutes and hamstrings to kick into gear. Be careful not to rotate your body as you tip forward. Do three sets of 15, making sure you switch legs.

Glute Bridge

This exercise keeps resurfacing because it is excellent for working the butt muscles. For endurance, do two sets of 20 reps.

Stair Climbs

Not only is climbing stairs great for burning body fat, but it also torches your legs for muscle growth and endurance. We recommend stair climbs for 10 minutes to get the most out of your workout.

How to Build the Best Glutes

We’ve given you a massive list of exercises that build butt muscles, but which one is the best? We like the Bulgarian split squats and step-ups for building this essential muscle group.

If you’re looking to gain a bigger butt, go for the barbell glute bridge and the single-leg Romanian deadlift. Both exercises work wonders to develop a rounder, tighter butt.

To build muscle in the butt, you must train at least 2-6 times per week for about 4-6 weeks to start to see results.

Understanding that building glutes or any muscle group also involves eating lean meats or protein to feed them properly is vital. Engaging in these glute exercises will help in everyday life, and you will reap the benefits of a JLo butt in no time!