The Ultimate Glute Builder: 10 Best Exercises for Hips & Glutes

Why Glute Training Matters

Your glutes (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) are the powerhouse of your body. They aren't just for aesthetics; strong glutes improve your posture, protect your lower back, and boost your athletic performance in everything from running to lifting heavy.

But many people struggle to "feel" their glutes working, often letting their quads or lower back take over. This guide covers the 10 most effective exercises to wake up your glutes and stimulate maximum growth, pulled directly from the LoadMuscle database.

Glute Anatomy 101

To build a complete shelf, you need to target all three muscles:

• Gluteus Maximus: The main driver of hip extension (thrusting). It gives the glutes their size and shape.
• Gluteus Medius: Located on the upper/side part of the hip. Responsible for abduction (lifting leg to side) and stability.
• Gluteus Minimus: A deeper muscle that assists the medius.

The 10 Best Glute Exercises

1. Barbell Hip Thrust

Primary Focus: Gluteus Maximus (Shortened Position)
Why it matters: The undisputed king of glute building. It allows for heavy loading and places maximum tension on the glutes at the peak contraction (lockout), where they are strongest.

Coaching Cues:

• Place your upper back on a bench and roll the bar over your hips (use a pad!).
• Tuck your chin and drive through your heels.
• Squeeze your glutes hard at the top, creating a straight line from knees to shoulders.
• Don't hyperextend your lower back.

Progression idea: Pause for 3 seconds at the top of every rep.

2. Bulgarian Split Squat

Primary Focus: Gluteus Maximus (Lengthened Position), Quads
Why it matters: A unilateral powerhouse that fixes imbalances and puts the glute under a massive stretch at the bottom. It's painful, but effective.

Coaching Cues:

• Place one foot on a bench or box behind you.
• Lean your torso forward slightly to shift focus to the glutes.
• Lower yourself until your back knee almost touches the floor.
• Drive up through the front heel.

Progression idea: Hold dumbbells in both hands or a single dumbbell in the opposite hand (contralateral) for core stability.

3. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Primary Focus: Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings
Why it matters: A hip-hinge movement that builds the posterior chain. It focuses on the eccentric (lowering) phase and the stretch.

Coaching Cues:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs.
• Push your hips back as if closing a car door with your butt.
• Keep a slight bend in your knees but don't squat.
• Lower until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, then squeeze glutes to return to start.

Progression idea: Use lifting straps so your grip doesn't give out before your glutes do.

4. Cable Pull Through

Primary Focus: Gluteus Maximus
Why it matters: Similar to a kettlebell swing but with constant tension. It teaches the hip hinge pattern safely without loading the spine.

Coaching Cues:

• Face away from the machine with the rope between your legs.
• Hinge at the hips, reaching back towards the weight stack.
• Drive hips forward and squeeze glutes at the top.
• Keep your back flat and neck neutral.

Progression idea: Perform high reps (15-20) as a finisher to pump blood into the muscle.

5. Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Primary Focus: Glutes, Quads
Why it matters: Squatting deep engages the glutes. The goblet hold forces you to stay upright and allows for a deeper range of motion than a back squat for many people.

Coaching Cues:

• Hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest.
• Squat down, pushing your knees out.
• Go as deep as your mobility allows ("ass to grass").
• Drive up, squeezing your glutes.

Progression idea: Add a pulse at the bottom (down, up halfway, down, up full).

6. Cable Donkey Kickback

Primary Focus: Gluteus Maximus (Isolation)
Why it matters: One of the best isolation exercises for the glutes. It allows you to fully shorten the muscle without other muscles taking over.

Coaching Cues:

• Attach an ankle strap to a low pulley.
• Lean forward and hold the machine for stability.
• Kick your leg back and slightly out, squeezing the top of the glute.
• Don't arch your lower back to get the leg higher.

Progression idea: Perform these with a slight pause at the top.

7. Dumbbell Walking Lunges

Primary Focus: Glutes, Quads, Stability
Why it matters: A functional movement that builds athletic legs and glutes. The dynamic nature increases heart rate and metabolic demand.

Coaching Cues:

• Take a long step forward.
• Lower your back knee towards the ground.
• Lean forward slightly to bias the glutes.
• Drive through the front heel to step into the next rep.

Progression idea: Hold dumbbells overhead to increase core demand and stability challenge.

8. Hyperextension

Primary Focus: Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
Why it matters: Often used for the lower back, but with a slight tweak (rounding the upper back), it becomes a glute destroyer.

Coaching Cues:

• Set the pad below your hip bone so you can hinge freely.
• Turn your feet out 45 degrees.
• Round your upper back slightly (chin to chest).
• Squeeze your glutes to lift your torso up; don't use your lower back.

Progression idea: Hold a weight plate against your chest or use a barbell.

9. Dumbbell Lateral Step Up

Primary Focus: Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus
Why it matters: Stepping up from the side targets the glute medius (side glute) more than a standard step-up, helping to build hip width and stability.

Coaching Cues:

• Stand sideways to a bench or box.
• Place one foot on the box.
• Drive through that foot to stand up, minimizing push-off from the floor leg.
• Control the lowering phase slowly.

Progression idea: Don't let your non-working foot touch the floor between reps; hover it.

10. Cable Standing Hip Thrust

Primary Focus: Gluteus Maximus
Why it matters: A great alternative if you can't set up a barbell hip thrust. It mimics the thrusting pattern in a standing position.

Coaching Cues:

• Face away from the machine with the cable attached to a belt or holding a rope at your hips.
• Hinge back and then drive your hips forward against the resistance.
• Squeeze your glutes hard at the standing position.

Progression idea: Use this as a burnout exercise at the end of your workout.

Sample Glute Workout

Build a shelf with this routine.

Get a Personalized Glute Plan

Building glutes takes consistency and progressive overload. If you want a structured plan that tells you exactly what to do every week, try the LoadMuscle AI Workout Planner.

Select "Glutes" as your focus area, and our AI will build a program tailored to your equipment and schedule.

Start growing your glutes today!