The Best Glute Exercises Are the Ones You Can Load and Progress
If you want bigger glutes, stop collecting random booty-band moves from TikTok.
The best glute exercises are the ones that do two things:
- load the glutes hard
- let you add weight or reps over time
That is what grows muscle.
You do not need 14 exercises in one workout. You need a small group of lifts that train the glutes in different positions, then you need to get stronger at them for months.
This list ranks the best glute exercises based on three things:
- how much tension they put on the glutes
- how easy they are to progressively overload
- how useful they are for real gym programming
If your goal is glute growth, these are the exercises worth building your plan around.
1. Barbell Hip Thrust
If you only care about glute growth, the hip thrust belongs near the top.
Why it works:
- it lets you load the glutes heavily
- it challenges peak hip extension, where the glutes are doing a ton of work
- it is easy to track and progressively overload
A lot of women feel their quads during squats or their hamstrings during RDLs. Hip thrusts make it much easier to feel the glutes doing the job.
How to use it: 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps, 1 to 2 times per week.
Do it better: Pause for a second at the top, keep your ribs down, and stop turning it into a sloppy backbend.
2. Romanian Deadlift
The hip thrust loads the glutes hard in the shortened position. The Romanian deadlift loads them in the stretched position. That combination is gold.
RDLs are one of the best glute exercises because they force the glutes to control the hinge and then drive the hips forward. They also train the hamstrings, which is a bonus, not a problem.
How to use it: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.
Do it better: Push your hips back, keep the dumbbells or bar close to your legs, and lower until you feel a deep stretch without losing your back position.
3. Bulgarian Split Squat
This is the exercise everyone hates until they see what it does.
Bulgarian split squats are brutal, but they work. They train one leg at a time, challenge the glutes through a big range of motion, and clean up left-right imbalances fast.
They are especially good if you want glute growth without always loading your spine with heavy barbells.
How to use it: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per leg.
Do it better: Take a slightly longer stance and lean your torso forward a little. That usually shifts more tension onto the glutes.
4. Deep Squat
Squats are not overrated. Bad squats are.
A deep squat can be a great glute exercise, especially for beginners who need a simple movement they can keep improving. The problem is most people cut the range short, bounce around with random reps, and then wonder why their glutes are not growing.
If you squat deep, control the lowering phase, and keep adding load over time, squats absolutely help build glutes.
How to use it: 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 10 reps.
Do it better: Get as deep as your mobility allows with control. Half reps give you half the benefit.
5. Walking Lunge or Reverse Lunge
Lunges train the glutes in a way bilateral lifts do not. They also build stability, coordination, and a lot of useful lower-body strength.
Walking lunges create a huge stimulus with relatively light weight. Reverse lunges are easier to control and often friendlier on the knees.
Both are worth using.
How to use it: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per leg.
Do it better: Drive through the front heel and keep the working leg doing the work instead of bouncing off the back foot.
6. 45-Degree Back Extension
This is one of the most underrated glute exercises in the gym.
Most people do back extensions and turn them into a lower-back exercise. Done properly, they can hammer the glutes.
Round your upper back slightly, keep your chin tucked, and think about driving your hips into the pad instead of just lifting your chest.
How to use it: 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Do it better: Hold a plate or dumbbell once bodyweight gets too easy.
7. Cable Kickback
Cable kickbacks are not a main lift, but they are a solid accessory.
They are easy to set up, easy to recover from, and good for adding extra glute volume without frying your whole lower body.
They also work well for lifters who struggle to feel their glutes on compound lifts.
How to use it: 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps per side.
Do it better: Move slowly, do not swing your leg, and finish each rep with control.
8. Hip Abduction Machine
If you want fuller upper glutes, do not skip abduction work.
The glute medius matters for shape. Hip abduction is not enough by itself to build impressive glutes, but it is a strong add-on to the bigger compounds.
This is one of the best places to add more volume at the end of a session.
How to use it: 2 to 4 sets of 15 to 25 reps.
Do it better: Control the eccentric and stop treating it like a speed contest.
So Which Exercises Should You Prioritize?
If you want the shortest possible answer, use this setup:
- one heavy thrust pattern
- one hinge pattern
- one squat or split-squat pattern
- one isolation movement
That might look like:
- barbell hip thrust
- Romanian deadlift
- Bulgarian split squat
- cable kickback or hip abduction
That is enough to build impressive glutes if you stick with it.
You do not need a circus. You need a program.
If you want a done-for-you structure, start with our [glute workout plan for women](/blog/glute-workout-plan-women). If you want the bigger-picture strategy, read [how to get bigger glutes](/blog/how-to-get-bigger-glutes).
How Many Glute Exercises Per Workout?
Usually 3 to 4 is plenty.
A good glute workout does not need to be endless. It needs to cover the main jobs:
- a heavy compound lift
- a secondary compound lift
- one or two accessories
Example:
- Hip thrust, 4 sets
- RDL, 3 sets
- Bulgarian split squat, 3 sets
- Hip abduction, 3 sets
That is 13 hard sets. More than enough for one session.
Most women do best with 12 to 18 total glute-focused sets per week split across 2 to 3 sessions.
The Biggest Mistakes People Make
They chase novelty. A new glute exercise every week feels productive. It is not. Pick a few great lifts and beat your numbers.
They never train hard enough. If every set is easy, nothing changes.
They skip progressive overload. The same weights for 3 months means the same body for 3 months.
They do too much fluff. Fifteen minutes of banded pulses will not outwork heavy, consistent training.
They under-eat. If you are trying to grow your glutes while barely eating protein, you are making it way harder than it needs to be.
How to Make These Exercises Actually Work
Here is the real takeaway: pick 4 to 6 of the exercises above, train glutes 2 to 3 times per week, and log every set.
That is what this article is telling you to do.
Soma makes that part easy. You can track hip thrusts, RDLs, split squats, and your nutrition in one place, so you can see whether your glute training is actually progressing instead of guessing.