Glute Workout: The Best Exercises and a 2-Day Plan

GYMDONE editorial team

A good glute workout is built around a few heavy hip movements, not dozens of small exercises. Pick one hip thrust or glute bridge, one squat or lunge, and one hip hinge such as the Romanian deadlift. Train them two or three times a week, do about 10–20 hard sets for the glutes per week in total, and add a little weight or a repetition whenever the top of your repetition range feels easy.

That is the whole formula. It works in a gym with a barbell, and it works at home with dumbbells or a backpack, as long as the exercises stay challenging and you keep track of what you lift.

What makes glute exercises work

The gluteus maximus is the main muscle that extends the hip: it pulls your thigh back when you stand up from a squat, climb a step or lock out a deadlift. A systematic review of activation studies found very high gluteus maximus activity in step-ups, hip thrusts, split squats, lunges, deadlifts and belt squats (Neto et al., 2020). In other words, the classic lower-body lifts already train the glutes hard.

Activation is only part of the picture. In a nine-week study with untrained young adults, hip thrust training and back squat training produced similar glute growth on MRI; the squat group also grew more in the front and inner thigh (Plotkin et al., 2023). Squat depth also matters: full squats increased gluteus maximus volume more than half squats over ten weeks (Kubo et al., 2019).

The practical takeaway: you do not need one magic exercise. Use full range of motion, combine a hip thrust with a squat or lunge, and make the sets hard. This matches the ACSM 2026 resistance training guidelines, which recommend training every major muscle group at least twice a week.

The best glute exercises

Choose one exercise from each row. The home option uses dumbbells, a backpack or your body weight; see our dumbbell workout at home for more ideas.

Glute exercises by movement pattern
Movement	Gym option	Home option	Sets × reps
Hip thrust or bridge	Barbell hip thrust	Dumbbell or single-leg glute bridge	3 × 8–12
Squat	Back squat or goblet squat	Goblet squat with a dumbbell	3 × 6–10
Lunge or split squat	Bulgarian split squat	Reverse lunge or split squat	2–3 × 8–12 per side
Hip hinge	Romanian deadlift	Dumbbell Romanian deadlift	3 × 8–10
Step-up	Weighted step-up on a box	Step-up on a sturdy chair or stair	2–3 × 8–12 per side
Side of the hip	Cable or machine hip abduction	Side-lying leg raise or band side walk	2–3 × 12–20

The first four rows do most of the work. Step-ups and hip abduction are useful extras for the upper and side part of the glutes, especially if you train only at home.

A glute workout plan, two days a week

Do these two sessions on nonconsecutive days, for example Monday and Thursday. Rest about 2 minutes after heavy squats and hinges and 1–2 minutes after the other exercises. Start each session with our warm-up before lifting and one or two lighter sets of the first exercise.

Day A, exercise 1: hip thrust, 3 sets of 8–12.
Day A, exercise 2: goblet or back squat, 3 sets of 6–10.
Day A, exercise 3: reverse lunge, 2 sets of 8–12 per side.
Day A, exercise 4: hip abduction, 2 sets of 12–20.
Day B, exercise 1: Romanian deadlift, 3 sets of 8–10.
Day B, exercise 2: Bulgarian split squat, 2 sets of 8–12 per side.
Day B, exercise 3: single-leg glute bridge or step-up, 3 sets of 8–12 per side.
Day B, exercise 4: side-lying leg raise or band side walk, 2 sets of 12–20.

That is 10 sets for the glutes per session and 20 per week, counting squats, lunges and hinges. If you are new to lifting, start with 2 sets per exercise and add sets over the first month. Each session takes 45–60 minutes. You can add an upper-body day or fit these sessions into an upper/lower split by using them as your lower-body days.

How to progress

Use double progression. Pick a repetition range, such as 8–12. When you can do every set at the top of the range with good form, add a small amount of weight next time and work back up from the bottom of the range. At home, add a repetition, slow the lowering phase to 3 seconds, or switch to a single-leg version. This is progressive overload, and it matters more than which exercise you choose.

Most sets should end with one to three repetitions in reserve. If you are not sure how hard that is, our guide to RPE and repetitions in reserve explains it. For a deeper look at weekly set counts, see training volume per muscle.

Write down the weight and repetitions for every set. Glute strength often rises quickly in the hip thrust, and a workout log makes it obvious when you have earned a heavier load.

Common mistakes

Only light band work. Band walks and kickbacks are fine extras, but the glutes need heavy squats, lunges, hinges and thrusts to grow.
Half repetitions. Cutting the squat or lunge short removes the deep range where the glutes work hardest.
Arching the lower back in the hip thrust. Finish the movement by squeezing the glutes with your ribs down and chin tucked, not by bending the lower back.
Changing the plan every week. Repeat the same main exercises for at least 6–8 weeks so you can see your numbers go up.

Common questions

How often should I train glutes?

Two or three times a week works well for most people. Two sessions with enough sets is usually easier to recover from than daily light workouts.

Can I grow my glutes at home?

Yes, if the exercises stay hard. Single-leg bridges, split squats, step-ups and dumbbell Romanian deadlifts can be challenging with little equipment. Add weight or harder variations as you get stronger.

Are squats enough for glutes?

Deep squats train the glutes well, but adding a hip thrust or bridge and a hinge covers the muscle more completely and keeps the plan balanced. Many women start with exactly this mix; see our guide to strength training for women.

Is it safe?

These are standard exercises, but increase the load gradually and stop any movement that causes sharp pain. If you have an injury, a health condition or are pregnant, get advice that fits your situation before you start.