Top 5 Exercises for Glutes and Butt

If you want to increase the size and definition of your glutes and butt, then you will have to do some exercises that specifically target those muscles.

The problem with this is that if you don’t know which exercises are most effective, it’s easy to waste your time making useless moves that aren’t giving you the desired results.

Don’t let this happen to you! Here are the top 5 exercises for the glutes and butt that will give you the body you deserve in no time!

What are glutes made of?

The gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles are what we typically refer to as our glutes.

These three muscles connect your upper leg to your pelvis, and when they contract, they extend your hips, causing you to move. The main role of these muscles is hip extension.

Besides their primary role in moving your legs back and forth, some research suggests that these muscle groups also play a secondary role in the rotation of your hip joint—like when you’re sitting with one leg crossed over another at an angle.

It’s important to keep these muscles strong, as strong gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles improve posture, support your lower back and spine, and help control your leg movements when you run or walk.

They’re a critical component of athletic performance, and maintaining their strength can also prevent injuries in your hips or knees.

5 best glute activation exercises

1. Squats

Squats are just about as classic as it gets in terms of great butt exercises. The benefits of squatting go beyond better glute activation—it’s a compound exercise that helps tone almost every muscle group in your lower body, from your quads to your calves. It also works many muscles around your core since they stabilize you while you squat.

Squatting is easy to get wrong if you’re not careful! Squats should be a key part of any routine if you want bigger, stronger glutes. Just make sure to perform them correctly; keep your chest up and avoid leaning forward over your knees.

2. Deadlifts

Whether you are a man or a woman has no bearing. Strengthening your posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and back) is crucial to having a strong body.

One of the best exercises to build strong glutes is deadlifts. Deadlifts work your hamstrings, quads, upper back muscles, and gluteus maximus muscle. Try doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps of deadlifts at least twice a week. And be sure to maintain proper form at all times!

3. Lunges

When performed properly, lunges are one of the most effective exercises to target your glutes. With your feet shoulder-width apart, start standing while holding weights by your sides.

Then take a giant step forward with one foot and bend both knees at 90 degrees into a lunge, keeping both feet flat on the floor as you lower into position. Then push back up through your heels to return to the starting position and repeat. Do 10 reps per leg to complete one set.

4. Hip Thrusts

The hip thrust is primarily a glute builder, but it also works your hamstrings and lowers back to a lesser degree. To perform hip thrusts correctly, sit seated with your knees bent, hips low, and back arched.

From here, you want to drive your heels into the ground as you squeeze your glutes (butt muscles) for maximum contraction.

Once you reach full extension at the top of each rep, slowly lower yourself to complete one rep. Remember to keep your form perfect so that these are truly effective; they won’t be worth anything if done incorrectly!

If done correctly, however, they will quickly become some of the most valuable exercises in building beautifully sculpted glutes fast!

5. Bulgarian Split Squats

This is one of my favorite glute exercises. It hits all three muscle heads, and you feel it in your glutes. Hold a weight in each hand (I like using dumbbells), or use no weight if you’re a beginner.

Stand with one foot on a bench or a box and the other in front of you, like in a lunge position. With your back straight, chest up, and abs engaged, slowly lower yourself into a deep lunge until your back knee almost touches the floor.

Then press through that foot to come back up to standing while squeezing your glute to bring you back up. Do not lock out at any point during this movement; keep constant tension on that booty!

Conclusion

As we all know, exercise is crucial to maintaining a healthy body. Not only does it improve our overall fitness, but it can also help with weight loss if done with proper dieting.

While there are many exercises that you can do to strengthen your butt and legs, some exercises may be more effective than others.