Who wouldn’t want toned, rounded glutes that make jeans look even better? As we kick off 2025, it’s the perfect time to focus on your fitness goals if you’re able-bodied. Upgrade your fitness routine with these 10 glute exercises to help you pump up your butt.

The 10 Fastest and Most Effective Glute Exercises

This sequence includes a mix of effective movements designed to strengthen your glutes and boost overall fitness. After all, the glutes are the largest muscles in the body, and working them burns tons of calories.

These exercises target specific muscles like the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus, while also engaging auxiliary muscles like the quadriceps and hamstrings. Here’s a routine you can start adding to your workout, packed with 10 easy exercises that really get results. 

Beginner: Reps: 10–12 | Sets: 2–3 | Rest: 30–60 sec

Intermediate/Advanced: Reps: 8–15 | Sets: 3–4 | Rest: 30 sec (endurance) / 60–90 sec (strength)

1. Squats

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Muscles worked: Glutes, Quadriceps

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, keeping your back straight.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips as if you're about to sit in a chair, aiming for a 60-degree angle in your legs.
• Hold this position for a second for extra intensity, then rise back up, keeping your glutes and legs engaged throughout the movement. You can also modify it and do jump squats if you have healthy knees. 

2. Deadlifts (Dead Weight)

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Muscles worked: Glutes, Hamstrings

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weighted barbell, two dumbbells, or household items like water bottles or milk cartons.
• Bend at the hips (not the back), keeping your back straight, until you reach a position where your torso is almost parallel to the ground.
• Push through your heels and rise back up, squeezing your glutes and engaging the back of your legs.

3. Lunges

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Muscles worked: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings

• Stand tall, back straight.
• Step forward with one leg, bending both knees to form 90-degree angles.
• Push off the front foot to return to the starting position, and repeat with the opposite leg.
• For an extra challenge, hold dumbbells in each hand or try walking lunges.

4. Glute Bridge

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Muscles worked: Glutes, Hamstrings

• Lie on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor.
• Lift your hips toward the ceiling, keeping a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
• Hold for a couple of seconds, then lower your hips slowly, squeezing your glutes and inner thighs as you lower
• For added difficulty, place a resistance band around your legs above the knees or a weight or barbell on your lower abdomen.

5. Donkey Kicks

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Muscles worked: Glutes

• Start on all fours, hands, and knees on the floor.
• Lift one leg back and up, with the knee bent and the foot aimed toward the ceiling.
• When the knee reaches hip height, lower it back to the starting position.
• Repeat for each leg, and add an elastic band around the knees to increase resistance for more intensity.

6. Bulgarian Split Squats

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Muscles worked: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings

• Stand with your back to a bench or raised platform, and place one foot on it
• Step the other foot forward and lower your body down as if you were performing a one-legged squat.
• Alternate legs, or complete all reps on one leg before switching.
• To make this harder, hold a weight in each hand, or place one weight overhead.

7. Sumo Squat

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Muscles worked: Glutes, Adductors

• Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing outwards.
• Lower your body down as if you're sitting in a chair, aiming for a deep squat position.
• Push through your heels to return to the starting position.
• For a challenge, hold a dumbbell or weight plate at chest height, or between your legs.

8. Single-Leg Glute Bridge

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Target muscles: Glutes, hamstrings

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Lift one leg off the floor, keeping the knee bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Press through the heel of the grounded foot and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your knee to your shoulders.
• Lower your hips slowly, keeping your elevated leg stable.
• Repeat for the desired reps, then switch to the other leg.

9. Clamshell

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Target muscles: Glutes (especially the gluteus medius), hips

• Lie on your side with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and feet stacked on top of each other.
• Rest your head on your arm or prop it up with your hand. Engage your core to stabilize your torso.
• Keeping your feet together, lift your top knee as high as you can without rotating your pelvis.
• Lower your knee back down slowly to the starting position.
• Repeat for the desired reps, then switch to the other side.

10. Fire Hydrants

Muscles worked: Glutes

• Begin in the same all-fours position, with knees and hands on the floor.
• Lift one leg out to the side, keeping the knee bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Return to the starting position and repeat for each leg.

How often should you do these exercises?

How often you should work your glutes really depends on your fitness level and goals. If you’re just starting out, 2–3 times a week is ideal—your muscles need time to adapt and recover. Once you’ve been at it for a while, you can increase it to 3 to 4 times a week if you’re focused on building strength and size. 

For serious glute growth, stick to 3 sessions a week and gradually up the weight or reps. Don’t forget, rest days are just as important—overdoing it can lead to burnout or injury. 

A good weekly plan might look like this: glutes on Day 1, rest or upper body on Day 2, glutes on Day 3, active rest (cardio or stretching) on Day 4, glutes again on Day 5, and rest or full-body training on Days 6 and 7.

Listen to your body and make sure to prioritize recovery.