4 of the Best Glute Building Exercises

Your glutes aren’t just for looks — they’re among the largest and most powerful muscles in your body, and they play a key role in almost every athletic movement. From running, jumping, and climbing stairs to keeping your hips stable and your posture strong, well-developed glutes are essential.

And yes — building stronger glutes also happens to make your physique look more athletic, balanced, and confident.

So, what’s the best way to train them? Let’s break down four of the most effective exercises for glute growth, strength, and performance.

1. Hip Thrust

When it comes to isolating and growing your glutes, nothing beats the hip thrust. Popularized by Bret Contreras, Ph.D. (“The Glute Guy”), this exercise allows you to directly load the glutes through their primary function: hip extension.

• Why it works: The setup (back against a bench, barbell across the hips) puts your glutes under constant tension in a shortened position — a range that many other lifts miss.

• Progression: Because you can load it heavily, the hip thrust offers excellent strength and hypertrophy potential.

• Tip: Drive through your heels, keep your chin tucked, and squeeze your glutes hard at the top.

If you want to prioritize glute growth, make hip thrusts a staple.

2. Walking Lunges

Walking lunges are more than just a conditioning move — they’re a powerful unilateral exercise that challenges balance, coordination, and glute activation.

• Why it works: The glutes fire to stabilize the hips and extend the leg as you push off with each stride. By taking longer steps, you can increase glute recruitment.

• Bonus: Lunges also target the quads and hamstrings, making them a full lower-body builder.

• Tip: Keep your torso upright and take slow, controlled steps to maximize muscle engagement.

Add these in at the end of a workout for a serious burn.

3. Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The Romanian deadlift is one of the best posterior chain exercises you can do. Unlike a traditional deadlift, the RDL emphasizes the eccentric stretch on your hamstrings and glutes.

• Why it works: With a slight knee bend and a hip hinge, you place your glutes and hamstrings under a deep stretch, then force them to work explosively to return to standing.

• Glute emphasis: Keeping tension in the hamstrings while maintaining a neutral spine shifts the load directly into the glutes during hip extension.

• Tip: Think “hips back, hips forward” instead of lowering the bar with your arms. The movement is all about the hinge.

This lift not only builds strength and muscle but also improves athletic power and hip mobility.

4. Bulgarian Split Squat

If there’s one movement that humbles everyone, it’s the Bulgarian split squat. By elevating your back leg, you force your front leg to handle most of the load — and your glutes work overtime.

• Why it works: The rear-leg elevation increases the range of motion, stretching the glutes at the bottom of each rep.

• Customization: A longer stance with a forward torso lean increases glute activation; a shorter stance with a more upright torso shifts focus to the quads.

• Tip: Hold dumbbells at your sides for added resistance and keep your core braced throughout.

Research consistently shows this move as one of the most effective for targeting the glutes.

Final Thoughts

Stronger glutes don’t just make you look good — they make you move better, perform better, and stay injury-resistant. Incorporate these four exercises into your weekly training, and you’ll notice improvements in strength, stability, and overall athleticism.

Whether you’re chasing aesthetics, performance, or both, these movements are a must for building a powerful lower body.