The 5 Best Glute Exercises You Can Find
9th Apr 20
The glutes are the biggest collection of muscles in the human body, and you need to train them like it. Doing that, however, is often easier said than done. Just about every leg exercise there is has a big impact on them, after all, but we need to find the best glute exercises specifically to reach their full potential.
To help you on your journey, we’ve put together 5 of the best glute exercises you can find that you can use either as a bum workout of their own or as great additions to your usual leg routine. Whatever you choose to do, do it safely, do it right, and make the most of these!
Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.
1. Glute Bridge
Although the title does actually give this one away more than some of the others on the list, it’s extremely deserving to be on the list. The glute bridge does wonders and is probably one of the best glute exercises that you can do for them. The isolation aspect is what we’re really looking for, as well as the safety and ease of the exercise.
To do it, all you need to do is to lay flat on the floor with a barbell or other piece of equipment that you would prefer to use. With the weight on top of you and your knees bent, drive your hips forward to lift the weight off the floor. Then hold it for the best contraction and return to the starting position in a controlled and safe way.
2. Single Leg Glute Bridge
The single-leg glute bridge shares a lot of similarities with the standard barbell glute bridge, but with a different motion range and even more isolation because of this. The single-leg variation means that you can use each side of the glutes individually to really make sure you’re giving them everything you’ve got and focusing on technique and contractions.
The technique is the same as the glute bridge but without the added weight. You simply need to straighten one leg in front of you while still bending the other so that you can drive your hips and push your glutes off the ground. Hold and return.
3. Squats
Squats are a lower-body compound exercise king. They use every muscle in your lower body, and with the addition of a box or some kind of deficit to the bodyweight squat, your glutes won’t know what hit them.
The best squat exercise to hit your glutes is to use a box, as we said, and squat low enough to get your glutes as low as possible. Once you are down, flat-footed still and with good form, drive yourself back upwards, squeezing your glutes as you do to feel the most benefit and hit the rest of your leg muscles along the way.
4. Pull Through
The pull-through is one of the more obscure moves on the list, but it’s still amazing for your glutes! All you need is a cable machine with the rope extension, and you’re good to go! Just be careful to make sure you don’t cheat or injure yourself I the process.
Standing with your knees bent and holding onto the rope from behind you between your legs, really push forward with your hips to pull the cable through your legs and in front of you. This will completely engage your glutes and give you a serious burn, just don’t use your delts to move the rope!
5. One Legged Kickback
You aren’t done with the cable machine just yet. This exercise is another great isolation exercise that hits your glutes hard on the contraction as well as the stabilisation on the concentric movement going back down again.
The mechanics for this are pretty simple again. All you have to do is use a strap to attach the cable to your leg and individually raise that leg backwards. Again, it’s best not to bend your leg any more than you have to so that all of the movement is coming from your hips or glutes rather than using your quads.
Once you’ve nailed all 5 of the best glute exercises your glutes have ever seen, start throwing them in your workouts, and you’ll see huge changes to your glute strength and size in no time, depending on the weights you’re using. So make the most of them and make sure you’re fully prepped before you start, and you’re good to go!
Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.
If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.
5% off
