We (you, me, society) currently have an infatuation with big butts.
Although this isn’t necessarily a new thing (Sir Mix A Lot has been talking about big butts for a while ), social media has certainly made it a wide spread desire.
Outside of the aesthetic benefits of having a nice, firm, big butt (regardless of your gender)…there are functional reasons that having bigger & stronger glutes is helpful for you:
You’re stronger in the gym: Your butt is a primary muscle used with squats, deadlifts, and lunges. With stronger glutes, those exercises improve.
You’re stronger in day to day life. Imagine going on a hike or stepping out of your car or standing up from a seat. Your glutes tremendously with those.
Healthier lower back. If your butt isn’t strong enough to help with day to day needs (like walking, hiking, stepping out of your car), other muscles & body parts take over (like your lower back). You don’t want that.
To hammer home the main point…the obvious benefit is that your butt is big & people like big butts. We’re not going to sugarcoat the facts at hand.
Before we go through the exercises you should be doing for glute growth, we need to discuss three main things to prioritize once you start your journey of growing a bigger butt.
You need to lift weights. This entire article is based around lifting weights & doing strength training. It’s a must. I’m confident you’ll enjoy it though. And if you’re completely new to lifting, I wrote a super in depth article about how to get started.
You need to do exercises that work your glutes consistently. 2-3 times per week is ideal.
You need to get better at lifting weights.. You can get better by improving your form, doing more reps with the same weight, lifting heavier weight, orrr decreasing your rest time.
Again, the Beginner Guide To Lifting article is a good place to start if you’re brand new to strength training.
BUT(T).....(see what I did there)
If you’re ready to get into specifics of what exercises to do, how to do them, and how to structure a damn good butt-building workout….keep scrolling.
Best Exercises To Build Your Butt:
*Best in my opinion*:
Glute Bridges
We have to talk about the uncomfortable exercises first. Not uncomfortable in terms of making your body feel weird. But rather, potentially uncomfortable when you’re in the gym because these exercises you’re basically humping/thrusting your hips in the air.
This exercise (and the next one) might be a little bit uncomfortable at first. However, when you know that they’re benefiting the booty gains & your overall health, you will get over the idea of being uncomfortable rather quickly.
A big key to growing your butt is making sure you can feel your glutes working. With bodyweight glute bridges, you focus in on squeeeeezing your glutes each rep. That’s why glute bridges are a perfect place to start.
2. Hip Thrusts:
This exercise is similar to a glute bridge. Once you have the glute bridge form down & can feel your butt burning, it’s time to add weight to start adding more muscle & get stronger.
Alsooo Hip Thrusts provide a larger range of motion which allows you to make more booty gains (when done correctly)
Hip Thrusts are the best exercise to directly target your glutes. Squats & deadlifts are fantastic. And we’ll talk about those. But hip thrusts are a must for you.
The set up can be tricky, depending on where you’re working out. The most common way to do these is with a barbell. However, using a dumbbell might be the easiest for you (as seen in the video below).
Typical Barbell Set up:
3. Forward Lunges
Lunges are a phenomenal exercise. One of the best for overall leg development, athleticism, balance, and you guessed it - growing the glutes.
The most important part of any exercises, but especially lunges, is being in control and having great form.
Lunges aren’t an exercise where you need to use the heaviest dumbbells to get a lot out of them. Body weight lunges are perfect for your goals, especially starting out.
There are many different lunge variations but forward lunges are normally the easiest to master, at first.
Focus on keeping your shoulders back & performing each rep in a controlled manner to make the most out of the exercise anddd to avoid hurting yourself.
I’m using dumbbells in the video below. However, start out with just your body weight.
4. Curtsy Lunges
Because lunges are such a wonderful exercise for the glutes & overall function as a human, I had to include one more variation - the Curtsy Lunge.
You will need a bit more balance to perform these, as you are stepping backwards (and to the side).
However, the backwards side step works a different portion of your glutes - the side portion - that most other movements on this list don’t hit very well.
Similar to the forward lunges, start with just your body weight at first until you are completely comfortable with them. Thennnn start adding weight.
5. Squats (Many Variations)
I know you’ve been waiting for this one. One of the ultimate, longest tenured booty builders around. Squats.
There are many different variations to choose from & the variation you choose depends on how experienced you are with lifting.
If you’re a somewhat experienced lifter, performing barbell back squats (with good form) is going to be the best squat variation to target your butt.
However, if your form is trash….Worst case scenario, you get injured. Best case scenario, you don’t the progress with your glutes that you want.
If you’re relatively new to the squatting game,. this is the progression you should do to make sure your barbell back squat form is on point & you’re comfortable with the movement:
Body Weight Squats (Form Video/Tutorial)
Dumbbell Goblet Squats (Form Video)
Barbell Box Back Squats (Form Video/Tutorial)
Barbell Back Squats
Work on each exercise for at least 3-4 weeks. After you feel comfortable with it, move on to the next exercise in the progression.
Also, if you really enjoy any of those weighted exercises (Goblet Squats or Box Squats) and Barbell Back Squats aren’t very comfortable, stick with what you enjoy. Each of those exercises still works your glutes well.
6. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
Similar to squats, there are endless deadlift variations. Each of them can hit your glutes. However, there is one variation of deadlifts that emphasizes your glutes and is easier to perform than other exercises.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts.
Hits the glutes really well, easier to perform for most humans, and normally easier on your lower back.
Here a full tutorial of how to perform the exercise:
7. Leg Abductor Machine/Band Work
The first 6 exercises are the main booty builders that you need to in your workout routine. You should prioritize those the most to see the most substantial changes.
If you want to get the total package and work your glutes from all angles…..
Performing another exercise that hits the ‘side booty’ is going to be the icing on top.
My favorite exercise for this is the Leg/Hip Abductor Machine where you are pushing your hips outwards through resistance:
However….If you don’t have access to this machine, a few other exercises that will work the side booty include:
Side Lunges (I know you love all of these lunges)
Knowing what exercises to do & how to properly do them is one big part to getting a bigger butt.
The next most important part: Figuring out how to structure your workouts to grow your glutes.
After putting together many programs for my clients that want to grow their butt, researching booty gains, and building my glutes up…
This is how I would structure your Booty Building Routine:
An example of a great, starter booty workout is:
Body Weight Glute Bridges: 3 sets of 10 reps. Squeeze the glutes at the top every rep. The goal isn't to burn out your glutes & be super tired. Rather, you want to get the glutes firing & ready for other movements.
Body Weight Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps. Similar to the glute bridges, you want don't want to wear yourself out with these. Just a warm up to feel the glutes working.
Dumbbell Goblet Squats: 4 sets of 12 reps. This is a good squat exercise to start doing. It's easier to have & maintain quality form.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 10 reps. Take this one slow, with lighter weight. With the full booty building program, I will be thoroughly explaining & going through this exercise (and a few others) because it is challenging at first.
Forward Lunges: 3 sets of 8 reps, each leg. Start out with body weight. If you're more experienced, add a barbell or dumbbells to the equation.
Hip Abduction Machine: 4 sets of 15 reps. This works the outer portion of your booty.
Start implementing some of these exercises into your routine and stick with them for the long term while prioritizing getting better. It’s only a matter of time before you have a bigger butt, you’re stronger, and you’re feeling better each day.
Let me know what questions you have by emailing me: Patrick@JourneyToGains.com
Orrr if you’re interested in having me become your fitness coach (So that you can have a customized plan with workouts & nutrition for your goals while having me be there for support & hold you accountable)….
Go to this page & give me some quick information about you & goals. Then we’ll set up a time to talk more about you, what you want to accomplish, and see if we’re a good fit to work together.