Build the Perfect Glutes at Home: Top 9 Exercises and Tips for All Lev

Having a perfect shape butt is a dream for many men and women. Imagine you have a flat butt. Do you think your favorite jeans will look good on you? No, it won’t! Your butt is what gives shape to your body.

A well-toned butt not only gives you a more balanced and attractive physique but also helps to improve your overall health. The glute is a group of three muscles, the gluteus maximus (the largest muscles in the human body), gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles are located directly under the fatty tissue of your buttocks.

As these muscles work directly with the hamstrings, calves, and back, they help you walk, run, sit, stand, and do many other movements. So, exercising your glutes is not only an aesthetic endeavor. It's useful for overall body movement.

For example, strong glutes are crucial for proper pelvic alignment, strong hip extension, and improving hip mobility. It can also help you deal with some day-to-day chronic aches and pains you may feel in your back and lower part of the body.

Whether you're a fitness newbie or a seasoned gym goer, training your glutes is one of the best things you can do to keep yourself active and healthy. Here are the 9 best at-home glute exercises to build your butt the right way.

Equipment You’ll Need for At-Home Glute Exercise

Most people think that to grow your glutes, you need to join a gym and get on that squat rack daily. While going to the gym and lifting heavy dumbbells and barbells can boost the size of your glutes, ‌ there are also exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home to put your butt in gear.

You don’t need ‌workout equipment to do glute exercise at home, ‌though you’ll need a few basic items.

Resistance Bands - Bands come in different sizes and resistance levels. Choose the one that suits your fitness level.
Dumbbells - I am sure you can afford a pair of dumbbells. It will help you build muscles and strength faster.
Yoga Mat - Though you can do the workouts directly on the floor, ‌exercising on the mat will provide cushioning and prevent slipping.
Stable Bench or Chair - I am sure you already have a chair in your dining room.
Ankle Weights - This is optional, but it can help get your glutes in shape faster.

Warm-Up Exercises before Targeting Glutes

Before diving into any form of exercise, it’s important to get your blood flowing and your heartbeat pumping a little faster. Meaning, it's important to prepare your body for the workout.

So, what are the warm-up exercises you can do before starting your at-home glute exercises?

Cardio Exercise

You can do steady-state cardio for 10 to 15 minutes or you can do interval training for 5 minutes. But remember, opt for interval training only if you’re an experienced exerciser. If you’re a beginner, you can do steady-state cardio such as jogging, jumping jacks, or running.

Dynamic Stretches

Stretching exercises can be done after cardio exercise. This will help fully prepare your body for your at-home glute exercises. You can do leg swings, walking lunges, side lunges, high knees, knee-to-chest, squats, and many more.

9 At-home Glute Exercises

You’ll find tons of glute exercises on the internet. Some exercises are hard. Some are easy to do. Here we have listed a mixture of hard and easy exercises as per your fitness level.

But remember one thing, no matter which exercise you choose, we recommend two to five different exercises ‌a week. If you’re a beginner, you can start with two different exercises a week. You can add more variation the more experienced you get.

Exercise 1 - Glute Bridges

This is one of the ‌easiest at-home glute exercise you can do anywhere. It targets your glutes and lower back muscles. Doing this exercise will help you improve your posture and relieve you from back pain.

How to do it?

Lie down flat on your back and bend your knees while keeping your feet still on the ground.
Slowly raise your hip while squeezing your glute muscles.
Hold the position for 10 seconds and feel the gravitational pull.
Now slowly lower your hips to the starting position.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

If you want to make the workout a little harder, you can add weight to your ankle for extra resistance. Or you can do a single-leg glute bridge.

Exercise 2 - Squats

Squats are a full lower-body workout. It activates your glutes and also your hamstrings and quads. You build strength and flexibility if you do this exercise regularly.

How to do it?

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Lower your body as if sitting in an invisible chair. Keep your chest up and knees behind your toes.
Stand back up to complete the movement.
Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

You can make the workout even harder by holding a weight close to your chest (Goblet squats). You can also do sumo squats or jump squats.

Exercise 3 - Lunges

This exercise targets your lower body, including your hips, legs, and knees. Lunges help you strengthen your legs, and improve your overall balance and coordination.

How to do it?

Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle.
Make sure to keep your knee directly above your ankle.
Push back up to the starting position.
Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

For advanced lunges exercises, you can try reverse lunges, walking lunges, or lateral lunges.

Exercise 4 - Fire Hydrants

This exercise directly targets your side glutes (gluteus medius), improves your hip stability, and strengthens your core.

How to do it?

Position yourself in a dog position. Hands and knees on the ground.
Lift one leg away from your body at a 45-degree angle, keeping the knee bent.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

To make the workout a little harder, you can either add ankle weights or you can warp a resistance band around your thighs just above the knees.

Exercise 5 - Donkey Kicks

Donkey kicks target the large part of your ‌muscle (gluteus maximus). It also helps in strengthening your core and lower body and improves your overall posture and stability.

How to do it?

Similar to the fire hydrant position, begin on all fours.
Raise your one leg toward the ceiling, keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees, and hold for 5 seconds.
Bring back the leg to its starting position and repeat the process.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

You can add a resistance band for a more advanced donkey kick workout. You can also try straight-leg donkey kicks to give your workout a little variation.

Exercise 6 - Step-Ups

Step-up exercise is one of the best exercises to strengthen your lower body, your core, your cardiovascular system, and balance and coordination.

How to do it?

Stand in front of a step, or‌a stable bench or chair.
Place one foot on the step and step up until the front leg is straight.
Step down and switch legs. Add weights if you want to make the workout a little difficult.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Exercise 7 - Clamshells

This exercise activates your gluteus medius, enhances your hop mobility, and prevents knee injuries.

Lie on your side with your legs stacked and knees bent at a 45-degree angle.
Keeping your feet together, lift the top knee while keeping the bottom leg on the floor.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

You can use a resistance band around your thighs to add some resistance. This will let you push a little harder, but it's worth it.

Exercise 8 - Bulgarian Split Squats

This exercise strengthens your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. This results in greater flexibility in these areas of your body, which is an important part of everyday life. This is especially important when it comes to staying active as you get older

Stand 2-4 feet in front of a bench or step (depending on your height), facing away.
Keep your ‌leg resting on the bench behind you and your front knee in line with your foot.
Sink your body down until ‌the knee of your back leg almost touches the floor.
Push back up to the starting position and repeat.
Do 3 sets of 5 repetitions for each leg.

If you want to make the workout a little fancy, you can adjust the bench height for intensity or hold a dumbbell.

Exercise 9 - Hip Thrusts

The hip thrust is one of the best compound exercises for strengthening your posterior chain muscles. It helps increase your glute strength, core stability, running speed, and jumping ability and also protects you from injury.

Sit on the ground with your back against a bench, placing a weighted barbell or a weight plate across your hips.
Thrust your hips upwards by extending your hips, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Lower back down and repeat.
Do 3 sets of 7 repetitions.

How to Maximize Glute Activation during Workouts

The best way to maximize glute activation is to focus on your workout. Keep your mind on the muscles you're targeting and focus on maintaining proper form throughout the session.

Additionally, try different types of exercise that target different parts of your glutes for balanced development and improved performance. Lastly, don’t rush your workout. The journey to stronger and healthier health is not a sprint but a marathon.

Whether you’re a beginner or looking to intensify your existing routine, the at-home glute exercises listed above offer a variety of ways to engage and strengthen your booty. Try it out now!