Logan Steele
The glutes are a group of three muscles that make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles are integral to human performance and function, and they help keep the body stabilised and protect you from injury. Training these muscles has both aesthetic and functional benefits. To develop these muscles, you can try exercises such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, hip thrusts, leg raises, and glute bridges. Strength training and endurance training can also help develop the glutes, with a mix of both “fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle exercises.
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What You'll Learn
Squats
To perform a basic squat, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Contract your abdominal and glute muscles, press your feet into the floor, and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to your knees. As you squat, move your arms out in front of you, palms together. Push your weight through your heels and keep your knees aligned with your toes. Propel yourself up and off the ground.
For best glute activation, aim to squat until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. If you can go further without losing your form, you may be able to achieve even greater glute activation. When lowering into a squat, hinge your hips backward, rather than driving your knees forward, to ensure you are engaging your glutes.
To build muscle, you need to work against resistance. This can be done by adding weight to your squat, using a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell. You can also increase the speed of your squat or the number of reps. However, it's important to maintain proper form to prevent injury. Focus on engaging your core and keeping your back straight and your gaze forward.
There are many variations of the squat, such as jump squats, Bulgarian squats, and sumo squats, which can increase the challenge and help you target different muscle groups.
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Hip thrusts
To perform a hip thrust, lean your upper back against a bench, box, or other elevated platform, with your feet planted on the ground and knees bent. Contract your glutes, and lift your pelvis upward until your hips reach full extension. In the top position, your torso should be parallel to the ground. This is the position that allows for maximum engagement of the gluteal muscles.
To increase the difficulty, you can perform the hip thrust with your feet elevated. This will increase the range of motion, allowing you to drop down lower than you would if your back was on the ground. You can also add weight to increase the challenge, such as a barbell, kettlebell, or resistance band.
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Deadlifts
To perform a deadlift, stand with your feet hip-width apart, with the barbell in front of your thighs. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip and keep your arms straight. Hinge at the hips with your knees slightly bent and lower the barbell towards the ground until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes. Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.
For the bent-knee variation, stand with your legs close to the barbell, holding the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart and your palms in a mixed grip. Lift the barbell off the support pegs and step back about two feet. Keep the bar close to your legs as you stick your buttocks out behind you while simultaneously bending your knees until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor or the weight plates touch the ground.
When performing deadlifts, it is important to maintain proper form to ensure safety and effectiveness. Your spine should be in a neutral position, your core engaged, and you should drive through the whole foot to activate your glutes.
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Walking lunges
To perform a walking lunge, start by standing with your feet about hip-width apart. You can hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides, or no weights at all. Step forward about 2 feet with your left foot and bend your left knee toward the ground until it’s at a 90-degree angle. This is the forward lunge position. Pause and hold this position for a few seconds. Then, push off on both legs and step through, lifting your back leg and bringing it forward so your rear foot lands ahead of you in a lunge position. Shift forward again and repeat the lunge, this time leading with your right leg. Continue this walking lunge pattern, alternating legs for 20 repetitions (10 for each leg). Complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
If you experience discomfort in your knees, you can decrease the range of motion and slowly increase your lunge distance as your legs get stronger. You can also try reverse lunges, which put more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings and have less impact on the knees.
In addition to walking lunges, there are other exercises that can help develop the glute muscles. These include squats, deadlifts, and leg lifts. A well-rounded workout plan should include a variety of exercises targeting all three glute muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. It is also important to rest for 60 to 90 seconds between each set to help your muscles recover, and to allow for at least 48 hours of recovery between each session.
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Diet and cardio
When it comes to diet, increasing your protein intake is key. The body uses protein to repair and build muscle, so consuming an adequate amount is crucial. Aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, as this is the maximum amount your body can utilise in a day. Consuming dietary protein during or immediately after exercise is especially beneficial for stimulating muscle protein synthesis and promoting effective muscle reconditioning. In addition to protein, ensure you are consuming enough calories. Your body uses this extra energy to fuel muscle growth and recovery after workouts.
Cardio, or cardiovascular exercise, is vital for overall health and can support muscle growth. It helps burn calories and fat, increasing your metabolism, and improving your fitness levels. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio each week. However, it's important to note that long, frequent cardio workouts can hinder muscle growth and recovery from strength training. Therefore, it is recommended to keep cardio sessions to 20 minutes or less, focusing on high-intensity interval training such as sprinting or interval training on a bike, rowing machine, or elliptical machine.
In addition to traditional cardio exercises, you can incorporate movements that target multiple joints and muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups. These exercises challenge your body and stimulate muscle growth while also improving your overall fitness.
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Frequently asked questions
The glutes are the muscles that make up the buttocks. There are three types of glute muscles: the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body.
Many exercises target the glutes, including squats, walking lunges, deadlifts, hip thrusts, and leg raises.
To see results, it is recommended to train your glutes two to three times per week. It is important to rest for at least 48 hours between each session to let your muscles recover.
It usually takes two to three months to see results when training the glutes. The first four weeks are for pre-conditioning, during which your muscles adapt to the exercises.
