Your best butt not only looks good in those jeans, but it also helps prevent injury. Strong “glutes” make a difference in every move you make during your workout and the rest of your day. Want a strong, sculpted booty? A great butt can be yours with the right exercises! Here are a few of my favorite butt exercises for turning on the glutes. The best part is that these butt exercises can be done at home!
Better Booty, Better Health
The gluteal muscles, or glutes, are a group of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles play a critical role in the stability and mobility of the hips, pelvis, and lower body. Strong glutes are essential for maintaining proper posture, enhancing athletic performance, and preventing injury.
Building glute muscle strength helps prevent injuries by providing stability to the hips and pelvis, reducing strain on the lower back and knees. Weak glutes can lead to muscular imbalances, poor movement patterns, and overcompensation by other muscles, which increases the risk of injuries such as knee pain, lower back pain, and hamstring strains. For example, weak glutes may cause excessive inward knee movement during physical activities, leading to conditions like runner’s knee or ACL injuries.
By strengthening the glutes through exercises like squats, lunges, and hip thrusts, you improve hip stability, which enhances body alignment and decreases the risk of strain or injury during activities like running, lifting, and even walking. Building glute strength not only improves performance in sports and daily activities but also acts as a safeguard, promoting proper movement mechanics and reducing the likelihood of injury throughout the lower body.
Here are 6 of our favorite exercises to tone, firm, and strengthen to give you better health and well-being.
6 Best Glute Toning Butt Exercises
1. Single-Leg Deadlift
Stand on one leg, holding a medium to heavy weight. Keep weight on your heel and hinge from your hip. Bend your knee slightly. Flex forward only as far as it takes to feel the work in the glute. Complete 10 repetitions, and then repeat on the other leg.
This move will challenge your balance and strength. Using a weight improves your balance. Using each leg individually allows imbalances to show up so you can strengthen before an injury occurs.
2. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Lie flat on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, about a foot in front of your butt, arms down at your sides. Raise your right leg. Squeeze your glutes as you push through your left heel to raise your butt, hips, torso, and chest off the floor so only your left foot, shoulders, head, and arms remain on the ground. Slowly lower. Do 10 to 15 reps, then switch legs.
3. Side-lying Clams
Lie on one side with your shoulders, knees, and hips stacked over each other. Keep your heels together and raise your top knee as high as possible. Avoid rolling back. Performing this against a wall can help you remain still so you can isolate the glutes. Do 15 to 20 reps and then repeat on the other side.
This one really isolates the gluteus medius, so you’ll get both shape and avoid injury with this exercise.
4. Step Up
Stand facing a step. When you place your left foot on it, your knee should be no more than 90 degrees. Start with a 4-6 inch riser and progress gradually. Keep your weight on your heel and step up with the right foot. Return to the starting position and complete 10 steps on the left foot. Repeat on the right.
This is a great way to focus on strengthening the glutes and avoid overusing the quadriceps (top of the thighs). For best butt results, step down slowly and keep the work going.
5. Bridge on Ball
Lie on your back with your ankles and feet on a ball. Bend your knees slightly. Press your heels into the ball as you brace your core and lift your hips off the floor. Touch the hips down on the floor and immediately lift again. Do 10-15 repetitions.
6. Hamstring Curl
From the same starting position as the bridge, lift the hips off the floor. Draw the heels toward your bum, and lift your hips as you flex your knees.
This is a great best butt move for both toning and strengthening the back of the legs. You’ll also engage the core. Don’t worry if you can’t lift the hips all the way into the pike pictured right away.
You can also try some of the exercises from the 5-Minute Barre Workout series below! Subscribe to us on YouTube to check out a variety of great workouts! Here’s one of the many you’ll find:
Or check out this video:
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