If you are looking for exercises you can do anywhere with just bodyweight, using little or no equipment that build your booty – you’ve come to right place!
In this post, I’ve managed to compile 50 of my favourite glute strengthening exercising you can do at home, on holiday, at the gym or practically anywhere. I’ve split them up into 3 key categories; Glute Dominant, Lower Body & Glute Accessory exercises – which you can combine, mix and match for a great butt workout.
Still need more booty exercises? Check out these articles for more inspiration – 50 Best Mini-Band Booty Building and 50 Best Dumbbell Booty Building.
Glute Dominant Exercises
If you want a killer booty, glute dominant exercises are a must in your workout routine. Glute dominant exercises typically involve extending your hips (opening or lengthening your hips) and bending your knees. These exercise strengthen and build your booty by taking it through a full range of motion maximising activation on the glutes.
1 – Glute Bridge
Muscles Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, bring your knees up so that they are pointing towards the ceiling and ensure your feet are planted flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor, extending until your hips are inline with your knees and shoulders then bring your hips back down.
2 – Single Leg Glute Bridge
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, bring your knees up so that they are pointing towards the ceiling. Bring one foot of the ground (keeping the knee bent or leg straight). Lift your hips off the floor, extending until your hips are inline with your knees and shoulders then bring your hips back down.
3 – Glute Bridge March
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, bring your knees up so that they are pointing towards the ceiling and ensure your feet are planted flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor, extending until your hips are inline with your knees and shoulders. Bring one knee towards your core then bring it down and repeat with the opposite leg.
4 – Feet Elevated Glute Bridge
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, plant your feet on a bench or elevated surface and bring your knees up so that they are pointing upwards. Lift your hips off the floor, extending until your hips are inline with your knees and shoulders. Bring your hips back down and return to the starting position.
5 – Single Leg Elevated Glute Bridge
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, plant your feet on a bench or elevated surface and bring your knees up so that they are pointing upwards. Bring one foot of the elevated surface then lift your hips off the floor. Extend until your hips are inline with your knees and shoulders. Bring your hips back down and return to the starting position.
6- Frog Pumps
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, bring your feet together so that your legs are in a diamond shape position. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off the ground. Lower your hips to the ground and repeat the movement.
7 – Feet Elevated Frog Pumps
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Lying face up, bring your feet together so that your legs are in a diamond shape position on a bench or elevated surface. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off the ground. Lower your hips to the ground and repeat the movement.
8 – Hip Thrusts
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface with your feet planted against the floor. Raise your hips until they are at a 90 degree angle with your knees by pushing through your heels. Lower your hips to return the starting position.
9 – Single Leg Hip Thrust
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface with your feet planted against the floor. Lift one foot off the ground and push through the heel of the opposite leg until your hips are inline with your shoulders. Lower your hips to return the starting position.
10 – Shoulder Elevated Glute March
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface with your feet planted against the floor. Raise your hips until they are at a 90 degree angle with your knees by pushing through your heels. Bring one knee towards your core, bring it down then repeat with the opposite leg. Continue to alternating legs in a marching motion.
11 – Shoulder & Feet Elevated Hip Thrust
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface with your feet planted on another bench or elevated surface. Raise your hips until they are at a 90 degree angle with your knees by pushing through your heels. Lower your hips to return the starting position.
12 – Shoulder & Feet Elevated Single Leg Hip Thrust
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface with one foot planted on a bench or elevated surface. Raise your hips until they are at a 90 degree angle with your knees by pushing through your heel. Lower your hips to return the starting position.
13 – Frog Thrusts
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface and your feet together and knees out in a diamond shape position. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off the ground. Lower your hips to the ground and repeat the movement.
14- Kneeling Squat
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings and Core
Instruction: Start in a kneeling position with butt resting on your heels. Driving your hips forward with your glutes until your torso is inline with your knees. Then slowly return to the starting position.
Lower Body Exercises (That Work Your Glutes)
These exercises also work your glutes however the primary muscle on these movement are the quads or hamstrings. These compound exercise are great to include in your workout routine as they work the glutes from different angles, range of motions and knee action. Adding the below exercises to your workouts will ensure a more functional and balanced training programme.
15 – Box Squats
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes
Instruction: Stand in front of a chair or bench with your legs shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, squat down onto chair/bench, pause for one second and come back up.
16 – Air Squats
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and come back up.
17 – Sumo Squat
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand with your legs in a wide stance, feet outside of shoulders. Keeping your chest upright, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and come back up.
18 – Squat Pulses
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand in a narrow or wide stance. Keeping your chest upright, squat down until your thighs are parallel. Instead of coming up to a standing position from the squat, only move up and down a couple of inches.
19 – Squat Jumps
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand with your legs in a wide stance, feet outside of shoulders. Keeping your chest upright, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor then jump up. Try to land with soft bent knees.
20 – Single Leg Box Squat
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand in front of a bench or chair, shift your weight onto one leg and extending the other leg off the floor. Keeping your chest upright, squat down onto chair or bench, pause for one second and come back up.
21 – Staggered Stance Squat
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Begin by standing in you preferred stance (narrow/sumo). Move one foot slightly behind your body, shift your weight to the front foot and lift the heel of the back foot of the ground. Keeping your chest upright, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and come back up.
22 – Skater Squats
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start by standing in front of a foam balance pad or cushioned surface. Shift your weight onto one leg. Have your other leg behind you, bent at the knee so that your lower leg is parallel to the ground. Keeping your chest upright, squat down until your back leg touches the pad/cushion then come back up to the starting position.
23 – Pistol Squats
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand with your feet close together. Extend your arms and one leg in front of you. Keeping your chest upright and your core tight squat down until your extended leg is parallel to the ground then come back up to the starting position.
24 – Split Squat
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Take a step forward so that one leg slightly front of you and one is behind you. Keeping your chest upright, lower your body until your knee is close to the ground then come back up.
25 – Reverse Lunge
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, step back on the ball of your feet and lower the knee until it’s close to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat.
26 – Forward Lunge
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, step forward, until your front knee is at a 90 degree angle and your back knee is close to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat.
27 – Deficit Reverse Lunge
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start in a standing position on bench or raised platform with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, step backward on the floor with the ball on your foot. Lower your knee until it is at a 90 degree angle and close to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat.
28 – Side (or Lateral) Lunge
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. With one leg take a wide step to the side. Lower the knee of you leg until it’s at a 90 degree angle, keeping your other leg straight. Pause for a second then return to starting position.
29 – Curtsy Lunge
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, step back on the ball of your feet so that the back leg crossed behind your front leg. Lower your knee until at 90 degree. Return to the starting position and repeat.
30 – Deficit Curtsy Lunge
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start in a standing position on bench or raised platform with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your chest upright, step back on the floor on the ball of your feet so that the back leg crossed behind your front leg. Lower your knee until at 90 degree. Return to the starting position and repeat.
31 – Bulgarian Split Squat
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Get into a lunge position and rest the opposite foot on a bench/chair/raised surface. Lower your body until your front thigh is horizontal to the floor. Hold the position for two second then return to starting position.
32 – Step Down
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Start by standing with one foot on an elevated surface or step. Maintaining control on the way down, slowly lower your other foot onto the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat.
33 – Step Up
Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Instruction: Stand in front an elevated surface or step. Put one foot on the step and drive through leg to lift your other leg onto the surface/bench. Return to the starting position and repeat.
34 – Good Mornings
Muscle Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes
Instruction: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart and hands on the back of your head. Lower your torso until nearly horizontal by pushing your hips back and bending slightly at the knees. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
35 – Single Leg Deadlift
Muscle Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads
Instruction: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Shift your weight onto one leg and extend the other leg behind your body. Lower your torso until nearly horizontal by pushing your hips back and bending slightly at the knees. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
36 – Hamstring Walkout
Muscle Worked: Hamstring, Glutes, Quads
Instruction: Lying face up, bring your knees in so that they are pointing towards the ceiling and ensure your feet are planted flat on the floor. Walk your feet out until they are fully extended then walk your feet back to the starting position.
37 – Elevated Hamstring Walkout
Muscle Worked: Hamstring, Glutes, Quads
Instruction: Sit with your upper back against a bench or elevated surface and raise your hips so that you are in a table top position. Walk your feet out until they are fully extended then walk your feet back to the starting position.
38 – Reverse Hypers
Muscle Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads
Instruction: Lie face down on with your torso on a bench or elevated surface. Using your hamstring and glutes lift your legs until inline with your torso. Maintaining control lower your legs to the floor and repeat.
39 – Frog Reverse Hypers
Muscle Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads
Instruction: Lie face down on with your torso on a bench or elevated surface and legs in a diamond shape with your feet together. Using your hamstring and glutes lift your legs until inline with your torso. Maintaining control lower your legs to the floor and repeat.
40 – Nordic Hamstring Curl / Glute Ham Raise
Muscle Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads
Instruction: Kneeling on padded surface, anchor your feet using a partner or heavy fixed object (loaded barbell/sofa/coffee table). Position your hands in front of your chest and hinge forwards at the hips. Using your hamstrings and glutes lower your torso to the ground, trying to maintain control throughout. Push back up with your hands to get back up to the starting position.
Glute Accessory Exercises
Although you should focus on doing glute dominant and lower body exercises, adding glute accessory workout towards the end of your workouts will really complete and complement your training. These exercise isolate the glutes through different planes of motion and direction of resistance (hip frontal & transverse abduction and hip external rotation).
41 – Fire Hydrant
Muscle Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Core
Instruction: Begin on all fours with your hands placed parallel to shoulders and hips above your knees. Extend one leg to the side at a 45 degree angle to the body, maintaining a bend at the knee. Return to the start position and repeat.
42- Straight Leg Fire Hydrants
Muscle Worked:Glutes, Hamstrings, Core
Instruction: Begin on all fours with your hands placed parallel to shoulders and hips above your knees. Extend one leg to the side at a 45 degree angle to the body, keeping the leg straight. Return to the start position and repeat.
43- Side Lying Clam
Muscle Worked: Glutes
Instruction: Lie on your side with your legs together and knees bent at a 90 degree angle. Using your glutes raise your top leg up whilst keeping your feet together. Return to the start position and repeat.
44 – Side Planks Clams
Muscle Worked: Glutes
Instruction: Lie on your side and prop yourself up on your forearms with your legs together and knees bent at a 90 degree angle. Using your glutes raise your top leg up whilst keeping your feet together. Return to the start position and repeat.
45 – Bird Dog
Muscle Worked: Glutes
Instruction: Begin on all fours with your hands placed parallel to shoulders and hips above your knees. Simultaneously raise one arm and the opposite leg so that they are inline with your shoulders and hips. Hold the position for a second then return to the start position and repeat on the opposite side.
46 – Standing Kickback
Muscle Worked: Glutes
Instruction: Stand with your feet together, shift your weight onto one leg and extend the other leg behind you. Maintaining control, lift your back leg up and return it to the floor.
47 – Side Lying Hip Abduction
Muscle Worked: Glutes
Instruction: Lie on your side with your bottom bent and top leg straight. Using your glutes raise your top leg up. Return to the start position and repeat.
48 – Extended Side Lying Hip Abduction
Muscle Worked: Upper Glutes
Instruction: Lie on your side on a bench or elevated surface with your bottom bent and top leg straight. Using your glutes raise your top leg up. Return to the start position and repeat.
49 – Double Standing Hip Abduction
Muscle Worked:Glutes, Hamstrings, Core
Instruction: Stand with your feet together, shift your weight onto one leg and bend the other leg behind your body. Using your glutes rotate your lifted legs upwards as far as it can go. Return to the start position and repeat.
50 – Side Balance with Leg Raise
Muscle Worked: Upper Glutes
Instruction: Start in a side plank position balancing with one hand planted underneath your shoulder and the knee on the same side underneath your hips. Maintaining control raise the other leg upwards as far as it can go. Return to the start position and repeat.
