Beginner Glute Workout: Build Your Base from the Ground Up
This workout is for you if you are just starting out and want to begin building stronger glutes — the muscles that make up your backside. These moves require no gym and very little equipment, so you can do this at home or anywhere that works for you. Stronger glutes help you move better every day, from climbing stairs to carrying groceries.
What the research says
A few things stand out from the research on glute training. First, resistance training — using some form of added load or resistance — has a moderate effect on growing the gluteus maximus (your main glute muscle). That finding held up across multiple types of exercises, including hip extension moves like the ones in this workout. Second, certain exercises produce very high levels of glute muscle activity, including hip thrusts, step-ups, lunges, and squats. Third, the hip thrust in particular showed greater glute muscle activation compared to the back squat in one study. These findings help explain why this workout leans into hip extension moves — pushing your hips forward and up — as the foundation of glute training.
Moderately strong — the glute activation and growth findings come from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which pool results across multiple studies, though some individual studies in those reviews had small sample sizes.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies found that resistance training had a moderate effect on gluteus maximus growth (SMD 0.71). Back squats performed in parallel or full range of motion, leg press machines, kneeling hip extensions, and the barbell hip thrust were each identified as exercises that can increase gluteus maximus size. Training programs combining hip extension exercises — whether single-joint or multi-joint — significantly increased gluteus maximus size.
View study →A 2020 systematic review found that several exercises produced very high levels of gluteus maximus activation (above 60% of a person's maximum voluntary contraction). The step-up and its variations showed the highest levels of gluteus maximus activation, followed by loaded exercises including deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges, and squats.
View study →A 2019 systematic review found that hip extensor muscles — gluteus maximus and biceps femoris — showed greater activation during the barbell hip thrust compared to the squat. For acute transfer, four studies demonstrated a significant improvement in sprinting activities after barbell hip thrust exercise. For chronic transfer, two studies demonstrated improvement in sprint time, while two other studies failed to show such an effect.
View study →A 2019 study of eight men compared gluteus maximus (GM) activity during the back squat, Romanian deadlift, and barbell hip thrust at the same load (60 kg) and at each person's one-rep maximum (1RM). The barbell hip thrust showed significantly higher GM activity than the back squat at 1RM, but GM activity was not significantly different between the barbell hip thrust and the Romanian deadlift at 1RM. At 60 kg, GM activity was not significantly different between the barbell hip thrust load and that exercise's maximal voluntary isometric contraction, whereas GM activity was significantly lower during the squat and Romanian deadlift compared to their respective maximal voluntary isometric contractions.
View study →The routine
Main
On a flat bench lie facedown with the hips on the edge of the bench, the legs straight with toes high off the floor and with the arms on top of the bench holding on to the front edge. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings and straighten the legs until they are level with the hips. This will be your starting position. Start the movement by lifting the left leg higher than the right leg. Then lower the left leg as you lift the right leg. Continue alternating in this manner (as though you are doing a flutter kick in water) until you have done the recommended amount of repetitions for each leg. Make sure that you keep a controlled movement at all times. Tip: You will breathe normally as you perform this movement.
Kneel on the floor or an exercise mat and bend at the waist with your arms extended in front of you (perpendicular to the torso) in order to get into a kneeling push-up position but with the arms spaced at shoulder width. Your head should be looking forward and the bend of the knees should create a 90-degree angle between the hamstrings and the calves. This will be your starting position. As you exhale, lift up your right leg until the hamstrings are in line with the back while maintaining the 90-degree angle bend. Contract the glutes throughout this movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second. Tip: At the end of the movement the upper leg should be parallel to the floor while the calf should be perpendicular to it. Go back to the initial position as you inhale and now repeat with the left leg. Continue to alternate legs until all of the recommended repetitions have been performed.
Secure one end of the band to the lower portion of a post and attach the other to one ankle. Facing the attachment point of the band, hold on to the column to stabilize yourself. Keeping your head and your chest up, move the resisted leg back as far as you can while keeping the knee straight. Return the leg to the starting position.
After choosing a suitable band, lay down in the middle of the rack, after securing the band on either side of you. If your rack doesn't have pegs, the band can be secured using heavy dumbbells or similar objects, just ensure they won't move. Adjust your position so that the band is directly over your hips. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Your hands can be on the floor or holding the band in position. Keeping your shoulders on the ground, drive through your heels to raise your hips, pushing into the band as high as you can. Pause at the top of the motion, and return to the starting position.
Lay on a ball so that your upper back is on the ball with your hips unsupported. Both feet should be flat on the floor, hip width apart or wider. This will be your starting position. Begin by extending the hips using your glutes and hamstrings, raising your hips upward as you bridge. Pause at the top of the motion and return to the starting position.
Cooldown
From a lying position, bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor. Place your ankle of one foot on your opposite knee. Grasp the thigh or knee of the bottom leg and pull both of your legs into the chest. Relax your neck and shoulders. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.
Lie down on the floor with your right leg straight. Bend your left leg and lower it across your body, holding the knee down toward the floor with your right hand. (The knee doesn't need to touch the floor if you're tight.) Place your left arm comfortably beside you and turn your head to the left. Imagine you have a weight tied to your tailbone. let your tailbone fall back toward the floor as your chest reaches in the opposite direction to stretch your lower back. Switch sides.
Set and rep ranges are general starting suggestions based on this guide's level — adjust to your own experience, and progress gradually.
This content is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice — if you have any pain, injury, or health condition, check with a qualified health professional before starting a new workout routine. As a beginner, start with a light resistance band and a range of motion that feels comfortable to you, and stop any move immediately if something feels sharp or wrong.