Forget squats, if you’re looking to grow your glutes, this 10-minute home workout is a must. I won’t lie to you – I hate glute exercises. Whether I’m reluctantly incorporating them into my leg workouts as a finisher or warming up with glute activation exercises, I need to take a deep breath and get seriously excited.
Yes, I literally teach glute exercises for a living, so it’s pretty counterintuitive, but every trainer has their Achilles’ heel, and glute training is mine. So you had better believe that I was looking for a short (repeat, short), fiery and effective glute workout to share.
You can do that Train with GAINSBYBRAINS (opens in new tab) Do a bodyweight glute session, or grab a dumbbell, kettlebell, or resistance band to increase the intensity (see the best adjustable dumbbells and the best resistance bands here). Either way, expect to get your glutes pumped in just 10 minutes and six hits.
The 10-minute glute workout is part of a broader 24-day FIT challenge, but it’s very effective as a standalone glute exercise and can be done regularly. If you need leg day inspiration, why not try a 7-movement kettlebell leg workout and add this as a finisher?
We recommend watching the video below for tips on perfecting your form and learning how to perform each exercise with proper core engagement before you begin.
Check out the 10-minute Booting Sculpting Glute Workout
The home workout follows an EMOM (every minute to the minute) format, which means you work for 45 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds before moving on to the next exercise, minute by minute. Some exercises work each side of your body separately – a technique called unilateral training. After research (opens in new tab)Unilateral training has been shown to strengthen underused muscles, improve balance and stability, and even indirectly stimulate muscles on the other side of the body—called cross-education.
You have three glutes – the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and gluteus maximus (the largest and most powerful muscle). A quick and effective glute workout gives all those muscles the attention they deserve. So expect to move in different planes of motion—lifting your legs forward and to the side—to work all of your back muscles at maximum intensity. For example, your gluteus medius is responsible for abducting your hip when you raise your leg sideways, and this workout uses specific hip abduction exercises to target the muscle.
I was as pumped as my glutes when I saw the “frog” exercise pop up. It’s my favorite exercise and effectively targets the muscles in your posterior chain (the back of your body) like your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. Speaking of the frog, the stretch variation is great for hip flexor pain, and I’ve tried it recently this one movement every day to reduce hip flexor pain with the frog pose.
You don’t need to lift heavy weights or prioritize hip thrusts and squats in your glute workouts, although they’re great for building muscle and strength. Actually, I did hip thrusts every day for a week, and I won’t be doing the fitness challenge again any time soon. So whatever you choose to do with your workout, variation is key.
For beginners, the workout features variations of glute bridges, and we’ll cover that How to do glute bridges with the correct form here. Other muscle building exercises for beginners include how to Build your glutes without weights and are worth a try.
Next: To build muscle all over, you should train all major muscle groups like your upper body and lower body several times a week. If you want to mix it up, give it a try The best chest workout with dumbbellsand we enjoy a Bodyweight Pilates abdominal muscle training for stomach and buttocks.
