Booty Boost! My top 5 glute exercises that you can do at home
*Disclaimer*
Before I get into my top five booty workouts, I think it’s important (especially as a qualified instructor) to state that there is no such thing as body targeting! Obviously, if you do isolated exercises, you have a better shot at improving a specific area but ultimately, it all whittles down to how your body reacts. This is just something to be mindful of when doing any type of exercise and knowing how your body loses/increases weight will make a difference in what you do and how you exercise.
Right, now that’s out of the way, I’ve listed my 5 main exercises (with a few cheeky extras) that WILL target the glutes and should make a difference if done correctly and regularly. Before doing any of the exercises mentioned below, it’s very important to stretch and then activate the glutes. What do I mean by that? Well, although these are glute exercises, some people may need extra activation to get maximum results. Take me as an example: I may do a glute exercise but I won’t always get DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) the next day no matter how hard I may have trained simply because they weren’t activated. Personally, this is due to my build; I have pretty strong thighs as it is and some solid quads (thank you genetics!) but this can mean that even the heavier weights may not be hitting my glutes effectively, particularly if my hammy and quads bare the brunt of this. By activating my glutes I can combat this issue.
So what are some exercises I can do to activate my glutes?
Glute Activation: The Crab Walk
Below I will give you three exercises to help activate your glutes. You can do all three for two sets or pick your favourite and work on that.
1. The crab walk: This is a personal favourite and includes a resistant band. Here you place a resistant band just above your knee, squat into position and walk laterally (right and left), staying low and controlled. I’d usually do about 3-4 sets of 10 steps each side or 2-4 lengths. These are great for getting you started before a leg session and you can feel the glutes becoming activated.
Step Up: At the end of each side, hold in the position and pulse on the spot for 10 reps.
Step Down: Remove the resistant band and focus on your posture. You can increase the reps if this is too easy.
Clams!
2. Clams: These are great to do and can be done with a resistant band too! To do this you need to lie down on one side with your knees and hips bent and place your legs and knees together.
From resting position, slowly raise your knee as high as you can, keeping your other leg firmly on the ground and keeping the rest of your body stabilised. Make sure your feet stay together and do about 8-10 reps per side for 3-4 sets. Many people rest their head on their arm and have their entire body on the ground, however, I prefer to be slightly raised (as pictured) and use my arms to stabilise my body.
Kickbacks!
3. Kickbacks: These are a great way to activate your glutes. To do this exercise you need to get on your hands and knees with your hips straight and parallel to your spine with your back straight. Slowly raise one leg and raise it as high as you can, keeping your hips in place and maintaining a straight spine. Your aim in this exercise is to levitate your leg so that it is in line with your spine whilst also keeping the 90-degree angle. I would do 8-10 reps on each leg for 3-4 sets.
Step up: Hold your leg up for longer at the top and do your reps in pulses by not bringing your leg down after each rep!
It’s very important that you activate your glutes (as well as stretching before workouts). I know jumping straight into it seems ideal but those extra few minutes before your glute session will make all the difference and prevent injury!
NOW FOR THE REAL WORK: MY TOP 5 BOOTY BOOSTERS
(In no particular order)
1. Lunges: Lunges and walking lunges
This is a simple exercise but can be adapted to suit your needs. For this, you’ll need to start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. You then take one leg and take a big step forward and bend into a 90-degree angle with the front foot firmly on the ground (see picture below). Once in this position, hold for a few seconds before coming back up to your starting position. To make this a walking lunge, instead of coming back up into the standing position, as you begin to stand up, bring the next leg in front (like walking) and lunge with the other leg into the 90-degree position. For this exercise, I would try and do it weighted (you can also use a bar) and would aim for 10-12 reps for 3-4 sets.
Level up: To level up increase the weight and practice more walking lunges. As a bonus increase, try and do 5 minutes straight of walking lunges! You will feel the burn again with this one!
Level down: If this is too challenging, you can take off the weight and just do bodyweight lunges (not walking lunges). If your balance is a problem take it slowly until you get the hang of the movement.
Weighted walking lunges
2. Squats: This is a popular exercise associated with the glutes so there was no way I was going to miss out this classic! This used to be a personal favourite (with my PB being 110kg back in the day) and you can do this with weight or without! In this exercise, I have used a resistant band. To do a squat you must stand with your legs parallel to your hips and face forwards. The next step is to bend down into a seated position (imagine a toilet behind you and you’re trying to sit back on it). The aim is to keep your back straight and to not let your knees go over your toes! Remember to keep your chest up and straight as it can be easy to slip into bad form!
Level up: Apart from increasing weight, you can increase the intensity of the exercise by walking right and left. You do this by starting in the squat position and walking right with the right foot whilst keeping the left still. bring your leg back to the starting position and repeat with the left. To increase further, pulse in a “sit-down squat” and do your reps without coming back up into standing position. Again, you will feel the burn!
Level down: For this, you can take off any weight and the band and do this with your body weight. Try and focus on balance and posture and take your time with the reps. Make sure that your feet are stabilised and that they are facing forwards at all times!
3. Hip thrusts: Don’t underestimate this exercise! You can use weights and a resistance band for maximum results (or a loaded bar placed across your hips). To start you will need a bench. Place the resistance band above your knees and place the back of your shoulders against the bench. Lower your hips and use your legs to hold you into position. Your bottom should be hovering above the ground and you should be in a “V” position. Add a weight on your hips and hold it in place. To do a rep you should thrust your hips up so that your body is level and hold for 3-5 seconds. You should try and look up to reduce the risk of straining your neck. Repeat this for 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps.
Level up: Increase the weight and hold for longer at the top.
Level down. Reduce the hold at the top to 1-2 seconds and take away the band and weight. You can also do a similar version of this exercise without the bench called the glute bridge. To do this you will need to lie on your back and raise your hip off the floor with your knees bent to keep you stabilised. Do this in the same motion as the hip thrust and hold at the top for a few seconds.
4. Elevated split squat (or Bulgarian Split Squat): Personally, this is my favourite and I get the best booty pump from this! It’s also a great way to stabilise your ankles and work on unbalanced legs.
To start you’ll need a bench (or high step/box). Place one leg on the edge (as shown in the first picture) and bring the other leg as far forward as you can and make sure that your hips and feet are facing forwards. You may feel a little wobbly so make sure you have stabilised your position before moving onto the next step.
Next, you’ll need to bend into a 90-degree angle (similar to the lunge position - see the second picture). You’ll need to try and get as low as possible without touching the ground and make sure that your chest is facing forwards and back straight. SLOWLY go down and bring yourself up into the standing position and do 8-12 reps of each side for 3-4 sets. Believe me, you may think this is simple, especially without weight, however, you’ll start to feel it from your 8th rep. Do this on each leg for all the sets and you will get the best pump (and feel it the next day). Make sure that you keep your legs pushed out and try and not let them cave in! This is a great exercise to monitor which leg is stronger than the other (which is normal) and you can use it to strengthen each leg.
Level up: Add weights to increase intensity. Additionally, you can use a resistance band during this workout (as pictured).
Level down: Although this is not really a level down, you can also use a resistance band to help with stabilising your legs. Place a band around your knee to help keep it straight. If this is still hard you may be having a problem stabilising your ankle which is common. Place another band around your ankle to hold it in place and this will help you work on strengthening this leg. Make sure to go slowly, to really target the glutes - and don’t give up!!!
5. Box steps (with a band): This is a very simple exercise. You just need a box and a long resistance band to do this. To start place the band around your next and under your foot and place one foot on the box and the other on the ground (as pictured below). Next, you need to stand up so that both legs are on the box and the band is extended fully. Do this for 10-12 reps each leg and 3-4 sets.
Level up: Add weights to both hands and increase the band resistance. If you’re at the gym use the assisted pull up machine and do a mini glute push down exercise routine as follows:
Rack the machine to your desired weight and then place one foot on the footrest and the other on the assistance plate (with your foot firmly on the plate). Use your legs to push down against the weight and rep for 10-12. Repeat with the other leg, increasing the weight each set if needed.
*additional exercise *
Flip the assisted plate up so that it is out of the way and stand on the foot rests. Grab a weight and proceed to do elevated sumo squats 10-12 reps for 3-4 sets.
I hope you enjoy these booty workouts! Let me know which one is your favourite and how you get on! Remember, consistency and practice is key to getting the results you want but most importantly so is getting your form right! If you would like help with any of the exercises please feel free to message me or you can ask an instructor at your gym (plus the internet is free yooo!). It’s good to switch up the exercise every month or so to keep your body working hard. Remember to track your progress by recording what you do each session!
If you don’t already own a resistant band I encourage that you get one as they are very useful! You can grab some good ones from Amazon and it’s a purchase you won’t regret. If you would like to buy some, I have added a link here.
Lastly, shout out to Onyx Fitness for letting me use their space! You can click on the link to find out who they are and what they do!
Now it’s your turn to work… Good luck!
Liz x