5 ways to build bigger and stronger glutes that aren't squats

5 ways to build bigger and stronger glutes that aren't squats

Look, squats are great, but they won't on their own give you the strong AF glutes of your dreams. I'm sorry to break it to you, but building glutes requires more strategy than that.

Since well-built glutes are an incredibly common fitness goal these days—not to mention the fact that strong glutes have a variety of benefits—it makes sense that trainers and researchers have been working to find the most efficient ways to get bigger, stronger glutes.

And while squats can and should be part of your lower body training program, they're actually not the best exercise for building your glutes. Here are five clever strategies and strength-building workouts for getting a bigger butt that go beyond the basic exercises.

1. Incorporate exercises that really activate your glutes.

To understand how to build glutes, you need a quick anatomy lesson: "The glutes are made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus," explains Jaime McFaden, a NASM-certified trainer at Aaptiv. “The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three and is considered the driving force.” Its primary function is hip extension (pushing the hip forward), or the opposite of a hip hinge. Many common glute exercises - for example the hip thrust - use this movement to target the glute max. But others, like banded side walks and clamshells, will fire up your glute medius and minimus.

So if squats aren't a glute goldmine, what exercises should you include in your workout to get a bigger butt? “My top three exercises for glute growth are the barbell hip thrust, B-stance hip thrust, and dumbbell frog pump because they are easy to learn, easy to overload over time, and produce the highest glute activity.” says Bret Contreras, Ph.D., CSCS, also known as “The Glute Guy,” who is considered the leading expert on all things glute.

2. Focus on progressive overload.

I hate to break it to you, but you won't see much of a difference in your peach if you use the same kettlebell every time you do your glute-building workout. “The most common missing element in the programs of women striving to increase their glute size is consistent, progressive overload,” explains Contreras.

Progressive overload is a strength training concept that suggests that in order to get stronger (and see results), you must subject your muscles to continually increasing resistance. In other words, you should increase the weight and/or repetitions in your workout over time to consistently challenge your muscles.

This basically means that those with the most developed glutes are also generally the strongest, says Contreras. “Unless you were born with amazing glute genetics, the only way to make your glutes significantly shapelier and rounder is to get very strong at the best glute exercises.”

“At my Glute Lab in San Diego, we train hundreds of women, and those with the best glutes tend to be the strongest at exercises like barbell hip thrusts, dumbbell back extensions, leg presses, dumbbell lunges, goblet squats, and kettlebell deadlifts.”

3. Master the posterior pelvic tilt.

When you do glute building workouts, you should be able to feel them working. If you can't do this, you should familiarize yourself with the concept of posterior pelvic tilt and apply it to your glute exercises. “Posterior pelvic tilt is the contraction of the glute muscles at the end range, similar to locking out your glutes,” explains physical therapist Lauren Lobert, DPT, CSCS, owner of APEX Physical Therapy. (Think: the opposite of sticking your butt out.) "This great pressure puts you into maximum hip extension and ensures your glutes are working."

You should finish any glute maximus exercise (barbell hip thrusts, step-ups, and glute bridges) with a posterior pelvic tilt. This ensures that you've gone through the full range of motion in your hips and properly contracted your glutes, says Lobert. "This will maximize your glutes but also protect your back," she adds.

Here are a few ways to find your posterior pelvic tilt:

• “Wenn Sie auf dem Rücken liegen, möchten Sie daran denken, Ihren Rücken flach in den Boden zu drücken”, sagt Lobert. „Sie müssen Ihre unteren Bauchmuskeln und Gesäßmuskeln zusammenziehen und Ihren Hintern nach unten stecken.“
• „Denken Sie an ein Glas Wasser auf Ihrem Beckenknochen, während Sie mit den Füßen auf dem Boden flach auf dem Rücken liegen“, sagt Lobert. “Um eine Beckenkippung nach hinten zu erreichen, sollten Sie versuchen, das Wasser auf Ihren Bauch zu schütten.”
• Am Ende einer Glute Bridge oder Hip Thrust können Sie darüber nachdenken, Ihre Rippen unten zu halten, was Sie zwingen wird, Ihr Becken zu kippen, sagt Lobert. In der richtigen Position sind Ihre Hüften und Rippen zueinander angewinkelt.

4. Follow the rule of thirds.

“I recommend training the glutes three times a week with different loads and exercises,” says Contreras. “Approximately one-third of the glute exercises you perform should be horizontal in nature, one-third should be vertical in nature, and one-third should be lateral/rotational in nature.” For example, you should do exercises like hip thrusts and cable pull-throughs for horizontal loading, deadlifts and step-ups for vertical loading and side band walks, and clamshells for lateral/rotational loading.

The rule also applies to weight, rep ranges and effort. "About a third of the loads you use should be heavy for low reps, a third should be medium for moderate reps, and a third should be light for higher reps. In terms of effort, about a third of your sets should be done to failure or one rep before failure, a third of your sets should be done two to three reps before failure, and a third of your sets should be done no where near failure."

This glute building strategy will help ensure you're working them from all angles and prevent you from burning yourself out or becoming too tired. (Related: How often should you lift heavy weights?)

5. Focus on nutrition and recovery.

The glute-building exercises you do in the gym are crucial when it comes to getting stronger glutes, but so is your lifestyle. “Building new lean mass is a very demanding process,” says Travis Burkybile, CSCS. “If you eat way too little, they definitely won’t grow.”

In other words, if you're specifically aiming for bigger glutes, you need to give your body the fuel it needs to grow. “You can build muscle and burn fat at the same time, just not as well as putting one over the other,” says Burkybile. Basically, if you eat more (healthy) foods, you will see results faster.

The final key when it comes to building glutes: allow for recovery between sessions. "Beating your glutes six days a week and constantly feeling tired/painful might make you think your glutes are growing. But this can be a recipe for knee and back pain, as well as frustration and disappointment," notes Menachem Brodie, CSCS, founder of Human Vortex Training. Stick to the Contreras recommendation of three glute-building exercises per week and enjoy your well-deserved rest days. (How to Plan a Perfectly Balanced Workout Week.)