Joanne Lee Cornish
March 07, 2022 • 6 min read
Shoulder Workouts for Women | Back Workouts for Women | Leg Workouts for Women | Butt Workouts for Women | Arm Workouts for Women | Upper-Body Workouts for Women| Strength Workouts for Women
As a trainer for more than 25 years, I've seen all thefitnesstrends. My female clients used to want a smaller butt; however, this past decade changed allofthat. Now it's the bigger the better!
Whether you're training for track, the stage, or your bathroom mirror, you'll always be rewarded for developing your glutes—and your hamstrings, too! The two go together in what I like to call "the perfect partnership" of not only muscle definition, but also power and athleticism!
Ready to grow it and show it? Here are my go-to glute workouts to build a bigger butt and afulllower body.
Build Your Best Butt Workout
There are many ways to train legs. The upper/lower body split is a popular training protocol, while some choose to isolate their quad and hamstring workouts. Plenty of women have gone booty-crazy and do full glute-only workouts.
As for me, I prefer to train glutes and hamstrings together, on a day separate from quads. Here's why:
Some exercises recruit both muscle groups in one movement; for example,the conventional deadlift, Romanian deadlift, and kettlebell swing variations.
Hamstrings are your athleticpowerhouses andbuilding them can do more to help your butt stand out—andhelpmake youmore athletic—than most of the so-called "butt-lifting exercises" you'll see online.
You don't need equipment for a lot ofglutework, so it's easy to superset glutes with hamstrings in a gym without hogginga lotof equipment.
Another benefit of this approach: You'll still work your glutes on quad day, as they contribute to any movement that involvespressing with your legs, stepping, or hip extensions. Consider that free butt-building volume!
Of course, building any body partrequireseating adequate calories and protein. Don't undereat, overtrain, and expect results.
Get a "leg up" on your protein needs!
The Best Glute Exercises
The three muscles that make up the buttocks are the gluteus maximus, gluteusmedius, and gluteusminimus. As the name suggests, the maximus is the largest of the three. It is responsible for hip extension, lateral rotation, hip abduction, and even stabilization ofthat sometimes-painful SI joint. So yes, building a bigger butt can help with back pain, too!
This big musclealsocontributes to some big movements:
- Deadlift
- Sumo squat
- Lunges—forward, backward, curtsy
- Hip thrust
- Glute bridge
- Bulgarian split squat
- Glute-ham raise
Because the gluteus maximus works with hip extension, many hamstring exercises are also excellent glute exercises. A deadlift, bridge, or any type of thrust will use both the hamstrings and the gluteus maximus.
The gluteusmediusis half the size of the gluteus maximus. It sits more laterally and is worked with lateral rotation, lateral extension, and lateral abduction. This is the muscle that can fix the dreaded "flat" butt, and it's also the muscle that can improve a host of injuries. Knee instability or ankle issues are often traced back to a weak gluteusmedius.
These exercises will help build and strengthen the gluteusmedius:
- Frog pump
- Lateral band walk
- Side lunge
- Cable or band hip extension
- Fire hydrant
- All lunge and single-leg squat variations
Glutes and Hamstrings Superset Workout
Because this workout calls for big movements for boththehamstrings and glutes, I suggest working at no more than 75 percent of your one-rep max. If you can leg curl 100 pounds, use 70-80 pounds. If you lunge with a 40-pound barbell, go with the 30-pounder.
Glutes and Hamstrings Superset Workout
Note: Experienced lifters can perform an optional fourth set of all exercises.
1
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
Seated Leg Curl
3 sets, 20, 15, 12 reps (no rest)
3 sets, 30 reps (alternating, 15 reps per side, rest 90 sec.)
2
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
Barbell Deadlift
3 sets, 12, 10, 8 reps (no rest)
Lateral Band Walk
3 sets, 40, 40, 30 reps (alternating, 20, 20, 15 reps per side, rest 90 sec.)
3
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
3 sets, 12, 12, 10 reps (no rest)
3 sets, 25, 20, 15 reps (rest 90 sec.)
4
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 1 min. between sets.
3 sets, 30, 30, 20 reps (no rest)
Bodyweight squat
3 sets, 8-10 reps (rest 1 min.)
Brutal lower-body training benefits from the fatigue-fighting ingredients in the best pre-workouts.
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Hamstring-Focus Workout
With this workout, you're using biggerhamstringmovementsand combining more single-leg, bodyweight, and banded glute movements. This is where you can max out on your hamstring exercises, while still building your glutes.
Hamstring-Focus Workout
Note: Experienced lifters can perform an optional fourth set of all exercises.
1
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
Seated Leg Curl
3 sets, 20, 15, 10 reps (no rest)
3 sets, 50, 40, 30 reps (alternating, 25, 20, 15 reps per leg, rest 90 sec.)
2
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
3 sets, 10, 6-8, 6-8 reps (left side, no rest)
3 sets, 10, 6-8, 6-8 reps (right side, no rest)
3 sets, 30, 30, 24 reps (alternating, 15, 15, 12 reps per side, rest 90 sec.)
3
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
3 sets, 12, 12, 10 reps (no rest)
3 sets, 25, 20, 15 reps (rest 90 sec.)
Home Butt-Building Workout
Butt workouts at home ofteninvolvehigh-rep, low-resistance exercises. Not this one! Across three grueling tri-sets, exercisessuch aslunges and Bulgarian split squats, combinewith more isolative hamstring exercises, like ball hamstring curlsandsingle-leg deadlifts, to maximize glutemediusinvolvement.
Home Butt-Building Workout
Note: A fourth set is optional for all exercises.
1
TRISET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
3 sets, 30, 30, 24 reps (alternating, 15, 15, 12 reps per side, no rest)
3 sets, 20 reps (no rest)
Romanian Deadlift With Dumbbells
3 sets, 10-12 reps (rest 90 sec.)
2
TRISET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (left side, no rest)
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (right side, no rest)
Lateral Band Walk
3 sets, 40, 40, 24 reps (alternating, 20, 20, 12 reps per side, no rest)
3 sets, 8-12 reps (left side, no rest)
3 sets, 8-12 reps (right side, rest 90 sec.)
3
TRISET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 90 sec. between sets.
Dumbbell sumo squat
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (no rest)
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (left side, no rest)
3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps (right side, no rest)
Exercise ball leg curl
3 sets, 15 reps (rest 90 sec.)
