Glute exercises at home, at the gym and with bands

What are the best glute exercises?

There is no single best movement for every person or every purpose. A useful selection covers several patterns: extending the hip from the floor, standing up from a squat, stepping or lunging on one leg, hinging at the hip and moving the leg out to the side. That gives you options for bodyweight training, bands, free weights or a cable machine.

The research supports variety rather than a winner-takes-all list. A 2020 systematic review classified step-ups and their variations, hip thrusts, split squats, lunges, deadlifts and some squat variations among exercises producing very high gluteus maximus activation, defined in that paper as more than 60% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction.⁵ That is a laboratory classification, not a promise of muscle growth or a personal target.

A later systematic review and meta-analysis examined changes in gluteus maximus size after resistance training. Across 11 studies, resistance training had a moderate effect, with a standardised mean difference of 0.71 and a 95% confidence interval from 0.50 to 0.91. The authors reported that both single-exercise and combined programmes had moderate effects.⁴ This suggests that consistency and progression matter more than finding a supposedly perfect movement.

For a simple starting point, choose one bridge, one squat or sit-to-stand, and one standing movement. The NHS home strength page demonstrates sit-to-stands, mini-squats, sideways leg lifts and backward leg extensions. It tells users to build up slowly and increase repetitions gradually.³ These are accessible starting options, not a complete personalised programme.

How do you do glute exercises at home?

Begin with a clear floor area and stable equipment. The NHS specifies a solid chair without wheels for its chair-based strength exercises and says the chair should not slip on the surface.³ Keep water nearby, wear clothing that lets you move comfortably and choose a range you can control.

How do you perform a glute bridge?

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet planted.
2. Keep your ribs and pelvis steady rather than forcing your lower back into a large arch.
3. Press through both feet and raise your hips only as far as you can control.
4. Pause briefly, then lower to the floor under control.
5. Make it easier by using a smaller range. Make it harder only after the same set-up feels repeatable.

A bridge is convenient because it needs no raised platform or balance challenge. It also lets you learn hip extension before adding external resistance. Do not judge the exercise by how high your hips travel. Use a repeatable position and stop the ascent before your back takes over.

How do you perform a chair squat or sit-to-stand?

1. Use a stable chair and sit near its front edge with both feet flat.
2. Lean forwards slightly and stand slowly using your legs.
3. Finish upright without throwing your shoulders backwards.
4. Sit down under control and use your hands only for guidance if needed.

These cues follow the NHS sit-to-stand demonstration, which tells users to stand slowly using the legs and then sit down slowly.³ The same NHS page starts with 5 repetitions. Treat that as an example from a gentle routine, not a compulsory prescription for everyone.

How do you perform a supported sideways leg lift?

1. Stand tall behind a stable chair and hold it lightly.
2. Keep your hips facing forwards as you raise one leg to the side.
3. Use a range that does not make you lean your torso away.
4. Lower with control, then repeat on the other side.

The NHS version instructs users to keep the back and hips straight and avoid tilting to the side.³ This makes the movement easier to compare from one repetition to the next. If you have to swing the leg, reduce the range or remove resistance.

How do you use resistance bands for glute exercises?

Bands can add resistance without taking much storage space. The NHS lists working with resistance bands as a muscle-strengthening activity.² Band tension is not standardised across all products, so describe the band by its own label, colour or model in your training notes rather than assuming that two bands with the same colour provide the same challenge.

For a banded bridge, place a loop band in the position intended by its instructions, plant both feet and perform the same controlled bridge. Keep the knees steady instead of allowing the band to pull them inwards. For a lateral band walk, begin in a stable stance, maintain tension in the band and take controlled sideways steps without rocking your torso. For a standing hip extension, anchor the band only to a point designed to withstand the pull, then move the leg backwards without turning it into a lower-back swing.

Do not let the band decide the range. If tension changes your balance, pulls your joints into an uncomfortable position or makes the return uncontrolled, select a lighter band or use bodyweight. Inspect your own equipment according to its instructions before use. The broader NHS principle is to make activity and intensity appropriate for your fitness.²

Bands are one option, not a requirement. A bodyweight movement that you can repeat cleanly is more useful for progression than a banded version that changes shape on every repetition. Add resistance only when you can reproduce the starting position, range and return.

How can you build a glute workout for women?

A glute workout for women does not need a separate list of movements. Bridges, squats, step-ups, lunges, hinges and side steps can all be selected according to the individual’s experience, available equipment and ability to control the exercise. The evidence reviews included resistance exercises rather than prescribing a sex-specific exercise menu.⁴⁵

Build the session around movement roles instead of marketing labels. Start with a squat, step or lunge pattern, add a bridge, hip thrust or hinge, and finish with a side-stepping or sideways-leg-lift option if wanted. This creates a varied session without needing a long list of near-identical movements.

The NHS advises adults to strengthen all major muscle groups on at least 2 days each week, including the legs and hips as well as the back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.² A glute session can contribute to that target, but it should not crowd out the rest of the body.

Pregnancy and the period after birth require individual judgement. The NHS glute workout page advises getting guidance from a healthcare professional before trying its exercises if you are pregnant or have recently given birth.¹ The adult activity guidance also says that after the 6- to 8-week postnatal check, more intense activity can begin if you feel able, while vigorous activity is not recommended if you were inactive before pregnancy.²

Which exercises can help you build your glutes?

Muscle size can increase when resistance training is repeated and progressed over time, but no exercise guarantees a particular appearance. The 2025 meta-analysis found a moderate overall effect of resistance training on gluteus maximus hypertrophy across 11 studies. It also found moderate effects for programmes built around single exercises and for programmes combining exercises.⁴

The authors reported that barbell hip thrusts can be prioritised when the gluteus maximus is the emphasis, while parallel or full-range back squats, leg press and kneeling hip extensions also increased gluteus maximus size in the included literature.⁴ That conclusion does not mean you need all of those movements, nor that a home programme is ineffective. It means several routes can provide a training stimulus.

Do not confuse muscle activation with long-term change. The 2020 review found very high gluteus maximus activation in step-up variations, deadlifts, hip thrusts, split squats, lunges and some squat variations.⁵ Activation is measured during an exercise, whereas hypertrophy research measures changes over time. Use activation studies to understand that many movements involve the muscle, not to predict an exact result.

Progress one feature at a time. You might first make your range and balance consistent, then add repetitions gradually, then select slightly more resistance. The NHS home strength guidance explicitly advises building up slowly and gradually increasing repetitions.³ For wider planning, see progressive overload and sets and reps.

How should you check your form and demonstrate each exercise?

First demonstrate the unloaded version. Show the starting position, one slow repetition and the finish, then explain which features must stay consistent. For a bridge, those features are foot placement, controlled hip travel and a steady trunk. For a squat, they are foot position, a comfortable depth and a controlled return. For a side step, they are stance height, step length and torso position.

A mirror can help with immediate feedback, but a short phone recording makes comparison easier. Film one view from the front and one from the side without placing the phone where it can be knocked. Watch for a repeatable start and finish, similar range across repetitions and any obvious loss of balance. This is a technique check, not a medical assessment.

If you are demonstrating the movement to somebody else, show an easier option at the same time. That might mean a chair-supported mini-squat instead of a deep squat, a two-foot bridge instead of a single-leg variation, or a bodyweight side step instead of a banded one. The NHS strength page uses chair support for mini-squats, calf raises and sideways leg lifts, and tells users to move only as far as is comfortable.³

Avoid demonstrating speed, depth or resistance as though everyone must copy it. Leg length, equipment and current ability differ. The demonstrator’s job is to make the set-up and movement understandable, while the user selects an appropriate version.

How can you measure glute exercise progress at home?

Start by measuring what you actually performed rather than trying to infer which muscle changed after one session. Record the exercise, equipment, band label or external load, repetitions completed, range reference and whether you used support. For one-sided movements, record the left and right sides separately.

Look across several comparable sessions. A useful trend might be steadier repetitions with the same resistance, less reliance on hand support, more repetitions with the same form, or a modest resistance increase without losing control. One unusually easy or difficult day does not establish a trend.

Change only one main variable when possible. If you switch the band, alter foot position, increase range and add repetitions together, you cannot tell which change explains the result. A consistent set-up makes your notes more meaningful and your demonstration easier to repeat.

Place glute progress within whole-body training. The NHS target is strengthening for every major muscle group on at least 2 days each week, not a prescribed number of glute-only sessions.² If you are new to resistance exercise, use how to start strength training and strength training at home alongside this exercise menu.

What common mistakes make glute exercises less useful?

The first mistake is changing exercises constantly. Variety can be helpful, but you need some repeated movements to compare performance. Keep a few core exercises long enough to observe whether control, repetitions or resistance are improving.

The second is adding resistance before the movement is stable. A stronger band or heavier weight is not progress if range shortens unintentionally, balance disappears or the return becomes uncontrolled. The NHS advice to build up slowly provides the safer general principle.³

The third is turning every exercise into an extreme range challenge. Use a comfortable range you can repeat. The NHS mini-squat guidance says to bend the knees as far as is comfortable, and its sideways leg lift similarly uses a comfortable range.³

The fourth is training only one movement. A bridge and a step-up are both glute exercises, but their set-ups and demands differ. The systematic reviews found that multiple single-joint and multi-joint exercises can involve or develop the gluteus maximus.⁴⁵ A small, varied menu is more defensible than declaring one exercise mandatory.

The fifth is treating soreness or discomfort as proof that a session worked. The NHS glute workout page says to stop immediately if exercise causes pain or makes you unwell.¹ Training records should focus on controlled work and repeatable progress, not on chasing unpleasant symptoms.

Frequently asked questions