If you want to grow your glutes, you might think you have no choice but to submit yourself to a squat rack each and every gym session. While it is true that compound, heavy lifts such as barbell squats and deadlifts are a great way to get that signature peach, you might be surprised to hear that there are plenty of bodyweight exercises that can help to build strength and mass in your glute muscles.
Practical and effective, here are 10 bodyweight exercises to grow your glutes that can be done in the comfort of your own home. No excuses.
Bodyweight Squats
Let’s start with the basics. Ideal for whatever stage you are in your fitness journey, the body weight squat is an effective glute strengthening exercise that can be done anywhere and will help you build lower body muscle mass.
Jumping Squats
If you want to take your squats to the next level, jumping squats make for a great alternative. By adding an explosive movement to the workout, this exercise will challenge your fast twitch muscle fibers and help to get your heart rate up. Add these into your next bodyweight HIIT circuit and get ready to feel the burn.
Hip Drive
Whether you’re a beginner or weight training OG, everyone could benefit from working on their hip drive. Perfecting this move will help with plenty of other exercises, including squats, deadlifts and kettlebell swings, to name a few.
Start sat on your knees with your legs together and sit back on your heels. Ensuring that your glutes are engaged throughout, rise to a kneeling position and squeeze your glutes at the top. The key to glute engagement with this one is control, so keep it slow and steady.
Ski Jumps
Another lower body exercise that is going to make sure you get a sweat on are ski jumps. These make a great addition to circuit training and can easily be incorporated into your cardio workouts. Keep the movement controlled and engage your glutes and core muscles throughout to really get the best from your workout.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Do not underestimate these bad boys! The Bulgarian split squat is a great glute exercise that is going to make sure you seriously feel the burn while building lower body mass and improving your hip mobility. Definitely one to add to your lower body workout routines, no matter what level you’re at.
Curtsey Lunges
This lunge alternative is a really effective way to pound your gluteus medius, which is often neglected in lower body workout programmes. They also help to strengthen your abductors and adductors, which is always a bonus.
Walking Lunges
Another lunge alternative to make the cut are walking lunges. These are a really challenging bodyweight exercise that help you build muscle mass in your glutes, while also requiring you to work your core muscles for balance. They’re also an excellent functional exercise that help to boost your hip flexibility. Add these into your warm-up for a great unilateral, dynamic stretch.
Step Up
This bodyweight exercise is not only great for building strength and mass in your glutes, but step ups are another functional exercise and so will make day to day activities easier. These are the perfect exercise to add to your training programme if your goals are to improve aesthetics as well as functionality and strength.
Glute Bridge
Glute Bridges are a #fitspos favourite and for a good reason. This exercise isolates your glutes and so really helps to build strength and endurance. They make a great addition to your warm-ups as they will fire up your glutes and make sure they’re activated throughout your workout. If you find these too easy, try doing single leg glute bridges. Trust us; you will feel the burn.
Single Leg Deadlift
Last but not least, it’s single leg deadlifts. When you think of deadlifting, you probably think of a heavy barbell workout. However, there are loads of deadlifts alternative, and even when done using only your bodyweight, they can still be effective. This unilateral exercise will help you to strengthen and grow your glutes are core.
