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6 Exercises To Fire Up Your Glutes

By Author Alison Wright

Posted on  - Last updated:

Categories Get Fit

These exercises you can do at home will strengthen your glutes and hips, firm up your butt, and slim down your thighs. Strong glutes are essential for walkers and runners, they power your walks and runs and make hiking up hills a breeze.

Your glutes are a large essential muscle group that provides power and stability to your hips, legs, and core. But, they get lazy when we sit at a desk all day. Fire them up by adding these exercises to your weekly routine, and you’ll soon notice the difference.

Strong glutes will make your butt look great but more importantly, they help to injury-proof your body by improving your running and walking form. So aim for a bigger, firmer butt with these booty workouts!

Image of a woman doing a donkey kick glutes exercise at home

Glutes Workout At Home

These 6 exercises for your glutes will target your hips, butt, and thighs.

Glute Bridge

Illustration of glute bridges

These are probably the most important workout for glutes on this list. If you’re doing this exercise properly, your booty should feel tight and firm.

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
  2. Squeeze your glutes as tight as you can and engage your core. With your upper back on the ground lift your hips off the floor squeezing all the time. Don’t arch your back.
  3. When your hips are fully lifted, pause and squeeze everything even tighter. Then lower your hips still keeping everything tight and your glutes engaged.
  4. Repeat 10 – 20 times.

Once you’ve mastered glute bridges, make the exercise workout harder with single-leg glute bridges.

Reverse Lunges

Illustration of reverse lunge

Lunges are excellent for core stability. They strengthen your hips and give your glutes a great workout.

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Engage your core and keep your chest lifted.
  2. Take a controlled step backward with your left foot. Sink your right knee until it’s at 90 degrees and at the same time lower your left knee so it’s hovering just off the floor.
  3. Maintain your posture keeping your upper body lifted and avoid bending forward. Your weight should be distributed evenly between both legs.
  4. Push back up by engaging your glutes and quads to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat with your left leg. Alternate lunges, aiming for 10 repetitions for each leg.

Tips: Make sure your front knee doesn’t push past your toes. Maintain control throughout the lunge and avoid slamming your back knee into the ground.

Squats

Illustration of how to do squats

This classic butt-strengthening exercise will also do wonders for your hips and legs.

  1. Stand with your legs just over hip-width apart, feet flat on the floor and toes pointed slightly outwards.
  2. Keep your back straight and your chest upright.
  3. Bend at the knees and slowly squat down as far as possible. Imagine you’re trying to sit on a low chair.
  4. Drive through your heels to return to the standing position.
  5. For an extra effort level start with your arms raised and as you squat bring your lower arms together in front of you.
  6. Repeat 10 -15 times.

Donkey Kicks

How to do a donkey kick illustration

Another great way to fire up your glutes!

  1. Start on all fours with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Keep your back flat and your core engaged.
  2. Keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees, lift your right leg toward the ceiling. Keep your foot flat and push it towards the sky.
  3. At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes tight and briefly hold.
  4. Slowly lower your leg back to the starting position without touching the ground. Repeat for 10-15 reps, then switch legs.

Outer Thigh Lift

Illustration of side leg raises also known as outer thigh lift

This exercise complements your glute exercises. It strengthens the outer thighs (hip abductors) and helps improve the hip stability and balance you need to let your glutes do their work.

  1. Lie on your side with your legs extended straight, stacking your hips and shoulders. Rest your upper body on your lower arm, and place your top hand on the floor for balance.
  2. Engage your core to stabilize your body. Keeping your top leg straight, lift it upwards as high as comfortably possible without tilting your hips or upper body. Point your toes slightly downward to emphasize the outer thigh.
  3. At the top of the movement, squeeze the outer thigh and hold for a brief moment before slowly lowering your leg back to the starting position. Keep the leg engaged and avoid resting on the lower leg.
  4. Repeat 10-15 times then switch to the other leg.

Standing Glute Kickbacks

glute kickbacks illustration

Standing glute kickbacks effectively target the glutes while improving stability and balance.

  1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, hands in the prayer position, or on your hips. You may need to hold onto a wall or chair for balance. Engage your core and focus on your posture.
  2. Shift your weight onto your left leg, keeping it slightly bent for balance.
  3. With a flexed foot, extend your right leg straight back while keeping your torso upright. Focus on squeezing your glutes as you lift your leg as far as it will comfortably go without arching your back.
  4. Slowly lower your leg back to the starting point and repeat for 10-15 reps before switching to the other leg.
  5. For extra intensity use a resistance band placed just above your ankles.

Inspired by this post? You may like these Upper Body workouts For Women or these Strength Training Workouts For Runners.

Image of a young woman doing a glutes workout
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