How to Build Glutes and Get the Booty You’ve Always Wanted

The demand for training programs that build a shapely, toned set of glutes (aka your butt muscles) has skyrocketed over the past few years.

Many people now want to know how to build glutes, and this is no surprise, as the glutes have gotten more attention as of late, especially with the rise of celebs like Kim K. and Jen Selter flaunting theirs.

In addition to improving how you look in a swimsuit, the best workouts to build a booty are also beneficial for back, hip, and knee health, as well as athletic performance.

Most people, however, train them incorrectly or leave out key exercises that aid in optimal glute development.

In the following article, I have outlined my approach that will show you how to build glutes.

You can use the info here to build a strong, sexy set of glutes that will not only turn heads but also improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

The Anatomy of How to Build a Booty

To get you started towards achieving your perfect booty, let me drop some knowledge bombs about the butt muscles.

How to build glutes starts with the anatomy of the booty, which is made up primarily of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus.

The gluteus maximus is the largest of the booty muscles and is what makes up the majority of what people see. Developing this muscle with the best workouts to build a booty will contribute to enhancing the appearance of your rear end the most.

The glute medius makes up the upper and side part of your hips.

The glute minimus is a small muscle located under the other glute muscles. As a result, it does not contribute to the visual appearance of your booty as much as the other two.

Therefore, when learning how to build glutes, focus primarily on the development of the glute maximus and medius to make dat booty pop. To do so, perform exercises that specifically target the glute maximus and medius.

Booty Exercises to Make Your Booty Bigger

I know what you're thinking, just squat! Right? Well, not quite. Yes, squats are a great exercise for glute and leg development and are the kind of booty exercises that work. But, they aren't the only exercise you should do.

According to research by Dr. Bret Contreras (a PhD in sports science and the world's foremost expert on booty-building), the glute muscles show the highest activation from exercises like hip thrusts, hyperextensions, and pendulum kickbacks.

These exercises generate twice as much glute activation compared to squats, making them some of the best workouts to build a booty.

That said, activation is not everything there is to muscle building, and squats have been shown to build more glute muscle when directly compared with hip thrusts.

Other very effective variants include deep step-ups or split squat variations where the glute undergoes an intense stretch.

Here are some of the top exercises I recommend for targeting the glutes:

• Barbell Back Squats

• Hip Thrusts

• Sumo, Conventional, and Stiff-Leg Deadlifts

• Step-Ups (with a high step for a deep glute stretch)

• 45 Degree Hyperextensions

• Split Squats (especially variants with the foot elevated for a deep booty stretch)

• Abduction Exercises: Band Abductions, Cable Abductions, X-Band Walks

• The abduction exercises are particularly good for the glute medius.

To figure out which exercises you should select when learning how to build glutes, try a few of the above and see which ones you like best and which ones make your booty feel pumped, fatigued, and sore. You could also consult with a personal trainer who can provide far more in-depth and extremely helpful information.

You'll have to test them to see what are the best workouts to build a booty, as there can be a lot of individual variation.

Train your glutes 3 times per week for optimal development. Don’t worry about overtraining; your glutes are very resilient muscles and can handle a tough workload.

How Many Sets and Reps for Glute Growth?

A variety of rep ranges should be utilized when training the glutes. It is best to use a variety of rep ranges between 5 and 30, as different rep ranges stimulate muscle growth in different ways. Variety is one of the keys to building glutes effectively.

You can set this up by starting with lower reps (5–8), then medium reps (8–15), and then on to higher reps (15–30 – these are the booty burners!) in each workout. You can also have a low-rep day, a medium-rep day, and a high-rep day, if you prefer. Again, as you can see, variety is the key to building a poppin’ booty bump.

To make your glutes grow, you’ll want to progressively overload the booty muscles. This is just a fancy way of saying you should gradually increase the workload over time. During each workout, try adding some weight or an extra rep or two.

If you’re wondering to yourself, “how many glute reps should I do?” the best workouts to build a booty include this sample three-day full-body routine with a focus on glutes:

Workout A

• Hip Thrusts – 3 sets of 5

• Sumo Deadlifts – 3 sets of 8

• Lunges – 3 sets of 12 (per leg)

• Band Abductions – 2 sets of 20

• Cable Kickbacks – 2 sets of 30

• Overhead Dumbbell Press – 3 sets of 10

• Front Planks – 3 sets of 30–60 second holds

Workout B

• Squats – 3 sets of 10 (per leg)

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 12

• X-Band Walks – 2 sets of 30

• Assisted Pull-Ups – 3 sets of 10

• Side Plank – 3 Sets of 30-60 seconds

Workout C

• Foot Elevated Split Squats –3 sets of 10

• Sumo Deadlifts – 3 sets of 12

• Hip Thrusts – 3 sets of 10

• Band Abductions – 3 sets of 30

• Cable Row – 3 sets of 10

• Incline Push-Ups – 3 sets of 10

• Cable Twists – 3 sets of 15

These three workouts give a good idea of how many reps for glute growth are needed.

How to Build a Butt

You want to feel the muscle working as you perform each exercise. If you don’t, you’re not going to get the best development for building glutes. For optimal results, squeeze those butt muscles as you perform each exercise (no, not with your hands). You should feel a burn on high reps and a lot of tension in the muscle on low reps.

I see people make the mistake of not training the glutes with any sort of appreciable weight. A lot of workouts will consist of bodyweight kickbacks, some band balks, and clams, and that's it.

They refuse to go heavy and push themselves on them for some reason. Sorry, but that’s not going to cut it. When discovering how to build glutes, keep in mind they respond to weight training like any other muscle, and if you want to see significant improvement, you're going to have to get serious and do more than a few light exercises. Don't worry, you won't get muscle-bound or bulky.

For a shapely rear end that will make Kim K. do a double-take, you’ll want to utilize exercises that specifically target the glute muscles, like hip thrusts, hyperextensions, and band abductions, in addition to the classics like squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

Now You Know How to Build Glutes

The best workouts to build a booty the right way require a steady attempt to increase your workload over time, use a variety of rep ranges, and squeeze your glutes while performing the exercises, or just all the time.

All this information and more can be acquired through personal training services, where you can learn about exercises that will specifically target areas that you want to focus on.

Now go get to booty-building and enjoy reveling in the admiration of your friends and colleagues.

For more information, contact Chris Protein Personal Training in Austin, TX.