The Best Bodyweight Glute Exercises

We've said it once, and we'll say it again: it's so important to train your glutes! Your glutes are one of your largest muscle groups, and their strength affects so much of your body's ability to comfortably move and perform everyday tasks.

If you're looking to grow powerful glutes, you need to incorporate a variety of weighted exercises and bodyweight exercises into your workout routine to make sure that you are training every region in your glutes. We asked our trainers and collected the 11 best bodyweight glute exercises around! These moves are perfect for targeting every area of that booty.  And because bodyweight workouts don't require any additional equipment, you can do them anytime anywhere! Try and use these moves to make your own glute growing, booty burning workout:

To make your own killer glute workout select 3 to 5 exercises, do 10 to 15 reps of each, and then rest 1 minute in-between each exercise.

To make your own high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout select 3 to 5 exercises, cycle through the exercises by doing the movements for 30 seconds with a 10-second rest in between, and repeat the cycle 4 to 5 times.

1. Single Leg Deadlift

How to do a Single Leg Deadlift:

1. Stand with both feet hip-width apart.
2. Shift your weight into one of your legs. This leg should be straight with a soft bend at the knee.
3. Begin to drive your other leg back and up through the heel by hinging at the waist, so that your torso moves forward until it is parallel to the floor.
4. Keep your arms straight at shoulder height.
5. Begin to lower your lifted leg while keeping your chest lifted until you return to a standing position.

2. Sumo Squats

How to do a Sumo Squat:

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, your toes pointed outwards and leaning slightly forward.
2. Gradually bend your knees and sink your hips down until your thighs are parallel to the floor while keeping your knees pushed outwards instead of inward.
3. Push through your heels to return to your original standing position.
   TIP: To make this move more challenging, you can add a dumbbell!

3. Bulgarian Split Squat 

How to do a Bulgarian Split Squat:

1. Find a bench or a box that you can rest the top of your foot or your toes on that's about knee-high. 
2. Find a forward lunge position with your core braced tight, your torso upright, and your hips squared off and facing forward. Your standing leg should be far enough away from the bench that your knees do not go too far past your toes.
3. Lower your lifted leg's knee down towards the bench.
4. Then drive through your front heel to return back to standing.

4. Chair Squat Jump 

How to do a Chair Squat Jump:

1. Keep your spine in a neutral position and your head and chest raised while sitting.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing straight forward.
3. When you are ready, straighten your legs and jump.
4. After jumping, return to a squat position and gently sit back down on the chair.

Chair Squat Jump Progression 

1. Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your arms up by your ears.
2. Drive the hips back to find a narrow squat. 
3. Push off the balls of your feet to jump, and bend your knees upon landing and return to standing.

5. Diagonal Squats 

How to do a Diagonal Front Squat:

1. Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and facing forward.
2. Keep your back straight and core tight as you take a diagonal step forward.
3. Bend at the knees and drive your hips back to find a comfortable squat.
4. Rise from your squat and return back to the starting position.

Diagonal Back Squat Variation

Similar to the Diagonal Front Squat, to do a Diagonal Back Squat:

1. Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and facing forward.
2. Keep your back straight and core tight as you take a diagonal step backward.
3. Bend at the knees and drive your hips back to find a comfortable squat.
4. Rise from your squat and return back to the starting position.

6. Side Skaters 

How to do Side Skaters:

1. Start by having your legs bent slightly with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bring one leg behind at an angle and into a reverse lunge.
3. Slightly jump to switch between your left and right side while alternating your arms.

Knee-Friendly Side Skaters

1. Start by having your legs bent slightly with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bring one leg behind at an angle and into a reverse lunge.
3. Bring your back leg up to be standing with a wide stance.
4. Step back with the opposite leg while alternating your arms to touch the top of your front foot.

7. Hip Thrusts 

How to do Hip Thrusts:

1. Set up your back to rest against an elevated surface, like a box or a bench, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2. Have the bench hit right below your shoulder blades, and have your knees shoulder-width apart.
3. Keep your chin tucked, push up through your heels until your thighs are parallel and your knees are bent to a 90-degree angle.
4. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the thrust, then gradually lower down to the starting position.

8. Curtsy Lunge

How to do a Curtsy Lunge:

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
2. Step one foot back and to the side so that it crosses behind your front foot. The further crossed your back foot is, the more your glute will be activated!
3. Lunge as deeply as possible before slowly returning to standing.

9. Bottoms Up Lunge 

How to do a Bottoms Up Lunge:

1. Have both knees on the ground, hips-distance apart with the tops of your feet pressing down into the ground.
2. Step one leg forward into a kneeling lunge.
3. Press through your front foot to come to a standing lunge with the top of your back foot facing down.
4. Lower back down into a kneeling lunge and then bring your leg back to the starting position.
5. After kneeling, drive your hips back towards your feet and back up to your starting position to finish the Bottoms Up Lunge.

10. Single Leg Sit to Stand

How to do a Single Leg Sit to Stand:

1. Sit with your butt at the edge of the chair and lift one foot slightly off the ground.
2. Keep your weight in your midfoot to heel for the foot planted on the floor.
3. Without letting the lifted foot drop or pushing with your arms off your legs or the chair, gradually find a standing position.
4. Keep your foot, knee, and hip aligned while standing and sitting.

11. Box Step Up 

How to do a Box Step Up:

1. Using a bench or a box, bring one foot up and place it flat on its surface.
2. Press through your heel to straighten the leg of the lifted foot.
3. Bring the opposite foot up to the top of the box or bench so that you are now in a standing position. 
4. Bend at the knee and step down with one foot.
5. Then, bring your other foot down so that you are standing with both feet on the ground.

Way to go!

If you made it this far, you must have some seriously strong glutes! Remember to treat them right and take a few minutes to stretch and recover. Find a comfortable space, grab your foam roller or Hyperice, and check out our guide for The 6 Best Stretches for Your Growing Glutes.

Like these moves, but want a workout more personalized to your skill or mobility level? Meet with one of our awesome personal trainers to get a workout program designed specifically for you and your goals!