The 10 Best Banded Exercises for Growing Your Glutes

Bodyweight workouts are great if you're just getting started or when you don't have access to a gym. However, adding resistance bands is a simple way to add a more of a challenge to your classic booty workout!

Resistance bands are a great tool to add to your bodyweight exercises because they're affordable, transportable, and super versatile. With the help of the O2 Fitness Clubs personal training team, we collected the best-banded glute exercises just for you! Whether you're a beginner getting back into a workout routine or an athlete looking for more targeted and well-rounded workouts, these moves are sure to help you grow and strengthen your glutes.

Use these moves to make your own killer glute workout by selecting 3 to 5 exercises, doing 10 to 15 reps of each with one minute of rest 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 to 30-second rest in between, and then repeat the cycle four to five times. 

1. Frog Bridge

How to do a Banded Frog Bridge:

1. Place your resistance band around your lower thighs and slightly above your knees.
2. Lay on your back with your knees bent and press the soles of your shoes together so that your shoulders, butt, and the outer edges of your feet are on the ground.
3. Press your knees outward to create tension on the resistance band as you raise your hips.
4. Hold at the top of the bridge, and then slowly lower your hips back down.

2. Lateral Walk

How to do a Banded Lateral Walk:

1. Grab a smaller resistance band and place it above your ankles or on your mid-shin.
2. With your feet directly underneath your hips and pointing forward, slightly bend at the knees.
3. Take small steps to the right and then back to the left.
   TIP: Don't turn your toes out! This makes your quads do the work instead of your glutes. Keeping your feet forward and leading your step from your heels instead of your toes will ensure you're working the correct muscles in this exercise!

3. Single-Leg Glute Bridge

How to do a Banded Single-Leg Glute Bridge:

1. Place your resistance band around your lower thighs and slightly above your knees.
2. Lie down with your knees bent so your shoulders, butt and feet are pressed against the floor. 
3. Push down through your heels to raise your hips off the floor.
4. Once you find a stable bridge position, straighten one leg and leave the other bent.
5. Without taking your shoulders or your grounded foot off the floor, drive your hips upward into a bridge until you feel your glutes engage.
6. Slowly lower the hips back down to the floor. 

4. Weighted Single Leg Glute Bridge

How to do a Banded and Weighted Single-Leg Glute Bridge:

1. Place your resistance band around your lower thighs and slightly above your knees.
2. Lie down with your knees bent so your shoulders, butt, and feet are pressed against the floor. 
3. Grab your weight or weights, engage your core, raise the weights so that you are holding them above you at shoulder level.
4. Push down through your heels to raise your hips off the floor.
5. Once you find a stable bridge position, straighten one leg and leave the other bent.
6. Without taking your shoulders or your grounded foot off the floor, drive the hips upward into a bridge until you feel your glutes engage.
7. Slowly lower the hips back down to the floor.

5. Clam Shell

How to do a Banded Clam Shell:

1. Grab a loop resistance band and place it above your knees.
2. Find a comfortable side-lying position where your elbow is underneath your shoulder, and your hips are pointing forward.
3. Lift your top knee until you feel the glute contract.
4. Once your glute contracts, slowly lower your knee back down. 
   TIP: Avoid opening from your hips during this exercise. Opening your hips turns this into an activation exercise for your hip abductors instead of your glutes.

6. Romanian Dead Lift into a Step-Back Lunge

How to do a Romanian Deadlift into a Step-Back Lunge: 

1. Anchor a loop resistance band to a bench or a bar.
2. Step the working leg into the resistance band loop.
3. Step forward until there is a slight stretch in the resistance band.
4. Hinge forward into a single-leg deadlift.
5. Rise all the way back up to standing and lockout.
6. Step straight back into a lunge.
7. Bring your foot forward so you are standing straight again.
   TIP: Locking out after your single-leg deadlift is the most important part! This is where you will get the most glute activation during this exercise. If you want to make this move more challenging, try adding some dumbbells as you flow through the movement.

7. Fire Hydrant

How to do a Fire Hydrant Leg Lift:

1. Find a comfortable quadruped position or a position on all fours. Align your body so that your shoulders are over your wrists and your hips are directly over your knees.
2. With your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, lift one leg up and away from your body to a 45-degree angle.
3. Slowly lower the leg back down to complete the movement.

8. Lying Leg Lift

How to do a Banded Lying Leg Lift:

1. Place a band around your ankles.
2. Lay down in a side plank position with your elbow directly underneath your shoulder, legs straight, and hips facing forward.
3. Raise your top leg straight up and then slowly lower it back down.
   TIP: If you lean too far back from your hips, this move will activate your quads instead of your glutes. When raising your leg, avoid pointing your toe upwards. This modification will also engage your quads instead of your glutes. But don't worry if your toe points downwards slightly. Your glutes will still be activated and engaged!

9. Marching Glute Bridge

How to do a Banded Marching Glute Bridge:

1. Place your resistance band around your lower thighs and slightly above your knees.
2. Lie down with your knees bent so your shoulders, butt, and feet are pressed against the floor. 
3. Push down through your heel to raise your hips off the floor.
4. As your hips raise, move one leg slowly upwards until you make a diagonal line from your heel through your knee and chest to your shoulder.
5. Slowly lower the straightened leg down to the floor, and march with the other leg.

10. Donkey Kick

How to do a Donkey Kick:

1. Place a resistance band around the top of your feet so that the band is covering your shoelaces.
2. Flip over so that you are on all fours or a quadruped position. Align your wrists with your shoulders and your knees with your hips.
3. With a neutral spine and a tight core, kick your foot straight back and up.
4. Once your leg is extended, and you feel your glutes activate, bring your leg straight back and down.
   TIP: Try not to arch your back. This will put more pressure on your lower back and will not allow you to get the most activation out of your glutes. You should also avoid letting your knee move out to the side when you're kicking back. 

Great job, you made it through the workout!

Now that you've gotten a great booty-burning workout remember to take a few minutes to stretch and recover. Put those resistance bands down, grab your foam roller or Hyperice, and watch our guide for The 6 Best Stretches for Your Growing Glutes.

Want more trainer-approved moves to add to your next leg day routine? Check out our blog of The 11 Best Bodyweight Glute Exercises. These bodyweight exercises combined with our best-banded exercises will make it nearly impossible not to get the booty of your dreams anytime, anywhere, at any skill level!