How to Grow Your Glutes: The Best Exercises and a 3-Day Plan
Updated: Oct 8
By Nelly Flaque, NASM-Certified Personal Trainer, NPC Fit Model competitor and OCB Bikini Pro · FishHawk Lithia, FL · Updated October 2026
The short answer: To grow your glutes, train them 2–3 times a week with heavy compound lifts (full-depth squats, hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts and lunges) plus 1–2 hip abduction exercises, aim for about 10–20 hard sets per week, add weight or reps over time, and eat enough protein and calories to build muscle. Most women see measurable glute growth in about 9–12 weeks of consistent training.
Bands, kickbacks and endless "booty burn" circuits make your glutes sore, but sore isn't the same as growing. As a bikini competitor, glute training is a big part of my own prep, and I coach clients through the same process. Here's what actually works, what the research says, and a plan you can start this week.
How your glutes work (and why it matters for training)
Your glutes are three muscles, and good training hits all of them:
Gluteus maximus: the largest muscle in your body and most of your glute shape. It extends your hip (driving your hips forward, like standing up from a squat or the top of a hip thrust).
Gluteus medius: on the upper, outer side of your hip. It moves your leg out to the side (abduction) and stabilizes your pelvis when you walk or lunge. Building it adds roundness to the upper glutes.
Gluteus minimus: a smaller muscle under the medius that works alongside it.
That's why the best glute programs combine hip extension exercises (squats, hip thrusts, deadlifts, lunges) with hip abduction exercises (cable or banded abductions).
The best glute exercises, according to research
Hip thrusts and squats both work: do both
The hip thrust became famous because it lights up the glutes more than a squat when muscle activity is measured with sensors (Contreras et al., 2015). But more activation doesn't automatically mean more growth.
When researchers actually measured muscle size, the results were different:
In a 9-week study, hip thrust training and back squat training produced similar glute growth, and squats also built more thigh muscle (Plotkin et al., 2023).
In a 12-week study of trained women, back squats increased glute muscle thickness more than hip thrusts did (9.4% vs. 3.7%) (Barbalho et al., 2020).
My takeaway: neither is a magic exercise. Squats and hip thrusts work best together, because they load your glutes in different positions: squats when the glutes are stretched at the bottom, hip thrusts when they're squeezed at the top.
Squat deep
Depth matters. In a 10-week study, full squats (thighs below parallel) grew the gluteus maximus significantly more than half squats (Kubo et al., 2019). If your squats stop high, you're leaving glute growth on the table. Squat as deep as you can with a neutral back and your heels down.
The glute exercises I use most with clients
Exercise | What it targets | Why it's on the list |
|---|---|---|
Back squat or goblet squat (full depth) | Glute max, quads | Proven glute growth, especially when deep |
Barbell hip thrust | Glute max | Highest glute activation; easy to load heavy |
Romanian deadlift | Glute max, hamstrings | Loads the glutes in a deep stretch |
Bulgarian split squat | Glute max and medius, quads | One leg at a time fixes left-right imbalances |
Walking lunge (long stride) | Glute max, quads | A longer stride shifts more work to the glutes |
45° back extension (rounded upper back, hips driving) | Glute max | Great finisher with lighter weight |
Cable or banded hip abduction | Glute medius and minimus | Builds the upper, outer glutes |
Cable kickback | Glute max | Good accessory once the big lifts are covered |
How many sets and reps do you need?
A systematic review found that more weekly sets per muscle led to more growth, with 10 or more weekly sets clearly beating fewer than 5 (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). For glutes, I start most women at about 10–14 hard sets a week and build toward 15–20 as they adapt.
Reps: 6–12 reps for heavy lifts (squats, hip thrusts, RDLs), 12–20 for abduction and kickbacks.
Effort: finish most sets with only 1–3 reps left in the tank.
Frequency: split your sets across 2–3 sessions a week rather than one big "booty day."
A 3-day glute workout plan
Do this plan on 3 non-consecutive days (for example Monday, Wednesday, Friday), alongside your upper-body training. Rest 2–3 minutes between heavy sets and 60–90 seconds on accessories.
Day 1: Squat focus
Back squat or goblet squat, full depth: 3 sets of 6–10
Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 8–10
Bulgarian split squat: 2 sets of 8–12 per leg
Cable or banded hip abduction: 3 sets of 15–20
Day 2: Hip thrust focus
Barbell hip thrust (pause 1 second at the top): 4 sets of 8–12
Walking lunge, long stride: 3 sets of 10–12 per leg
45° back extension: 3 sets of 12–15
Cable kickback: 2 sets of 12–15 per leg
Day 3: Mix and single-leg
Hip thrust or glute bridge, single-leg: 3 sets of 10–12 per leg
Step-up to a knee-height box: 3 sets of 8–10 per leg
Goblet squat with a 3-second lowering phase: 2 sets of 10–12
Side-lying or machine hip abduction: 3 sets of 15–20
That's about 14 hip-extension sets and 6 abduction sets a week. Progress every week: add a rep, a set or a little weight to at least one lift each session, and write it down. If you're new to lifting, start with 2 days and 2 sets per exercise. For more on structuring a full program, see how to create a workout plan for muscle gain.
Watch: a glutes and hamstrings session
In this 42-second clip I run through a glutes and hamstrings session you can do in a commercial gym or a garage gym with minimal equipment.
Eat to grow
Muscle is built from food. Two rules matter most:
Protein: a large meta-analysis found that muscle gains from strength training kept improving with protein intake up to about 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day, about 0.7 g per pound (Morton et al., 2018). Use my protein intake calculator to find your number.
Calories: your glutes grow fastest when you eat at maintenance or in a small surplus. In a big calorie deficit, growth slows down a lot. If you want to lose fat too, beginners can often do both at once by eating close to maintenance with high protein. My macro calculator gives you a starting point.
5 mistakes that stop glute growth
Only doing bands and kickbacks. Light exercises are useful accessories, but heavy squats, hip thrusts and deadlifts do most of the work.
Half squats. Go deep; the research above shows depth builds more glute.
Never adding weight. If you're using the same weight as 3 months ago, your glutes have no reason to grow. Track your lifts.
Training glutes once a week. Spread your sets over 2–3 days.
Under-eating. You can't build much muscle on very low calories or low protein. If you've been doing everything right and still aren't seeing changes, read why you're not seeing results from your workouts.
How long does it take to grow your glutes?
The studies above measured clear glute growth in 9–12 weeks, and that matches what I see with clients. You'll usually feel stronger in 2–4 weeks, notice your jeans fitting differently in 6–8 weeks, and see a visible change in photos by about 3 months. Bigger changes take 6–12 months of consistent, progressive training.
Take side and back photos in the same lighting every 4 weeks. Glute changes are gradual and easy to miss in the mirror.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to grow your glutes?
With consistent training 2–3 times a week, progressive overload and enough protein, most women see measurable glute growth in about 9–12 weeks. Bigger, more visible changes usually take 6–12 months.
Are hip thrusts or squats better for growing glutes?
Both work. Research comparing them found similar glute growth from hip thrusts and squats, and one study in trained women found more glute growth from squats. Hip thrusts activate the glutes more at the top of the movement, so the best results come from doing both.
How many times a week should I train glutes?
Two to three times a week works best for most people. Aim for about 10–20 hard glute sets per week in total, split across those sessions, instead of one long glute day.
Can I grow my glutes without weights?
You can start with bodyweight squats, lunges, glute bridges and banded exercises, but you'll need to keep making them harder to keep growing. Once bodyweight moves feel easy for 20 or more reps, add dumbbells, a barbell or single-leg versions.
Can I grow my glutes and lose fat at the same time?
Yes, especially if you're new to strength training. Eat close to your maintenance calories with high protein and keep lifting heavy. If you're in a large calorie deficit, focus on keeping your glute strength; most growth will come when you eat at maintenance or slightly above.
Want a glute plan built for your body?
Every client's starting point is different: hip structure, training history, schedule and goals all change what works best. I use the same principles in my own competition prep and with every client I coach. In my online fitness coaching, I write your plan, check your form on video and adjust it every week. If you're near FishHawk Lithia, in-person training and hybrid training add hands-on coaching in the gym.
Apply for coaching and tell me where you're starting from.
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