Bum exercises and butt workouts likely feature in a lot of your workout routines, if research is anything to go by.
A study by the MIT Sloan School of Management found that fitness routines are heavily influenced by the people we surround ourselves with – physically and digitally, so considering the fact that several IG influencers and trainers constantly post updates on their pursuit of a more peachy rear-end, you may want to do the same.
We’ll be the first ones to tell you that there’s no use in comparing your fitness journey to theirs, particularly if you’re only taking the aesthetics of a big butt into account. But appearance aside and fitness front of mind, it’s *so* important to include bum exercises and butt workouts in your weekly roster. Read on to find out why, plus how to wake them up and build stronger glute muscles with the best and most effective bum workouts and bum exercises.
Why are strong glutes important?
Working on your bum is important for several reasons. It helps with the following:
- Power
- Good posture
- Stability
- Strength
- Mitigating effects of tight hip flexors
- Mitigating effects of “butt amnesia” (when your glutes don’t switch on, causing your lower back, hips, knees, and even your ankles to take the extra load)
Can you really make your bum bigger with bum exercises?
Sure thing. ‘It’s possible to “grow” this area of your body by using your workout to activate and engage particular muscles, which will make your bum stronger, firmer and have a more shapely appearance,’ says Stephen Pasterino, trainer and founder of P.volve.
So, what type of exercise gets a rounded rear? ‘Strength training and weightlifting, in particular, will help you get a big bum,’ notes Loui Fazakerley, trainer at Third Space. There are three main muscles you should be targeting:
- Gluteus Maximus
- Gluteus Medius
- Gluteus Minimus
‘The gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle in the bum area, and the one responsible for making your bum “pop”,’ explains Jenny Francis, trainer at F45 Islington.
‘The gluteus medius is smaller and situated higher up and towards the sides of your bum, and is attached to the ligaments in your hip joint. Finally, there’s the gluteus minimus, situated underneath the gluteus maximus, which works alongside the gluteus medius to help stabilise the hip.’
If you want a big bum that’s as strong as it is sculpted you need to be working all three muscles, which is where we can help.
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How to get a bigger bum: 4 tips for bum exercises and butt workouts
Follow these simple steps to feel the burn and see results:
- Don’t skip glute activation exercises: They’ll help engage your glute muscles and help you get the most from your butt workouts.
- Squat deep: Deep squats – where your hips dip below your knees – can almost double the effort required from your glutes as you return to a standing position.
- Upper body positioning: ‘Tilt your torso forward to 45-degree in a lunge for a hotter booty burn,’ Contreras says. The angle makes your bum work harder.
- Single leg exercises: Compared with double-leg exercises (like squats), single-limb (a.k.a. unilateral exercise) versions (like a single leg deadlift) can fire up your bum by an extra 33%.
- Don’t work your muscles to fatigue everyday: Muscle requires time to recover and it’s during this recovery process that new tissue grows – e.g. when you grow a bigger bum.
How often should you train your glutes for results?
If you’re incorporating bum exercises in a full-body workout, choose two-three of the bum exercises below, and perform three sets of six-eight reps. If you’re doing bum-only workouts, choose six exercises and perform the same number of sets and reps.
25 best bum exercises for a big bum
Bum exercises to do at home
Our first set of bum exercises require just your exercise mat and some motivation, so you can easily start your quest for a big bum at home, or at the gym if you fancy a change of scenery. If you’re building up confidence, here is a good place to start. Favour perfect form and no weight over compromised form and heavy weight, always.
1. Air squat
a) Standing with feet hip-width apart hinge at the knees to come into a squat position – making sure your knees track in line with your toes and you can see your toes at all times.
b) With the weight in your heels push back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.
2. Clams
a) Start by laying down on the ground on your side. Pop your head onto the arm that’s on the ground. Start by moving your hips up to a 45-degree angle and your knees to a 90-degree angle.
b) Push your knee away from your core but keep your feet pressed together.
c) Pause when you get to the top of the move, clenching your glutes and ab muscles, and return to the ground. Repeat.
3. Glute bridge
a) Lie on your back on a mat, with your knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Your feet should be hip-width apart.
b) On an exhale, squeeze your glutes and push your heels into the floor to lift your hips up towards the ceiling. Pause for a moment at the top before slowly lowering back down (first shoulders, then lower back, then bum) to the mat. That’s one rep.
4. Single-leg glute bridge
a) Rest your upper back on the floor and place your feet hip-width apart, knees bent at 90-degree, so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
b) Squeeze your glutes and lower your hips – that’s your starting position.
c) Then drive through your heel to return to the top, pausing for 3 secs before slowly lowering down. Repeat.
5. Glute rainbows
a) Come onto all fours on your mat. Raise your left leg and extend it straight behind you.
b) Moving in an arc-motion and keeping your leg level with your body sweep it behind and across your right leg. Then, sweep it back past your starting position to a lateral position with your left hip. Return to centre and repeat on the other leg.
6. Gorilla squat
a) With feet slightly hip-width apart and arms hanging in front of you, lower down into a squat position. Keep your knees tracking over your toes.
b) From here let your knuckles lightly brush the ground before pushing through your heels to come back to standing.
7. Kneeling hinge
a) Come into a tall kneeling position on the ground e.g. don’t rest your bum on your heels. Stack your hips over your knees for stability.
b) Engaging your core, hinge at the hips until your upper body forms a 90-degree angle and you feel your glutes engage.
c) Using your glutes, push back to a tall kneeling position and repeat.
8. Hip abduction
a) Lying on your side, use your top arm to support your upper body by placing it in front of your chest.
b) Keep your upper body and core as still and engaged as possible and raise your top leg towards the ceiling.
c) Lower back down – with control – and repeat.
9. Side lunge
a) Standing at the top of your mat with your feet together, engage your core and lunge laterally, pushing your bum out behind you and keeping your upper back flat.
b) Push through the heel of your lunging foot and repeat.
10. Curtsy lunge
a) Standing with your feet hip-width apart lunge backwards, crossing your lunging leg over to the opposite side. You’ll arrive in a deep curtsy position.
b) Drive through the heel of your front foot to return to your starting position. Repeat.
11. In-and-Out squats
a) Standing with your feet together, jump out into a deep lunge making sure to keep your upper body upright and your knees tracking over your toes.
b) Jump back to standing and then immediately jump back into a deep squat. Repeat.
12. Squat jumps
a) Lower down into a squat position with your feet hip-width apart.
b) Powerfully explode upwards by pushing through your heels and using your glutes to jump. Try to extend your legs fully at the top of the jump.
c) Land in a squat position and repeat.
13. Sumo squats
a) Place your feet wider than hip-width apart and lower down into a squat position with your knees tracking over your toes. You can bring your arms overhead as you lower down if it helps keep your upper body upright.
b) Raise back up to standing and repeat.
14. 90º squat jumps
a) From standing with feet hip-width apart and toes slightly pointed out, lower into a 90-degree squat –this means your bum does not drop below your knees.
b) Powerfully explode into a jump, trying to extend your legs fully at the top of the movement.
c) Land in a 90-degree squat and repeat.
15. Bodyweight single leg deadlift
a) Stand with one foot on the mat – with a slightly bent knee – and one foot slightly raised.
b) Hinge at the hips to push your bum and raised leg backwards until your upper body forms a flat line.
c) Use your glutes to return to standing, trying to keep your raised leg floating off of the ground. Repeat.
Bum exercises with weights
Behold, the best bum exercises using weights (dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell).
16. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
a) Stand with both feet flat on the floor and a dumbbell in each hand.
b) Keeping your legs straight, bend at the hips to lower your weighted hands towards the floor. Go to just below knee height and then stand straight again. Clench your glute and core muscles as you do so. Repeat.
17. Weighted single leg deadlift
a) Start with your feet together and shift your weight to your left leg, knee slightly bent. Hold the dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand. You can keep your left hand on your hip or hold it out to the side – whatever makes it easier for you to balance.
b) Hinge at your hips to lower your chest down, while raising your right leg straight out behind you. As you hinge, lower the weight down towards the floor. Reverse back to the starting position, and repeat on this side before switching over. Remember: the weight goes in the opposite hand to the planted leg.
18. Bulgarian split squat
a) Stand with a dumbbell in each hand facing away from a bench with your right leg extended back and foot on top of the bench.
b) Bend the front knee until the knee of the rear leg is almost in contact with the floor then return to the original standing position. Try not to let your front knee (the one bending) go beyond the toes of your forward foot.
19. Dumbbell alternating reverse lunge
a) Stand with your legs hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in either hand, by your side. Step one foot back about two feet and lower your knee to the ground (making sure it doesn’t go beyond your knee), while keeping your chest and gaze upwards.
b) Step your foot back forwards to meet the other, then repeat the exercise on the second leg.
20. Split stance glute bridge
a) Lie on your back on a mat, with your knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Your feet should be hip-width apart. Place a dumbbell or kettlebell over your hips.
b) Bring one foot slightly closer towards your bum and extend the other leg until there’s a gentle bend at the knee.
b) On an exhale, squeeze your glutes and push your closer heel into the floor to lift your hips up towards the ceiling. Pause for a moment at the top before slowly lowering back down (first shoulders, then lower back, then bum) to the mat. That’s one rep. Make sure to repeat on the other side.
21. Dumbbell split squat
a) Holding a dumbbell in a goblet position, place one foot in front of the other. Make sure the back foot only has the toe touching the floor.
b) Keeping your knee positioned directly over your ankle and making sure it doesn’t bend over your toe, lunge forward and clench your glutes. Lower your back knee to the floor until it touches and then push up through the soles of your feet. Keep your back straight and gaze forward.
22. Dumbbell curtsy lunge
a) Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
b) Lunge backwards, crossing your lunging leg over to the opposite side. You’ll arrive in a deep curtsy position.
c) Drive through the heel of your front foot to return to your starting position. Make sure to repeat on the other side.
23. Kettlebell swing
a) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down to pick up the kettlebell with both hands in an overhand grip.
b) Look ahead, not down, and keep your spine aligned and your knees slightly bent throughout the movement.
c) Drive your pelvis forward to swing the kettlebell out and up to shoulder height.
d) Allow the weight to drop back down, hingeing at the hips as it swings between your legs.
24. Barbell deadlift
a) Stand holding the bar with a very wide stance, knees bent and your shoulder blades pulled in towards each other.
b) Lift the bar using your legs while keeping the upright torso position. Carefully lower. Turn your toes out if you need to – it helps movement and doesn’t count as cheating.
25. Barbell hip thrust
a) Sit on the floor with your shoulder blades against a bench or step. If adding a dumbbell or a barbell, balance it on your hips.
b) Keeping your chin tucked in, push up through your hips to lift your bum off the floor.
c) Clench your bum at the top – your shoulders, hips and knees should be in a straight line. Lower back down in a slow, controlled movement
Want complete butt workouts? We’ve got you. Scroll on!
10 butt workouts to get a big bum
No need to trawl the internet for their ‘booty workouts’ (with super spicy bum exercises thrown in), we’ve done the hard graft and rounded up the bum workouts worth your time. Just remember to save time for a cool down at the end – it’ll save you from the worst of bum-focused delayed onset muscle soreness.
If you’re also wondering how often to do a bum workout, know that there’s no hard and fast rule – it comes down to what your goals are and what your lifestyle and personal commitments entail. Making it a regular occurrence (once to three times a week) as part of a larger lower body workout is more than suitable. It mostly comes down to what you have time for. Now, without any further ado, the 10 best bum workouts to try now.
1. Beyond lower-body and glutes bum burnout with Megan Grubb
She’s an Instagram sensation and all-around mega PT and Megan Grubb’s bum ‘burnout’ is here to set your glutes on fire. Inspired by her brand new fitness app, Beyond, Megan’s workout targets the legs and glutes, finishing with a spicy HIIT round for extra sweat. (Want more? Former WH junior fitness editor Kirsti Buick reviewed Megan’s new fitness app, Beyond.)
2. Home Booty GLOW Up bum workout with Stef Fit
Glute gains incoming, follow along with Stef Fit as she takes you through a challenging lower body workout. You’ll perform two circuits and a superset with minimal rest in between. Spoilers, it’s not easy but it is worth it. You’ll need a resistance band, dumbbell and a mat for this class.
3. Joe Wicks’ 6-minute bum workout
An oldie but goodie from The Body Coach (aka Joe Wicks), tack this six-minute workout onto the end of a workout to strengthen and tone your glutes. Joe has his own fitness app now too, so get around The Body Coach app if you want more JW in your life.
4. Beginner bodyweight bum exercises
Fitness star and WH contributor, Alice Liveing, coaches you through beginner exercises to tone your tush and your torso in one go.
5. Blogilates ‘Lift Your Butt’ butt workout
Expect a sweet, sweet burn in this glute circuit from fitness superstar Cassey Ho, a.k.a. Blogilates. Lots of reps paired with little rest means your muscles will fatigue more quickly leading to those much sought-after gains. The whole workout is only seven and a half minutes long so fight the urge to give up!
6. Koboko Fitness’ butt and hips home workout
Get straight into this home workout featuring some of our fave moves: fire hydrants, wide squats, glute bridges – everything you need to build a strong butt at home.
7. Zanna van Dijk’s no-kit bum workout
Work with Zanna in real-time as she takes you through her intense no-kit home bum workout. It’s gon’ burn. In a good way, of course.
8. Home bum workout
This workout has 3.3 million views on YouTube, so you know you’re not alone in trying to build the peach from home. It’s nine minutes long and will challenge even the strongest of posterior chains. Our advice? Try and work to your limit but take a break if you need it.
9. Bodyweight bum workout
Another you can do from the comfort of home. And, as trainer Zanna van Dijk shows, you don’t even need to put on your trainers. Her workout features hip thrust, leg raises, donkey kicks and glute bridges. Plus, absolutely zero weights.
10. Barbell butt workout
Fitness star and qualified trainer Krissy Cela reveals the seven moves in the gym weights section that really transformed her glutes. Spoiler: they are hip thrusts, sumo deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, split squats, glute bridges, walking lunges and abductions.
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Morgan Fargo is a freelance beauty and wellness editor. Her CV includes Women’s Health Magazine UK (and sister publication Women’s Health Australia), Stylist Magazine and more.
Bridie is Fitness Editor at Women’s Health UK. She spends her days sweating over new workouts, fitness launches and the best home gym kit so you have all that you need to get fit done. Her work has been published in Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and more. She’s also a part-time yoga teacher with a habit of nodding off mid savasana (not when she’s teaching, promise).
