The 5 Best Glute Exercises (According to Science)

If you're looking to build your gluteus maximus (for simplicity's sake, the 'glutes'), it would make sense to pick the best exercises so that you are getting the most out of your workouts. Glute growth is actually pretty simple on paper if you follow the basic principles of hypertrophy (aka building muscle). So let's take a deep dive into how you can build that booty, the optimal way.

The three things that matter most when building your glutes (and the stuff that matters less)

If you take the time to read through the hundreds of research papers on building muscle, one idea you should take away is this: Mechanical tension is the main driver of muscle growth. That’s the tension inside the muscle fibers when you’re pushing hard against real resistance, especially when sets get challenging.

For hypertrophy, training needs to reliably deliver:

• High effective tension (work that’s actually hard, not just “busy”)

• Enough volume over time (hard sets stacked across weeks)

• A range-of-motion approach that doesn’t skip important positions (because where you load the muscle matters)

The “pump” can be fun. Soreness can feel validating. Sweat makes you feel like you did something heroic. But those aren’t the main levers of building muscle.

Why some exercises are better for your glutes than others (quick physics lesson)

Unfortunately, we can’t directly measure glute fiber tension in the gym. Nobody’s hooking your glute up to a tension meter between sets.

So the best evidence-informed way to estimate “tension potential” of each exercise is basically:

How much torque (force x lever arm) does the movement demand at the hip, and can you progressively load it with good form?

If an exercise creates a big hip extensor moment (torque requirement at the hip), it forces the hip extensors—glute max included—to contribute.

• In deep hip flexion (bottom of squats, split squats, deep leg press), the glute is more lengthened, but its moment arm decreases as hip flexion increases. Translation: the leverage changes, and the system may require high force contributions to extend the hip—especially when other muscles are disadvantaged.

• Near hip extension (top of hip thrusts), the glute is shorter, but its moment arm is larger, and you can often load the heck out of it safely and consistently.

  
  

So it’s not “this one is good, this one is trash.” It’s more like:

Different exercises load your glutes hard in different positions.

The Top 5 Glute Max Builders (evidence + mechanics + real-life repeatability)

1) Barbell Hip Thrust

If there’s one lift that wins the “most glute-specific, most repeatable, easiest to progressively load” contest, it’s the hip thrust.

Why it ranks #1:

• Longitudinal research shows hip thrust-only training can produce glute growth similar to squat-only training when set volume is matched (in novices).

• In a more “real life” program design, adding hip thrusts to a leg press + stiff-leg deadlift routine produced greater glute thickness increases than the routine without thrusts.

• Biomechanics supports it: hip thrusts are organized to demand large hip extensor torque, more than the knee or trunk in that analysis—so the glutes have to show up.

Also: hip thrusts are what I call a low drama exercise. Less technique chaos than deep squats. Less overall fatigue than heavy deadlifts. That matters if you’re the kind of person who skips workouts when they feel intimidating.

Simple cues that make it hit the glutes:

• Keep your ribs down, don't arch your back (don’t turn it into a low-back party)

• Posterior pelvic tilt near the top (think “tuck” without cramping)

• Shins close to vertical at the top

• Control the movement throughout the range of motion.

  
  

And yes, use a pad underneath the barbell. You don’t want a barbell digging into your pelvis... not fun.

2) Full-Depth (or at least parallel) Back Squat

Squats are still elite for glute growth especially when you train with real depth. In a controlled 10-week study, full squats increased glute max volume more than half squats. That makes sense because deep squats load the hips through bigger ranges and put the glutes in a more lengthened position.

How to bias a squat toward glutes (without turning it into a weird good-morning):

• Let your torso lean a bit (more trunk inclination tends to increase the hip-to-knee moment ratio)

• Push the floor away and keep knees tracking well

• Control the bottom of the movement

  
  

If squats beat you up, that doesn’t mean squats “don’t work for your body.” Sometimes it means your setup, your dosing, or your variation needs a tweak. (High-bar vs low-bar, heel wedge, safety bar, goblet squats for a phase—these are all options for tweaking.)

3) Bulgarian Split Squat (long stride, glute-biased)

This one is the silent assassin. People avoid it because it’s uncomfortable and humbling. Which, ironically, is why it works so well.

Biomechanics work shows split squat mechanics are highly adjustable:

• Longer step length increases hip angles and can increase peak hip extension moment, which nudges demand toward the glutes.

• It’s a hip-dominant pattern and lets you load the glutes in a lengthened-ish position with less absolute spinal loading than heavy bilateral squats.

We don’t have the same mountain of glute-only hypertrophy research trials or evidence here like we do for squats and hip thrusts, but from a mechanical tension + overload standpoint, it’s a strong candidate.

Glute-bias cues:

• Take a longer stride than you think

• Slight forward torso lean (controlled)

• Keep pressure through midfoot/heel of the front leg

• Don’t turn it into a tiny knee-dominant lunge

  
  

Also: if you train at a busy gym, Bulgarians are a social experiment. Someone will always stand exactly where you need to step back. Consider it character development.

4) 45° Leg Press (deep range, hip-biased setup)

The leg press is a little misunderstood. People either treat it like a quad-only move or like it’s not a real exercise. But it can be a great glute tool because it’s stable, repeatable, and you can load it heavy while staying close to failure without your balance limiting you (oh yeah, forgot to mention, you need pretty good balance for a good bulgarian split squat.

Evidence is more mixed here than the top three, likely because leg press technique varies wildly. But we do have program evidence showing leg press routines can increase glute thickness, and adding hip thrusts boosted gains further.

How to make leg press more glute-friendly:

• Go deep (as your hips allow without your pelvis rolling off the pad)

• Feet slightly higher on the platform

• Think “hips back” as you descend

• Control the bottom position, don’t cut depth just to add plates

5) Cable/Band Hip Extension (kickback variations)

This isn’t number 5 on the list because it’s weak, it’s number 5 because it’s an accessory exercise, and accessories are supposed to do accessory things. It's not meant to be the sole focus of your workout.

Kickbacks shine because they let you add glute-focused volume with low overall fatigue. That’s huge if you’re trying to build the glutes and still function like a normal human the next day.

The big win: you can rack up quality sets here after your big lifts without needing a 48-hour recovery nap.

Quick form note:

• Slight torso lean

• Keep pelvis square (don’t rotate your hips to “cheat” the range)

• Squeeze, but don’t turn it into a lower-back extension

Honorable Mentions for 'Best Glute Exercises'

There are a lot of phenomenal exercises that can target the glutes. I chose this top 5 for the reasons listed above, but these next few exercises are also fantastic additions.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL) or Conventional Deadlift

There are a few reasons why I did not put this exercise in the top 5. First of all, there is excellent evidence that deadlift variations show high levels of muscular activation through electromyography (EMG) studies. However, there is fairly limited evidence when it comes to actual glute growth.

Nonetheless, I still think this is an excellent exercise when done with proper form, and could definitely be thrown into your glute day routine.

Step-Ups

Another fantastic exercise that didn't quite make the top 5, and with very promising EMG research. This one is a bit harder to load up if you are using a taller box, meaning the amount of force through the hip extensors won't be as much compared to some of the other exercises here.

Sample Glute Training Plan (Weekly Breakdown)

Here’s a plan that works, is simple, and repeatable. Be sure to add your other muscle groups, cardio, and have a comprehensive plan.

The simple weekly template (2–3 days per week)

Day A (glute strength focus)

• Hip Thrust: 3–5 hard sets of 6–8 reps

• Bulgarian Split Squat: 2–4 hard sets of 8–12 reps/side

• Cable/Band Kickbacks: 2–3 sets of 12–20 reps

  
  

Day B (glute + legs, deeper positions)

• Deep Squat (or a squat variation you tolerate): 3–5 hard sets of 5–10 reps

• Leg Press (deep): 2–4 hard sets of 10–15 reps

• Optional Kickbacks or a glute bridge burnout: 1–2 sets

  
  

If you do two days, do A and B. If you do three days, you could repeat A with slightly fewer sets.

Effort target: most sets should end with about 1–3 reps left in the tank, but if you are an experienced lifter and have a spotter, you could take one or two sets to failure. Not every set needs to be a cinematic near-death experience, but it shouldn’t be easy either.

And yes... progression can be boring. For each workout, pick one of these progressions:

• add 5-10lbs

• add 1-2 rep(s)

• add 1 set

• improve depth or control

  
  

Boring is good when it comes to building muscle. Boring is what compounds. Boring is going to get your booty looking fantastic. Of course, if you want a bit more variety, I would recommend a custom training plan that is built based on your schedule, goals, equipment access, and experience level.

A quick reality check (because science is honest, and we should be too)

We still can’t produce a perfect numeric scoreboard that says, “This exercise creates 9.2 units of glute tension,” or "this exercise will add 2 inches to your glutes." Net joint moments estimate required torque, but multiple muscles share that work. The studies that I cited were often very short. People vary by training status. Measurement tools vary (MRI vs ultrasound thickness). And the long-muscle-length advantage is promising but not universal.

So the smart approach isn’t chasing certainty.

It’s stacking the best-supported moves—a deep hip flexion pattern + a hip extension-heavy pattern—and training them hard enough, long enough, consistently enough.

Key Points

If you’re trying to grow your glutes and you’re also trying to stay consistent, build your plan around:

1. Hip thrusts, or any hip hinge movements (heavy, repeatable, glute-specific)

2. Deep squats or glute-biased split squats (lengthened position loading)

3. Leg press + kickbacks (extra volume without wrecking your week)

Then show up again next week. And the week after that. And the week after that...

Because honestly? The best glute exercise is the one you’ll still be doing in eight weeks that is progressively heavier, slightly cleaner, and with a little more confidence than you had today.