8 Side Glute Exercises To Make That Booty Pop! (Gym-Based)

Discover all the best side glute exercises you can implement into your gym workout routine straight away!

As a female body transformation coach, my clients often ask me to help make their glutes bigger and better in the most time-efficient manner possible.

There are so many factors that go into building strong glutes that pop, however, I found that clients who had previously tried to achieve this goal alone were missing one of the most simple tricks in the book… targeting the side glutes!

Not only is training these muscles crucial for improving hip stability and reducing back and knee pain- but developing the side glutes can help add more shape to the lower body!

If you’re new to glute training, then it can be difficult to think of exercises that help isolate this important muscle for glute growth.

To help speed up your glute development journey, I have compiled a list of my top 8 favourite side glute exercises you can perform at the gym. These should inspire you to add a little more variety to your glute days and keep you motivated to continue smashing your workouts!

When I use the term ‘side glutes’, I’m primarily referring to the gluteus medius muscle.

This muscle is (you guessed it) located on the outer side of your glutes, underneath the famous gluteus maximus, attaching to both the outside of the hip and upper thigh bone.

One of the main functions of the gluteus medius is to help with hip abduction. This occurs when the thigh is moved out to the side of our body- a movement pattern that will become very familiar to you after reading this post!

Given its location in the body, it’s easy to understand why targeting and growing the side glutes through exercise is essential for creating a fuller and rounder-looking bum.

All we need to do is train this muscle, alongside the other glute muscles, and fuel our bodies correctly to encourage muscle growth in the booty area!

If you want to learn all about how to optimally train for glute growth, as well as receive a complete glute training workout, I recommend downloading my FREE Glute Builder E-Book below. (I know what you’re thinking. But YES, all this information is genuinely free for you to use to your advantage!)

The abductor machine is one of my absolute favourites and a staple in my glute workout routines. It’s convenient, time-efficient, and found in most commercial gyms.

This machine is so easy to learn to use, making this one of the most beginner-friendly side glute exercises to do at the gym!

How to perform abductions using the abductor machine:

• Sit with your legs on the inside of the two pads and your feet are resting on the supports below. Adjust the machine so the pads are as close as they can be together, with your knees and upper thigh gently resting on them.
• Keep your back straight and slightly tilt your body forward. Then push out with your knees as far as you can comfortably go.
• Pause at this point for a second, then slowly bring your knees back together. Try not the let the weight fully drop back down (I stop bringing my legs together once the weight is about to touch the stack of weights).
• Repeat this movement for the desired amount of reps.

These are a recent obsession of mine and using the Smith machine to perform them is no joke! You’ll feel the burn in your side glutes guaranteed while performing this exercise.

How to perform lateral step-ups on the Smith machine:

• Position a bench or elevated platform that comes to around knee level underneath the barbell of the Smith machine. It should be slightly off-centre, to allow room for your body when stepping onto the bench.
• Stand just in front of the barbell and put the closest foot to the bench on top. Rest the back of your shoulders on the bar.
• Keeping your body weight in the heel of your elevated foot, push into it to drive your body upwards.
• Once your leg is fully extended, begin to slowly lower your body by bending the elevated knee.
• As soon as the toes of the free-hanging leg touch the ground, repeat this movement by pushing into the heel of the elevated foot again.

These are quick, easy to get the hang of, and super effective for targeting the gluteus medius muscles. All you need is a single dumbbell and you’ll be well on your way to huge glute gains!

How to perform dumbbell sump squats:

• Grab a dumbbell and move to an area with available floor space.
• Hold the dumbbell between your legs, with your back straight. Move your feet into a sumo stance (your feet should be wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed slightly outwards).
• Tighten your core while pushing your hips back and bend your knees to lower the dumbbell towards the ground. Your knees should bend in alignment with the direction of your toes.
• Pause at the bottom for a second then engage your glutes to bring your body up to the starting position.

This is very similar to dumbbell sumo squats, except this time the weight will be hanging from you via a belt! Not all gyms have this machine but if your gym does have a sumo squat machine, be sure to give it a go and see which exercise you prefer.

How to perform belt squats:

• Put the belt comfortably resting just above your hips and attach it to the lever that will help you lift the weighted plates on the machine.
• Position your lower body into a sumo stance (feet wide with toes slightly pointed outwards) and hold onto the supports.
• Keeping your core tight and back neutral, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body and the weight attached.
• Slowly lower yourself until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground and then push through your heels to bring your body back up to the starting position.

The B-Stance is another specialised training style that involves using one leg more than the other when performing an exercise. Think of an 80:20 split in workload.

This is beneficial when looking to target the side of your glutes since the gluteus medius is also heavily involved in hip/thigh rotation.

How to perform B-Stance RDLs with rotation:

• Begin by positioning your feet into b-stance (place the toe of the supporting leg at the heel of the primary working leg and take half a step backwards). Hold the dumbbell in the opposite hand to the primary working leg.
• Engage your core, hinge at your hips and keep a soft bend in your working leg knee to initiate the lowering of the dumbbell. Your supporting leg should stay on its toes.
• As you lower, slowly rotate your hips so that your torso begins to face the direction of your working leg. It should be the hips driving this rotation, not your arm.
• Once you feel a good stretch in your side glutes, hold this position for a second and then engage your glutes and hamstrings to slowly reverse this movement.
• Your torso should return to a neutral position and your hips square. Remember to keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement to protect your spine.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this exercise- trust me- your glutes will be on fire by the end!

How to perform dumbbell side lunges:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in front of your chest with both hands (in a goblet position).
• Take another large step outwards with one leg, so your feet are now wider than hip-width apart.
• Engage your core and shift your weight onto your right side. Bend your right leg and slightly push your hips back to lower your body. Keep your back straight and chest upwards.
• Once your thigh is parallel to the floor (or you’re as low as your flexibility permits), push through the heel of your right foot to bring yourself back to the standing position.
• Repeat this movement on the other side and alternate for the desired number of repetitions.

The glute medius kickback can be a little confusing to perform at first, however with practice I’m sure it will become one of your favourite ways to isolate the glute medius muscle.

Using slow, controlled movements is key with this exercise since this allows us to better focus on mind-to-muscle connection and master our technique for the best results!

How to perform glute medius kickbacks:

• Lower the cable pulley to around knee height and stand perpendicular to the cable.
• Secure the ankle strap around your working leg (the one that will be moving), then take a step backwards and rotate your body around 30 degrees.
• Hold the rail for support and lift the working leg off the ground.
• Slowly bring the working leg towards the cable machine and then kick back and out, squeezing your glutes at the top portion of the movement. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
• Keep the rest of your body as still as possible and engage your core while performing this exercise.

This is another quick exercise for effectively targeting your side glutes. I advise using a moderately heavy plate, dumbbell or kettlebell and using slow and controlled movements to help focus on using the glute medius to lift the weight.

How to perform standing weighted abductions:

• Grab a weighted plate, dumbbell or kettlebell and position yourself next to a wall (or anything else you can use to help balance) and hold the weight on the thigh of the leg furthest from the wall. This is your working leg.
• Engage your core and bend your supporting leg slightly, lifting the working leg just off the ground.
• Focusing on recruiting your side glutes, lift the working leg directly out to the side. Hold this position at the top for a second, squeezing into your side glute. The rest of your body should remain as still as possible.
• Slowly lower the leg to return to your starting position and repeat for the required number of reps.

This post contains 8 side glute exercises you can do at the gym. Don’t forget to save this post for later!

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