Where Are The Upper Glutes?
When trying to grow a specific area of our body, it’s crucial that we incorporate exercises into our routine that target the correct muscles.
Given this, when designing an effective upper glute workout, the muscles we’d need to train are the gluteus medius and the top half of the gluteus maximus muscle.Â
The gluteus medius is the uppermost gluteal muscle in the body, sitting on the outside of the hip joint and tucked underneath the gluteus maximus.
Since the gluteus medius is responsible for lateral leg movements (bringing the leg out to the side), we will incorporate exercises that reflect this movement. The best example of this would be abduction exercises.Â
At the same time, we need to include hip extension exercises that subject the glutes to the most resistance when they are contracting. This helps us to activate the upper portion of the gluteus maximus.
Knowing all this, we can ensure that we choose the most effective exercises for building strong upper glutes during our butt workouts!
Benefits of Stronger Upper Glutes
Aside from the aesthetic reasons for training the upper glutes, incorporating exercises that build strong glute muscles has many (and sometimes quite surprising) health benefits. These include:
- Improved stability and balance
- Reduced lower back pain
- Reduced risk of injury when running due to proper hip and knee alignment
- Improved posture
- Better athletic performance (particularly in compound movements such as squats and deadlifts)
8 Best Upper Glute Exercises
1. Hip Thrusts
Equipment Needed: Barbell or Dumbbell
How to perform the hip thrust:
- Sit on the floor with your upper back resting against a sturdy bench. Roll a barbell or place a dumbbell onto your lap, positioning it just above your hips. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart.
- Brace your core and drive through your heels as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees at the top of the movement.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top, then slowly lower back down.
2. Glute Bridges
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell or Resistance Band
How to perform the glute bridge:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart. Place a dumbbell on your hips or wrap a resistance band around your thighs just above the knees for added resistance.
- Brace your core and press through your heels as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. At the top, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Squeeze your glutes at the peak, then slowly lower back down to the starting position.
3. Cable Step Ups
Equipment Needed: Cable Machine with D-Handle Attachment
How to perform the cable step-up:
- Set up the cable machine with the D-handle at the lowest setting. Hold the handle in your right hand and stand facing away from the machine with a bench or step in front of you. Step your right foot onto the bench, keeping a slight bend in your knee and your chest upright.
- Push through your right heel to step up, driving your left knee up as you reach full extension with your right leg.
- Keep the movement controlled as you lower back down, allowing your left foot to tap the floor softly before starting the next rep.
- Repeat for the required repetitions on one side, then switch the handle to your left hand to work the other side.
4. Abduction Machine
Equipment Needed: Abduction Machine
How to perform the abduction machine exercise:
- Sit on the abduction machine and adjust the knee pads so they’re comfortably positioned on the outside of your knees. Set the resistance level to suit your fitness level.
- Slightly lean forward, keeping your spine neutral and core braced. You can either grasp the handles or the machine itself for stability.
- Press your knees outward against the pads, focusing on squeezing the outer glutes at the end of the movement.
- Slowly bring your knees back together to the starting position, maintaining control of the weight.
5. Cable Machine Glute Kickback
Equipment Needed: Cable Machine with Ankle Strap Attachment
How to perform the glute medius kickback:
- Attach the ankle strap to the cable machine at the lowest setting and secure it around your right ankle. Stand facing the machine with a slight bend in your standing knee for balance, and hold onto the machine for support.
- Engage your core and, with control, kick your right leg back and slightly outward at a 45-degree angle.
- Focus on squeezing the glute medius at the top of the movement.
- Slowly bring your leg back to the starting position, resisting the pull of the cable.
- Repeat for the required repetitions, then switch the strap to the other ankle.
6. Hyperextensions
Equipment Needed: Hyperextension Bench or Stability Ball
How to perform the hyperextension:
- If using a hyperextension bench, adjust the bench so your hips rest comfortably on the padded area while your feet are secured under the footpads. If using a stability ball, position yourself face down with your hips resting on the ball and your feet anchored on the ground.
- With your body in a straight line, engage your core and slowly lower your upper body toward the floor while keeping your neck neutral. Focus on hinging at the hips rather than rounding your back.
- To return to the starting position, squeeze your glutes and lift your torso back up, ensuring your body remains straight and controlled throughout the movement.
7. Curtsey Lunges
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells (optional)
How to perform the curtsy lunge:
- Start by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. If using weights, hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Step your right leg diagonally behind your left, crossing it as if you’re performing a “curtsy.” Keep your chest up and core engaged as you bend both knees to lower into a lunge position. Your front knee should be aligned over your toes, and your back knee should hover just above the ground.
- Press through your left heel to return to the starting position, focusing on squeezing your glutes.
- Repeat for the required repetitions on one side before switching legs.
8. Fire Hydrants
Equipment Needed: Yoga Mat and/or Resistance Band (both optional)
How to perform the fire hydrant:
- Start on all fours on your mat, with your wrists aligned under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Keep your back flat and core engaged to maintain stability.
- While keeping your knee bent, lift your right leg out to the side, leading with your heel as if you’re a dog at a fire hydrant.
- Raise your leg until it’s parallel to the floor, ensuring your hip stays square and your core remains tight.
- Pause at the top for a moment, squeezing your glutes, then lower your leg back to the starting position with control.
- Repeat for the required repetitions on one side before switching to the left leg.
How To Train For Effective Upper Glute Growth
Heavy Weight Low Repetition Sets
Begin your booty sessions with compound exercises such as hip thrusts or step-ups, and choose a weight that can be lifted for a challenging 6-8 reps.
By starting your glute workout with heavier compound exercises, you are taking advantage of your ‘fresh’ muscles meaning you can focus your energy on progressing in these lifts.
It’s important to consistently push your boundaries and aim to lift heavier weights over time (as long as you’re using the correct technique and doing this safely of course!) since this encourages muscular adaptations, aka muscle growth, to occur.
In the strength and conditioning world, this training method is known as progressive overload.
Increasing the weight is just one way you can promote quicker muscle growth (and therefore see results much faster!), If you would like other ideas on how you can include progressive overload in your training, check out my post, which contains all my best tips for optimal glute growth!
Saying all this, make sure you never try to lift a weight that is WAY too heavy. Progressive overload should be a gradual increase in intensity, so if a weight is causing you to perform reps with poor technique, simply lower the weight until you can complete the set with good form. This is key for injury prevention.
Get That Booty Pump Before You Leave!
At the end of your workout, I advise adding a couple of high-repetition, lower-weight sets of upper glute exercises to achieve a quick booty pump.
A muscle pump is a phenomenon that occurs when a muscle is subjected to a high volume of stress under a shorter period of time, giving the appearance of greater inflated muscles.
Despite heavyweight, lower repetition sets being a strong foundation for those seeking to achieve muscle hypertrophy (which is just a fancy name for muscle growth), these her rep, lower weight ‘pump’ sets are shown to significantly impact the results you get from resistance training.
Research suggests that for optimal muscle hypertrophy to occur, an individual should aim to include both training methods in their weekly sessions for the targetted muscle group.
This is supported by Brett Contreras (otherwise known as the ‘Glute Guy’, who highlights from his ‘Rule of Thirds’ principle the importance of including both heavy, medium, and light weights in each session for varying amounts of repetitions.
Try implementing this technique at the end of your next glute workout and watch the dramatic results take place in no time at all!
Take Advantage Of Equipment Available To You
Adding equipment such as short resistance bands can be an effective way to activate the upper gluteal muscles (and improve your mind-muscle connection if you struggle to feel your glutes!).
These resistance bands make your glutes work harder under a greater amount of stress, meaning your booty will be on fire once you complete each set!
I recommend purchasing some short resistance bands for all gym-goers and home workout gals who are eager to spice up their booty workouts quickly and easily, without spending too much money on extra equipment!
PS, most of the exercises included in this post can be performed with a resistance band!
Eat Enough ProteinÂ
What you do outside of the gym is just as important for building strong glutes, and that includes your diet!
Make sure you prioritise eating enough protein so that your body can effectively build muscle mass while you’re resting. It would be a shame to waste a workout after all your hard work!Â
My top tip would be to centre your meals around your protein – whether that’s eggs at breakfast, chicken at lunch, or tofu at dinner – and let the rest of your plate fall into place around it.
And if your someone who naturally struggles to eat a lot, I’d suggest adding a high quality protein powder to your smoothie or yoghurt bowls for a quick and easy protein boost!
Recommended: 9 Smart Yet Easy Ways To Eat More Protein Daily
Upper Glute Exercises FAQs
Exercises including hip thrusts, glute bridges, hyperextension, curtsey lunges and abductions are all great for effectively targeting the upper glute muscles.
For optimal glute growth, individuals should train their glutes 2-3 times a week maximum. This allows for adequate rest and muscle recovery so the individual can perform at their best during their glute workouts. During each booty session, 2-3 glute exercises should be included for best results.
You can absolutely see dramatic results in the appearance of your glutes by performing bodyweight exercises or using resistance bands. For best results, ensure that you are incorporating progressive overload into your weekly sessions so that your glute muscles continue to be challenged.
You may be able to see noticeable changes in your glutes in as little as 4 weeks of consistent training, however for some, results may take up to 8-12 weeks to become noticeable. For faster results, ensure that you are consuming sufficient protein and eating enough calories for muscle growth to occur.
Yes! Performing upper glute exercises such as barbell hip thrusts can promote better posture and help alleviate lower back pain.
This post contains 8 upper glute exercises you should add to your next booty workout. Don’t forget to share and save for later!
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