The Best & Worst Glute Exercises (According To Science)

the glutes are one of the single most important muscles for building an impressive physique they're also one of the largest muscles in the body so regardless of whether you're a man or you're a woman building this one muscle

will make it immediately obvious that you lift from the side and the rear so in this video I'm ranking the best and worst glute exercises for muscle growth using the latest exercise signs we'll go

from s tier for super all the way down to F tier for fail and at the end I'll show you what I think are the very best and the very worst glute exercises of all time now in order to figure out

which exercises are better we need to understand some very basic glute Anatomy first the Glu are technically three distinct muscles there's the very large glutitis Maximus which is the real

powerhouse of your lower body it extends your hips like in a deadlift and externally rotates your leg like when you point your toes out there's the glutitis medius which is about 1/3 of the size of the glutitis Maximus but

it's still well worth focusing on it's still quite big it has about the same amount of muscle mass as your delts and since it sit on the upper glutes it'll enhance that appearance of a upper glute shelf the glute medius is very active

during hip abduction where you sweep your leg out to the side and it's a very important stabilizer so it's especially active during single leg exercises and there's the even smaller glute Minimus which is about half the size of the

glute medius but also plays a key stabilization role and can add size to the upper glutes in addition to being split into those three separate muscles your glutes can also be divided into an

upper middle and lower portion and as we go I'll reveal my number one exercise for each division of the glutes hidden behind these three doors so keep in mind that just because an exercise gets into

s tier doesn't necessarily mean it's s tier for the entire glutes it might be S tier for targeting one specific area and here's my criteria for ranking glute exercises to get into s tier the

exercise needs to provide high tension especially in the stretched position it should feel good which means it doesn't cause knee hip or low back pain and there should be some way of progressing the exercise over time which is

ultimately what'll keep your glutes growing okay let's start with the most popular glute exercise on the internet the hip thrust the barbell hip thrust is oddly enough one of the more studied movements in all of exercise science

there's a pile of studies showing that it is in fact very effective at growing the glutes the hip thrust will activate the entire glute the upper middle and lower but mainly Target that middle meat

because it isolates hip extension it's a great movement for Progressive overload you can almost always add a little weight each week while keeping your form tight I don't think you need a 500 hip thrust to grow your glutes but if your glutes are getting stronger on this

movement somewhere in the 5 to 15 rep range then your glutes are also getting bigger there is a slight issue though a lot of people find that the barbell pinches their hips you can alleviate this to some degree by using a big cushy

pad or even rolling up some yoga mats or by strategically placing the bar in that cushy crease of your hip below the anterior superior iliac spine and above the pubic bone but even if you avoid that painful pinching it can still feel

awkward it also takes time to set up especially if you don't have a hip Thruster platform or if you're loading a lot of plates the hip thrust also doesn't get the glutes into a super deep stretch even a deep range of motion hip

thrust only gets the glutes into about 90° of hip flexion compared to the 130° of range that's possible for most lifters but this isn't as much of a deal breaker as you might think I don't know

that the glutes need a Ultra deep stretch to grow a recent 9we study with untrained subjects found that the hip thrust was just as effective as the squat at growing the glutes despite the fact that the squat does stretch the

glutes more now that's just one study other research does suggest that the glutes respond well to deeper training so like other muscles I suspect the glutes will grow best from a combination of exercises that challenge them in a

more stretched position like the squat plus exercises that challenge them in a more shortened position like the hip thrust as an overall glute Max Builder I'm putting the barbell hip thrust into

high B tier now if you have access to a good hip thrust machine like this Nautilus glute Drive I think you can solve a few of those issues the belt is much more comfy than a barbell you also don't need to set anything up up and

because the machine is very stable you won't need to use any balance and should be able to focus on engaging your glutes better I personally do these every single week and I think they belong in high a tier and I'm actually going to

pick them as my number one option for the middle aspect of the glutes their only downside as I see it is the lack of a really deep stretch but we'll pick that up with some other exercises another really good option is the single

leg dumbbell hip thrust these will hit the entire glutes but unlike the other options May shift some emphasis to the upper glutes because the glute me medius and Minimus will need to stabilize for balance you can also prevent left to

right muscle imbalances by focusing on each glute individually and I don't like to go heavy here just stick to 12 to 15 reps and really focus on controlling the movement they're going in a tier as well the glute bridge is really just a hip

thrust but with less range of motion they're a bit easier to set up because you don't need a bench and they're great for beginners because they require less stabilization some people also say they can isolate their glutes more with these by taking some of the quads out but I

still prefer the hip thrust because it has more range of motion low B tier frog pumps are also kind of like a hip thrust except you externally rotate your hips and clamp your feet together this will shift some emphasis to the upper glutes

since abducting your hips will Engage The glute medius more actually don't hate these as a high rep finisher but they're hard to load which forces you to use really High Reps and they don't stretch the glutes very well I'm putting

them in high CER all right so let's take a look at some exercises that actually do stretch the glutes quite a lot we'll start with squats I think squats are a super underrated glute Builder on social media like the hip thrust you're

extending your hips so you'll activate all regions of the glutes but especially that middle chunk I would say most of my own glute development does come from squats and my background and powerlifting the only potential downside of squats is that they don't really

isolate the glutes well you get a huge quad stimulus too so if you're only trying to grow your glutes without growing your quads squats aren't your best option that said you can make the movement more glute dominant by placing

the bar a few inches lower on your back leaning further forward and focusing on really driving through your hips also research shows that squatting deeper is important for glute growth so try to at least break parallel despite some

limitations I'm still putting the barbell squat in a tier for glute growth with a Smith machine squat you can place your feet further forward to make it more glute dominant and you never need to worry about losing your balance it's

also going in a tier the Bulgarian split squat gets a deeper stretch on the glutes than the standard barbell Squat and because they're single leg in addition to the middle glutes you'll get the upper glutes more involved to make

them even more glute focused place your front foot further forward and lean forward as you squat again think about driving through your hips rather than just standing up with your knees this will help you engage your glutes a lot

better these are very close to S tier but they are a bit harder to overload especially if you do them with dumbbells they also smoke your quads and are a really exhausting movement in general I usually do two sets per leg and call it

there I'm Feeling High a tier before I get to our first s tier exercise let's knock out a couple Duds donkey kicks probably don't grow your glutes very well they're really hard to overload even with a band you're still getting

very little tension while the glutes are stretched and it's hard to progressively overload using a band anyway I think they're solid as a warm-up activation drill or to help beginners feel their glutes engage but as a glute hypertrophy

exercise these are going in low D tier fire hydrants have similar issues they just don't get high tension on the glutes they can work for Mobility or in rehab contexts but I'm putting them in low D tier as a glute Builder all right

let's look at some exercises that Target the upper glutes hibs are great for the upper glutes especially if you kick up and out diagonally that's because the upper glute fibers perform both hip

extension which is the up part and hip abduction which is the out and diagonally part Kickbacks are actually very stable if you brace Against the Machine and perhaps even more stable if you brace against a bench the resistance

profile should feel nice and smooth you don't get the biggest stretch but that can be made up with other exercises that we'll get to I don't do a whole lot of Kickbacks myself but I do think they're a really great option if you like them or if you want to isolate the glutes

without hitting quads I'm thinking low a tier step up so Target the upper glutes because you're doing one leg at a time and the stability requirement in enges the glute medius and Minimus they get a deep stretch on the entire glute

especially if you set the Box a little higher at or just above knee level which will force your glutes to work harder than your quads if you have a handle to grab onto you can keep your balance better and overload the glutes even more they can be a bit awkward at first but

once you learn how to engage your glutes more than your quads I think they're killer low a tier machine hip abductions are fantastic for the upper glutes that's because they really challenge the

glute medius and Minimus directly through their primary function of hip abduction if you Lean Forward by about 30° you'll improve the line of pull of those upper glute fibers and you should feel a deeper stretch at the bottom I

usually do these for 15 to 20 reps although heavier low rep work is also good you can always progressively overload the movement by just increasing the pin weight and when you eventually max out the stack you can use a gym pin to add more if you want a little extra

range of motion you can add an extra pad on the inside and while it may not be the best overall glute Builder it's just so good at targeting the upper glutes and for that reason it's our first exercise going into s tier and it's also

my number one exercise for the upper glutes making it the reveal behind door number one cable hip abductions do the same basic thing but I find them harder to overload they're not quite as stable and they're a bit more annoying to set

up I'm thinking B tier the lateral banded walk is the same basic movement pattern but the band offers virtually zero tension in the stretch these are fine enough as a warm-up drill or for helping people engage their glute medius better but they're just not going to add

much meat to your glutes unless you're a beginner I'm putting them in C tier okay speaking of stretching the glutes let's talk about lunges lunges will hit the enti higher glute you'll get the upper glutes because of glute medius

activation due to the stabilization demands you'll get the mid glutes from the hip extension and the lower glute area from the deep stretch as you lunge you can accentuate that stretch by taking longer strides forward and by

leaning slightly forward by about 30° there are many different ways to do lunges but I like old school walking lunges the best I like the idea that you're moving through space it gives you something to actually work toward rather

than just doing reps on the spot I find that more motivating and sure while you can probably get a slightly better stretch with Bulgarian split squats if you take big steps on lunges you'll feel a massive glute stretch too and even

though soreness isn't everything I get more sore from lunges than anything else I'm a huge fan of walking lunges and I'm sending them straight to S tier Smith machine lunges have all the same benefits but again I just don't like

doing all my reps on the spot when I have the option to move through space that's more of a personal preference thing but I'm still putting these in high a tier if you elevate your front foot on a small box you'll get a bit

more range of motion at the bottom which is just enough to sneak these into s tier with curtsy lunges you step back diagonally behind your other leg this requires more balance meaning it'll activate the glute medius more so

another good option for the upper glutes that said I think because they're harder to overload I don't think they're quite as good as a standard lunge they're definitely an option you can include every now and then but I'm feeling low B

tier okay let's cover three lower glute Builders first up the deadlift the conventional deadlift is a good glute Builder since it trains hip extension it gives a big stretch on the lower glutes and it's amazing for Progressive

overload the issue is it's just such a fatiguing exercise physically and psychologically this is why it's said to have a low stimulus to fatigue ratio you get a lot of stimulus but you also get a

lot of fatigue especially in muscles other than the glutes like the spinal Erectors as a strength Builder it's elite but as a glute hypertrophy exercise I have to put it in low B tier the Sumo deadlift is very similar this

EMG study found no difference in glute Maximus EMG activity between conventional and Sumo stances that said because of the hip abduction and hip external rotation from The Wider stance and the foot flare the Sumo deadlift

probably does hit the glute medius harder and might shift some emphasis toward the upper glutes I'm putting it in high B tier as a glute Builder the Romanian deadlift is the better choice for glute hypertrophy in my opinion

especially for the lower glutes in that glute hamstring tie-in area and while it does hit the hamstrings hard as well it smashes the glute Max as a basic compound lift that's very conducive to Progressive overload I'm Feeling High a

tier and this is actually my number one exercise for the lower glutes but it's not my number one exercise of all before we get to that let's knock out three final exercises one that I love one that

I hate and one that's just okay I love the 45° back extension a lot of people think of it as just a low back exercise but since you're extending your hips your entire glutes will be very active

in both the lengthen position at the bottom and the shortened position at the top I prefer to overload these by adding reps but you can still work up to Some solid weight by holding plates to your chest if you round your upper back on

these you should be able to connect with your glue much better I'm honestly feeling s tier for these cable pull throughs are okay for me they're great for beginners without much glute strength but eventually you'll be limited by how much weight you can hold

comfortably they just start to feel awkward once you get some real weight on there I'm thinking low be here I'm not a big fan of kettle bell swings you can definitely get a good cardio workout with these and I think they do have some

utility for building explosive power but for glute hypertrophy you're just not getting enough tension low D tier okay and if I had to pick just one exercise from s tier to raise it up to S Plus as

the best of the best I think I'd have to go with the walking lunge I realize that's a hot take but these are all great glute Builders and if I had to personally just pick one I think it would be the walking lunge and I'll go

with the donkey kick or the fire hydrant as the worst of the worst not because they can't have their place as warm-up drills but it's just really hard to reach high glute tension for muscle growth I'm actually really trying to bring up my own glutes this year so I'm

doing a ton of hip thrusts hip abductions and walking lunges but it's not enough to just dial your training in your diet is also crucial you need need to ensure that you're eating the right number of calories and protein to

support muscle growth and so many people still underestimate the impact of diet on your physique dialing in my own diet over the last year made a gigantic difference in my progress so if you'd like to get on track yourself you can

download my nutrition app macro factor for 2 weeks for free if you use code Jeff and I'll put a link to that over here next to my head all right that's it for this one guys thank you so much for watching don't forget to leave me a thumbs up if you enjoyed the video

subscribe if you haven't already and I'll see you all here in the next one