When deciding which workout routines to incorporate in a single’s programming, getting the very best stimulus-to-effort ratio is essential. In case your objective is growing stronger, juicier glutes, losing time on less-than-optimal workout routines is, effectively, a waste.
In mid-March 2025, bodybuilder and health educator Jeff Nippard ranked what he believes the best glute exercises are and used current analysis to assist his decisions.
Nippard ranked workout routines with the next grades from finest to worst: S+, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, F-. Workouts have been ranked based mostly on the standard of stretch and pressure sustained, the consolation of coaching, and the capability for progressive overload to develop over time.
[Related: The Anatomy of Your Leg Muscles, Explained]
Glute Anatomy
The gluteals comprise three muscular tissues:
- Gluteus Maximus
- Gluteus Medius
- Hip Abduction
- Vital stabilizer for single-leg coaching
- Gluteus Minimus
Along with the trio of gluteus muscular tissues, the glutes could be divided into the higher, mid-, and decrease glutes.
Barbell Hip Thrust — B Tier
The barbell hip thrust is a well-researched train and has been proven to be an efficient glute builder. (1)(3)(4)(5) It prompts all three sections of the glute, biasing the mid-glute, because of more-targeted hip extension.
It’s easy to progress a barbell hip thrust by including weight plates whereas sustaining the identical kind when coaching.
Nippard’s points with barbell hip thrusts are the potential discomfort utilized to the entrance of the hip the place the barbell sits at heavier weights and the time it takes to arrange. There are barbell pads that may assist ease the stress a bit, although it might stay awkward.
Moreover, barbell hip thrusts sometimes supply a stretch of as much as 90 levels when carried out on a weight bench, which is considerably lower than the 130 levels potential. Barbell hip thrusts have been proven to elicit comparable mid-glute hypertrophy as squats, although Nippard suggests coaching each workout routines so the glutes are skilled in lengthened and mid-stretch positions. (2)
Nautilus Hip Thrust Machine — A Tier
Utilizing a hip thrust machine with a belt might clear up the consolation problem and velocity up the setup course of, as the one want is plate-loading. The added stability is a pleasant asset as effectively.
Nippard ranks machine hip thrusts as the very best train for the mid-glutes.
Single-Leg Dumbbell Hip Thrust — A Tier
These are simple to arrange, as solely a dumbbell is required. The unilateral facet of the workout routines requires extra stability, which locations plenty of stimulus on the medius and minimus.
Glute Bridge — B Tier
It’s just like a hip thrust however simpler to arrange as it may be accomplished from the ground. The draw back of glute bridges is even much less vary of movement.
Frog Pump — C Tier
Much like a glute bridge however with externally rotated hips and the soles of the toes collectively. The steadiness of frog pumps biases the medius, and the exterior rotation hits the Maximus.
The downsides are their problem to load and lack of deep stretch. Nippard feels they’re satisfactory as a finisher for glute coaching.
Again Squat — A Tier
Nippard praises barbell back squats for his or her deep stretch, hitting all three glutes. Their draw back is, as a compound motion, they aren’t glute-isolating. It isn’t essentially the most focused possibility for somebody targeted on glute hypertrophy. (6)
Deep squats are higher for constructing the glutes, so reps ought to break parallel. Low bar squats with a ahead lean present extra hip flexion and, due to this fact, practice the glutes in a extra lengthened place.
Smith Machine Squat — A Tier
Smith Machine squats are nice for his or her stability, permitting you to focus your mind-muscle connection extra on biasing the glutes. Stepping farther ahead within the place underneath the barbell will put extra emphasis on the glutes than the quads.
Bulgarian Break up Squat — A Tier
Bulgarian split squats (BSS) present a deeper glute stretch than barbell squats, hitting the higher glutes extra as a unilateral train.
BSS’s points are their problem to load — holding dumbbells makes grip a limiting issue and the way shortly they will burn out the quads.
Donkey Kicks — D Tier
Nippard isn’t a purchaser of donkey kicks. They don’t apply a lot pressure, even when utilizing a resistance band, and may’t actually be loaded within the stretched place.
Hearth Hydrants — D Tier
Much like donkey kicks however with exterior rotation as an alternative of extension, fireplace hydrants don’t supply a lot glute pressure. Whereas doubtlessly helpful for rehab and mobility, they’re a dud for hypertrophy.
Kickbacks — A Tier
Kickbacks are nice for the higher glutes when kicking up and out diagonally for the reason that glutes present hip extension and abduction. This train is comparatively secure, provided that one can grip the cable machine or weight bench.
Step Ups — A Tier
Nippard favors step-ups because the stretch is deep, and unilateral motion biases the glute stabilizers.
Machine Hip Abduction — S Tier
“Implausible for the higher glutes,” Nippard praised, recommending a ahead lean of 30 levels to supply the focused muscle fibers a greater stretch, working within the 15-20 rep vary. He considers this the very best higher glute train out there.
Cable Hip Abduction — B Tier
Whereas just like machine hip abductions, they’re much less secure and tougher to overload.
Lateral Banded Stroll — C Tier
The motion sample is just like the earlier hip abduction workout routines however supplies no stimulus within the stretch.
Strolling Lunge — S+ Tier
Walking lunges hit all three glutes via deep stretches, hip extension throughout concentrics, and stability necessities. Nippard considers them the very best of the very best glute-building workout routines.
Smith Machine Lunge — A Tier
Smith Machine lunges have all the identical advantages as strolling lunges, however Nippard feels extra motivated by strolling via area. That’s a private desire quite than a science-based one, so he nonetheless ranked them effectively.
Smith Machine Elevated Lunge — S Tier
All the advantages of a Smith Machine lunge however with a deeper stretch. Set it up by including a small platform to raise the beginning place.
Curtsy Lunge — B Tier
Whereas the soundness wanted to step again on a diagonal provides some higher glute profit, Nippard finds curtsy lunges extra awkward than a regular lunge and a bit tougher to load.
Standard Deadlift — B Tier
As a compound motion, deadlifts are extra fatiguing than focused actions regardless of the distinctive hip extension they supply. Deadlifts have a excessive stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, that means that whereas the stimulus is phenomenal, the fatigue concerned to carry out them can be steep. (7)
Sumo Deadlift — B Tier
There isn’t a big distinction in glute maximus exercise between sumo and conventional deadlifts. The exterior rotation presumes that the glute medius is best biased in a sumo place, due to this fact ranks it increased within the B tier as a glute builder in comparison with its typical counterpart.
Romanian Deadlift (RDL) — A Tier
Nippard ranks RDLs as the most suitable choice for glute hypertrophy among the many deadlifts. “It smashes the gluteus Maximus as a primary compound carry that’s simple to overload. He considers it the very best train for constructing the decrease glutes.
45-Diploma Again Extension — S Tier
Usually regarded as a decrease again train, again extension entails hip extension by driving the hips into the pad to increase the again. Rounding the again helps goal the glutes higher by easing the load on the erectors.
Cable Pull-By — B Tier
Nippard considers cable pull-throughs mediocre general. They’re simple to arrange however troublesome to load because the grip can be awkward and limiting at increased weights.
Kettlebell Swings — D Tier
Whereas kettlebell swings could be a nice cardio session, they don’t supply a lot in the best way of loading the glutes within the stretched place, and the strain of the hip thrust is misplaced to momentum.
Extra Coaching Content material
References
- Kassiano, Witalo & Kunevaliki, Gabriel & Costa, Daniella & Nunes, João Pedro & de Castro e Souza, Pâmela & Tricoli, Ian & Ribeiro, Alex & Cyrino, Edilson. (2024). Addition of The Barbell Hip Thrust Elicits Higher Will increase in Gluteus Maximus Muscle Thickness in Untrained Younger Ladies. Worldwide Journal of Energy and Conditioning. 10.47206/ijsc.v4i1.284.
- Plotkin, D. L., Rodas, M. A., Vigotsky, A. D., McIntosh, M. C., Breeze, E., Ubrik, R., Robitzsch, C., Agyin-Birikorang, A., Mattingly, M. L., Michel, J. M., Kontos, N. J., Frugé, A. D., Wilburn, C. M., Weimar, W. H., Bashir, A., Beyers, R. J., Henselmans, M., Contreras, B. M., & Roberts, M. D. (2023). Hip thrust and again squat coaching elicit comparable gluteus muscle hypertrophy and switch equally to the deadlift. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2023.06.21.545949. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.21.545949
- Contreras, B., Vigotsky, A. D., Schoenfeld, B. J., Beardsley, C., & Cronin, J. (2015). A Comparability of Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, and Vastus Lateralis Electromyographic Exercise within the Again Squat and Barbell Hip Thrust Workouts. Journal of utilized biomechanics, 31(6), 452–458. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.2014-0301
- McCurdy, Ok., Walker, J., & Yuen, D. (2018). Gluteus Maximus and Hamstring Activation Throughout Chosen Weight-Bearing Resistance Workouts. Journal of power and conditioning analysis, 32(3), 594–601. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001893
- Delgado, J., Drinkwater, E. J., Banyard, H. G., Haff, G. G., & Nosaka, Ok. (2019). Comparability Between Again Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Actions Throughout Hip Extension. Journal of power and conditioning analysis, 33(10), 2595–2601. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003290
- Kubo, Ok., Ikebukuro, T., & Yata, H. (2019). Results of squat coaching with totally different depths on decrease limb muscle volumes. European journal of utilized physiology, 119(9), 1933–1942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y
- ESCAMILLA, R. F., A. C. FRANCISCO, A. V. KAYES, Ok. P. SPEER, and C. T. MOORMAN, III. An electromyographic evaluation of sumo and standard type deadlifts. Med. Sci. Sports activities Exerc., Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 682–688, 2002.
Featured picture: @jeffnippard on Instagram