Looking to lift and tone your glutes while shedding those extra pounds? Look no further! Incorporating simple yet effective exercises into your fitness routine can help you achieve a sculpted lower body and boost your weight loss efforts. Whether you’re a gym-goer or prefer working out at home, these exercises are designed to target your glutes and rev up your metabolism, helping you get fit and fabulous faster.
We checked in with Andrew White, a NASM-certified personal trainer and co-founder of garagegympro.com, Vivian Yu, co-founder of One Body Personal Training & Gym Near Me, personal trainer and physical therapist, and NASM-certified Personal Trainer, RRCA & USA Track & Field Certified Run Coach, USA Level III Cycling Coach, and Fitness Instructor, Meghan Kennihan, to learn about the 11 best exercises that can tone your glutes and also help with weight loss. Some of their suggestions included the bridge, clamshells, standing leg lifts, and more. Read on to discover all 11 and their benefits.
1. Bridge
When performing a bridge, you lift your hips towards the ceiling while squeezing your glutes. This contraction targets the gluteus maximus, helping to tone and strengthen the buttocks.
The bridge move also promotes hip mobility by encouraging a full range of motion in the hips, which is beneficial for overall lower body strength and flexibility.
"The bridge targets the glutes, hamstrings, and core. It enhances pelvic stability and can help alleviate lower back pain," says White.
Execution: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Lift your hips towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top. Hold for a few seconds before slowly lowering back down. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.
2. Single-Leg Circles
This exercise targets various muscles in the legs, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and inner and outer thigh muscles. The circular motion requires controlled movement, which helps to tone these muscles.
White states, "This exercise tones the thighs and hips while improving hip joint flexibility."
Execution: Lie on your back with one leg extended towards the ceiling. Circle the leg clockwise for ten reps, then counterclockwise for ten reps. Keep your movements controlled, and engage your core to ensure your hips stay still. Switch legs and repeat. Perform 2-3 sets per leg.
3. Side-Lying Leg Lifts
Side-lying leg lifts are a highly effective Pilates exercise for toning the glutes and legs. This move specifically targets the outer thigh muscles and the gluteus medius, helping to shape and strengthen the hip area. By lifting and lowering the leg with controlled movements, side-lying leg lifts engage and tone the muscles, improving overall leg definition and stability.
"Great for targeting the outer thighs and glutes, these are essential for sculpting the sides of the legs," notes White.
Execution: Lie on your side with your legs extended. Prop your head up with your hand or rest it on your arm. Lift the top leg upward while keeping it straight, then lower it back down without letting it touch the bottom leg. Repeat for 10–15 reps, then switch sides. Aim for 2-3 sets per side.
4. Pilates Squats
Proper form in Pilates squats requires core engagement throughout the exercise. This not only helps stabilize the body but also enhances the overall effectiveness of the squat by involving additional muscle groups.
White elaborates and says, "Pilates squats focus on the glutes, quads, and calves, promoting lower body strength."
Execution: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower your body into a squat while keeping your back straight and your chest lifted. Ensure your knees do not go past your toes. Press through your heels to return to the starting position. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.
5. Clamshells
Clamshells specifically target the gluteus medius, the muscle responsible for stabilizing the pelvis and supporting hip movement. By engaging this muscle, clamshells help tone and strengthen the sides of the buttocks.
"This exercise strengthens the gluteus medius and minimus, which are crucial for pelvic alignment and lateral stability," he says.
Execution: Lie on your side with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your legs stacked. Keep your feet together, and raise your top knee as high as possible without shifting your hips. Pause at the top, then lower back down. Perform 10-15 reps on each side for 2-3 sets.
6. Plank Leg Lifts
Plank Leg Lifts offer a dynamic and effective means of simultaneously toning the abdominal muscles and glutes. This workout not only strengthens the core muscles responsible for maintaining posture but also firms and tones the glutes.
Yu elaborates further on the benefits of this 2-in-1 exercise when it comes to your abs and glutes. "Starting in a plank position, this exercise requires lifting one leg at a time. This engages the glutes and demands stability from the abdominal muscles, making it a fantastic 2-in-1 exercise. This exercise is a powerhouse for core stability. The plank position itself is excellent for the abs, and adding leg lifts increases the challenge, requiring more strength from both the glutes and the core muscles. This combination is excellent for building a strong, toned physique."
Yu breaks down how to perform this workout properly: Start in a forearm plank position, ensuring your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels. Engage your core and lift one leg up, keeping it straight, then lower it back down. Alternate legs. Keeping your hips steady and avoiding sagging or picking up is important.
7. Pilates Bridge with Leg Extension
Pilates Bridge with Leg Extension is an exercise that targets and tones both the abdominal muscles and glutes effectively. This exercise not only strengthens and tones the core and glutes but also enhances overall stability and flexibility. Its integration of two essential muscle groups makes it an efficient and powerful addition to a Pilates routine, contributing to a more sculpted and strengthened midsection and posterior chain.
"This exercise effectively targets both the glutes and the abs. You engage the glutes by maintaining a bridge position, while the leg extension activates the abdominal muscles, particularly the lower abs. The sustained bridge pose ensures continuous engagement of the glute muscles, promoting muscle endurance and strength. The leg extension adds an element of instability, forcing the abs to work harder to maintain balance, thus enhancing core strength and definition," Yu says.
To perform this workout correctly, Yu instructs to follow the following steps: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Lift your hips to form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Extend one leg at a time while keeping your hips stable and elevated. Engaging your core and glutes throughout the movement is crucial to prevent strain on your lower back.
8. Lunges
Lunges are fantastic for toning glutes and shedding pounds because they engage multiple muscle groups and boost your metabolism. Because lunges are a compound exercise involving multiple muscle groups, they burn more calories than isolation exercises, aiding in weight loss.
Kennihan says that this move is “a unilateral exercise that targets each leg individually, making them great for building balanced glutes.”
Here’s how to perform lungesr:
1. Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Take a step forward with your right foot, keeping your chest up and core engaged.
3. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go. Your left knee should be hovering just above the ground.
4. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side and continue alternating legs for the desired number of reps.
9. Hip Thrusts
Hip thrusts specifically target the gluteus maximus, making them one of the most effective exercises for building and toning the glutes. Kennihan reveals to us that this exercise is the perfect isolation exercise to “specifically target the glutes."
Here are her instructions for completing them:
1. Sit on the ground with your back against a bench or sturdy object.
2. Place a barbell or weighted plate on your lap.
3. Bend your knees and plant your feet firmly on the ground.
4. Roll the barbell or weighted plate down your legs until it is resting on your hips.
5. Drive your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top.
6. Lower your hips back down to the starting position.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
10. Deadlifts
Deadlifts engage the gluteus maximus extensively, promoting muscle growth and definition in the glutes. Since deadlifts engage multiple large muscle groups, they require significant energy expenditure, leading to higher calorie burn during and after the workout.
“Deadlifts are a compound exercise that work the entire posterior chain, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back,” Kennihan tells us
11. Shoulder Bridges
The exercise strengthens the core and lower back muscles, improving overall functional strength and stability. Strengthening the glutes and lower back muscles helps in maintaining better posture and reducing the risk of lower back pain.
Plus, building muscle mass through exercises like shoulder bridges raises your resting metabolic rate, helping you burn more calories even at rest.
1. Lay on your back with your knees bent, feet and knees a fist distance apart.
2. Arms pressing long by your sides, maintaining weight evenly across your heels and the balls of both feet, lift your hips up.
3. Hold your hips up and lift one foot 1 inch of the mat
4. Set your foot down and repeat on the other side, marching right and left 5-10x.
