| Muscle | Where it is | What it does | Best exercises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gluteus maximus | The big muscle making up most of your bum | Straightens your hips: standing up, climbing, the top of a hip thrust | Hip thrust, Romanian deadlift, Bulgarian split squat |
| Gluteus medius | The side of your hip, partly under the maximus | Moves your leg out to the side; keeps your pelvis level on one leg | Side plank with leg raise, hip abduction machine, banded walks |
| Gluteus minimus | Underneath the medius | Works with the medius to move your leg out and steady your hip | The same exercises as the medius |
Gluteus maximus
The gluteus maximus is one of the largest muscles in your body, and it gives your glutes most of their size and shape. Its main job is hip extension: moving your thigh back behind you, or straightening your hips from a bent position. That's why the hip thrust, where you drive your hips up to straight, works it so well. See hip thrust.
Gluteus medius
The gluteus medius sits on the side of your hip. Every time you take a step, it keeps your pelvis from dropping on the other side. Training it adds fullness to the sides and top of your glutes. See gluteus medius exercises.
Gluteus minimus
The smallest of the three, it lies underneath the medius and does a similar job. You don't need separate exercises for it: anything that trains the medius trains the minimus too.
Bum muscles, booty muscles, glute muscles
They're all the same muscles. "Glutes" is short for the gluteal muscles, the proper name for the muscles of your bottom.
Why strong glutes matter
- Shape: your glutes are what gives your bottom its size and roundness.
- Everyday movement: they power standing up, climbing stairs and carrying things.
- Steady hips and knees: the side glutes keep your pelvis level as you walk and run.
- Lifting: strong glutes help with squats, deadlifts and lunges.
How to train all three
A good glute session includes a heavy hip extension for the maximus (hip thrust or glute bridge), a hinge (Romanian deadlift), a single-leg move (Bulgarian split squat) and abduction for the medius and minimus. Train them 2 to 3 times a week. See glute exercises for the full list.