The 3-day glute week
This week trains your glutes three times, each day with a different focus. Rest at least a day between sessions. The home swap lets you do any session with dumbbells and a band.
Day 1: heavy hip thrust
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Home swap |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell hip thrust | 4 × 6–10 | Dumbbell hip thrust on a sofa |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | Dumbbell Romanian deadlift |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 × 8–12 each leg | Same, back foot on a sofa |
| Hip abduction machine | 3 × 12–20 | Seated banded abduction |
Day 2: single leg and side glutes
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Home swap |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse lunge | 3 × 10–12 each leg | Same, holding dumbbells |
| Single-leg Romanian deadlift | 3 × 10 each leg | Same |
| Cable kickback | 3 × 12–15 each leg | Banded kickback |
| Side plank with leg raise | 2 × 10–15 each side | Same |
Day 3: lighter, higher reps
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Home swap |
|---|---|---|
| Glute bridge (paused at the top) | 3 × 12–15 | Same, dumbbell on your hips |
| Goblet squat | 3 × 10–12 | Same |
| 45° back extension | 3 × 12–15 | Floor reverse hyperextension |
| Banded lateral walk | 2 × 15 steps each way | Same |
A beginner version: 2 days a week
New to training? Start with two sessions a week and learn each movement with a light weight.
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Glute bridge or hip thrust | 3 × 12 |
| Goblet squat | 2 × 10 |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 × 10 |
| Banded lateral walk | 2 × 12 steps each way |
Do the same 4 exercises both days. When you can do every set with good form and a couple of reps left in the tank, add a little weight.
Using the glute machines at the gym
- Hip thrust machine: quicker to set up than a barbell. Set the pad across your hips and drive up until your hips are level with your knees.
- Hip abduction machine: sit tall to train the side glutes, or lean forward slightly to shift the work higher.
- Cable kickback: attach the ankle strap, hinge forward slightly, and kick back and slightly out.
- 45° back extension: round your upper back slightly and push your hips into the pad, so your glutes do the work rather than your lower back.
How to make progress
- Effort: end each set with only 1 to 3 more reps in the tank.
- Progress: add a rep, then add weight once you reach the top of the rep range on every set.
- Frequency: twice a week grows a muscle more than once a week, for the same total work (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).
- Volume: about 10 or more hard sets a week for your glutes. Muscle growth increased with weekly sets up to at least that level (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).
Butt workout or booty workout?
A butt workout, a booty workout and a glute workout are the same thing. The words change; the exercises don't. The workout above is all you need.