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You may be able to boost the size of your glutes with exercises like squats and lunges.
Your backside boasts the
Not only do these muscles help you walk, sit, run, and jump, but they’re also famous for their curvaceous appearance. Like most other body parts, though, glutes can vary in their shape and tone. And if your glutes aren’t as big as you’d like, there are ways to help boost the size of these muscles.
Let’s get into the strategies you can use to kick your rear into gear to achieve the bigger, firmer booty you want.
Ready to add some mass to your backside? You can perform the following butt-boosting exercises in one workout, or you can add them to a lower body or full body routine at least 2 days per week.
Start out slowly with just one set of each exercise. As the exercises get easier to do, you can work up to two or three sets of each.
Safe for beginners, the glute bridge isolates and strengthens your glute muscles, hamstrings, and core while also improving stability in your hips.
How to do this exercise:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet planted on the floor. Place your arms at your sides with palms flat on the ground.
- Contract your abdominals and glute muscles, press your feet into the floor, and lift your hips off the floor. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to knees.
- Pause at the top for 5 seconds, then slowly lower to the starting position.
- Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
This powerful plyometric exercise will boost your heart rate and help strengthen your glutes, hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
If you have any issues with your knees, ankles, and hips, or you struggle with balance, consult a physical therapist before trying jump squats.
How to do this exercise:
- Stand in a squat position with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides.
- Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to your knees. As you squat, move your arms out in front of you, palms together.
- Propel yourself up and off the ground. Try to push your feet at least 3 inches off the ground. Extend your arms to help with momentum.
- Squat back down with soft, bent knees, and repeat.
- Complete 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.
Walking lunges are an excellent exercise for building and toning the glute muscles while also targeting the quadriceps and improving your balance.
If you have any issues with your knees, ankles, and hips, consult a physical therapist before trying this move.
How to do this exercise:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
- Stand with feet about hip-distance apart. Step forward about 2 feet with your left foot.
- Bend your left knee toward the ground until it’s parallel to the floor. This is the forward lunge position.
- Pause and hold this position for a few seconds.
- Then take a step forward with your back (right) leg, and repeat the lunge leading with this leg.
- Repeat this walking lunge pattern, alternating legs for 20 repetitions (10 each leg).
- Complete 2 sets of 20 repetitions.
The single-leg deadlift is an intermediate to advanced move that targets your glutes and hamstrings. It also challenges your balance and core stability.
How to do this exercise:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Place your hands in front of your thighs.
- Stand with your weight on your right side with a slight bend in the knee. Engage your core muscles.
- Begin the move by hingeing at your hip. As you hinge, allow the weights to drop down in front of you, palms facing each other. Your torso will lower toward the ground as your left leg goes straight back and your right foot remains planted on the floor.
- Hinge slowly until your left leg is parallel to the floor, or as close to parallel as you can get without losing your balance.
- Slowly lower your leg to the starting position.
- Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each leg.
The clamshell targets the deep glute muscles (gluteus medius and minimus), which are often neglected when performing exercises like the squat and deadlift. Smaller than the gluteus maximus, these muscles help stabilize your pelvis, prevent lower back pain, and balance out your lower body.
How to do this exercise:
- Start by lying on your left side with your legs stacked, head resting on your left arm, and right hand on your hip.
- Bend your hips and knees to make a 90-degree angle. Your feet should be in line with your butt.
- Engage your core and lift your right knee as high as you can while keeping your feet together. Keep your left knee in contact with the floor and hips stacked. Don’t rotate your hips back.
- Hold at the top for a few seconds before slowly lowering to the starting position.
- Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions then repeat on the other side.
The banded side step exercise targets your glutes as well as your hip muscles. For a deep burn in the glutes, perform banded side steps with another lower body exercise like squats or lunges.
To start, you may want to place the resistance band just below your knees. As the exercise becomes easier, you can move the band down lower, toward your ankles.
How to do this exercise:
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Place a resistance band below your knees or around your ankles. You’ll feel the resistance on the outside of your legs and glutes.
- Bend your knees and lower your booty about a quarter of the way.
- Step to the right with your right foot, letting the tension come off the band, then return to the center. Repeat.
- Complete 10 side steps to the right before repeating on the left side. Do 3 sets on each side.
Donkey kicks target your glutes in a way many other exercises can’t. They focus solely on all three of your glute muscles and are a great move for targeting and firming your rear end.
How to do this exercise:
- Start by positioning yourself on all fours. Keep your knees hip-width apart, your hands flat on the floor under your shoulders, and your spine neutral.
- Brace your core, then lift your right leg off the floor, keeping your right knee bent and your foot flat.
- Use your glute muscles to push your foot toward the ceiling. Pause and squeeze at the top. Make sure your pelvis and hips remain pointed toward the ground.
- Return to the starting position.
- Complete 15 reps on each leg for 3 sets.
Adding weights, like ankle weights for donkey kicks, or dumbbells for lunges, can increase the intensity of the exercise and move you beyond a plateau. Weights can also make the exercises more effective.
To add weight to a specific exercise, you can use dumbbells, barbells with plates, resistance bands, medicine balls, kettlebells, and more. If you’re not sure where to start and what exercises to add weight to for larger glutes, talk with a personal trainer or physical therapist.
Although targeted exercises can help boost the shape and tone of your butt, you won’t see results right away.
If you want a bigger, rounder, firmer bum right away, shapewear works best. Designed to lift and enhance what you already have, shapewear can help bring out your natural curves and make your butt look more defined.
To help lift and fill your derriere, most shapewear undergarments use a combination of removable butt lifting pads and compression material like spandex, which is strong, stretchable, and smooth.
Here are a few popular shapewear options on Amazon:
If shapewear and glute exercises aren’t cutting it, some people turn to butt lifts and implants to add volume, shape, and curves to their rear end. These are elective cosmetic procedures and typically aren’t covered by insurance.
A butt implant, known as gluteal augmentation, is a surgical procedure that involves a doctor placing a silicone implant in the buttocks to add volume to this area.
Butt lifts or injectable implants are less invasive, require less downtime, and come with fewer risks than butt implants. This cosmetic procedure involves injecting a dermal filler or fat transfer into the desired area — in this case, the buttocks — to add more volume and shape to the backside.
As with most body parts, rear ends can come in all shapes and sizes. Some are naturally larger or curvier than others.
If your backside is on the smaller side and you want to make it bigger or more shapely, there are ways to go about this. If you want immediate results, shapewear can help give your bum an instant lift. A costlier, but more permanent solution, involves cosmetic procedures like butt implants or lifts.
Many types of exercises and workouts can also help boost the size, shape, and firmness of your booty. But it takes time and patience to see results. If you’re unsure of what types of exercises will work best for shaping and firming your butt, be sure to talk to a certified personal trainer.
