18 Dumbbell Glute Exercises (Workouts To Build Your Butt) (2024)

18 Dumbbell Glute Exercises (Workouts To Build Your Butt) (1)

Written by Jo Taylor

Last Updated On August 14, 2023

Growing a strong-looking set of glutes is tough, especially if you’re trying to do it using only your dumbbells. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and the correct exercises to ensure your glutes are stimulated enough to grow.

In this article, you’ll discover the 18 best dumbbell glute exercises to perform during your workout to increase the size, shape, and strength of your glutes.

  • Gluteus Muscles Explained
  • 5 Benefits Of Glute Exercises
  • 18 Best Dumbbell Glute Exercises
    • 1. Suitcase Squat
    • 2. Romanian Deadlift
    • 3. Deadlift
    • 4. Curtsy Lunge With Kick
    • 5. Lateral Lunge
    • 6. Forward Lunge
    • 7. Reverse Lunge
    • 8. Curtsey Lunge
    • 9. Front Squat
    • 10. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
    • 11. Bulgarian Split Squat
    • 12. Staggered-Stance Deadlift
    • 13. Squat To Lateral Leg Lift
    • 14. Sumo Squat
    • 15. Weighted Glute Bridge
    • 16. 5 O’Clock Lunge
    • 17. Single-Leg Deadlift
    • 18. Single-Leg Deadlift To Reverse Lunge
  • Training Schedule For Glute Exercises With Dumbbells
  • Common Dumbbell Glute Exercise Questions
  • Conclusion

Gluteus Muscles Explained

The gluteal muscles, also just called the glutes, are a group of three muscles that make up the buttocks area. The three muscles are called the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus.

The gluteal muscles are the superficial hip muscles that overlay the back of the pelvic girdle. They originate from the pelvis and insert into the femur (thigh bone).

The gluteal muscles are very important for a variety of activities including walking, walking up stairs, rotating your hips and standing on one leg at a time.

Gluteus Minimus

The gluteus minimus is the smallest and deepest of all three gluteal muscles, and it lies next to the gluteus medius muscle, which we will cover next.

This muscle acts in synergy with the gluteus medius and together their job is to abduct and internally rotate the thigh, and it assists with stabalization of the pelvis [1].

Gluteus Medius

The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus are similar in their function, structure, nerve and blood supply. It's not so surprising that this is the middle-sized gluteal muscle. It's located between the gluteus minimus and gluteus maximus.

It's responsible for hip abduction, lateral rotation and medial rotation. It's also very important for maintaining side to side stability of the pelvis [2].

Gluteus Maximus

The gluteus maximus is the most superficial and the largest of the three muscles, which makes up the bulk and shape of the buttock and hip area.

Fun fact, the glute maximus is also the largest and heaviest muscle in your entire body. It is strong and powerful and it's job is to keep you in an upright position [3]. It works along side the smaller muscles to stabalize the pelvis and participate in hip rotation.

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5 Benefits Of Glute Exercises

  • Better Looking Butt
    Who doesn’t want a better-looking butt? Training your glutes using dumbbells is an easy way to increase your glute strength and improve your body’s aesthetics.
  • Increased Lower Body Strength
    By strengthening your glutes, your entire lower body’s strength increases. The glutes are the largest muscle in the body and are used in most functional movements.Your other lifts will improve, such as your deadlift, squats, lunges, and many others.
  • Helps Reduce Lower Back Pain
    A common problem that occurs with age is lower back pain. But, you can offset this by training your glutes. It’s well known that a strongerposterior chainresults in less lower back pain and reduces your risk of injury [4].
  • Improves Balance and Agility
    The glutes play a significant role in stopping and changing direction quickly. It’s an essential skill to have; not only does it helps with sports, but it helps you have better control over your body while you’re on the move.
  • Superior Sports Performance
    By strength training your glutes, you’ll run faster, be more efficient, and have more power. This gives you the edge over your opposition. Sports such as football, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, MMA, running, swimming, and many others will benefit.

18 Best Dumbbell Glute Exercises

1. Suitcase Squat

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The suitcase squat is a fantastic dumbbell glute workout that is easy to perform almost anywhere, making it ideal for most home gyms. All you need is a set of dumbbells and a small amount of space.

Since the weight is held at your sides, it doesn’t stress the lower back, so it’s ideal for anybody with back issues.

The only downside to this exercise is that it activates your quadriceps more than it works your glutes. It’s also worth noting that as you increase the weight, you rely heavily on grip strength to hold onto the dumbbells.

benefits:

  • Easy for beginners to learn.
  • Also works the upper back muscles and engages the core.
  • By having the weights by your sides, you're much less likely to lean too far forwards.

How to do it:

  1. Hold a set of dumbbells in your hands, and let them hang at hip height.
  2. Place your feet at hip-width with your toes pointing out slightly.
  3. Bend at your knees and squat downwards while maintaining a straight spine.
  4. Squeeze the glutes and push through your feet, reversing the movement.
  5. Repeat.

Tips From A Trainer!

If you're limited by ankle mobility then try raising your heels slightly using a wedge or plates. This will enable to you keep your torso more upright and increase the range of motion.

2. Romanian Deadlift

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The Romanian deadlift is a popular glute and hamstring exercise that many gym-goers perform in the gym. The straighter leg position helps engage your glutes and hamstrings more than the traditional version of the deadlift.

During the movement, your glutes work through a large range of motion and are forced to stretch at the bottom of the movement before contracting hard at the top end.

If you want to build your glutes, you cannot leave this dumbbell exercise out of your program.

However, if you can't perform this exercise, you can try out Romanian deadlift alternatives.

benefits:

  • Improved mind-muscle connection to the posterior chain.
  • Reduced chance of injury by improving hamstring and glute strength.
  • Effectively works the lower back and core.

How to do it:

  1. Hold two dumbbells in your hands with your shoulders retracted and chest open.
  2. Place your feet at hip-width with your toes facing forward.
  3. Soften the knees (not fully bent).
  4. Hinge from the hips, bringing your upper body forward until your hamstrings are at full stretch. Maintain a straight, neutral spine throughout.
  5. Fire your hips forward and squeeze your glutes together.
  6. Repeat.

Tips From A Trainer!

Your knees should be slightly bent for this exercise, but not too much as you'll take tension off the hamstrings and glutes. Be very mindful to not overly bent the knees as you send your hips back.

3. Deadlift

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The deadlift is one of the best glute exercises with dumbbells. As with many other exercises on this list, it requires hardly any room and uses minimal equipment.

This exercise works the posterior chain, such as your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It’s excellent for injury prevention (when performed correctly) as it strengthens the back and develops the glutes.

Read through our head-to-head comparison ofdumbbell deadlifts vs squatsto see how effective this exercise really is.

benefits:

  • Ideal exercise for beginners learning how to deadlift and hinge.
  • Full body strengthening exercise.
  • Engages the core.

How to do it:

  1. Hold a set of dumbbells at your sides and draw your shoulder blades back and down.
  2. Maintain a straight (neutral) spine and hinge forward from the hips, bending your knees slightly.
  3. Take the dumbbells to mid-shin height and fire your hips forwards, squeezing your glutes at the end of the movement.
  4. Repeat and finish your set.

Tips From A Trainer!

Keep the weights to the side and close to your body. One error I often see is people will push the weight too far in front of them during the eccentric (lowering) part of the lift.

4. Curtsy Lunge With Kick

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This is one of the most unusual dumbbell glute exercises you’ll come across, but it gives your glutes a lot of bang for your buck.

The movement targets your entire lower body, including some additional muscles that aren’t stimulated during the traditional versions of the lunge. When your leg crosses behind the other, your stationary leg’s glute medius activates along with your hip abductors during the kicking part of the movement.

While it’s a good glute builder, I’d be cautious of this movement if you’ve had knee issues in the past, as it places more stress on the knee joint than other exercises on this list.

benefits:

  • Improves hip mobility.
  • Easily done at home or whilst traveling.
  • Challenges balance and coordination.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with your feet placed hip-width apart, holding two dumbbells.
  2. Take your left leg back and across while lunging downwards.
  3. Let your legs reach 90-degrees and stop before your knee touches the floor.
  4. Push up back to the start and swap legs.
  5. Repeat.

5. Lateral Lunge

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The lateral lunge, or “side lunge” as it’s commonly known, is a great lower bodybuilder that helps develop your glutes, abductors, quads, adductors, and hamstrings.

It works your body in a different way to the regular lunge as you’re moving laterally, so it’ll engage your muscles in a way it’s not used to, which is a nice change.

Along with developing your lower body muscles, you’ll improve your body’s stability and balance. It’s an excellent exercise to add to your program if you participate in sports.

If you're often on the go, you need some exercises in your arsenal that don't require equipment like this one.

benefits:

  • Moves the body through the transverse plane, which is important to incorporate moving in different directions.
  • Strengthens and stablizes the hip.
  • Works the core.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with your feet placed hit width apart.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, placed at shoulder height.
  3. Step to the side with your right leg and sit back slightly while bending your knee.
  4. Lower yourself to roughly 90-degrees.
  5. Push through your foot and return to the start.
  6. Complete your reps and repeat with the other leg.

Tips From A Trainer!

Always ensure you prioritize good movement pattern over weight. You torso should not fall forwards as you push out of the lunge. If it does, you may have gone too heavy.

6. Forward Lunge

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The forward lunge is a dumbbell only leg and glute workout that targets your glute max, hamstrings, quads, calves, and core muscles.

If you’ve been looking to grow larger glutes, then you don’t want to leave out lunges; they’re fantastic glute developers and allow you to work them through a large range of motion.

benefits:

  • Good for beginners, easy to learn.
  • Promotes stability and balance.
  • Builds good strength in each leg separately.

Related Article -Benefits Of Lunges

How to do it:

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand tall with your head looking forward.
  2. Place your feet hip-width and step forward while lowering yourself to the floor, taking both knees to 90-degrees (don’t let your knees touch the floor).
  3. Push off of your front foot back to the starting position.
  4. Switch legs and repeat.

Tips From A Trainer!

If you’re losing balance, ensure your lunging hip-width and not "lunging on a tight rope."

7. Reverse Lunge

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The reverse lunge is basically a regular lunge movement, but instead of stepping forward, you step backwards... who’d have thought it.

This is a brilliant dumbbell glute exercise as it places a lot of emphasis on the glutes and lower body.

Some gym-goers might find this exercise easier on the knee joints as it’s less impactful on the joints, making it suitable for anybody with knee issues.

benefits:

  • Targets the glutes more.
  • Less strain on the joints.
  • Can easily be done at home or whilst traveling.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Stand up tall with your shoulders drawn back and your head facing forward.
  3. Step backwards (around 2-3 ft) and lower your body until your legs are at 90-degrees.
  4. Push through your leading leg back to the starting position.
  5. Swap legs and repeat.

Tips From A Trainer!

As you come back to the standing position think about pushing off the floor with the ball of your back foot for a nice strong lunge.

8. Curtsey Lunge

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The curtsey lunge is a slightly easier version of the curtsey lunge with a kick and doesn’t require as much balance and coordination.

Performing this exercise not only improves your glute strength, but it helps lower your risk of injuries, increases overall body health, and improves your balance and stability.

It also helps develop more stability in your ankles, so if you participate in sports or activities such as dancing, this exercise will help.

benefits:

  • Challenges the muscles differently.
  • Creates a more stable hip.
  • Improves coordination and balance.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with dumbbells in your hands and a hip-width stance.
  2. Take one leg backwards and across while lowering to 90-degrees.
  3. Push through your front leg back to the start.
  4. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Tips From A Trainer!

Try to get the most range out of this exercise by getting the knee down to the floor. If you stand on a slightly raised surface you can increase the range even further if you need a challenge.

9. Front Squat

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The front squat is one of the first exercises I teach my clients. It’s straightforward to learn, difficult to get wrong, and can be performed almost anywhere.

The movement resembles the suitcase squat mentioned earlier in this article but involves holding the dumbbells at shoulder height. Doing so requires slightly more core work to stabilize the upper body and shifts the emphasis to your quads.

While it is a brilliant dumbbell glute workout, it doesn’t isolate the glutes as much as I’d like it to. But, it does help to develop the glutes, so you shouldn’t discount this movement.

I like using dumbbells for squats because it forces you to engage your core to stabilize the individual weights.

For more information, review our comparison guide ondumbbell vs barbell squats.

benefits:

  • Every effective exercise to strengthen the legs and glutes.
  • High amount of core activation.

How to do it:

  1. Hold a set of dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing each other and push your elbows forward.
  2. Take a shoulder-width stance and squat down, bending your knees.
  3. Stop when you reach 90-degrees and push up through your feet back to the starting point.
  4. Repeat the movement.

Tips From A Trainer!

Don't let your elbows drop during the squat. Keep your chest up and your elbows high.

10. Dumbbell Goblet Squat

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Like all squat variations, the dumbbell goblet squat is a fantastic glute developer. As the weight is front-loaded, it keeps your upper body in a more upright position, allowing you to get deeper into the squat than you would with a back squat.

The increased range of motion places a bigger stretch on the glutes, increasing muscle-building potential.

Along with developing your glutes, the goblet squat helps build your hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors.

You can also use a kettlebell for this exercise, which some people prefer. Jump over to ourkettlebell vs dumbbell guideto see which one is best for you.

benefits:

  • One of the most beneficial exercise for beginners learning how to squat.
  • Very effectively strengthens the lower body.
  • Great for hypertrophy training and increase volume for the lower body.

How to do it:

  1. Hold a single dumbbell chest height in a goblet position (so the dumbbell is vertical).
  2. Take a hip-width stance with your toes pointing out slightly.
  3. Bend your knees and send your bum backwards until your legs reach 90-degrees (or lower if you can).
  4. Push through both feet and drive yourself upwards.
  5. Squeeze the glutes at the top and repeat.

Tips From A Trainer!

Keep your upper back muscles on and lats engaged during the squat. Whilst this is strengthening our lower body, we want to keep our upper body and core activated for a stronger lift.

11. Bulgarian Split Squat

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The Bulgarian split squat is a killer glute exercise that’ll have your glutes firing up in no time at all. It’s a fantastic lower body exercise that works each leg individually.

As each leg is required to work independently, it helps you fix any strength differences that may have developed throughout the years.

It’s worth noting this exercise requires a lot of leg strength and balance, so it’s not suitable for everyone.

benefits:

  • Very effective at fixing muscular imbalances.
  • Tests your balance and builds strong stabalizer muscles around the hip.
  • Builds strong legs.

How to do it:

  1. Stand in front of a step, bench, or elevated platform with your back towards the bench.
  2. Hold two dumbbells in your hands at hip level.
  3. Place your right leg on the top of your platform and take a step forward with the opposite leg.
  4. Brace your core and lower yourself by bending your left knee until it reaches 90-degrees.
  5. Push through your foot and bring yourself back to the start.
  6. Finish your set and swap legs.

Tips From A Trainer!

If you are new to this exercise, try holding onto something for stability first and as you get stronger remove the aid.

Related Article -Split Squat Vs Lunge

12. Staggered-Stance Deadlift

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The staggered-stance deadlift is a helpful exercise to help you progress to the single-leg deadlift.

It gives you some of the benefits of training your leg singly while providing your body with additional stability. Eventually, when you’ve mastered this glute exercise, you can move on to the single-leg deadlift.

As your body is more stable, this version of the deadlift lets you lift more weight than you can with the single-leg deadlift, increasing your lower body’s muscle stimulation.

During this exercise, your glutes work through an extensive range of motion, stimulating the muscle fibers for growth.

benefits:

  • Trains one side at a time which promotes unilateral strength.
  • Improves any imbalances.
  • Strengthens the hamstrings very effectively.

How to do it:

  1. Place your feet hip-width with your toes facing forward.
  2. Hold two dumbbells on the front of your hips/upper legs.
  3. Stagger your stance, so one foot is slightly further back than the other. A good benchmark is having yourtoes in line with the other foot’s heel.
  4. Keeping a neutral spine, hinge from the hips until your body is parallel to the floor.
  5. Push your hips forward, squeezing the glutes, and repeat.
  6. Swap legs.

Tips From A Trainer!

Your hips and shoulders must remain square during this exercise. If you twist as you lower the weights, you are taking tension off the hamstrings and glutes.

13. Squat To Lateral Leg Lift

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This combination exercise not only stimulates your glutes into growing, but it aids with your lower body’s stability.

During the squat to lateral leg lift, your hips are required to elevate your leg to the side; this improves your hip function, increasing your range of motion and strengthening the joint.

I like this exercise as the hips are often one of the most underworked areas of the body and, if it’s not trained sufficiently, can lead to injuries.

benefits:

  • Improves flexibility in the hips.
  • Works the adductor muscles.
  • Challenges balance.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.
  2. Squat down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back (keep a straight back).
  3. Push through your feet, and at the top of the movement, elevate your right leg to the side.
  4. Bring your foot back down slowly and repeat.
  5. Swap sides.

Tips From A Trainer!

This exercise is great for beginners and can easily be done at home without equipment. Go slow and make sure you perfect your form before adding weight or speed.

14. Sumo Squat

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This sumo squat is a wide stance version of the traditional squat that increases the amount of work your hips and glutes need to do to move the weight.

It’s a compound movement that works your glutes, quads, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, and core muscles.

The sumo squat’s widened foot position engages your hips more than other squat positions, which helps you improve your balance and helps protect your hips from injury. It’s a brilliant move to do if you participate in heavy physical activities.

benefits:

  • Recruits all leg muscles with a big emphasis on glutes and adductors.
  • More core activation to keep your torso upright.

How to do it:

  1. Pick up a set of dumbbells and stand with a wide stance (2x shoulder width).
  2. Turn your feet outwards slightly.
  3. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level and squat down, bending your knees.
  4. Stop when your legs reach a 90-degree bend and push up back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat the movement.

Tips From A Trainer!

If you’re new to this exercise, perform it without the weight to begin with, and build up the resistance gradually.

15. Weighted Glute Bridge

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The weighted glute bridge is a fantastic exercise to work the glutes. The glutes are the primary muscle worked throughout this movement with some assistance from the hamstrings and core.

It’s suitable for all ability levels and has many different progression levels to make the exercise more challenging.

Using this exercise to strengthen your glutes helps increase your other lifts, such as deadlifts and squats. It also improves your lower back and knee health, which is a massive bonus as we get older.

benefits:

  • Builds stronger hip extension which will strengthen other lifts like deadlift.
  • Builds strong glutes that will protect your back and knee from risk of injuries.
  • Creates round looking glutes.

How to do it:

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90-degrees and spaced hip-width apart.
  2. Put two dumbbells on your hips and secure them with your hands.
  3. Push your hips into the air, squeezing your glutes hard throughout the movement.
  4. Pause at the top for 1-2 seconds and slowly lower your body back to the floor.
  5. Repeat.

Tips From A Trainer!

Want to increase your glute activation? – Place a resistance band above your knees and push out slightly.

16. 5 O’Clock Lunge

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The 5 O’clock lunge is a more challenging version of the standard lunge, which not only targets your glutes and lower body but also builds strength in your ankles and knees.

It’s a brilliant exercise to add to your glute dumbbell workout, helping you develop well-rounded glutes capable of working in multiple directions.

benefits:

  • Targets all three muscles in the glutes.
  • Creates a stable hip.
  • Time efficient exercise.

How to do it:

  1. Place your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell by both ends at chest height.
  2. Take a big step sideways with your right leg, rotating your foot, so it’s placed at 5 o’clock compared to your starting point.
  3. Bend your right knee until it reaches 90-degrees, and keep your left leg straight.
  4. Stand up, pushing through your right foot, rotating back to the start.
  5. Repeat for both legs.

Tips From A Trainer!

This lunge variation is a great one to add to a circuit or a HIIT workout.

17. Single-Leg Deadlift

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The single-leg deadlift is one of my favorite glute exercises as it works each side iso-laterally, allowing you to overcome any muscular imbalances that might have occurred throughout your training.

This dumbbell butt exercise helps develop your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and core muscles. While you’re performing this movement, your body has to work incredibly hard to keep you balanced, activating more core than the regular deadlift.

It’s suitable for all levels; however, if you find it too challenging, try the staggered stance deadlift mentioned previously in this article.

benefits:

  • Improves any muscular imbalances.
  • Builds a strong lower back.
  • You'll learn better balance and how to stabalize your body whilst hinging.

How to do it:

  1. Place your feet together and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Shift your weight to one leg and lift your other leg behind you while hinging from the hips.
  3. When your torso is parallel to the floor, hold the position for a second and slowly head back to the start.
  4. Squeeze your glutes at the end and repeat.
  5. Swap legs and perform another set.

Tips From A Trainer!

Keep your shoulders level; try not to twist or tilt your torso to one side.

18. Single-Leg Deadlift To Reverse Lunge

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This exercise combines the movement of the single-leg deadlift and the reverse lunge.

It requires a lot of balance and coordination, and I’d recommend this exercise for intermediate to advanced gym-goers. Mainly due to the learning curve for this exercise, if you’re a beginner, you’d be better off learning the two movements separately before combining them.

It’s one of the best glute exercises with dumbbells that works your hamstrings, quads, calves, and core.

benefits:

  • Time efficient exercise, targeting two large muscle groups in one exercise.
  • Builds a strong core.
  • Strengthens key muscles to help prevent injuries.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width with your dumbbells in hand.
  2. Hinge from your hips and raise your right leg, stretching your hamstring.
  3. Stop when your torso is parallel to the floor.
  4. Push the hips forward to the starting position.
  5. Step backwards with your right leg and bend your knees to 90-degrees.
  6. Pushing through your front leg, stand up tall and squeeze your glutes.
  7. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Tips From A Trainer!

To help with balance always keep your core tight and as you step back make sure you're not too narrow. Imagine that your feet are on train tracks.

Training Schedule For Glute Exercises With Dumbbells

When it comes to training your glutes, you want to be working the muscle as much as you can without overtraining. Most people can get away with training their glutes twice a week, while some people can do more; it all depends on your recovery rates.

Personally, I’d recommend that most people train their glutes twice a week, as it’ll provide your glutes with enough stimulus to grow without the negative side effects that can occur from overtraining a muscle.

If you want to add some of the glute exercises (above) to your dumbbell only leg and glute workout, I’d recommend you select a handful (4-5), working your glutes through multiple ranges of motion and from different angles.

An example workout would look like this:

(Perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise with a 60-second break between sets)

  • Dumbbell weighted glute bridge
  • Bulgarian split squat
  • Romanian deadlift
  • Goblet squat
  • Lateral lunge with a kick

This workout should generally take no longer than 45-60 minutes, which is the optimal amount of time for resistance training.

Performing these exercises together will increase the strength and size of your glutes while improving your overall physique.

Tips From A Trainer!

Space your lower body sessions between your upper body workouts. This gives your lower body and glutes plenty of time to recover before working them again.

Common Dumbbell Glute Exercise Questions

Can I grow glutes with dumbbells?

Yes, there are many exercises you can perform using dumbbells to stimulate your glute muscles into growth. So long as you follow the principle of progressive overload, your glute muscles will grow.

How long does it take to grow glutes at home?

Muscle growth rates are different in everyone, so it would be impossible for me to provide you with a definitive answer. However, if you train consistently and have a brilliant diet, you should notice a difference in your glutes within three to six months.

Consistency is the key to muscle growth, so stick to your plan.

How much should I lift to gain glutes?

So long as you’re performing each exercise correctly using excellent form and fatiguing your glutes, they should grow.

Arecent studyhas shown no significant difference between heavy and moderate resistance when building muscle [5].

Yet, even though the amount of resistance isn’t too important, you must stimulate your muscle fibers enough to promote muscle growth. My advice is to select a weight where the last 2-3 reps of each set are tough.

Can my butt grow without lifting heavy weights?

You can build your glutes without needing to lift heavy weights. There is a wide range of bodyweight exercises you can perform, such as air squats, lunges, donkey kicks, and many others.

If you perform each exercise through a full range of motion and ensure you can feel your glutes working on every rep, your glutes will grow.

Conclusion

If you've been looking to develop your glutes but only have dumbbells available, it can be challenging to target your glutes from the multiple angles they need to be worked.

The list above gives you 18 of the best exercises for an excellent dumbbell only glute workout.Choose several exercises, add them to your workout routine, and watch your glutes become bigger, stronger, and more powerful.

References:

1.https://www.physio-pedia.com/Gluteus_Minimus

2. https://www.visiblebody.com/blog/the-glorious-glutes-muscles-of-the-buttocks

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538193/

4. https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/what-is-posterior-chain-exercises

5.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5131226/

18 Dumbbell Glute Exercises (Workouts To Build Your Butt) (2024)

FAQs

Can you grow glutes with dumbbells only? ›

Maybe you workout from home and don't have the luxury of a home gym, or maybe you hit the gym at the 6 pm rush and you only have dumbbells at your disposal – either way, having a set of dumbbells is more than enough to get those glutes fired, and build some muscle.

What is the number one exercise to grow glutes? ›

Barbell Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts are a great way to target your glutes and increase your strength, speed and power. By encouraging optimal hip extension, incorporating hip thrusts into your lower body workout will also help to improve your squats and deadlifts – everyone's a winner.

How do you hit all 3 glute muscles? ›

What are the Best Exercises that Work the Gluteus Maximus?
  1. Squats.
  2. Deadlifts.
  3. Quadruped Hip Extension with Knee Flexion.
  4. Hip thrusts.
  5. Lunges.
  6. Step-ups.
  7. Cook Hip Lift.
Jul 4, 2022

Are 3 exercises enough for glutes? ›

Within a single week (microcycle) of training, we recommend between 2 and 5 different glute exercises. For example, if you train glutes 3x a week, you can do a heavy deficit sumo pull on one day, a barbell hip thrust on the next day, and a lunge version on the last day for 3 total exercises in the week.

How many inches can glutes grow with exercise? ›

Taking everything into account, it's possible to grow your butt a couple of inches (or more, if you bulk and add fat to the overall equation). In the first few months, you can expect to see 1-2 inches of glute growth and a few more in the following years.

How long does it take to grow glutes with dumbbells? ›

Glute growth generally takes 6-8 weeks to see noticeable changes, however, some individuals may find it takes 10-12 weeks based on diet, training, and body type. When trying to grow your glutes faster, you should train them multiple times a week (2-3X) and make sure you are eating enough calories to build muscle.

What builds glutes the fastest? ›

The squat tops every list of butt-sculpting exercises. It directly works the glutes. You can build bigger bottom muscles by adding hand-held weights. Form: Slowly lower the hips as if sitting way back in a chair, trying to keep your knees from moving forward toward toes; then return to standing.

How can I grow 2 inches in my glutes? ›

To grow two inches in your glutes body development, a focused approach combining targeted strength training, proper nutrition, and adequate rest is essential. Incorporate exercises such as Hip Thrusts, Romanian Deadlifts, Banded Hip Drops, and Cable Pull Throughs into your routine, at least 2-3 times a week.

How many glute exercises are enough? ›

Above all else, remember: train glutes early, train them often, and train them with variety. A well-designed glute program usually requires training 2–4 times a week with 3–6 different exercises, but your glute workouts can easily be combined with other exercises as part of a full-body workout.

What happens if you hit glutes everyday? ›

You can train your glutes every day to a point. You will need to take time to allow them to recover. Repeating the same exercises allows you to measure your progress. However, changing the exercises keeps you from getting bored.

What exercise hits all the glute muscles? ›

5 Bent-leg lying hip abduction

Lie on your side with knees slightly bent and one leg stacked on top of the other. Hold a weight plate on top of your thigh to add resistance, and stretch your other arm in front of you to provide balance. Now raise the top leg to target your glutes on one side, then lower under control.

How many minutes should a glute workout be? ›

30 minutes, twice a week, dedicated to glute training will be enough to stimulate muscle growth. What is this? If you want to learn how we arrived at the answer, and how we should program our glute training to maximise growth – keep reading! Let's dive into how long our glute workout should be and why.

How to build a bigger butt? ›

The gluteus maximus is most responsible for the size of your butt and can best be trained with compound movements. These include squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts. Training the gluteus minimus and medius is excellent for mobility while also helping define your curves.

How many squats should you do a day to get a bigger bum? ›

As you get stronger, you can increase the number of sets and reps. If you are an intermediate, you need to do more squats with heavier weights to build bigger muscles. Aim for 4-6 sets of 6-12 reps. Finally, if you are trying to improve your overall fitness and get a bigger butt, aim for 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps.

How often should you do squats for a bigger bum? ›

According to trainers, doing squats 2-3 times a week and performing five to six repetitions at a time, or, doing around 150 squats per week should help you do the job and reach your fitness goals. Hands down, squats are one of the best exercises you can perform.

Can you build muscle by only lifting dumbbells? ›

The answer? A resounding yes. Dumbbells are one of the top resistance training tools for both beginners and elite athletes. Their effectiveness at building strength and muscle makes them a staple for any fitness routine – and their storability makes them a staple for any home gym.

What weight dumbbells should I use for glutes? ›

After all, your butt is connected to both your core and your legs, so it's pretty hard to work without involving some of its neighbors. For these moves, try starting with a medium-weight set of dumbbells, like 8-10 pounds, and increasing the weight as your get stronger.

Can I grow my glutes without growing my thighs? ›

Fortunately, it's totally possible to build just your glutes without bulking up your thighs by doing glute-specific exercises.

Will my glutes grow if I only do hip thrusts? ›

You can grow glutes just with hip thrusts, as long as you're using enough weight, gradually increasing the weight over time, and doing the right number of reps.

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