To build your glutes, train them through more than one movement. This workout uses four exercises from the 12REPS app: the hip thrust, the dumbbell Romanian deadlift (RDL), the Bulgarian split squat and the mini band crab walk. Do it twice a week and add weight or reps as you get stronger.
Here’s the session at a glance:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hip thrust | 4 | 12, 10, 10, 8 | 90 sec |
| 2. Dumbbell RDL with loop band | 3 | 10 to 12 | 90 sec |
| 3. Bulgarian split squat | 3 | 8 to 10 each leg | 60 to 90 sec |
| 4. Mini band crab walk | 3 | 10 steps each way | 45 sec |
It takes about 35 minutes. All you need is a bench, a pair of dumbbells and a loop band.
This workout is for you if:
- You want stronger, more shaped glutes.
- You’ve been doing squats for months and your glutes haven’t changed.
- You want a short, focused session you can do at home or in the gym.
I’m Will Duru, a personal trainer and the founder of 12REPS. Below, I’ll explain why I chose these four exercises, how to do each one and how to progress.
Why these four exercises?
Your glutes aren’t one muscle. They’re three:
- Gluteus maximus: the largest muscle in your body. It pushes your hips forward and gives your glutes most of their size and shape.
- Gluteus medius: on the outer part of your hip. It moves your leg out to the side and keeps your hips level when you stand on one leg.
- Gluteus minimus: the smallest, underneath the medius. It helps the medius.
To build all three, you need more than one movement. Each exercise in this workout covers a different job:
| Exercise | Movement | Main glute focus |
|---|---|---|
| Hip thrust | Pushing your hips up | Gluteus maximus |
| Dumbbell RDL | Hinging at the hips | Gluteus maximus and hamstrings |
| Bulgarian split squat | Single-leg squat | Gluteus maximus, with the medius keeping you balanced |
| Mini band crab walk | Stepping sideways | Gluteus medius and minimus |
What the research says
- Hip thrusts and squats both grow your glutes. In a 9-week study of 34 untrained young adults, hip thrust training and back squat training produced similar glute growth. The hip thrust group got better at hip thrusts, and the squat group grew more in their thighs. (Plotkin et al., 2023)
- Single-leg moves work the glutes hard. In 21 active adults, the single-leg squat and single-leg deadlift activated the gluteus maximus more than band walks, clams and hops did. (Distefano et al., 2009)
- The side of your hips needs its own work. The same study found side-lying leg raises, which move your leg out to the side, worked the gluteus medius hardest. That’s why I finish with a sideways band exercise.
What the research doesn’t say
- These were small studies, mostly in young adults.
- Higher muscle activity in one session didn’t always predict more growth over time. In the 2023 study, the hip thrust produced more glute activity than the squat, but similar growth.
My view
The hip thrust loads your glutes through the full range, all the way to the top, and it’s easy to learn. That’s why it’s the first exercise here. The RDL and Bulgarian split squat add stretch and single-leg strength. The crab walk finishes the outer hips. Together, they train your glutes from every angle in one short session.
The workout: how to do each exercise
Warm up first with 5 minutes of easy cardio, then 10 bodyweight glute bridges and 10 bodyweight squats.
1. Hip thrust
Sets and reps: 4 sets of 12, 10, 10, then 8. Start with bodyweight. Once 12 reps feel easy, hold a dumbbell on your hips.
- Sit on the floor with your upper back against the edge of a bench.
- Bend your knees and place your feet flat, about hip-width apart.
- Brace your core and tuck your chin slightly.
- Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your thighs and torso are level.
- Squeeze your glutes hard and pause at the top. Keep your ribs down.
- Lower your hips under control until they’re just above the floor.
Cues: “Shins straight up and down at the top.” “Finish with your glutes, not your lower back.”
Ready for more? Try the Dumbbell Hip Thrust, then the barbell version in my guide to barbell hip thrusts.
2. Dumbbell RDL with loop band
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 12.
- Place a loop band just above your knees. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your legs.
- Bend your knees slightly and brace your core. Press your knees gently out against the band.
- Push your hips back and lower the dumbbells toward your shins. Keep your back flat and the weights close to your legs.
- Stop when you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, before your back starts to round.
- Drive your hips forward to stand tall. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
Cues: “Hips back, back flat.” “Slide the dumbbells down your legs.” “Light pressure out on the band.”
See the Dumbbell RDL with Loop Band demo.
3. Bulgarian split squat
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 on each leg. Start with bodyweight, then hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Stand about one long stride in front of a knee-height bench.
- Reach one foot back and rest the top of it on the bench. Keep your front foot flat.
- Stand tall with most of your weight on your front foot.
- Bend your front knee and lower your back knee toward the floor. Keep your front knee in line with your toes.
- Go down until your front thigh is about level with the floor, or as low as you can with control.
- Push through your whole front foot to stand back up. Do all your reps, then switch legs.
Cues: “Drop your back knee straight down.” “Push the floor away with your front foot.”
See the Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat demo.
4. Mini band crab walk
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 steps each way.
- Place a mini band just above your knees.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and push your hips back into a half squat.
- Brace your core, keep your chest up and press your knees gently out against the band.
- Take a controlled step sideways. Keep your toes pointing forward.
- Bring the other foot in, but not all the way. Keep tension on the band.
- Take 10 steps one way, then 10 steps back.
Cues: “Stay low the whole time.” “Never let the band go slack.”
See the Mini Band Crab Walk demo.
At the gym? Swap in the cable kickback
If your gym has a cable machine, you can add or swap in cable kickbacks for extra glute work: 3 sets of 12 to 15 on each leg.
What weight should you use?
Pick a weight that makes the last two reps of each set hard, while your form stays the same as rep one. Your first week isn’t about finding your maximum. It’s about learning the movements.
| Exercise | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Hip thrust | Bodyweight, then a dumbbell on your hips. Move to a barbell (about 20 to 30 kg, or 45 to 65 lb) when you’re ready |
| Dumbbell RDL | 8 to 10 kg (about 15 to 20 lb) in each hand |
| Bulgarian split squat | Bodyweight first, then 5 to 8 kg (about 10 to 15 lb) in each hand |
| Crab walk | A light mini band above your knees |
How to progress
- Add weight when you can do all your reps with good form. If the last two reps feel easy, go slightly heavier next session.
- Add reps if you can’t add weight yet.
- Make the band harder on crab walks by moving it from above your knees to around your ankles.
- Log every set, so you always know what to beat.
How often should you do it?
Twice a week, with at least two days between sessions. Your glutes also work in squats, lunges and deadlifts, so count those as glute work too.
Common glute training mistakes
| Mistake | Exercise | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Arching your lower back at the top | Hip thrust | Keep your ribs down and tuck your pelvis slightly as you finish |
| Pushing through your toes | Hip thrust | Keep your whole foot down and drive through your heels |
| Bending your knees too much | RDL | Keep the slight knee bend you started with, so it stays a hinge, not a squat |
| Rounding your back to reach lower | RDL | Stop where your back is still flat. Depth comes from your hips |
| Standing too close to the bench | Bulgarian split squat | If your front heel lifts, step your front foot further forward |
| Pushing off the back foot | Bulgarian split squat | Use the back foot for balance only |
| Standing up too tall | Crab walk | Hold the half squat from the first step to the last |
| Letting your knees cave in | RDL, split squat, crab walk | Keep your knees pressed out in line with your toes |
| Only doing squats | Whole program | Add hip thrusts, hinges and band work to train all three glute muscles |
Summary
- Train all three glute muscles: push your hips up, hinge, work one leg at a time and step sideways.
- Hip thrust 4 x 12 to 8, dumbbell RDL 3 x 10 to 12, Bulgarian split squat 3 x 8 to 10 each leg, crab walk 3 x 10 steps each way.
- Do it twice a week, with two days between sessions.
- Add weight when the last two reps feel easy.
Build this glute workout in 12REPS
All four exercises are already in the 12REPS app, each with a demo video and a coach-led technique video.
- Open the 12REPS app and go to Build Your Routine.
- Add the hip thrust, dumbbell RDL with loop band, Bulgarian split squat and mini band crab walk, in that order.
- Save it as your own glute session.
- Use the built-in stopwatch to time your rest, and log every set.
Next session, the app shows what you lifted, so you know exactly what to beat. Prefer a plan built for you? Every 12REPS program is written by a real personal trainer, around your goal, your equipment and your time.
Download 12REPS and see what you’ll get:
Sources
- Plotkin DL, Rodas MA, Vigotsky AD, et al. Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. Frontiers in Physiology. 2023;14:1279170.
- Distefano LJ, Blackburn JT, Marshall SW, Padua DA. Gluteal muscle activation during common therapeutic exercises. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2009;39(7):532–540.
Related reading
- How to Build Rounder Glutes: The Science of Glute Training for Women
- How to Do Barbell Hip Thrusts Correctly
- Dumbbell Leg Day: 4 Simple Moves to Build Strong, Lean Legs
- How to Do a Goblet Squat: A Step-by-Step Form Guide
- Bodyweight Hip Thrust exercise demo
About the author: I’m Will Duru, a personal trainer and the founder of 12REPS. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science and have more than a decade of experience coaching people in strength training.
