The 35 Best Butt Exercises For Super-Toned Glute Muscles

 No matter what workout you’re doing, odds are your glutes are involved. (Even if just a little bit!)

Basically, your backside plays a major role in your body’s overall strength levels—which means you should definitely know all the best butt exercises to incorporate into your workout routine for keeping that *big* muscle strong. (Yep, the glutes are actually one of the largest muscle groups in the body.)

In case you missed it, all sports and fitness activities can benefit tremendously from strong glutes. For example, our glutes aid in our ability to hinge and squat, keeping us in a pattern of safe, secure movement while we exercise. Strong glutes also mean a strong back and pelvic stability, helping to minimize lower back discomfort throughout the day.

Simple activities such as walking, hiking, and going up and down the stairs all incorporate the glutes, too, and being able to use your butt muscles while carrying out these activities makes movement overall so much easier and injury-free. (Meaning: no more pain or aches as you climb up the basement steps or chase your kiddos around the park.) Plus, strong glutes can also make you a better runner—and even help you avoid knee injuries.

How that you’re all up-to-date when it comes to glute strength, it’s time to get into specifics. The following are the 35 best butt exercises to add to your workout routine this week. These exercises are worth incorporating into your lower-body days or string them together as a DIY glutes workout.

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: You can do all of these moves with just your bodyweight, but if you want to keep challenging your bod, add a stability ball (or elevated surface, like a couch), resistance band (long or looped), and set of free weights into the mix.

Good for: Glutes, butt muscles

Instructions: Choose at least three moves below. Perform 15 reps of each, then continue to the next exercise. Once you've completed all movements, rest for up to one minute. Then, repeat three times for four total rounds.

1. Mini Band Kickback

How to: Get on hands and knees, and put one end of the mini band around right foot, positioning the other end on the left thigh, just above the knee. While keeping abs tight, contract the glutes to slowly kick right leg back until it's straight. At full extension, squeeze the glutes for an extra second. Carefully bring it back down. That’s one rep.

2. Reverse Lunge With Knee Drive

How to: Begin in low lungeing position with right foot forward, left foot back. Both legs should be bent at 90 degrees, torso parallel to floor, right hand on right thigh, and left arm extended, fingertips on mat. Pushing through the right (or forward) leg, take a small jump into the air, lifting your left knee off the floor and driving it upward toward the chest, swinging bent right arm forward until elbow is in line with shoulder. Reverse the movement to return to start. That's one rep.

3. Heel Elevated Split Squat

How to: Stand on your right foot, with the left knee bent and foot off the ground. Bend your right knee, extending your left leg down until the knee is a few inches off the ground, keeping your arms out in front of you for balance. (Feel free to use a block or ball as a marker of where your knee should land.) Slowly return to start. That's one rep.

4. Butt Kicks

How to: Start in a standing position with your feet under the hips and hands at your sides. Move by bending the left or right leg, raising the heel to the glute. Then, quickly return it to start. Repeat on the opposite side. That's one rep.