Exercises like squats, lunges, bridges, and deadlifts may help boost the size of your glutes. These can be performed at home or in the gym using your body weight, free weights, or resistance bands.

Your backside boasts the largest muscle groupTrusted Source in your body, the glutes. This group consists of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus, three separate muscles collectively known for their power and strength.

Your glutes play a key role in many bodily movements, such as walking, running, sitting, and jumping. 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.

Keep reading to learn more about seven exercises and strategies to help you build a bigger, firmer butt.

How many reps and sets should you perform?

Exercise that focuses on increasing the physical size of a muscle is known as hypertrophy training.

To help you build a big and firm butt, consider the following factors when you’re exercising:

  • Reps: Try performing each exercise for 6 to 12 reps at 75% to 85% of your one rep max (1RM).
  • Sets: Perform three to five sets of each exercise.
  • Rest: Between each set, rest for 60 to 90 seconds to help your muscles recover but also remain in a state of hypertrophy.

To maximize hypertrophy, try training your glutes at least two separate times per week. Between each session, it’s important to recover for at least 48 hours to let your muscles rest.

If you’re new to exercising, start slowly. Try one set of each exercise and work your way up to two, three, and then four sets when they become easier.

A personal trainer or physical therapist could help you with your form and suggest alternative exercises if you have any issues with your knees, ankles, and hips.

The glute bridge is a beginner-friendly exercise that isolates and strengthens your glute muscles, hamstrings, and core while also improving stability in your hips.

How to do this exercise:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Pause at the top for 5 seconds, then slowly lower to the starting position.
  4. Complete 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Jump squats are a powerful plyometric exercise that can boost your heart rate and help strengthen your glutes, hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves.

If you feel discomfort in your knees, ankles, and hips or you have difficulty staying balanced, consider performing a basic squat without jumping.

How to do this exercise:

  1. Stand in a squat position with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides.
  2. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to your knees. As you squat, move your arms out in front of you, palms together.
  3. 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.
  4. Squat back down with soft, bent knees, and repeat.
  5. Complete 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.

Walking lunges are an excellent exercise for building and toning the glute and quadriceps muscles, while also improving your balance.

How to do this exercise:

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
  2. Stand with feet about hip-distance apart. Step forward about 2 feet with your left foot.
  3. Bend your left knee toward the ground until it’s parallel to the floor. This is the forward lunge position.
  4. Pause and hold this position for a few seconds.
  5. Then take a step forward with your back (right) leg, and repeat the lunge leading with this leg.
  6. Repeat this walking lunge pattern, alternating legs for 20 repetitions (10 for each leg).
  7. Complete 3 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:

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Place your hands in front of your thighs.
  2. Stand with your weight on your right side with a slight bend in the knee. Engage your core muscles.
  3. 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.
  4. Hinge slowly until your left leg is parallel to the floor, or as close to parallel as you can get without losing your balance.
  5. Slowly lower your leg to the starting position.
  6. Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each leg.

The clamshell targets the deep glute muscles (gluteus medius and minimus) and the hip abductor muscles, which are often neglected when performing exercises like the squat and deadlift. These muscles help stabilize your pelvis, prevent lower back pain, and balance out your lower body.

How to do this exercise:

  1. Start by lying on your left side with your legs stacked, head resting on your left arm, and right hand on your hip.
  2. Bend your hips and knees to make a 90-degree angle. Your feet should be in line with your butt.
  3. 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.
  4. Hold at the top for a few seconds before slowly lowering to the starting position.
  5. Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions then repeat on the other side.

Using a resistance band during lower body exercises can help target your glutes and hip muscles while improving your sense of body positioning, known as proprioception.

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:

  1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Place a resistance band below your knees or around your ankles. You’ll feel the resistance on the outside of your legs and glutes.
  3. Bend your knees and lower your booty about a quarter of the way.
  4. Step to the right with your right foot, creating tension in the band, then step your left foot in to meet your right foot. Repeat.
  5. Complete 10 side steps to the right before repeating on the left side. Do 3 sets on each side.

Donkey kicks are a great exercise to perform because they focus solely on the three glute muscles by contracting them. This differs from other lower body exercises like the squat, which targets the gluteus in a lengthened position.

How to do this exercise:

  1. 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.
  2. Brace your core, then lift your right leg off the floor, keeping your right knee bent and your foot flat.
  3. 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.
  4. Return to the starting position.
  5. Complete 15 reps on each leg for 3 sets.

Adding weights to exercises is a great way to 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, try using:

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.

Bodies come in different shapes and sizes. If you’re preoccupied with the shape of your butt or experience feelings like guilt, consider reaching out for support.

Body image issues can affect anyone, regardless of gender identity, race, age, socioeconomic status, or other identities.

They can be caused by any combination of biological, social, cultural, and environmental factors — not just by exposure to diet, fitness, and pop culture.

A combination of targeted exercises and eating a balanced diet is usually the safest and most effective way of getting a firmer, rounder butt. However, results won’t happen right away.

If you’re looking for a more immediate, short-term option, shapewear may be a way to bring out the natural shape of your butt. These undergarments use a combination of removable butt-lifting pads and compression material like spandex.

Some people also turn to cosmetic procedures like butt lifts and butt implants to add volume and shape to their butt. However, these procedures typically aren’t covered by insurance and may pose several health risks.

It’s important to remember that bodies come in different shapes and sizes. If you’re preoccupied with the shape of your butt or feel negative feelings about it, consider reaching out for support.

As with most body parts, butts come in all shapes and sizes.

If you want to increase the volume, firmness, or shape of your butt, some targeted exercises can help you. These may include squats, donkey kickbacks, clamshells, lunges, and glute bridges.

If you want more immediate results, consider trying shapewear undergarments. Cosmetic procedures like butt lifts or implants may also provide quicker results, but these are usually expensive and may come with possible risks.

Remember, it takes time and patience to see results. If you’re unsure of what types of exercises will work best for you, consider speaking with a certified personal trainer.