Let's be honest. Most people either completely ignore their glutes or assume that squatting twice a week is somehow enough. It is not. Your butt is arguably the most powerful muscle group in your body, and if you're not training it properly, you're basically running a Ferrari on three wheels.
Luckily, the fitness experts over at GQ did the responsible thing and rounded up the five best glute exercises to actually build a strong, functional backside - not just an aesthetically pleasing one (though that's a welcome side effect, obviously).
Why your glutes matter way more than you think
Your glutes aren't just there to fill out your jeans. They stabilize your hips, protect your lower back, power your stride, and keep your whole posterior chain from quietly falling apart as you age. Weak glutes are basically the root cause of half the mysterious lower back pain people complain about. Fix the butt, fix the back. It's almost poetic.
The twist that changes everything
The most exciting thing in GQ's roundup is a variation on a classic movement that one trainer flat-out called "the ultimate glute exercise." We're talking about a modified version of something you've probably already done - except most people do it wrong, load it wrong, or completely skip the range of motion that actually activates the glutes. Small tweak, dramatically different results.
What the full routine looks like
The five exercises experts recommended cover all the bases - hip hinges, single-leg work, and loaded stretches that keep the muscle under tension for longer. That last part is key. Glutes respond really well to time under tension, which is why slow, controlled reps beat sloppy, fast ones every single time.
- Hip thrusts (the crown jewel - done right, they're unmatched)
- Romanian deadlifts (hip hinge royalty)
- Bulgarian split squats (evil, but effective)
- Step-ups (underrated and criminally neglected)
- The expert-approved "ultimate" variation that reframes a classic move
So how often should you actually train glutes?
Experts suggest hitting glutes two to three times a week with adequate recovery in between. Progressive overload matters here just as much as anywhere else - gradually adding weight or reps over time is what drives actual growth and strength gains.
The takeaway is pretty simple: stop treating your glutes like an afterthought. A well-built, strong butt isn't vanity - it's infrastructure. And frankly, it's the kind of infrastructure that deserves a proper budget.
