Want a firmer, rounder, higher-looking butt without hours of gym time or heavy lifting? Squats aren’t the only way to strengthen and shape your backside. These 5 best butt workouts will sculpt your gluteus maximus and related muscles like your hamstrings, core, and adductors.
These butt workouts fortify your glutes, boosting hip extension, improving abduction, and giving you a perkier, fuller look over time. Follow this routine 4–6x per week — eat clean, drink water, and walk daily for serious firmness and lift in 4 weeks.
5 Best Butt Workouts That Actually Work to Get a Rounder, Firmer Glute
1. Quadruped Hip Extension (Cat Kicks)
Targets: Gluteus maximus (primary), hamstrings (secondary), core stabilizers
How to do it correctly (step by step):
- Start on all fours (quadruped position): hands directly under shoulders, knees under hips, fingers spread wide, back flat, neck neutral (gaze down at floor).
- Engage your core lightly — pull navel toward spine, keep lower back neutral (no arching).
- Keep right knee bent at 90° — foot flexed (toes pointing toward floor).
- Exhale → squeeze right glute hard and lift right leg back and up (heel drives toward ceiling).
- Raise until right thigh is parallel to floor or slightly higher — do not arch lower back or swing leg.
- Hold 1–2 seconds at the top — max glute squeeze, feel the contraction in the butt cheek.
- Inhale → lower slowly with full control — knee hovers just above floor (don’t rest or touch it).
- Complete all reps on right leg, then switch to left.
- Reps/Sets: 15–20 reps per leg × 3 sets.
Why it works: This classic isolation exercise maximises glute contraction at the top of the lift. The bent-knee position minimises hamstring involvement, forcing the gluteus maximus to do most of the work — ideal for building lift, roundness and a high, perky shape. The quadruped position also strengthens the core and improves hip extension power.
2. Tree Pose Leg Raise (Balance & Sculpt)
Targets: Gluteus medius & minimus (side/upper glutes), core, hip stabilizers, balance muscles
How to do it correctly (step by step):
- Stand tall — feet together or hip-width, core engaged, gaze at a fixed point ahead for balance.
- Shift weight fully to left leg — keep a slight bend in left knee (not locked).
- Bend right knee and lift it out to the side — place right foot on inner left calf or thigh (never on the knee joint).
- Reach left arm overhead (or both arms up for more challenge), right arm down or at side.
- Lean torso slightly forward from the hips — slowly extend right leg straight back until it aligns with left arm (forming a “T” shape with your body).
- Hold 1–2 seconds — squeeze standing (left) glute hard and feel the outer hip fire.
- Return to start slowly with control — foot back to calf/thigh, then down if needed.
- Complete all reps on left side, then switch to right.
- Reps/Sets: 15 reps per leg × 3 sets.
Why it works: This yoga exercise, which involves balancing on one leg, activates the gluteus medius (which is important for hip stability and shaping the outer buttocks) while the leg extension engages the gluteus maximus. It improves single-leg strength, corrects imbalances, sculpts the upper and side glutes, and improves posture to create a lifted and rounded appearance.
3. Standing Side Leg Raise (Glute Sculpting)
Targets: Gluteus medius & minimus (outer hips), tensor fasciae latae, core, balance
How to do it correctly (step by step):
- Stand tall — feet hip-width, core engaged, slight bend in knees.
- Place one hand lightly on hip or chair for balance.
- Keep standing foot grounded.
- Exhale → slowly lift right leg straight out to the side (toes pointed or flexed).
- Raise until leg is parallel to floor or slightly higher — squeeze right glute at top.
- Inhale → lower slowly (don’t let foot touch floor).
- Repeat on right leg, then switch.
-
Reps: 10–12 reps per side × 3 sets
Why it works: This pure abduction exercise targets the gluteus medius, the muscle responsible for creating the upper/side shelf and hip curves. It tones the outer thighs, improves hip stability and reduces the appearance of saddlebags, making it perfect for sculpting the sides of the glutes and creating a more rounded shape.
4. Wide Stance Plié Squat (Glute & Calf Burn)
Targets: Glutes (maximus & medius), inner thighs (adductors), quads, calves
How to do it correctly (step by step):
- Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart — toes turned out at about 45° (or a comfortable angle where knees track naturally over toes).
- Engage your core — chest up, shoulders back and down, gaze forward (or slightly up for posture).
- Inhale → push hips back as if sitting into a chair, bend knees, and lower into a deep squat.
- Lower until thighs are near parallel to the floor (or as low as comfortable while keeping heels flat and back straight).
- Keep heels grounded, knees pressing outward (track over toes — do not let them cave inward).
- Exhale → drive powerfully through heels to stand tall, squeeze glutes hard at the top (hold 1 second for extra contraction).
- Keep torso upright throughout — no rounding the lower back or leaning forward excessively.
- Reps/Sets: 15 reps × 3 sets.
Why it works: The wide stance and outward toe angle shift the emphasis to the glutes and inner thighs, creating more hip abduction and external rotation than with a standard squat. This exercise opens the hips, improves mobility and tones the entire lower body. It also helps to reduce inner-thigh chafing and sculpts a rounder, lifted butt by heavily recruiting the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles.
5. Diamond Leg Raise (Inner Thigh & Glute Tightener)
Targets: Inner thighs (adductors), lower abs, hip flexors, glutes (secondary)
How to do it correctly (step by step):
- Lie flat on your back on a mat or floor — arms by sides or slide hands under hips/glutes for lower back support.
- Lift both legs straight up toward the ceiling — keep legs together and straight (slight knee bend if tight).
- Bring heels together, toes pointed outward to the sides (forming a diamond shape with legs — knees open wide).
- Engage core (press lower back into floor) — exhale and slowly lower legs toward the floor while spreading them wide (like opening a book).
- Lower only as far as comfortable without arching lower back or letting legs touch floor (keep tension).
- Inhale → bring legs back together with control, heels touching again at the top.
- Keep lower back pressed down — no arching or lifting hips.
- Reps/Sets: 15 reps × 3 sets.
Why it works: The diamond position (heels together, toes out) activates the adductors intensely, while the controlled lowering phase works the lower abs and hip flexors. This exercise helps to tighten the inner thighs, reduce chafing, strengthen the lower core and improve glute/hip control, contributing to a smoother, leaner leg line and a better overall butt lift.
So, this top five butt workouts routine is pretty simple, right? It’s highly effective, requires no equipment, and is easy to follow. Just be consistent, and you’ll see results in four weeks! Start today and see results in four weeks!
