These best butt exercises are often considered the best for targeting the glutes because they engage the glutes directly, often with peak tension at the top where the glutes are strongest. They’re great for home or the gym, with or without weights.
Squats are fantastic for overall leg strength and building glutes, but they’re not always the absolute best for targeted glute growth—especially if your goal is maximum activation of the gluteus maximus (the biggest butt muscle), better shape, lift, and roundness.
5 Best Butt Exercises That Are Better Than Squats
1. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Muscles Worked: Gluteus maximus (size and lift), hamstrings, core, and balance.
How to Do It Step by Step:
- Stand and hold a light kettlebell, dumbbell, or water bottle in your left hand (8 to 20 kg).
- Shift your weight to your left leg and lift your right foot off the floor (just a few inches).
- Keep your back flat, core braced, shoulders square.
- Hinge at the hips and lower your torso, extending your right leg straight back, keeping it in line with your body.
- Lower the weight toward the floor and feel a stretch in your left hamstring and glute.
- Drive through your left heel, squeeze your left glute, and return to standing, not letting your back leg touch down.
- Complete all reps on the left side, then switch sides (right hand and leg).
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 12–15 reps per leg.
Why it works: This exercise is one of the best for building the posterior chain, particularly the gluteus maximus and hamstrings, with some involvement of the gluteus medius and minimus. It is often ranked highly by research and expert sources for overall glute hypertrophy because it effectively targets all three glute muscles in a hip-hinge pattern, provides constant tension, and boosts unilateral strength and endurance.
2. Curtsy Lunges
Muscles Worked: Gluteus medius (side shape and curves), gluteus maximus (lifting), and quads.
How to Do It Step by Step:
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. You can either hold your hands together at your chest or relax them at your sides.
- Step your left leg back and across behind your right leg as if performing a curtsy.
- Bend both knees to lower your body, keeping the right knee tracking over the right toes and the left knee lowering toward the floor.
- Keep your torso upright and your hips square (don’t twist).
- Feel the stretch in your right glute and the squeeze in your left glute.
- Push through your right heel to return to a standing position.
- Alternate sides or complete all reps on one side first.
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 12–15 reps per side
Why it works: Great for sculpting the gluteus medius (side shape/curves) and gluteus minimus, while still hitting the maximus for lift. The cross-behind motion adds rotation and abduction, which boosts outer glute activation more than standard lunges (often 20%+ more fiber recruitment in the glutes). It’s fantastic for hip stability, mobility, and that “shelf” look.
3. Fire Hydrant with Leg Extension
Muscles worked: Gluteus medius (side shaping), gluteus maximus (lifting), and hip abductors.
How to Do It Step by Step:
- Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Keep your back flat and your core engaged.
- Keeping your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle, lift your leg out to the side as if you were a dog marking a fire hydrant.
- Once your thigh is parallel to the floor, fully extend your left leg straight out to the side.
- Squeeze your left glute hard for one to two seconds at the top.
- Bend your knee back to 90° and lower your leg without touching the floor.
- Repeat on the same side, then switch.
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 15–20 reps per side.
Why it works: This is a killer for gluteus medius isolation (side shape and hip stability) plus some gluteus maximus and abductors. The extension adds range and tension for extra burn—often called an “advanced fire hydrant.” It’s excellent for activating the outer glutes (which squats hit less directly) and combating “dead butt syndrome” from prolonged sitting.
4. Step-Ups
Muscles Worked: Gluteus maximus (size and lift), quadriceps, and hamstrings.
How to Do It Step by Step:
- Stand in front of a sturdy bench, box, or chair that is about knee-high.
- Fully place your right foot on the bench, with your heel near the edge.
- Keep your chest up, your core tight, and your arms relaxed or holding light dumbbells.
- Push strongly through your right heel to stand up onto the bench, bringing your left knee up high as if marching in place.
- Step your left foot back down softly, followed by your right foot.
- Alternate lead legs or complete all reps on one side first.
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 12–15 reps per leg.
Why it works: A powerful unilateral move hitting gluteus maximus (especially lower fibers for lift), quads, and hamstrings. It mimics explosive, real-life stepping and often provides high glute activation through the drive phase—complementary to squats, with some studies showing comparable or targeted glute emphasis depending on setup.
5. Bear Plank Leg Lifts
Muscles Worked: Gluteus maximus (size and lift), core stability, and hamstrings.
How to Do It Step by Step:
- Start in a bear plank position. Get on all fours and lift your knees 1–2 inches off the floor.
- Keep your back flat, your core braced, and your shoulders over your wrists.
- Bend your right knee to about 90 degrees with your foot flexed.
- Squeeze your right glute and lift your right heel straight toward the ceiling, keeping your knee bent.
- Push your heel up as high as possible without arching your lower back.
- Hold for 1–2 seconds at the top, feeling the glute squeeze.
- Lower your knee back to the hover position.
- Repeat on one side, then switch.
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 15–20 reps per side.
Why it works: Awesome combo of gluteus maximus isolation (bent-knee kickback style), core stability, and hamstring engagement. The bear position (knees hovered) ramps up anti-extension demands, making glute squeezes more intense while protecting the lower back—better than straight-leg versions for glute focus.
You don’t need endless squat sets or heavy weights to sculpt a stronger, rounder, and more lifted backside. These best butt exercises often deliver better glute-specific results than squats, especially in terms of shaping and emphasizing the upper and lower glutes.
