What are the worst glute exercises?

Author: Carmen Feil  |  Last update: Sunday, June 1, 2025

The reason Squats, Lunges and Step Ups are some of the WORST glute exercises is because they don't isolate the glutes and force them to work. Because of our modern lifestyle, our glutes often don't naturally want to engage and are often inactive and underused.

What are the useless glute exercises?

These 4 Glute Exercises Are Useless, According to a Personal Trainer. Here's What To Do Instead
  • Quarter squats01.
  • Rushed glute bridges02.
  • Glute kickbacks03.
  • Fire hydrants04.

What exercises should you avoid when growing glutes?

Exercises to Avoid (Moves That Grow Your Thighs)
  • Squats
  • Jumps
  • Lunges
  • Step-ups
  • Kettlebell swings

What is the most difficult glute exercise?

The single-leg squat is one of the most challenging glute exercises. No one wants to hit a booty-building plateau, but if you think your progress is stalling — especially since it's probably been a while since you set foot in a gym — it may be time for a little kick in the butt (pun intended).

What exercise hits glutes the most?

Yes, you read that right; step Ups, not hip thrusts, have the highest glute max activation of any exercise when done correctly.

The Best & Worst Glute Exercises (Ranked Using Science)

What happens if you hit glutes everyday?

If you overwork your glutes, they can become tight, leading to pain in the lower back or leg. This tightness can also negatively affect posture, making it hard to walk or stand up straight. The best way to avoid overtraining the glutes is with a diversified exercise plan.

What is the secret to big glutes?

Exercise is the key to getting a bigger butt. To get the best results, it's important to focus on exercises that target the glute muscles, such as squats and hip extensions. These exercises will not only help you build muscle in your glutes, but they'll also help you burn fat in other areas of your body.

What weakens your glutes?

Your glute muscles are key to supporting your whole body. You use them when you stand up, walk or climb stairs, and they are important for balance and posture. Sitting for a long time can make your glutes weak, so be sure to take a lot of movement breaks when you have to sit a lot.

Which is harder glute bridge or hip thrust?

The glute bridge and hip thrust target the glutes, but each exercise has unique benefits. A glute bridge is a beginner-friendly bodyweight exercise that activates the glutes, abs, and hamstrings. A hip thrust is a more advanced exercise that may be better for increasing glute muscle strength and power.

Are stairs good for glutes?

Climbing stairs is a great way to amp your core muscle strength. Tones and sculpts your body: It also engages every major muscle in your lower body - glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs and calves to exercise and thus tones your body better.

What grows the glutes the most?

The barbell hip thrust has been shown to produce some of the highest amounts of glute activity when compared with most other exercises. Research has repeatedly concluded that hip thrusts have higher glute activation than back squats, front squats, deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, trap bar deadlifts, and split squats.

What not to do after glute workout?

Avoid Sitting for Long Periods. Sitting for long periods can put additional stress on your glutes and lower back, exacerbating the pain from a glute strain. Make sure to take breaks from sitting and stretch your legs and glutes regularly.

What are redundant exercises for glutes?

An example of exercise redundancy specifically with glute training could be moving from a Bulgarian split squat or reverse lunge into a movement like a step up. Now, the reason is because these movements are so similar. We're stretching and lengthening the muscle in the same way. So, they're basically the same thing.

What are lazy glutes?

For the majority of us, today's lifestyle has resulted 'lazy glutes'. What this means is our gluteal muscles are not active or 'switched on' during a lower body workout. Lazy glutes may also be a result of muscle tension or pelvis alignment, where other muscles are overcompensating.

Is 5 glute exercises too much?

Within a training session, we recommend including between 1 and 2 different glute exercises, but no more than that in most cases, as doing more than 2 glute movements in one session is likely just a needless burning of potential exercise variations you can save for later mesocycles.

What are the disadvantages of glute bridges?

Cons of Glute Bridge:

Limited resistance: Glute bridges cannot be loaded with as much weight as barbell hip thrusts, which may limit muscle stimulation and growth. Limited range of motion: Glute bridges have a limited range of motion compared to barbell hip thrusts, which may limit muscle activation and growth.

What is the strongest glute muscle?

The Gluteus Maximus (GM) muscle is the largest and most powerful in the human body. It plays an important role in optimal functioning of the human movement system as well as athletic performance. It is however, prone to inhibition and weakness which contributes to chronic pain, injury and athletic under-performance.

Is deadlift better than hip thrust for glutes?

If glute development is your primary focus, hip thrusts are unbeatable. If overall strength and functional muscle engagement are your goals, deadlifts are the way to go.

Does walking strengthen glutes?

“Speed walking and power walking absolutely help build glute strength,” says Matty. However, incline is a crucial factor if you want to have the greatest impact on glute recruitment. “Walking on an incline maximizes your glute activation,” he says.

What causes dead glutes?

When you spend lots of time sitting at a desk, driving a car or crashing on the couch, or you perform repetitive exercises like running or cycling, you could develop dead butt syndrome. That's when you have numbness, discomfort or pain in your gluteal muscles, hips or lower back.

What causes extremely tight glutes?

Injury, exercising without warming up and cooling down, and poor posture are some possible causes of tightness in the glutes. Targeted stretching and exercise can help relieve tightness and related pain and prevent the issue from returning.

What is the number one exercise to grow glutes?

If you want to build stronger and more performance-driven glutes, I'd recommend the following for a well-rounded routine:
  • Barbell Hip Thrust.
  • Step Up.
  • Reverse Hyper.
  • Romanian Deadlift.
  • Curtsy Lunge.
  • Sprinter Position Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats.
  • Single-Leg Hip Thrust.
  • Dumbbell Frog Press.

What causes big buttocks?

There are various causes for big buttocks such as hormonal issues, obesity, certain types of illnesses and more. We will take a look at the most common reasons for big buttocks. It is common to find women develop fat in the lower parts of their body when compared to men. This is because of the hormone estrogen.

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