What Is the Best Bodyweight Glute Exercise

The #1 Bodyweight Glute Exercise (It's Not a Squat)

The answer to what is the best bodyweight glute exercise is the single-leg hip thrust. While you've probably been told to do endless squats and lunges, the single-leg hip thrust is the most effective movement because it generates over 2 times the glute activation of a traditional bodyweight squat. If you're frustrated because you do hundreds of reps of other exercises and only feel it in your thighs or lower back, this is the movement that finally isolates and builds your glutes. The reason is simple: it's a pure hip extension movement, which is the primary function of your gluteus maximus. Unlike squats, it takes your quads almost completely out of the equation, forcing your glutes to do 100% of the work. You don't need any equipment besides a couch or a bench, and it's infinitely scalable, meaning you can make it harder forever without ever adding a single pound of weight. This is for you if you're tired of workouts that don't deliver visible results. This is not for you if you're looking for a full-body workout; this is a precision tool for a specific job: building your glutes.

Why This Move Beats Everything Else You've Tried

You've been doing squats, lunges, and maybe some fire hydrants. So why aren't your glutes growing? It comes down to biomechanics and tension. Your glutes' main job is hip extension-driving your hips forward. Squats and lunges are compound movements that also involve significant knee extension, which is your quads' territory. For most people, the quads are stronger and more dominant, so they take over the movement, leaving your glutes under-stimulated. You end up doing 50 squats and building your thighs, not your backside. The single-leg hip thrust flips the script. By positioning your body horizontally and planting one foot, you force your glute to be the prime mover. There is no way for your quads to cheat. The movement isolates the gluteus maximus through its full range of motion, from a deep stretch at the bottom to a powerful, peak contraction at the top. This is where growth happens. A 2019 study on muscle activation confirmed that hip thrust variations create significantly higher gluteus maximus activity than squat variations. The single-leg version adds another critical benefit: stability. Your body has to fight to stay level, which fires up your gluteus medius (the upper/side glute) to prevent your hip from dropping. This builds the rounded, lifted look that most people are after. You're not just working the biggest muscle; you're building the entire complex. You now understand the mechanics: pure hip extension, peak contraction, and unilateral stability. But knowing *why* the single-leg hip thrust works and *proving* you're getting stronger at it are two different things. Can you say for sure you did more reps or had better form on your left glute this week than you did 3 weeks ago? If you can't, you're just exercising, not training.

Proof your glutes are getting stronger.

Track your reps and sets. See your progress week by week.

Your 4-Week Plan: From Zero to Stronger Glutes

This isn't about doing 100 reps and hoping for the best. This is a structured plan to build real strength. The goal is progressive overload-making the exercise harder over time. You will perform this routine 3 times per week on non-consecutive days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Step 1: Master the Two-Leg Glute Bridge (Week 1)

This is your foundation. It teaches you how to activate your glutes without involving your lower back.

• How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart. Place your arms by your sides. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold the top position for 2 full seconds, squeezing your glutes as hard as you can. Lower back down slowly over 3 seconds.
• The Goal: Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps. Once you can easily complete 3 sets of 20 with a 2-second hold at the top, you are ready for the next step.

Step 2: Elevate to the Two-Leg Hip Thrust (Week 2)

By elevating your back, you increase the range of motion, which means more work for your glutes.

• How to do it: Sit on the floor with your upper back against the side of a couch, bed, or sturdy bench (about 16-18 inches high). Place your feet flat on the floor, knees bent. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips until your torso is parallel to the floor. Keep your chin tucked. Your shins should be vertical at the top. Hold for 1 second. Lower back down slowly.
• The Goal: Perform 3 sets of 20 reps. When this feels too easy, you've earned the right to move to the main exercise.

Step 3: The Single-Leg Hip Thrust (Week 3 & 4)

This is the ultimate bodyweight glute builder. The instability forces maximum muscle fiber recruitment.

• How to do it: Get into the same hip thrust position. Lift one leg off the ground, keeping the knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Drive through the heel of the grounded foot, keeping your hips level. Do not let the unsupported side drop. Squeeze the working glute hard at the top. Lower with control.
• The Goal: Perform 3 sets of 8-15 reps *per leg*. Start with whatever you can do with perfect form. If you can only do 5 reps, that's your starting point. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.

Step 4: Progressive Overload Without Weights (Beyond Week 4)

Once you can do 3 sets of 15 reps on each leg, you need to make it harder to keep seeing results. Do not just add more reps. Instead, choose one of these methods:

• Add a Pause: Hold the top position for 3-5 seconds on every single rep. This increases the time under tension at peak contraction.
• Slow the Eccentric: Take 4-5 seconds to lower yourself back down on each rep. This creates muscle damage that stimulates growth.
• Use 1.5 Reps: Go all the way up, halfway down, back up to the top, and then all the way down. That's one rep. This is brutal and highly effective. Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Week 1 Feels Awkward. Here’s What Real Progress Looks Like.

It's crucial to have realistic expectations. You won't look different in a week, but you will feel different. That's the first sign of progress.

• In the First 2 Weeks: The movement will feel awkward, especially the single-leg version. You might feel wobbly. That's normal. Your primary goal is not hitting a rep target; it's mastering the form and feeling the contraction in the right place-your glute, not your hamstring or lower back. You will likely feel significant muscle soreness (DOMS) 24-48 hours after your first few sessions. This is a good sign that you've targeted the muscle correctly.
• After 1 Month (12 sessions): The movement should feel natural and strong. You'll be able to complete all your sets with consistent, perfect form. Your mind-muscle connection will be sharp; you can initiate the movement just by thinking about squeezing your glute. You should be able to complete at least 12 reps per leg on the single-leg hip thrust. Your glutes will feel firmer to the touch, and you may notice they look slightly more lifted.
• After 3 Months (36 sessions): This is where visible changes become undeniable. You'll have significantly increased your reps or added advanced techniques like pauses or 1.5 reps. For example, you might have gone from 3 sets of 8 reps to 3 sets of 12 reps with a 3-second pause at the top. Your glutes will look rounder and fuller, and your strength will have noticeably increased. This is the payoff for your consistency. That's the protocol. Start with bridges, progress to thrusts, then master the single-leg version. You'll track your reps, sets, and tempo for each leg, every workout. That's at least 4 data points per session, 3 times a week. It works, but only if you track it. Trying to remember if you did 11 or 12 reps on your left leg last Tuesday is a recipe for getting stuck.

Your glute progress. All in one place.

Every workout logged. Proof you're getting stronger.

Frequently Asked Questions

I Don't Feel It In My Glutes

This is the most common issue. It's usually a form problem. First, make sure you are driving through your heel, not your toes. Second, tuck your chin to your chest and look forward, not up at the ceiling. This helps prevent arching your back. Finally, initiate the movement by consciously squeezing your glutes, not just lifting your hips.

How Often Should I Train Glutes?

For a bodyweight-only routine focused on growth, training the glutes 3 times per week on non-consecutive days is optimal. This provides enough stimulus to encourage adaptation and enough recovery time (about 48 hours) for the muscle fibers to repair and grow stronger.

What Other Bodyweight Exercises Should I Add?

The single-leg hip thrust is best for the gluteus maximus. To build well-rounded glutes, add an exercise for the gluteus medius (side glute). Side-lying hip raises are perfect. Lie on your side, legs straight and stacked. Lift your top leg up about 45 degrees without rocking your torso. Do 3 sets of 15-20 reps per side.

My Lower Back Hurts When I Do This

Lower back pain during a hip thrust means you are hyperextending your lumbar spine instead of extending your hips. The fix is to keep your ribcage down and your core braced. Tucking your chin helps cue this. Only lift your hips as high as you can while maintaining a straight line from shoulders to knees. Don't arch your back to get extra height.

Can I Do This Every Day?

No. Muscles grow during recovery, not during the workout. Training the same muscle group every day without rest prevents this process. It leads to overtraining, fatigue, and stalled progress. Stick to the 3x per week schedule to give your glutes the 48 hours they need to recover and rebuild stronger.