If your at-home workout routine has been feeling a little stale, adding the best butt workouts at home to your mix can be just what you need to feel ready to tackle your next strength training session. Your butt muscles are among the largest in your body, and the best butt workouts out there will work every part of them: your gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Working your glute muscles is super important, since they stabilize your pelvis and help you maintain an upright posture—as well as power you through your long runs and lower-body workouts, as SELF reported previously. But if you don’t use them enough (especially if you find yourself sitting all day), your glutes can “turn off,” or forget how to activate properly.
That’s why it’s important to include glute-specific exercises in your workouts—or even an entire workout solely dedicated to your derrière. Many of the best butt workouts at home also include moves that work other muscles in your lower body, like your hamstrings, quads, and calves, so you’ll also work on strengthening those important areas too.
We’ve compiled a list of SELF’s best butt workouts you can do at home, so you’ll have a whole host of options when you really want to get your glutes going. One of the best things about butt workouts is that you can train those muscles with a wide range of equipment—or none at all. The butt workouts we’ve chosen include options for whatever you may have at your disposal. If you have a resistance band or mini-band, workouts #1 and #8 are must-tries. A pair of dumbbells? Try workouts #3 and #10. If you have a kettlebell, workout #5 may be the one for you. If you don’t have any equipment—or are just starting out and want to keep it simple—bodyweight workouts like #4 and #7 will come in clutch.
Whatever workout you choose, your butt—and other muscles in your lower body—will certainly be feeling it. Get ready to add some new favorite butt workouts to your strength training routine.
After a long day of sitting still, your butt will be begging for some movement. This bodyweight butt workout delivers—and you can treat it more like a stretching routine, meaning it’s relaxing enough to do before bed. Simply hold each of the eight moves (including the donkey kick, fire hydrant, and standing hamstring stretch) for 10–12 breaths, focusing on your breathing throughout. If you’re in the mood for more of a workout, you can make the exercises into a circuit, completing 8–12 reps of each.
Try the workout.
