How Many Exercises You Need for Stronger Glutes

Your glutes already contribute during many lower-body movements, including squats, deadlifts, and lunges. Those exercises can be performed one to two times per week as a starting point for glute development, but they do not need to carry the entire job. Adding direct work gives these muscles more focused attention instead of leaving them as helpers during larger lifts.

The guide recommends three to four targeted glute exercises each week for muscle growth. You can complete them in one workout or spread them across two, three, or four total-body sessions. A varied routine should include hip-extension movements, such as hip thrusts and glute bridges, along with exercises that train hip abduction, including clamshells and side-lying hip abductions. This combination works the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, which help stabilize the pelvis, support upright posture, and drive lower-body movement.

Squats, deadlifts, lunges, kettlebell swings, hip thrusts, and glute bridges are among the examples provided for hip-extension work. The gluteus maximus produces force for actions such as standing from a crouched position, jumping, and running, while the other glute muscles help move the legs away from the body’s midline. Direct exercises can require less recovery than larger compound movements, so they may be performed more often, up to four times a week.