Let's be honest: Focusing on your glutes is ever-so-popular on social media right now. And we get it — not only are #bootygoals everything, but the stronger you are, the better. 

If you are interested in how to get a bigger butt, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about growing your butt size.

So, why increase your bum size? Aside from its aesthetic appeal, a solid and firm butt is crucial for posture, force/strength, and stability. Not only does it look good, a big booty will improve your overall posture and physical performance. Ultimately, you should not neglect your glutes!

Why Work on Your Butt?

Beyond #bootygoals, working on your bum reduces what is colloquially called “butt amnesia.”

“Butt amnesia” refers to the lack of glute activation, causing nearby areas — the hips, knees, lower back, and even ankles — to take the load that our glutes should be taking. To put it into perspective, the glutes are responsible for most of your body’s stability, so they should handle most of the load. Over time, weak glutes and butt amnesia can cause  issues like lower back pain.

Now that we know the importance of working on butt size, let’s talk about glute workouts.

As with all fitness, increasing our butt size boils down to two primary factors:

• Regular exercise
• Proper diet

But what exercises should you do? What muscle groups should you target? What diet should you follow? Grab your resistance bands, and let's get going. 

Exercise Builds a Bigger Butt

Some people may doubt whether exercise can actually grow your butt, but here’s the truth: Exercising specific muscle groups, notably the glutes, does train your butt and help increase size.

Some women who regularly hit the gym claim that, despite doing countless “butt exercises,” their backside simply doesn't grow. There are three possible reasons for this: 

1. They don't use the correct form 
2. They're not adding enough resistance 
3. They don't target the glutes appropriately

To increase your butt, there are three main muscles that you need to work: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus

The gluteus maximus is the most significant muscle of our glutes. Both gluteus medius and gluteus minimus are muscles that support the gluteus maximus. Your workout should target all three glute muscles if you want to work on your butt size.

Best Exercises to Increase Your Butt Size

The good news is there are many different glute exercises to choose from when it comes to targeting your butt muscles. So, grab your favorite pre-workout and try out some of these glute exercises. 

1. Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is one of the more popular muscle-building techniques to grow your butt, and for a good reason. It isolates both your glute muscles and hamstrings while increasing your stability. 

Here’s how to perform the glute bridge:

1. Lie on a mat with your knees bent and feet placed firmly on the floor. Place your arms down on both sides with your palms flat on the ground.
2. Contract both your abdominal and glute muscles. Then, press your feet into the ground and lift your hips from the ground. Your body should achieve a diagonally straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
3. Once you're at the top, hold it for 5-10 seconds.
4. Slowly return your body to its starting position. 
5. Repeat for 10 reps and 2-3 sets.

2. Lunges

Walking lunges are a popular workout for a variety of reasons. Not only do they target your entire gluteal muscle group (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus), they also strengthen your lower body. For a full-body workout, add in a kettlebell or dumbbells to increase weight and resistance, and add an upper-body workout. Simply hold the dumbbells at the starting position and work from there.

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
2. Take a step forward with your left foot for about 2 feet.
3. Bend your left knee towards the ground until it's parallel to the floor.
4. Hold for a few seconds.
5. After holding, take a step with your back leg. (In this case, it’s your right leg). 
6. Repeat the lunge step with your right leg.
7. After taking a lunge position with your right leg, hold again for a few seconds.
8. Repeat, alternating legs each time, for 10 reps and 2-3 sets.

3. Hip Thrust Variations

Hip thrusts are a powerful exercise that can be done in two variations: bodyweight hip thrusts and barbell hip thrusts. 

Bodyweight Hip Thrusts

1. Stand next to a chair or sofa.
2. Leaning your back on your chair or sofa, place your feet flat on the ground, holding yourself up at an angle. Your knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle, and your hands should be flat on the ground on both sides.
3. Once you’re in position, thrust your hips upwards as much as possible. You should feel the squeeze in your glutes.
4. Slowly lower your hips.
5. Repeat 10 times and do 2-3 sets.

Barbell Hip Thrusts

1. Sit on the ground and place your shoulder blades against a bench or step, balancing a barbell on your hips.
2. With your chin tucked in, push your hips upward to lift your bum and the barbell off the ground.
3. Clench your bum once it’s at the top. Be sure that your shoulders, hips, and knees are in a straight line.
4. Lower your back slowly and in a controlled manner. 
5. Repeat 10 times and do 2-3 sets.

4. Deadlift Variations

Deadlifts are a favorite among gym-goers. They are a full-body workout that targets a variety of muscles, including your glutes. There are three common types of deadlifts: bodyweight single-leg deadlifts, dumbbell deadlifts, and barbell deadlifts.

Bodyweight Single-Leg Deadlift

1. To start, stand with both feet spread shoulder width apart. With your right knee slightly bent, lift your left leg slowly behind you as your chest and body leans forward.
2. Return to your starting (standing) position using your glutes. Keep your left leg floating off the ground the whole time.
3. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides.

Dumbbell Deadlift

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and make sure that your palms face your thighs. Then slightly bend both knees.
2. Keep your back flat, hinge at your waist, and bend forward until your torso is parallel with the ground.
3. Push yourself back to your standing position. Be sure to use your glutes and thighs to power up to the starting position.
4. Repeat for 10 reps and 2-3 sets.

Barbell Deadlift

1. To start, bend your knees to lower your body and reach the barbell on the ground. Be sure that your shoulder blades are pulled in toward each other. Then, hold the barbell in a wide stance.
2. Lift the barbell using your legs, keeping your torso in an upright position.
3. Then, carefully lower the barbell back to the ground.
4. Repeat for 10 reps, 2-3 times.

5. Split Squat

Split squats are key when you're figuring out how to get a bigger butt. For more resistance, you can add dumbbells to your split squat. Simply hold them in your starting position with your arms hanging down while performing the workout. 

1. Put one foot forward, and on your back foot, touch the floor with only the toes.
2. Lunge forward and clench your glutes. 
3. Lower your back knee until it touches the ground, then push back up through the soles of your feet. 
4. Always keep your back straight and your gaze forward during these movements.
5. Repeat for 10 reps and 2-3 sets.

Other Things to Consider During Your Butt Workout

​There are a variety of things that you should consider when trying to build muscle, specifically in your butt. Glute exercises are crucial, but there are a few other things that are crucial as well.

Add Variations to Your Workout

Jump squats, donkey kicks, lunges, and deadlifts are the gold standard for working out your butt, but to fully activate your glutes, you need to do a variation of each workout to tap each of your glute muscles. Completing variations ensures that your muscles do not get used to stretches or exercises, and can continue growing.

Add Resistance and Weights

Your butt is essentially made up of muscles (glutes), and as with any other muscles, they grow with added weights and resistance. You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and barbells to increase the weight when working out. 

These will help elevate your workouts or help you increase the difficulty after a good warm-up.

Do Some Cardio, But Only a Little

If you want a bigger bum, resistance and strength training are key. You need to be careful of doing too much cardio. 

It might go against everything you have learned when it comes to fat loss, but excess cardio can actually decrease the muscle mass in your butt. 

Add Protein to Your Diet 

If you're building your butt muscles, or any muscles for that matter, adding protein powder can help you get there quicker. Our whey protein, Bright Whey, is a great option. It tastes like dessert, minus the guilt. And it's your “one-whey ticket” to better support your butt workouts.

Add it to a smoothie post-workout, or put it in your favorite blender bottle, and enjoy.

Can the Right Butt Exercises Build Your Butt?

If you are trying to grow your butt, the best thing you can do is train in a way that supports muscle growth in that area — incorporating the above exercises will help shape your lower body and promote weight loss. 

When you're wondering how to get a bigger butt, the full-body workout in this article will get you off on the right track.

See you at the gym, babe! Let's get those #bootygains.