How to Build a Better Bum
- Matt Gable
- May 5
- 3 min read
Updated: May 9
Building glute muscles isn’t about the fancy exercises you see on Instagram. You’re not going to grow strong glutes by doing loads of donkey kicks with ankle weights while balancing on a Bosu ball. If your goal is real muscle growth and strength, you need to focus on what actually works, like the tough stuff. The basic movements done consistently and progressively.
I'm talking about barbell hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, barbell squats, and lunges. Basically, the old-school, hard-working exercises. These are the movements that challenge your body, load the glutes properly, and create enough tension and stimulus to actually spark muscle growth.
Why the Basics Work
The glutes are one of the largest, most strongest muscle groups in the body. So, if you’re looking to make them grow, you need to train them in a way that speaks their language. That means moving through a full range of motion, lifting progressively heavier over time, and pushing yourself close to failure.
I always tell my clients:
“The joint that moves the most, the muscles around it work the hardest.”
Or, if you want the sciencey version: the joint that moves furthest away from the body’s centre of mass creates the greatest amount of muscular stimulus.
So, if you squat and your knees are the joint doing most of the work, your quads will take over. If you hinge at the hips and they move furthest back and forward, the glutes are ones doing the most work. Same goes for upper body - if you want to grow your biceps or triceps, you need to move through the elbow, not the shoulder. It all comes down to where the movement is coming from, and how much load that joint is responsible for.
Hip Thrusts and "The Glute Guy"
I wanted to give a quick shout out to Bret Contreras. He is known as "The Glute Guy" and for literally inventing the barbell hip thrust in 2006. This is one of the best ways to target your glutes. It isolates the glutes in a way few other movements can. This isn't just for women, guys should try it also.
Heavy Compound Lifts
One of the gyms that I used to work at, I remember a woman who trained there regularly. She was strong, focused, and always hit the big lifts. Towards the end of her workout, I’d see her pull out a tripod and start filming the kinds of exercises you’d expect to see on social media—little banded movements, glute kickbacks, that sort of thing.
Curious, I asked her one day, “Why do you only film those exercises?”
She smiled and said, “Because nobody’s interested in the hard working exercises. They want the smaller, easier exercises that look cool.”
That stuck with me. The reality is that the stuff that builds you isn’t a revolution. It's quite often that the exercises people are watching online aren't the foundation of their workouts, and only account for a small amount of results.
Exercises like cable kickbacks or band walks do have their role, and sure, I do use exercises like those with my clients now and then. They’re great for activation, rehab, and adding volume without burning you out. They can improve mind-muscle connection, help correct imbalances, and are often used toward the end of a session to add a bit of pump or finish off the muscle.
A 'Cheeky' Workout
This video shows a quick how-to for the bigger lifts.
The 'Bottom' Line
If you’re serious about building your glutes, don’t waste your time chasing exercises that look cool online. Stick with what works:
Barbell Squats
Hip thrusts
Bulgarian split squats
Romanian Deadlifts
Good Mornings
Lunges
Add the smaller stuff after the heavy lifting is done. If you’re not sure where to start or how to structure your training? That’s where I come in. Hit me up for coaching or guidance.
Recommended Blogs
Comments