Bodyweight glute workout: 5 exercises, sets and reps

Bodyweight glute workout

5 exercises 16 sets about 40 min no weights

The glutes do three things: extend the hip, move the leg out to the side and rotate it. This session trains all three, starting with the heaviest hip extension and ending with the small muscle on the side of the hip.

Without weights the load is fixed, so effort comes from slower lowering, pauses, harder variations and more reps.

Start this workout free Creates your account with these 5 exercises already loaded. Free to log, no card.

The workout

Single-Leg Glute Bridge4 × 12 per sideOn your back, one foot planted and the other leg straight. Lift your hips level and hold for two seconds.90 s rest
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift3 × 10 per sideHinge forward on one leg while the other reaches straight back. Keep your hips level.90 s rest
Bulgarian Split Squat3 × 10 per sideBack foot on a bench or chair. Drop straight down until the front thigh is parallel to the floor.90 s rest
Donkey Kick3 × 15 per sideOn all fours, drive one heel towards the ceiling with the knee bent at 90 degrees.60 s rest
Side-Lying Leg Raise3 × 15 per sideLying on your side, lift the top leg with your toes pointing forward, not up. Slow on the way down.60 s rest

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Glutes16
Hamstrings8
Quads3
Lower back1.5
Adductors1.5

Sets per muscle. A muscle that only assists in an exercise counts half.

How to run it

Start with five minutes of easy movement and one easy set of the first exercise. Rest for the time shown next to each exercise; the heavy lifts at the top need more than the smaller ones at the end.

Aim to finish each set with one or two reps left in you. If every set reaches its target easily, the session is too light. When a set reaches the target comfortably, slow the lowering to three seconds or move to a harder variation before you add reps without end.

Two or three times a week. The glutes are large and recover quickly, so they respond to being trained more often than once.

If something is taken

Bulgarian Split Squat→Reverse Lunge

Keep the same number of sets. In the app you can swap an exercise for one session without changing the program.

In myreplog

It is already set up. These 5 exercises arrive in your account as a program, with the sets and reps above.
Tap, do not type. Set your weights the first time, then mark each set done as you finish it.
Records count themselves. From your second session, a lift that beats your best is marked as a personal record on the spot.
See what you trained. The session ends with this muscle map, drawn from the sets you actually did.

Logging is free for good. The first 14 days also include Pro, where a coach reviews each session and suggests the weights for the next one. No card needed.

Questions

How long does this glute workout take?

About 40 minutes. That is 16 working sets with the rests listed next to each exercise, plus five minutes to warm up.

What muscles does it work?

Mostly the glutes, hamstrings and quads. The lower back and adductors assist. The map on this page shades each muscle by the number of sets that reach it.

What equipment do I need?

No weights.

What is the best exercise for glutes?

The hip thrust loads the glutes hardest where they are fully shortened, which is why it comes first. Add a hinge such as a Romanian deadlift for the stretched position and the two cover the muscle.

Can I build glutes without squats?

Yes. Hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts and split squats train the glutes at least as directly as a squat does.