Hip thrusts may be the GOAT of glute exercises to build bulk, shape, and size on your butt, but if you want to make your behind look as full and evenly developed as Whitney in her animal adapt leggings, then you’ll want to listen up.
Many glute workouts focus on building the glute max–and as the largest, most powerful muscle of the glutes, it makes sense as a direct route to building strength, size and power.
If you’ve been working away at your lower glute exercises for a while, you might notice your butt building in size. But getting that perky, ‘top shelf’ shape can be a little trickier…
The secret? You need to work the smaller muscles of the glutes too: the glute medius and minimus. They may not come near to the glute max in terms of size or power, but when it comes to lifting and sculpting, they’re the ones you want to pay attention to.
Looks aside, our upper glutes play an essential role in hip and pelvic stability, contributing to better performance in compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and lunges and helping prevent injuries caused by muscular imbalances.
So if you want a butt that lifts (even when you don’t have your favorite pair of lift seamless leggings on), these are the upper glute exercises you don’t want to hit the snooze button on.
What Muscles Make Up The Upper Glutes?
If you’ve followed our glute workout series already, you’re probably familiar with the anatomy of the glutes. But let’s do a quick refresher:
The glutes are made up of the glute maximus, glute medius, glute minimus, and piriformis. The glute max is the glute's largest, most superficial muscle (meaning it sits on the outer layer), followed by the glute medius, and finally, the glute minimus (the deepest glute muscle).
When training the upper glutes, you want to focus mainly on the glute medius (and a little on the glute minimus) to achieve that ‘glute shelf’ look.
This smaller glute muscle is positioned at the side of the hip and is responsible for hip abduction (moving your leg away from the midline of your body) and helping to provide stability during walking. It springs into action whenever you step on one leg, walk, run, or lunge [1].
The best way to target the glute med 👉 Single leg exercises combined with abduction movements.
Which brings us nicely to our five best upper glute exercises:
The 5 Best Upper Glute Exercises
To make things easy, we’ve gathered the best abduction and single-leg exercises to build, bulk, and tone your top glute shelf.
We’ve got bodyweight and banded options that can be done from home, along with weighted variations to increase the intensity of your glute workout. The banded upper glute exercises also work well as part of a warm-up to activate the upper glutes to ensure you engage them during your compound leg exercises.
Side note: For maximum glute pump, the best glute workouts also include compound lifts that target both the upper and lower section of your glutes to maximize glute growth.
1. Lateral Band Walks
Get your resistance band ready–these lateral band walks (AKA crab walks) will have your upper glutes on 🔥. This abduction top glute exercise makes your glutes work against the band to control the movement and keep your knees driving out. Research has found this one of the most effective functional exercises in activating the glute medius [2].
We recommend using these as a warm-up (to activate your glutes before your glute workout or leg day lifts) or as a high-rep finisher to maximize work through your glutes once they’re already fatigued from a heavy session.
How To Do Lateral Band Walks:
Place a booty band just above your knees and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes facing forward.
Dip your knees, driving them out to come into a quarter squat. Brace your core, keep your chest up, and either clasp your hands in front of your chest or place your hands on your hips.
Step your right foot out to the right, keeping your knees driving out. Then, bring your left foot to the right, ensuring you maintain tension on the band as you do so.
Continue stepping to the right for 10 reps, then reverse the movement and step to the left for 10 reps.
Repeat twice, then rest for a minute before repeating for two more sets.
Tip: Keep your knees bent throughout and maintain tension on the band, resisting the urge to let your knees come in. As you get more experienced, increase the weight of the band.
2. Side Plank With Hip Abduction
This simple but effective upper glute exercise is suitable to perform at home and produces high activation in the posterior glute min in the upper glutes [3]. As an adaptation of a regular side plank, the slide plank with hip abduction builds your glutes and enhances hip stability, improving your form and balance when lifting and reducing the risk of injury.
How To Do Side Plank With Hip Abduction:
Lie on your side on a mat, with your body in a straight line from your head to your toes. Your legs should be stacked on top of each other. Place your forearm on the floor, with your elbow directly below your shoulder (as if you were about to do a side plank). Rest your top arm straight along your body.
Brace your core and lift your hips towards the ceiling. You should now be in a side plank, with weight pressing through your forearm and foot.
Lift your top leg towards the ceiling, keeping the bottom leg still. Lead the motion with your heel, pointing your toes down to engage the glute medius.
Lift your leg until you feel a strong engagement in your upper glutes, pause, then lower it back down to the starting position, stopping just before your legs touch.
Repeat for 10 to 12 reps, then come back down, turn over, and switch sides to work the other glute.
Tip: Finding this exercise too difficult? Instead of keeping both legs straight, bend both legs at the knee (so you are in a modified side plank position). Then, perform the same steps as above.
Too easy? Hold the lifting position at the top for 3 to 5 seconds to increase time under tension. If you’re feeling strong, add a mini resistance band around your thighs or ankles to increase the intensity.
3. Cable Hip Abduction
Cable hip abductions are one of the best exercises for building the top of the glutes. They directly isolate the glute medius without much involvement from the glute max [3]. This single-leg exercise also improves hip stability, which is crucial for balance, posture, and injury prevention.
For this exercise, you’ll need a cable machine and an ankle attachment. If you’re doing your upper glute exercises at home, use a long resistance band looped around something secure. Place your ankle inside the band and perform the movement exactly the same as if you were using a cable machine, following the steps below.
How To Do Cable Hip Abduction:
Attach the ankle strap to the cable pulley set to the lowest height on the tower.
Adjust the resistance to a light weight (this will likely be the lightest weight on the machine).
Velcro the ankle strap around your right ankle. Turn so your left side faces the tower, and your right leg is farthest from the machine. Keep your feet hip-width apart.
Placing your left hand onto the tower for stability, lift your right foot off the ground and move it so it hovers directly in front of your left foot.
Begin the movement by lifting your right leg to the side, away from your body.
When you’ve lifted as far as you can, pause to feel the glutes engage, then slowly lower your leg back to the tower.
Stop just before the weights hit the stack, keeping slight tension on the cable before lifting your leg back up again.
Repeat for 12 to 15 reps on one leg, then switch sides by attaching the cable to the left ankle, turning around, and performing the same steps on your left side.
Tip: Move explosively on the concentric phase, then move slowly, controlling the eccentric (downward) phase to maximize upper glute engagement.
4. Dumbbell Walking Lunge
Research has found walking lunges, particularly when done contralaterally (holding one dumbbell on the opposite side of your body to your first lunging leg), to be extremely good at activating the glute med, providing as much as 90% maximal voluntary isometric contraction [4].
We recommend using a heavy dumbbell to increase the intensity and work through the legs. You can, however, do bodyweight walking lunges. If you’re short on space, swap dumbbell walking lunges for reverse lunges instead.
How To Do Dumbbell Walking Lunges:
Select a single dumbbell or pair of dumbbells and hold them in your hands. Feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Bracing your core, keeping your chest proud and shoulders back and down, take a step forward with your right leg, lowering into a lunge. Aim to touch your back knee to the ground lightly (or get it as close as possible).
Push through your front heel, bringing your back leg out of the lunge to position your left foot next to your right so you are fully standing.
Repeat on the left side, stepping forward into a lunge with your left leg.
Repeat for 16 to 20 steps.
Tip: For maximum glute engagement, drive through the heel of your front foot when you come out of the lunge (rather than your toes). This places more emphasis on the glutes. Step with a slightly wider stance to activate the glute medius more.
5. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts
Using a hip-hinge pattern, this powerful single-leg exercise engages the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Research has found it is one of the best for glute med activation [5]. Balancing on one leg, the glute medius has to work hard to stabilize the pelvis and prevent it from tilting or dropping. The gluteus maximus helps with hip extension, lengthening to control the movement during the eccentric phase (lowering), and contracting (shortening) to extend the hip and bring the torso upright.
We recommend using a weight for these, such as a single dumbbell or kettlebell in your opposite arm, which helps you balance by offsetting the weight. Using a barbell is more difficult but allows you to lift heavier and work harder to stabilize your hips.
How To Do A Single Leg RDL (With A Kettlebell Or Dumbbell):
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding your selected dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand.
Step your left leg back one step, shifting your weight into your right foot and placing the toe of your left foot on the floor for balance.
Hinge your hips, pushing them back and bending your torso forward (being careful not to round your back). Keep the dumbbell closer to your body, moving it down your thighs as you hinge over.
Continue lowering the weight to the floor as far as you can while maintaining a flat back, and you will feel a good stretch in your hamstrings (this will be somewhere between your knees and ankle, but don’t worry about reaching all the way down if you cannot maintain a neutral spine).
Push through your right heel, extend your hips, and return your torso to the upright starting position.
Squeeze your glutes at the top.
Repeat for 10 to 12 reps on one leg, then switch sides.
Tip: To make these more challenging, lift your back leg instead of resting it on the ground for stability. This enhances glute engagement, increasing hip extension and the need for the glutes to stabilize the pelvis. It also increases the range of motion, making the hips extend through a greater range and forcing the glutes to work harder.
You might need to practice the regular single-leg RDL first, but working up to this variation will work your glutes a lot more!
Tips For How To Build Your Upper Glutes
Form Over Weight: You probably know by now that lifting heavy is the key ingredient for building the glutes. But before you start to load on any significant weight, ensure you can execute these upper butt exercises with the proper technique to activate the right muscles.
Challenge yourself: Once you’re comfortable with the exercise technique, it’s time to add some weight. Your glutes are stronger than you think, so don’t be afraid to add some weight and push yourself. Alternate between heavy-weight, lower-rep exercises (e.g., 4 to 6 reps) and lighter, higher-rep sets (e.g., 12 to 15 reps) to activate different muscle fibers.
Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight, reps, or intensity of your glute exercises over time to ensure you keep seeing those glute gains. (Did you know you can track your lifts in the
Gymshark Training App, making it easy to track your progress over time? It’s a game changer.)
Include Variety: We all have our favorites. But doing the same exercises over and over, unfortunately, won’t continue to give you results. Switch up the glute exercises, alternating between lunges/squats, hip hinges, and hip abductions. This will ensure you keep progressing and build a well-rounded bubble butt.
Frequency: No one said glute gains came quickly. Aim to train your glutes at least twice a week to see progress [6].
Nutrition is key: Nutrition and training go hand in hand. To grow your glutes, eat enough protein to aid muscle growth and repair, eat in a calorie surplus to give your body enough energy to build muscle, and include complex carbs to fuel your upper butt workouts.
Why Target The Upper Glutes?
Aesthetics: This is probably the most apparent benefit of upper glute exercises. Glute max dominant exercises such as hip thrusts and squats will build the size of your glutes, but to achieve that “lifted” upper butt shelf, you need to work the glute medius and minimus with these upper glute exercises.
Athletic performance: Upper glute strength contributes to pelvic stability, which is essential for performing heavy lifts like squats, deadlifts, and lunges with proper form. The glute medius is also important in lateral movements, balance, and single-leg stability, so strengthening the upper glutes will benefit sports that require quick changes in direction, such as running, jumping, and sprinting.
Injury prevention: Weak upper glutes can cause knees to cave inward during exercise. Strengthening the upper glutes will help maintain proper alignment between the hips, knees, and ankles, reducing the risk of injury.
Enhanced posture: The upper glutes significantly support and stabilize the pelvis, hips, and lower back. Strong upper glutes can help improve pelvic stability, ensure proper spinal alignment, and reduce the chance of lower back pain or strain.
FAQs
What’s The Difference Between The Upper And Lower Glutes?
The upper and lower glutes refer to different regions within the glute muscle. The key differences are:
Location: The upper glutes refer to the gluteus medius (and minimus) on the upper and outer portions of the hip. The lower glutes are primarily made up of the glute maximus, the most significant glute muscle, and sit on the outer layer of the glutes.
Function: The upper glutes (gluteus medius and minimus) are responsible for hip stabilization and abduction, while the lower glutes (gluteus maximus) are the primary movers in hip extension.
Exercises: Upper glute exercises include abduction and single-leg exercises, whereas lower glute exercises are hip extension exercises such as hip thrusts and squats.
Aesthetics: While the upper glutes will give you a ‘perky’ look at the top of your glutes, building the lower glutes will add bulk and definition to the lower half of your butt, giving the appearance of a fuller butt.
How Often Should I Train My Upper Glutes?
Ideally, you should aim to train your glutes at least twice a week. A commonly referenced 2016 meta-analysis concluded that this is the minimum number of days to train major muscle growths to maximize muscle growth [6]. However, with hypertrophy following a dose-response-relationship when it comes to training frequency and growth, you should aim to train your glutes three times a week if you have time, and growing them is a priority [7].
This might include one focused glute sessions (with both upper and lower glute exercises), and adding a couple of upper glute exercises to other lower body training days.
Always allow enough time for recovery between sessions (48 to 72 hours) to avoid overtraining.
How Long Does It Take To See Results In The Upper Glutes?
This will depend on your training frequency, past training experience, nutrition, genetics, consistency, and more. You’ll likely start to notice results after anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks of training, in terms of glute size and shape, but it can take 3 to 6 months+ to see significant glute development. One study from the University of Central Missouri, found experienced lifters gained an average of 2.18 to 2.33 pounds of muscle over the course of an eight-week training program.
Building muscle takes time, but being consistent with your training, implementing progressive overload, and eating in a calorie surplus can all help speed up muscle growth.
Why Is It Hard To Target The Upper Glutes?
The upper glutes primary function is to stabilize, rather than generate force, as the lower glutes do. This means the upper glutes are harder to target in traditional compound leg exercises, such as squats or deadlifts. Choosing the right exercises can help target the upper glutes, for example, lateral band walks, cable hip abductions or side-lying leg lifts.
You should also make sure you sufficiently activate your glutes before your workout (for example, doing some resistance band glute exercises before your upper glute workout) to ensure you fully engage your upper glutes during your glute exercises and prevent larger muscles like the gluteus max, quads, and hamstrings, taking over the workload.
Can I Grow My Upper Glutes At Home?
Yes, you can build upper glute strength at home with bodyweight exercises like side planks with leg lifts or resistance bands for exercises such as lateral band walks, clamshells, or glute bridge with abduction.
You’ll still need to ensure you are applying progressive overload when working out from home–whether that’s increasing the weight of the resistance band, using ankle weights, or placing a book on your leg during side-lying hip abductions. You can also implement progressive overload by increasing the reps or sets you perform or slowing down the movements to increase the time under tension.
Check out our Best At Home Bodyweight Glute Exercises for more glute home workout inspo.
Why Can’t I Feel My Upper Glutes During Workouts?
If you struggle to feel your upper glutes engage during your workouts, you aren’t alone! Many people struggle with this, but there are some key things you can do to help you feel your glutes engage:
Weak mind-muscle connection: This refers to consciously engaging a specific muscle group during your workout to help growth. Sometimes, it can be hard to consciously feel your upper glutes engage. Always perform glute activation exercises before your upper glute workout (clamshells, lateral band walks, or glute bridges), and focus on slowing down your movements during your workout to feel the upper glutes contract during each rep.
Over-reliance on other muscles: Sometimes, the larger, more dominant muscles (hamstrings, quads, lower glutes) take over during upper glute exercises, preventing the upper glutes from activating. Focus on hip abduction exercises (such as the above) that isolate the upper glutes and minimize involvement from other muscles.
Poor form: If your form is slightly off, you might not feel the exercises where you intend to. Check your form on every exercise to ensure you perform properly and engage your lower glutes. Work in front of a mirror, record yourself, or ask a trainer to help. Check your knee position (ensuring your knees don’t cave in) and focus on driving through your heel during exercises to emphasize your glutes.
How Do I Prevent Soreness After Glute Workouts?
DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is a pain in the arse (excuse the pun)–but it affects the best of us, especially if we’ve lifted heavy the day before. While you can't entirely eliminate the possibility of soreness (which is a sign of muscle growth and repair), you can take steps to reduce its intensity and speed up recovery:
Always warm up properly
Increase the intensity of your workouts gradually (not in big increments)
Include an active recovery day in your training schedule to promote blood flow and aid recovery
Stay hydrated and eat adequate protein to aid muscle repair
Use a foam roller and stretch after your session
Get enough sleep
The Only Upper Glute Workout You Need
If you’re seeking that ‘booty shelf’ at the top of your glutes, these exercises will get you there.
But there’s much more to glute medius training than meets the eye.
These small (but still mighty) muscles of the glutes will improve your stability (particularly when it comes to single-leg strength, posture, and form.
If you’re looking in the mirror thinking your lower glutes are way more developed than your upper ones, then you might want to do this whole upper glute workout once a week, and add a couple of these exercises to your leg day workout.
Or, if you want to feel more upper glute engagement during your compound lifts, use the band or bodyweight upper glute exercises as a warm-up to ensure your glute med and mid are sufficiently activated and engaged.
Ready to get training? Download the Gymshark Training App and access hundreds of free workouts with the ability to track every set and rep as you go. (It’s also not too late to join Gymshark 66… Our free global fitness challenge will change your life in just 66 days).
References:
Fenato, R.R., Araujo, A.C.F. and Guimarães, A.T.B. (2021). Comparison of gluteus medius strength between individuals with obesity and normal-weight individuals: a cross-sectional study.
Ford, K., Nguyen, A.-D., Dischiavi, S., Hegedus, E., Zuk, E. and Taylor, J. (2015). An evidence-based review of hip-focused neuromuscular exercise interventions to address dynamic lower extremity valgus.
Moore, D., Semciw, A.I. and Pizzari, T. (2020). A Systematic Review And Meta-analysis Of Common Therapeutic Exercises That Generate Highest Muscle Activity In The Gluteus Medius And Gluteus Minimus Segments.
Stastny, P., Lehnert, M., Zaatar, A., Svoboda, Z. and Xaverova, Z. (n.d.). Does the dumbbell-carrying position change the muscle activity in split squats and walking lunges?.
Distefano, L.J., Blackburn, J.T., Marshall, S.W. and Padua, D.A. (2009). Gluteal Muscle Activation During Common Therapeutic Exercises.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
