If you experience pain when walking, sitting, or standing, your gluteal muscles may be weak and need to be trained. As you know, the gluteal muscles are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, playing a vital role in maintaining posture and supporting daily activities.
If your glutes are weak, you'll experience posture issues, back pain, and fatigue during activities. Regularly exercising your glutes can help maintain stability and strength, preventing both minor and serious injuries. Furthermore, a well-trained glute also improves overall body proportions, burns more calories, and improves overall body shape.
If you want to appear more confident and improve your quality of life, start exercising your glutes now. Read this article to learn about a variety of exercises suitable for beginners with effective results.
Recommended Buttocks-Tightening Exercises for Beginners
1. Squat
Squats are a highly effective exercise for toning the glutes. This movement focuses on working the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and core muscles. The result is not only a firmer butt but also a stronger and more stable lower body.
Squats also help improve posture and balance, making them a must-have exercise for beginners looking to build a more ideal body without the hassle.
How to do squats correctly:
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Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
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Stretch your arms out in front of you or place them on your waist to maintain balance.
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Bend your knees slowly while pushing your hips back, as if sitting in a chair.
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Make sure your back stays straight and your knees don't go past your toes.
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Hold for a moment in the bottom position, then push your body back up to a standing position.
2. Glute Bridge
The Glute Bridge is a simple yet highly effective butt-toning exercise. This movement focuses on activating the glutes, while also strengthening the hamstrings and core for greater stability.
This exercise is perfect for beginners because it can be done without equipment, just using a mat for comfort. When done regularly, the glute bridge helps shape a firmer butt, improves posture, and reduces the risk of lower back pain.
How to do a Glute Bridge:
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Lie on your back on the floor or a mat.
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Bend your knees with the soles of your feet firmly planted on the floor, hip-width apart.
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Place your hands at your sides with your palms facing the floor.
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Slowly lift your hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
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Hold for a few seconds while contracting your glutes.
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Lower your hips back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
3. Donkey Kicks
Donkey kicks are a great exercise variation for toning your glutes. This movement primarily targets the glutes. This variation resembles a backward kick like a donkey, hence the name "donkey kicks."
Regularly performing this exercise will tighten your glutes and create a naturally rounded shape. Furthermore, this exercise helps improve hip stability and strengthens your core muscles, leading to improved posture.
How to do Donkey Kicks:
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Position your body on all fours with both hands parallel to your shoulders and your knees parallel to your hips.
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Tighten your abdominal muscles to keep your back stable.
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Lift one leg back and up with the knee still bent at 90 degrees.
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Hold for a moment in the top position, then lower slowly without touching the floor.
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Repeat 12–15 times, then switch legs.
4. Fire Hydrant
This movement targets the gluteus medius muscle, which is the side buttock muscle that plays an important role in forming firmer and more proportional buttocks.
Additionally, this exercise helps improve pelvic stability and increase strength in the hip and thigh areas, making everyday movements and other sports feel easier.
How to do Fire Hydrant:
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Start in a crawling position on the floor, hands in line with shoulders and knees in line with hips.
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Tighten your abdominal muscles to keep your body in a stable position.
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Lift your right knee to the side as high as possible, like a dog raising its leg.
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Hold for a moment, then lower your knees back to the original position.
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Repeat the movement according to the number of repetitions, then do it on the other side of the leg.
5. Lunges
Lunges are the most effective butt-toning move for beginners. This exercise variation works the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings .
This exercise also helps improve balance and stability , improving posture and strengthening leg muscles. It's suitable for home use, requiring no additional equipment.
How to do lunges correctly:
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Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
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Step one foot forward, then slowly lower your back knee until it almost touches the floor.
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Make sure the front knee does not go past the tip of the toes to maintain joint safety.
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Push your body back to the starting position.
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Repeat the movement with the other leg alternately.
6. Step Up
Step-up variations are easy enough to do anywhere. This exercise targets the glutes, quadriceps, and calves, helping to shape a firmer butt and strengthen legs.
Using just a sturdy chair or low table, you can do this exercise without any gym equipment. Besides toning muscles, step-ups also improve balance and coordination.
How to do Step Up:
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Prepare a sturdy and stable chair or low table.
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Stand up straight in front of the chair.
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Raise your right leg onto the chair, push your body up until you are standing straight on the chair.
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Slowly lower your right leg back, followed by your left leg.
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Repeat the movement with alternating legs.
7. Side-Lying Leg Raises
This exercise focuses on training the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, which contribute to firmer buttocks and pelvic stability. Because the movements are simple and require no additional equipment, this exercise can be done at home anytime.
Suitable for beginners who are just starting to exercise, this movement also helps increase hip flexibility and improve posture when walking or running.
How to do Side-Lying Leg Raises:
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Sleep on your side with your body straight.
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Use your lower hand to support your head, while your upper hand rests on your waist or the floor to maintain balance.
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Slowly lift the upper leg upwards as high as possible without changing body position.
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Lower the leg back slowly.
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Repeat according to the number of repetitions, then switch to the other leg.
8. Hip Thrust
Hip Thrust is a movement that focuses on isolating the glute muscles, so that the results are more optimal in shaping and tightening the buttocks area.
The difference with the glute bridge is that the hip thrust is done with the upper back resting on a bench or flat surface so that the range of motion is wider.
If you want maximum results, you can add weights such as kettlebells or dumbbells above your hips to increase the intensity of the exercise.
How to do a Hip Thrust:
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Prepare a low bench or flat surface to support your upper back.
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Sit in front of the bench and then lean your upper back against the surface.
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Place your feet on the floor with your knees bent at about 90 degrees.
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Push your hips up until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
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Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your hips to the starting position.
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Repeat according to the recommended number of repetitions.
9. Jump Squat
Jump squats are a variation of the regular squat, incorporating an explosive jump at the end of each rep. This exercise is effective for burning more calories while also accelerating the development of a firmer butt.
Additionally, jump squats strengthen leg muscles, increase explosive power, and help improve balance. For beginners, this movement can be a fun challenge because it offers a more intense workout than regular squats.
How to do a Jump Squat:
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Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
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Lower your body into a squat position, making sure to keep your back straight and your knees do not go past your toes.
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Push your body up by jumping as high as possible.
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Land with your knees slightly bent to avoid injury.
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Repeat the movement according to the desired number of repetitions.
10. Clamshell
This exercise is often used as a warm-up before a main workout. It improves hip stability and helps shape and tone the buttocks.
For beginners, clamshells are a great choice because they can be done without any additional equipment, just with a training mat or exercise mat.
How to do a Clamshell:
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Lie on your side on a mat with your knees bent about 90 degrees.
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Rest your head on your forearm to keep your body relaxed.
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Make sure your feet are touching each other, then open your top knee as far as possible without moving your hips.
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Hold for a moment, then slowly lower your knees back down.
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Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Buttocks Firming Exercise Tips for Beginners
To achieve optimal results, you need to create a well-structured training program. A well-planned workout will prevent serious injury. Here are some tips you can follow before starting a glute training program.
1. Start with a Warm-up
Before starting your workout, try warming up first. This will prepare your muscles for the workout, thereby reducing the risk of injury. You can warm up with a brisk walk, light jog, or dynamic stretching.
2. Focus on the Right Technique
For beginners, don't immediately focus on high repetitions or heavy weights. Instead, focus on improving proper technique. Correct technique will produce optimal training results. Once you become comfortable, you can increase the repetitions and weight.
3. Get Enough Rest
The most important thing when training your glutes is getting enough rest. Don't push yourself too hard; your body needs recovery .
4. Combine with a Healthy Diet
Exercise alone isn't enough. Consume adequate protein, vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates to see results faster.
5. Consistent Practice
The key is consistency. Do this routine 3–4 times a week for firmer, more proportionate buttocks.
So, When Should You Start Glute Training?
Strong glutes provide significant benefits to your body. Therefore, don't be lazy about exercising them, even if it's just 10 minutes a day. Once you're comfortable, you can add weight with dumbbells , kettlebells , or even resistance bands . Find butt workout equipment in SVRG's Strength & Agility Training collection.
