12 Best Dumbbell Glute Exercises To Help Build Your Booty (2024)

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Working and building your glutes can give you many benefits, including helping you to maintain good posture. Dumbbell glute exercises are some of the best movements that help you target and work your butts.

The gluteal muscles or the glutes are made up of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae. These muscles come together to form and shape the gluteal or buttocks. They are some of the most dominant muscles in the lower body.

Sitting for most of the day can weaken your glutes, making it easy for other muscles to take over the functions of the glutes and increasing the risk of injury.

Benefits of dumbbell glute exercises

Working and strengthening your glutes can help your body to function as expected and help you go through many daily activities, including sitting and walking.

Including dumbbell glute exercises in your workout will give you many benefits. Such benefits include

• helping to strengthen your glutes
• improving hip, knee, and ankle mobility
• reducing the risk of lower back pain
• improving posture
• boosting core stability which can help you to go through many daily activities, including lifting and carrying heavy luggage
• Help you perform many physical and sporting activities, such as running. (1)

Best dumbbell glute exercises for targeting and working your booty

Here are the best dumbbell glute exercises that target and work your backside. Include these in your lower body and whole-body workout to help build, strengthen, and shape your glutes.

As the title indicates, you will need dumbbells for all the movements.

Dumbbells are a must-up piece of equipment for any home gym setup.Check herefor our recommendedadjustable dumbbells for home gymsif you are yet to acquire some

Dumbbell Squats

Dumbbell squats are possibly the best lower body exercises that can target and work your glutes exercises.

Dumbbell glute exercises mimic some of our everyday moves. The movement can target all your lower body muscles.

The exercise involves holding dumbbells in your hands while you squat, and you can use heavy dumbbells for the movement.

Steps to follow

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with feet at hip-width.
• Allow your hands to hang by your sides, or bring the dumbells to your shoulders.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips to go into a squat
• Lower your hips as far as possible, squeeze your butts, push your feet into the floor, extend your knees, and return to your starting position.
• Repeat 10-16 reps for a set and 3-4 sets to complete a session

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

Lunges are some of the best exercises that target the lower body muscles, including the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

Stepping to the side as you do with the lateral lunges helps boost hip flexibility and mobility. The movement also helps correct imbalances in your lower body muscles, helping to build a symmetrical body.

Holding dumbells in each hand adds intensity and makes the movement challenging, helping to target the muscles better.

Dumbbell lateral lunges help with progressive overload, allowing you to increase the weight as you master the movement and strengthen your muscles. The lateral lunges dumbbell glute exercises are some of the best ways to build lower body strength.

The lateral lunges are also some of the best dumbbell glute exercises for improving your balance and strengthening your stabilization muscles.

Click here for steps to follow to do the dumbbell lateral lunges

Step-Up With Knee Raise

The step-up with knee raise is an excellent lower-body exercise for targeting and working your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.

Stepping on the box increases the range of motion and emphasizes your hip extension, making it possible to target your glutes and other muscles better.

Holding a dumbbell makes the movement more challenging and gives better results. They are some of the best dumbbell glute exercises for working your hips and strengthening your leg muscles.

Steps to follow

• Grasp a dumbbell in each hand
• Stand, with feet together, in front of a box, weight bench, or an elevated platform.
• Put one foot on top of the box.
• Push through the front foot, and lift yourself, but instead of putting your back foot on the box, raise the back foot until the thigh is parallel to the floor.
• Return your back foot to the floor.
• Next, return the front foot to the floor to complete the movement.
• Repeat 8-12 times with one leg.
• Switch sides and go through the movement with the other leg

Dumbbell Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is a variation of the glute bridge.

You will usually use a barbell for the exercise, but using a dumbbell instead, will give you more stability. It is one of the best dumbbell glute exercises for working your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and adductors.

You will need a weight bench for the exercise.

Steps to follow

• Place your back on a weight bench and your glutes and feet on the floor.
• Place a dumbbell of appropriate weight horizontally across your hips. You can also use two dumbbells and place one across each hip.
• Squeeze your glutes, and use your hips to press the dumbbell straight up until your knees, hips, and shoulders are in line.
• Squeeze at the top of the movement and lower your hips down in a slow and controlled manner.
• Repeat 8-12 reps for a set and 3-5 sets for a session

Bulgarian Split Squat

The one-leg Bulgarian split squat is one of the best unilateral dumbbell glute exercises for strengthening and building mass in your lower-body muscles.

The exercise targets your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Your core, lower and upper back all work together to keep you stable and in position throughout the movement.

Holding a dumbbell in each hand while doing the movement makes it challenging and increases the pressure on your muscles, helping you to get better results.

The exercise works one side of your body independently, making it one of the best dumbbell glute exercises that allows you to correct imbalances in your muscles.

You will need a weight bench for the exercises.

Steps to follow

• Stand about two feet from the weight bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, back toward the weight bench.
• Place the top of one foot on the weight bench behind you. Lock your elbows and allow the dumbbells to hang by your sides. Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Engage your core, roll back your shoulders, lean forward at your hips, bend your knees, and lower your hips to squat.
• Continue lowering your hips until your front thigh and the floor are parallel.
• Push through your front foot, extend your knees, and return to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-10 reps, change sides and go through the motions for the same number of repetitions with the other side of your body.
• Complete 3-4 sets on each side per session.

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

The reverse lunge is an excellent lower-body exercise for targeting the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and hips. It requires the activation of your core and upper-body muscles to help maintain your balance and posture throughout the movement.

Holding a dumbbell in each hand makes the exercise challenging and helps get better results.

It is one of the best dumbbell glutes exercises, especially for those with knee problems who struggle to do forward lunges.

Steps to follow

• Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, using a neutral grip
• Stand upright, holding the dumbbells by your sides in each hand. Keep your feet at shoulder width.
• Take a step back, bend both knees and lower your hips to lunge.
• Keep lowering your hips till your back knee touches the floor.
• Push through your front foot, extend your knees and return to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-12 reps per leg and 3-4 reps to complete a session.

Single Arm Dumbbell Squat To Press

The single-arm dumbbell squat to press combines a squat with a shoulder press. It is one of the best dumbbell glute exercises that target and work your lower and upper body muscles.

The exercise will strengthen and build your many muscles, including the glutes, quads, shoulders, upper legs, delts, hamstrings, and triceps.

They are unilateral dumbbell exercises that work each side of your body independently.

Steps to follow

• Stand with feet at shoulder width and hold a dumbbell over one shoulder
• Raise the other arm to shoulder height and extend it sideways to balance your body.
• Bend your knees and hips to go into a squat.
• Extend your knees, and as you stand upright, press the dumbbell overhead until you lock your elbows.
• Return the dumbbell to your shoulders to complete a set
• Repeat 8-12 reps per side and 3-4 sets in a session

Single Leg Hip Thrust With Dumbbell

The single-leg hip thrust is a unilateral exercise. It works one side of your body independently, making it one of the best dumbbell glute exercises that allows you to build a more balanced physique.

You will need a weight bench for the exercises.

Steps to follow

• Place your back on a weight bench and your glutes and feet on the floor.
• Place a dumbbell of appropriate weight horizontally across your hips.
• Lift one leg and make it 90 degrees to your hips. You can also lift and extend the leg straight ahead if you prefer
• Squeeze your glutes, and use your hips to press the dumbbell straight up until your knees, hips, and shoulders are in line.
• Squeeze at the top of the movement and lower your hips down in a slow and controlled manner. Ensure your raised leg stays up throughout the movement.
• Repeat 8-12 reps for one leg. Switch sides and go through the motions with the other leg.

Dumbbell Frog Pump

The frog pump is one of the best dumbbell glute exercises for hip and glute activation at the beginning of a lower body workout.

Steps to follow

• Sit with your feet together.
• Bend your knees and bring your feet towards your butts. Your knees should point outwards, making a diamond or star shape.
• Place a dumbbell on the crease of your hips and hold it to keep it in place.
• Lie back on the floor as if doing a glute bridge and bring your chin toward your chest
• Squeeze your bum, open your knees wide, and lift your hips toward the ceiling until your body and knees are in line.
• Lower your hips to your starting position
• Repeat 8-12 reps for a set and 3-4 sets per session

Tip: Don’t make eye contact with anyone throughout the movement

Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge

The dumbbell curtsy lunge targets the same muscles as the other lunge variations discussed earlier – the glutes and the quads. But crossing your legs activates your hip abductors in addition.

They are some of the best dumbbell glute exercises that help build lower body strength and stability.

Steps to follow

• Stand, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, with feet at shoulder-width.
• Step back, cross your legs behind you, and bend your knees and hips to lunge as if you are curtsying. Ensure you keep your chest up.
• Stop lunging when your front thigh and the floor are parallel.
• Push through your front foot, extend your knees, and return your back foot to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-12 reps, change legs and go through the motions for 8-12 reps to complete a set.
• Aim to complete 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps per session

Weighted Step-Up

Step-ups are effective lower-body exercises targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Holding dumbbells increases the load and pressure on the muscles.

You will need a raised platform or a weight bench for the exercise.

Steps to follow

• Stand in front of the weight bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Raise one foot and place it on the weight bench.
• Push through your lower foot, lift yourself and stand on the box by placing the other foot on the weight bench. Return the second foot to the floor, followed by the first foot, to get back to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-12 reps for a set and 3-4 sets to complete a session

Single-Leg Dumbbell Deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift targets your glutes, hamstrings, and upper and lower body. It is one of the best dumbbell glute exercises for improving core stability and balance.

It is a unilateral exercise that allows you to emphasize your weaker muscles for a balanced physique.

Steps to follow

• Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip and stand on one leg. Extend your arms and lock your elbows.
• Bend at the hips and extend the loose leg behind you.
• Lower your torso towards the floor as you hinge, allow your rear leg to trail behind you, and let your arms and the dumbbells hang in front of you. Keep your back straight.
• Continue the movement until your rear leg and torso are in line.
• Return your rear leg to your starting position while raising your upper body.
• Repeat 8-12 times on one side.
• Switch legs and go through the motions
• Aim to complete 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps per session

Final words from LiveLIfe

Dumbbell glute exercises can help improve your posture, strengthen your lower body muscles, improve your balance and stability, and make it less challenging to perform many daily and physical activities.

Incorporate the glute exercises with dumbbell dumbbells we’ve discussed into your workout regimen to help you to achieve fitness goals.