6 Hamstring Exercises to Build Huge Glutes in No Time

When it comes to building strong, muscular glutes, there're a few exercises. While you can specifically target your glutes, remember that the legs are big muscles broken up into smaller, individual units.

They're like cogs in a machine that work together as a whole. As such, you can expect exercises usually meant for one muscle to impact the other. There're many exercises that can help you develop massive glutes:

Best Hamstring Exercises

Here's a look at six such exercises:

#1 Romanian Deadlift

Romanian deadlifts are a great exercise for the hamstrings and glutes. They can be used as the main exercise in your workout or as a supplementary movement.

Here's how to do Romanian deadlifts:

Stand over an elevated platform while holding a barbell with both hands, feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
Maintain a slight arch in your lower back throughout this exercise by contracting the muscles between your shoulder blades; keep it tight.
Make sure to keep your chest high throughout this exercise so that you don't round over too much at any time during the movement.

#2 Split Squat

There are several variations of the split squat you can do, but for this example, we will consider dumbbells.

To perform a split squat with dumbbells:

Stand with your feet together, holding two dumbbells at the sides of your body.
Split your legs into a lunge position, and lower down into the bottom position till both knees form 90-degree angles or parallel to the floor.
Press back up through your heels to return to standing while keeping weight on the bent front leg throughout repetitions (you should not raise onto toes).
Repeat 12 times, and switch sides; repeat another set of 12 reps per side for three sets per exercise session (48 total reps).

#3 Single Leg Deadlift

This is a great exercise for building strong glutes and hamstrings, especially if you're new to weightlifting. This move can be done with a barbell or dumbbells and doesn't require any special equipment beyond a flat surface such as a bench or chair.

Here's how it's done:

Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart.
Keep your back straight but not stiff; visualize yourself trying to flatten out your lower back so that it's parallel to the floor.
You should feel like you're leaning forward just slightly from this position — not enough so that your knees go over your toes or your glutes are sticking out too far forward, That will help keep your core engaged throughout the movement.
With one arm holding whatever implement (barbell or dumbbell) you decide on for this exercise, reach down towards the floor while keeping your hips square and knees in line with feet; bend over till your hands are just below your knees.

#4 Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is a great way to build glute strength and size. It's a compound exercise that works the glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and core muscles.

The hip thrust can be performed with or without added weight. The version without added weight is ideal for beginners who may not have access to heavy weights but want to get in some good glute work at home or at the gym.

The basic hip thrust involves lying down on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the floor (or on an elevated surface like a step). Proceed as follows:

Place your arms underneath you so they're supporting some of your bodyweight and keeping your shoulders square on top of whatever surface you're using (make sure it's sturdy).
Lift up onto your toes till only about 25% of each foot remains in contact with the ground. That should raise off most if not all of your heel from the ground depending on how tall your heel height is relative to your foot size.

#5 Lateral Band Walk

A lateral band walk is a glute-building exercise that can be performed several times a week.

It works well after you have warmed up your body with some dynamic exercises like high knees or butt kicks before you move on to heavier lower body movements such as squats or deadlifts. It's also a great exercise for the days that you can't get to the gym, as it doesn't require any equipment other than an elastic resistance band.

Here's how to do it:

Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, wearing an elastic resistance band around your feet.
Step out laterally with one leg returning the foot to the standing position before stepping out laterally again using the opposite leg.
Continue alternating legs for specified reps; repeat on the opposite side.

#6 Good Morning

A good morning is a great hamstring exercise that strengthens the entire posterior chain (lower back, glutes, and hamstrings).

To do this exercise, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart and toes turned out slightly. Proceed as follows:

With a barbell on your shoulders or dumbbells in each hand, hinge forward at the hips while keeping your chest up and knees slightly bent.
Keep your back flat as you bend into an upright position by squeezing your glutes hard at the top of each rep.

Takeaway

With the aforementoned hamstring exercises, you can build your glutes and strengthen your hamstrings without the need for a gym membership. These moves are simple to learn and easy to do at home; they don’t require any equipment or special training. Give them a try today.