The glutes never really received the attention they deserved during lower-body training days, with the quads, hamstrings, and calves often stealing the show. However, in recent years, glute training has stepped into the spotlight (and rightly so). But, are you training them effectively? Exercise researcher and YouTuber, Jeff Nippard, has ranked the best to worst glute-growing exercises in a recent YouTube video.
“The glutes are one of the single most important muscles for building an impressive physique,” he says. Often referred to as the ‘powerhouse of the lower body’, the glutes are responsible for helping us lift, run, walk, and stabilise the pelvis and upper body.
In total, Nippard ranks 25 glute exercises across six tiers – ‘S’ being the best (aka ‘Super’) and ‘F’ being the worst (aka ‘Fail’) – with A, B, C and D falling in between.
Coming in as the ‘worst’ exercises are donkey kicks, fire hydrants and then kettlebell swings. Why? You can’t progressively overload these as well as you can with other glute exercises and, while Nippard does add that kettlebell swings can deliver a great cardio boost and improve glute power, they’re not ideal for hypertrophy.
You may be wondering where hip thrusts sit, as they’re undoubtedly one of the most popular glute exercises all over social media. Surprisingly, not first. For Nippard, these sit in high B tier – they hit all three glute muscles, but it’s not the easiest to load up (if you’re using lots of plates) and can be uncomfortable. A hip thrust machine, on the other hand, sits in high A tier, as it can eliminate these issues.
Barbell back squats, Bulgarian split squats and single-leg dumbbell hip thrusts also come into A tier, which probably leaves you wondering, what’s the best overall glute exercise then?
For Nippard, it’s the walking dumbbell lunge. “Lunges will hit the entire glute. You’ll get the upper glutes because of the glute medius activation due ot the stabilisation demands, you’ll get the mid glutes from the hip extension, and the lower glute area from the deep stretch as you lunge.” He also adds that you can enhance this stretch by taking longer strides.
The other good news that lunges are the best glute grower? They don't require barbells or heavy weight plates, which means you can grow your glutes at home. Master the movement first with just your bodyweight, then add in a pair of dumbbells to ramp up the intensity.
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