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Exercises

Bodyweight glute exercises you can do without equipment

Published October 19, 2026

The best bodyweight glute exercises are the single-leg ones: the skater squat, pistol squat, reverse lunge and Cossack squat put your whole body weight on one hip, which is what makes them hard enough to grow the glutes without weights. Add the donkey kick for hip extension and the fire hydrant, clamshell or side leg raise for the side of the hip. Do 3 to 5 exercises, 2 to 4 sets each, two or three times a week, and stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Reverse Lunge Quads, Glutes
  2. Skater Squat Quads, Glutes
  3. Donkey Kick Glutes
  4. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  5. Fire Hydrant Abductors
  6. Pistol Squat Quads, Glutes
  7. Clamshell Abductors
  8. Bodyweight Squat Quads

Single-leg squats: the hardest glute work without weights

Without a dumbbell, the way to make a leg exercise heavy is to put all of your weight on one leg. The skater squat and the pistol are the two hardest options here, and both bend the hip deeply, which is where the glutes do their best work.

Single-leg squat, glute-biased

Skater Squat

Quads, Glutes

The back knee travels down behind you and your chest leans forward, so the hip bends far more than in a pistol. That makes it the most glute-heavy bodyweight squat, and it needs less ankle mobility than a pistol.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot and bend the other knee so that foot floats behind you.
  2. Reach both arms forward and sit your hips back while the standing knee bends.
  3. Lower until the back knee lightly touches the floor or a folded towel.
  4. Push through the whole standing foot to stand up tall, then repeat before switching legs.

Cues

  • Chest over the knee
  • Touch, don't drop
  • Push the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Crashing the back knee into the floor: control the last inch.
  • Staying upright: without the forward lean it turns into a quad exercise.

Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Pistol Squat

Build a session with Skater Squat

Full single-leg squat

Pistol Squat

Quads, Glutes

The pistol takes one hip and knee through their full range with your whole weight on them. Squatting to a box is the way to learn it: lower the box over the weeks until you reach the floor.

How to do it

  1. Stand in front of a chair or box on one leg, the other leg held out in front.
  2. Push your hips back and bend the standing knee, arms reaching forward to balance.
  3. Sit down to the box under control without letting the heel lift.
  4. Drive back up through the standing foot without rocking.

Cues

  • Heel down
  • Slow to the box
  • Arms forward

Common mistakes

  • Falling onto the box: if you cannot control the descent, use a higher one.
  • Knee caving inward: keep it tracking over your middle toes.

Swap for: Skater Squat, Bodyweight Squat

Build a session with Pistol Squat

Lunges that load the glutes

Lunges are the middle step between a two-leg squat and a pistol. Stepping back and leaning your chest slightly forward shifts the work from the front of the thigh toward the glutes; going sideways adds the inner thigh.

Lunge, the easiest single-leg start

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back keeps your weight on the front heel, which is easier on the knee than a forward lunge and gives the front glute more of the work. Hold a kettlebell for load, or rest your hands at your waist.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet under your hips.
  2. Take a long step back and lower the back knee toward the floor.
  3. Lean your chest a little forward so your weight sits on the front heel.
  4. Push through that front foot to bring the back leg forward to standing.

Cues

  • Long step back
  • Front heel heavy
  • Slight forward lean

Common mistakes

  • Short steps: they push the front knee forward and take work off the glutes.
  • Pushing off the back toes: the front leg should do the lifting.

Swap for: Skater Squat, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Reverse Lunge

Side lunge, glutes and inner thigh

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

You shift into a deep squat on one leg while the other stays straight out to the side. The bent side works the glute and quad through a long range, and the straight side stretches the inner thigh.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about twice shoulder width, toes turned out a little.
  2. Sit your hips down and back over one foot while the other leg stays straight.
  3. Go as deep as you can with the working heel flat, toes of the straight leg pointing up.
  4. Push back up through the bent leg and move across to the other side.

Cues

  • Heel stays flat
  • Hips sit back
  • Chest up

Common mistakes

  • Rising onto the toes of the bent leg: stop higher until your ankle allows more.
  • Rushing side to side: pause at the bottom to own the position.

Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Bodyweight Squat

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Hip extension on the floor

Driving the thigh back behind you is the glutes' main job. On the floor you can isolate it one leg at a time with the donkey kick, or extend both hips at once with the superman.

Glute isolation, hip extension

Donkey Kick

Glutes

On all fours the glute has to lift the leg against gravity with no help from the quads. It is light, so its use is finishing the glutes after squats, or training them when your knees do not like lunges.

How to do it

  1. Get on hands and knees with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips.
  2. Keep one knee bent at a right angle and lift that foot toward the ceiling.
  3. Stop when the thigh is level with your back and squeeze for a second.
  4. Lower the knee back under the hip without touching the floor.

Cues

  • Foot to the ceiling
  • Flat back
  • Squeeze at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching the low back to kick higher: the lift should come from the hip.
  • Swinging: if momentum is moving the leg, slow down.

Swap for: Superman, Fire Hydrant

Build a session with Donkey Kick

Back and glutes together

Superman

Lower Back

Lifting your legs off the floor while lying face down takes both glutes into hip extension along with the spinal muscles. It suits as a light second exercise for the back of the hips.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your arms reaching overhead and legs straight.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your legs, chest and arms a few inches.
  3. Hold the top for two seconds with your neck long.
  4. Lower everything back down slowly.

Cues

  • Glutes first
  • Long neck
  • Two-second hold

Common mistakes

  • Cranking the head up: look at the floor a little ahead of you.
  • Bending the knees: keep the legs long so the glutes lift them.

Swap for: Donkey Kick, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Superman

Exercises for the side of the glutes

The upper and side part of the glutes moves the thigh sideways and turns the thigh outward. These three moves isolate it; they are light, so use them for high reps after the squats and lunges.

Side glute, on all fours

Fire Hydrant

Abductors

Opening the bent leg sideways works the upper glute that moves your thigh outward. It is one of the few ways to hit that area hard with nothing in your hands.

How to do it

  1. Start on hands and knees with your back flat.
  2. Keep the knee bent and swing one thigh sideways, away from your body.
  3. Lift until the thigh is close to level with your hip without tipping your body.
  4. Lower slowly and repeat before changing legs.

Cues

  • Hips stay square
  • Knee leads
  • Slow down

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the body away to lift higher: a smaller lift with level hips works more.
  • Letting the foot rise above the knee: it turns the thigh the wrong way.

Swap for: Clamshell, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Fire Hydrant

Side glute, lying down

Clamshell

Abductors

The clamshell opens the top knee against the bottom one, turning the hip outward. It is the gentlest way to load the side of the glutes and works for warming up before lunges.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one hip with knees bent, stacked, heels touching.
  2. Pillow your head on the lower arm; keep the hips stacked.
  3. Keep your feet touching and lift the top knee as high as you can.
  4. Lower the knee slowly back to the other one.

Cues

  • Feet together
  • Hips stacked
  • Pause up top

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the top hip back: only the knee should move.
  • Rushing the reps: a two-second lowering makes a light move useful.

Swap for: Fire Hydrant, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Clamshell

Side glute, standing

Standing Side Leg Raise

Abductors

Standing on one leg works both sides at once: the lifting side raises the leg, and the standing side's glute holds your pelvis level. You can do it anywhere, holding a wall.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and hold a wall or chair with one hand.
  2. Keep the outer leg straight with the toes pointing forward.
  3. Lift it out to the side without leaning your torso away.
  4. Lower slowly until the foot almost touches the floor.

Cues

  • Toes forward
  • Stay tall
  • Slow lower

Common mistakes

  • Turning the toes up: that shifts the work to the front of the hip.
  • Leaning sideways: lift only as high as you can with an upright body.

Swap for: Fire Hydrant, Clamshell

Build a session with Standing Side Leg Raise

Squats and holds for beginners

Two-leg squats are where to start if a lunge feels shaky. They become too easy for the glutes within a few weeks, so treat them as a step toward the single-leg moves above.

Two-leg squat, starting point

Bodyweight Squat

Quads

The air squat teaches the hip-and-knee pattern every single-leg move depends on. It is easy for most people, so use it to learn depth and then move on.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips.
  2. Reach your arms forward and sit your hips down between your heels.
  3. Go as low as you can with your heels flat and chest up.
  4. Stand up by pushing the floor apart with both feet.

Cues

  • Sit between the heels
  • Knees over toes
  • Full depth

Common mistakes

  • Half reps: go to the depth you can control every time.
  • Knees caving in: push them out over your feet.

Swap for: Wall Sit, Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Bodyweight Squat

Squat hold

Wall Sit

Quads

Holding a seated position against a wall keeps the thighs and glutes working with no movement at all, which makes it a quiet option for apartments. Count each second as a rep.

How to do it

  1. Lean your back on a wall with your feet roughly two feet out from it.
  2. Slide down until your thighs are close to parallel with the floor.
  3. Keep your knees over your ankles and press your back into the wall.
  4. Hold the position for the target time, then slide back up.

Cues

  • Thighs level
  • Press the heels
  • Back flat on the wall

Common mistakes

  • Feet too close: the knees end up past the toes.
  • Resting hands on the thighs: keep them off your legs.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Wall Sit

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

New to training, a patch of floor, 25 minutes

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets39 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are starting out and a lunge still feels wobbly. You want a routine you can do in a bedroom without jumping.

This plan builds from the two-leg squat to the reverse lunge, the first single-leg step, and fills the rest with floor work that cannot go wrong: donkey kicks for hip extension and clamshells for the side glutes. Sets stop 2 to 3 reps short of failure because new movements need clean reps more than hard ones. Each session has 13 sets.

Glutes A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Bodyweight SquatFull depth, slow down. 3 × 12–20 3 1 min
Reverse LungePer leg. Hands on hips. 3 × 8–15 2 75 s
Donkey KickPer leg. One-second squeeze. 3 × 12–20 2 45 s
ClamshellPer leg. 2 × 15–25 2 45 s
Wall SitSeconds, not reps. 2 × 30–45 2 1 min
How to run it
Do Glutes A on two or three days a week with a day off between sessions. Rest briefly between the floor exercises.
How to progress
When every set of the lunge reaches 15 controlled reps per leg, swap it for the skater squat to a towel and move to the stronger-lifter plan.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Air squats are easy, 40 minutes, a chair

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets52 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You can do 25 squats without trouble and your glutes are not growing. You need exercises that are actually hard without adding weight.

The skater and pistol squats load one hip with your whole body weight, so they are the main lifts here, with the Cossack squat adding a deep side lunge. Fire hydrants and donkey kicks finish the side and back of the glutes. Because a heavier dumbbell is not an option, the main lifts are taken to 1 RIR and the isolation sets to 0. Each session has 14 to 15 sets, about 10 of them direct glute work.

Day A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skater SquatPer leg. Back knee to a towel. 4 × 6–12 1 2 min
Cossack SquatPer side. Pause at the bottom. 3 × 6–12 1 90 s
A1 Fire HydrantPer leg. 3 × 15–25 0 45 s
A2 Donkey KickPer leg. 3 × 15–25 0 45 s

Open Day A in the session builder

Day B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Pistol SquatPer leg. To a chair. 4 × 5–10 1 2 min
Skater SquatPer leg. 3 s down. 3 × 8–15 1 90 s
A1 Donkey KickPer leg. Hold the top. 3 × 15–25 0 45 s
A2 Fire HydrantPer leg. 3 × 15–25 0 45 s

Open Day B in the session builder

How to run it
Alternate Day A and Day B, three or four sessions a week. Do the single-leg lifts fresh at the start.
How to progress
Add reps up to the top of each range, then slow the lowering to four seconds, then lower the box for the pistol. When the skater squat reaches 12 reps, hold a backpack.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Hotel room or thin floors, 15 minutes, no jumping

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets33 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You travel or live above someone, have a few square feet and want a short glute session with nothing landing on the floor.

Everything here is slow and silent: reverse lunges for the main work, side leg raises and supermen paired so one rests while the other works, and a wall sit to finish. The pairs cut the session to about 15 minutes. Sets stop 1 to 2 reps short of failure because the session is short and you may repeat it on back-to-back days while travelling. Each session has 11 sets.

Quick Glutes
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse LungePer leg. Step back quietly. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
A1 Standing Side Leg RaisePer leg. Hold a wall. 3 × 15–25 1 0 s
A2 SupermanTwo-second hold. 3 × 10–15 1 45 s
Wall SitSeconds. 2 × 30–50 1 1 min
How to run it
Do Quick Glutes three days a week, or every other day on a trip. Move from one exercise in a pair to the other without resting.
How to progress
Add reps each week. When the lunge passes 15 per leg, pause two seconds at the bottom of every rep.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Can bodyweight workouts grow glutes?

Yes, if the exercises are hard enough. A muscle grows from sets taken close to failure, and single-leg squats and lunges get there with body weight alone. Two-leg squats and floor kicks done for 50 easy reps do not. Once single-leg moves become easy, you need slower reps, a harder variation or added weight.

Is it possible to build glutes without equipment?

It is, for longer than most people expect. The skater squat and pistol squat load one hip with your whole body weight, which is more than many people use on a weighted two-leg squat. The limit comes when those reach 15 to 20 clean reps; then a backpack or a pair of dumbbells keeps you progressing.

Will 20 squats a day make my bum bigger?

Probably not for long. Twenty air squats are easy for most people after a week, and easy reps do not give the glutes a reason to grow. Fewer, harder sets of a single-leg exercise, two or three times a week with rest in between, do more.

Can you grow glutes with calisthenics?

Yes. Calisthenics for legs means single-leg squats, lunges and their harder versions, and they train the glutes through a long range of motion. Progress them the way you would a pull-up: more reps, slower reps, then a harder variation.

What is the most effective glute exercise without weights?

The skater squat. The back knee travels behind you and the torso leans forward, so the hip bends deeply under your full body weight. If you cannot do one yet, the reverse lunge is the step before it.

What are good leg exercises for the glutes?

The ones that bend the hip deeply with load on it: lunges, split squats, single-leg squats and hip hinges. Among the moves on this page, the reverse lunge, skater squat, pistol and Cossack squat work the glutes and thighs together.

How do I tighten my buttocks in 2 weeks?

In two weeks you can learn the exercises and get stronger at them, and your glutes will feel firmer from training. Visible change in size or shape takes months of consistent hard sets, and how defined they look also depends on body fat.

How many times a week should I train glutes at home?

Two to four times. Bodyweight sessions are lighter on your joints than heavy lifting, so you can train more often, as long as each set stays close to failure and your glutes are not still sore from the last session.