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Exercises

Glutes warm up: 8 minutes before hip thrusts and lunges

Published October 24, 2026

Bike easy for 3 minutes, do 10 leg swings per leg and 5 cossack squats per side, then 10 side leg raises and 10 donkey kicks per side and 15 band hip thrusts, and finish with 2 to 3 ramp-up sets of your first glute lift. About 8 minutes.

  1. Stationary Bike Quads, Hamstrings
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  4. Standing Side Leg Raise Abductors
  5. Donkey Kick Glutes
  6. Band Hip Thrust Glutes

Raise: 3 minutes

Three minutes on a bike or skipping in place gets your breathing up and warms the legs before you ask the hips to move far. Keep it easy enough to talk.

Raise: easy cardio, no impact

Stationary Bike

Quads, Hamstrings

Pedaling warms the hips and knees without impact.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so your knee keeps a small bend when the pedal is lowest.
  2. Pedal at a light resistance for the first two minutes.
  3. Add a little resistance every minute until you are breathing harder but can still speak in sentences.

Cues

  • Light first, then a notch up
  • Sit tall

Common mistakes

  • Grinding a heavy gear from the start: build the resistance gradually.

Swap for: Rowing Machine, Air Bike, Treadmill Walk

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Raise: light rhythm cardio

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Quick option with no machine.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your fists beside your hips as if holding rope handles.
  2. Circle your hands and bounce lightly from one foot to the other, as if skipping over a turning rope.
  3. Keep the bounces low and springy for the whole interval.

Cues

  • Bounce off the balls of your feet
  • Hands circle, elbows close
  • Relaxed shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Stomping on the heels: stay on the front of your feet.
  • Hopping high: a small bounce clears an imaginary rope.

Swap for: Jumping Jack, High Knees, Jump Rope

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Move the hips: 2 minutes

Glute exercises take the hip deep, forward and to the side. Leg swings move it forward and back with no load, and cossack squats sink into a deep side lunge so hip thrusts, split squats and lunges start with that range already there.

Mobility: hips front to back

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Front-to-back swings move the hip through the range a lunge uses.

How to do it

  1. Hold a wall or rack with one hand and stand on one leg.
  2. Swing the free leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting it go a little higher each time.
  3. Do all reps, then turn around and switch legs.

Cues

  • Tall standing leg
  • Let it swing, don't kick

Common mistakes

  • Rounding the lower back to get height: keep the range where your trunk stays still.

Swap for: Cossack Squat, High Knees, Standing Side Leg Raise

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Mobility: hips and inner thighs, side to side

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

It opens the hips side to side before deep split squats.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about twice shoulder width apart, toes slightly out.
  2. Shift your weight to one side and sit down into that hip while the other leg stays straight, toes up.
  3. Push back through the bent leg to the middle and go to the other side.

Cues

  • Heel down on the bent side
  • Chest up

Common mistakes

  • Going deeper than your hips allow and folding forward: hold a support and stop where your chest stays up.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Leg Swings, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Activate: 2 minutes

One easy set each, no burn needed. Side leg raises work the side of the hip, donkey kicks the main glute, and band hip thrusts rehearse the exact lockout of your first lift with a light load. Squeeze for a second at the top of each rep.

Side-of-hip activation, standing

Standing Side Leg Raise

Abductors

Lifting a straight leg sideways works the outside of the hip, which keeps the pelvis level and the knee in line when you land on one foot or cut.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hands resting at your waist.
  2. Keep the leg straight and the toes facing forward as you lift it sideways.
  3. Lower it with control, finish the reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Toes point forward
  • Torso stays upright

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the lifting leg: a lower lift with a still torso works better.

Swap for: Clamshell, Lateral Band Walk

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Activation: glutes on all fours

Donkey Kick

Glutes

It lets you feel the main glute work before loading it.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on hands and knees.
  2. Keeping the knee bent, push one foot toward the ceiling.
  3. Lower without arching your lower back.

Cues

  • Sole to the ceiling
  • Back flat

Common mistakes

  • Arching the back to lift the leg: stop lower.

Swap for: Band Glute Kickback, Standing Side Leg Raise, Cable Glute Kickback

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Activation: glutes with a band

Band Hip Thrust

Glutes

A light rehearsal of the hip thrust lockout.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your upper back on a bench and a band across your hips, anchored under your hands or a rack.
  2. Drive your hips up until your torso is level.
  3. Pause and lower.

Cues

  • Chin tucked
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Overarching the back: keep the ribs down.

Swap for: Dumbbell Glute Bridge, Hip Thrust, Kettlebell Hip Thrust

Build a session with Band Hip Thrust

Ramp the first lift

Take 2 to 3 sets of your first glute lift before your working weight: for hip thrusts, about half your working weight for 8, then one heavier set for 3 to 5. Split squats and lunges need one or two light sets per leg.

Main lift: barbell hip thrust with ramp-up sets

Hip Thrust

Glutes

Ramp from the bar to working weight in three steps.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your upper back on a bench and a padded bar over your hips.
  2. Plant your feet so your shins are vertical at the top.
  3. Drive your hips up, pause, and lower.

Cues

  • Shins vertical at the top
  • Chin tucked

Common mistakes

  • Feet too far forward: move them in until the glutes do the work.

Swap for: Smith Machine Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Glute Bridge

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Main lift: split squat with ramp-up sets

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Two light sets per leg are enough.

How to do it

  1. Put the top of your back foot on a bench behind you and dumbbells in your hands.
  2. Sink straight down until the front thigh is about parallel.
  3. Push through the front foot to stand.

Cues

  • Front foot does the work
  • Straight down

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close to the bench: step out until the front heel stays down.

Swap for: Dumbbell Split Squat, Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat, Reverse Lunge

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Mobility or main: reverse lunge

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

A lighter first lift for home days.

How to do it

  1. Hold dumbbells at your sides.
  2. Step one foot back and lower the back knee toward the floor.
  3. Push through the front foot to return.

Cues

  • Step back long
  • Front heel down

Common mistakes

  • Collapsing the front knee inward: push it out over the toes.

Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Bulgarian Split Squat, Step-Up

Build a session with Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

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

Hip thrust day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentExercise Bike, Resistance Bands, Barbells, Flat Bench +1

You open with heavy barbell hip thrusts.

Hip mobility and band thrusts prepare the lockout, and three ramp sets climb to the working weight.

Glute day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Stationary BikeSeconds. 3 minutes straight, no rest. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 0 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer side. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Band Hip Thrust 1 × 15 4 30 s
Hip Thrust3 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Bulgarian Split Squat1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Do the blocks, then the lifts.
How to progress
Add weight when the last set ends above 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Split squats first

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets8 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You start with Bulgarian split squats.

Cossack squats and donkey kicks prepare deep single-leg work, and the split squat gets two ramp sets per leg.

Single-leg day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 minutes straight, no rest. 2 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Donkey KickPer side. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Bulgarian Split Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Do the blocks, then the lifts.
How to progress
Add reps, then weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home glute day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Dumbbells

You have a pair of dumbbells and a band.

Same stages, no machines; reverse lunges are the first lift with two ramp sets.

Home glutes
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 minutes straight, no rest. 2 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer side. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Donkey KickPer side. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Band Hip Thrust 1 × 15 4 15 s
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge2 warm-up sets first 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
How to run it
Do the blocks, then lunges.
How to progress
Slow the lowering once reps are easy.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Which warm-up exercises work the glutes?

Leg swings and cossack squats to open the hip, then side leg raises, donkey kicks and band hip thrusts to get the glutes working, then lighter sets of your first lift.

How do I activate glutes while standing?

Do band standing hip abductions or lateral band walks, which work the side glutes upright. A slow cossack squat or a bodyweight split squat with a pause at the bottom also brings in the main glute.

Why is it so hard to activate my glutes?

Fast reps and heavy loads let the lower back and hamstrings do the work. Use lighter drills, slow down, pause at the top of each rep, and put the activation right before your first glute lift.

What is the best glute exercise?

There is no single best one. Hip thrusts load the glutes hardest at lockout, while squats, split squats and Romanian deadlifts load them in a deep stretch. Most glute programs use one of each.

How long should a glute warm-up take?

About 8 minutes: 3 of cardio, 2 of hip mobility, 2 of activation, then the ramp-up sets of your first lift.

Do I need warm-up sets for hip thrusts?

Yes, 2 to 3 before heavy working sets: about half your working weight for 8, then a heavier set for 3 to 5.

Should I do activation every glute day?

A short version helps. One set each of side leg raises and band hip thrusts takes about 2 minutes.