Dumbbell Glute Exercises: 13 Best Moves for a Sculpted Rear

Sculpt a strong, toned backside with these 13 best dumbbell glute exercises. Build muscle, strength and power with squats, lunges, hip thrusts and more dumbbell glute exercises.

Introduction

Dumbbell glute exercises are a fantastic way to build strong, toned glutes from the comfort of your home. Your gluteal muscles (Maximus, Medius and minimums) make up the buttocks and are crucial for athletic performance, injury prevention and overall lower body strength. Hitting the glutes with Dumbbell glute exercises can also give your metabolism a boost by building lean muscle mass.

So, if you’re looking to build a curvier backside, improve your lifting power, or just strengthen those all-important muscles, dumbbell glute exercises need to be a part of your training routine. In this guide, we’ll cover 13 of the best dumbbell glute exercises you can do along with coaching cues, set/rep schemes and programming suggestions.

Why Train Your Glutes with Dumbbells?

There are many benefits to prioritizing dumbbell glute exercises:

Convenience – Dumbbells are incredibly versatile and allow you to train your glutes at home with minimal equipment.
Build Muscle – Overloading the glutes through dumbbell exercises provides the stimulus for muscle growth and development.
Improve Strength & Power – Strong glutes correlate with improved athletic performance in activities like running, jumping, and lifting.
Reduce Injury Risk – The glutes play a key role in stabilizing the pelvis/core and preventing common injuries.
Enhance Aesthetics – Well-developed glutes create an attractive lifted, toned appearance.

While barbells are often viewed as superior for lower body training, dumbbells have some unique advantages for glute exercises. They allow for a greater range of motion on certain movements and enable you to work each side independently to fix muscle imbalances.

The 13 Best Dumbbell Glute Exercises

Here are 13 of the most effective dumbbell glute exercises to build strength and grow your glutes:

1. Dumbbell Squats

Dumbbell squats are a fundamental exercise that should be a staple in any well-rounded glute workout. Holding a dumbbell helps you sit back into the squat while maintaining an upright torso position to emphasize the glutes.

Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out.
Hold a dumbbell vertically and crush it into your chest.
Sending hips back, bend at the knees and descend until thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
Drive through your heels to return to the standing position.
Go for 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

You can make this move even more glute-focused by elevating your heels slightly. Another variation is the sumo squat which has you take a wider stance with toes pointed out.

2. Dumbbell Lunges

Forward, reverse, and lateral lunges are excellent dumbbell glute exercises that allow you to overload the muscles in a stretched position. They simultaneously train the quads, hamstrings and glutes through a full range of motion.

Stand upright holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
Step forward/backward/out to the side with one leg, dropping your hips down.
Descend until your front/back thigh is parallel and your rear knee is just above the floor.
Drive through your front/lead heel to push back to the standing position.
Perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps per leg.

To increase glute activation, you can alternate between forward, reverse and lateral variations. You can also hold a single dumbbell to create an offset load.

3. Dumbbell Clamshells

This isolation exercise is one of the best dumbbell glute exercises for really feeling the burn in your backside. It allows you to focus all the tension directly on the gluteus maximus.

Get on your hands and knees, holding a dumbbell between your feet.
With a flat back, engage your core and kick one leg straight back, squeezing your glutes.
Slowly lower back to the starting position before alternating legs.
Do 3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg.

You can modify this move by raising your hands and toes in a push-up position. Or you can position your upper body over a bench or box.

4. Dumbbell Hip Thrusts

The hip thrust is an incredibly effective Dumbbell glute exercises that should be a part of any well-programmed routine. Using dumbbells enables you to overload this move.

Roll a bench, box or sturdy chair against a wall and sit in front of it.
With your upper back leaning against it, bend your knees and place a dumbbell across your hips.
Driving through your heels, extend your hips up forming a straight line from knees to shoulders.
Squeeze your glutes at the top then lower them back down under control.
Aim for 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

You can make this more challenging by elevating your feet or holding additional dumbbells. Focus on driving your hips upwards rather than arching your lower back.

Form Cues	Benefits of Hip Thrusts
Engage Glutes	Builds Glute Strength & Size
Don’t Overarch Back	Improves Hip Mobility & Power
Full Hip Extension	Strengthens Posterior Chain

5. Dumbbell Step-Ups

Step-ups are a fantastic compound dumbbell glute exercises that trains the muscles through a wide range of motion while improving functional strength and stability.

Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand facing a knee-high box or step.
Step up leading with one leg, pressing through your heel to step up.
Bring your trailing leg up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Step back down with the opposite leg, controlling the descent.
Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps per leg.

Go heavy on these and focus on driving through your front heel with each rep. You can also hold just one dumbbell to create an offset load.

6. Dumbbell Deadlifts

While typically thought of as a back exercise, deadlifts are one of the most effective dumbbell glute exercises when performed correctly. They hammer the posterior chain in a functional hip hinge pattern.

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Keeping your back flat, push your hips back and lower the weights toward the floor.
Once you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, drive through your heels to stand upright.
Squeeze your glutes hard at the top then reset and repeat for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.

7. Dumbbell Glute Bridges

The glute bridge is an excellent dumbbell glute exercises that isolates and strengthens the gluteus maximus. Adding a dumbbell increases the resistance for even more glute activation.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and a dumbbell across your hips.
Push through your heels to raise your hips up until your body forms a straight line.
Squeeze your glutes hard at the top then lower back down until nearly touching the floor.
Repeat for 3 sets of 15-20 reps.

You can make this move more challenging by elevating your feet or adding bands around your knees for extra resistance. Make sure to focus on squeezing your glutes at the top.

8. Dumbbell Clamshells

This deceptively tough dumbbell glute exercises is great for targeting the often-neglected gluteus Medius and minimums muscles which play a key role in hip stability.

Lie on your side with your knees bent and a dumbbell between your thighs.
Keeping your feet together, raise your upper knee as far as is comfortable.
Squeeze your glutes hard at the top then lower back down with control.
Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps per side.

Make sure to keep your hips stacked and avoid rolling back. Go light on weight but focus on squeezing your glutes maximally with each rep.

9. Dumbbell Donkey Kicks

The donkey kick is another excellent isolation dumbbell glute exercises for really firing up those glutes. It allows you to load up the move with resistance.

Get on all fours with a dumbbell between your feet.
Keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees, kick one leg straight back until parallel.
Squeeze your glutes hard at the top then lower back down under control.
Do 3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg, alternating sides.

For an added challenge, you can raise your hands and toes. Avoid arching your lower back and focus on pushing your heel toward the ceiling.

10. Dumbbell Fire Hydrants

Similar to the clamshell, the fire hydrant is a tremendous dumbbell glute exercises for strengthening the often-overlooked gluteus Medius. Weak glute Medius muscles can contribute to knee valgus, low back pain and other issues.

Get on all fours with a dumbbell secured above your knee.
Keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees, raise it out to the side as far as is comfortable.
Squeeze your glutes hard at the top then lower back down under control.
Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg, alternating sides.

Avoid letting your hips drop or rotating your torso. Go light on weight and focus on squeezing maximally.

11. Dumbbell Curtsy Lunges

The curtsy lunge variation is an awesome compound dumbbell glute exercises that works the muscles through multiple planes of motion for well-rounded development.

Stand upright holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
Take a big reverse diagonal step back with one leg, crossing it behind your body.
Bend both knees lowering down until your front thigh is parallel to the floor.
Push back up driving through your front heel to return to the start.
Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps per leg.

These are great for improving balance, coordination and functional strength while hammering your glutes from all angles.

12. Dumbbell Lateral Band Walks

Adding a resistance band around your ankles or knees turns the simple lateral walk into a savage dumbbell glute exercises. It strengthens the abductors and glutes while improving lateral stability.

Stand upright holding a dumbbell in each hand, and band around your thighs/ankles.
Take a step directly out to the side against the band’s resistance.
Bring your trailing leg in to meet your lead foot then step again.
Walk for 10-15 steps in each direction for 3 sets.

This versatile exercise can be done anywhere and will leave your glutes, hips and thighs screaming. Use a light to moderate dumbbell weight.

13. Single-Leg Dumbbell RDLs

The single-leg Romanian deadlift is an advanced dumbbell glute exercises that strengthens the glutes and posterior chain while challenging stability and balance.

Stand on one leg holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand.
Hinging from the hips, lower the dumbbell down toward the floor.
Go as far as you can while keeping your back flat and balancing your leg bent.
Squeeze your glutes to return to the upright position.
Do 3 sets of 8-10 reps per leg.

Hold onto something for balance if needed at first. Stay upright and focus on squeezing your glutes to pull yourself back to the top position.

Programming Dumbbell Glute Exercises Workouts

Now that you have an arsenal of brutal dumbbell glute exercises, here are some tips for programming effective workouts:

Choose 4-6 exercises per workout, alternating between compound and isolation moves.
Use rep ranges of 10-15 for muscle growth, and 6-10 for strength & power development.
Aim for 3-4 sets per exercise, with 1-2 minutes of rest between sets.
Focus on progressive overload, increasing weight or reps incrementally over time.
Include 2-3 dedicated glute/hip dominant workouts per week.
Allow for proper recovery as the glutes tend to get very sore after intense training.

Listen to your body and don’t be afraid to adjust your program based on how you’re responding and recovering. Consistency is key for developing strong, shapely glutes.

You can train dumbbell glute exercises as part of a total body or lower body split routine. Or you can dedicate entire workouts to just hitting your glutes from multiple angles.

Here’s an example of an intense dumbbell glute workout:

Dumbbell Squats: 4 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Lunges: 3 sets of 10 reps per leg
Dumbbell Hip Thrusts: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Dumbbell Kickbacks: 3 sets of 15 reps per leg
Dumbbell Clamshells: 3 sets of 20 reps per side
Dumbbell Lateral Band Walks: 3 sets of 15 steps per direction

For a related glute-focused article, check out [How to Get a Bigger Butt: 8 Exercises for Building Glutes].

Conclusion

There you have it – 13 of the most effective dumbbell glute exercises to build strength, size and tone your backside. Consistently training your glutes with these dumbbell variations will help create a lifted, sculpted appearance while improving athletic performance.