5 Dumbbell Glute Exercises (10-Minute Workout)

How To Do Glute Biased Squats

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold a set of dumbbells between your legs, hanging slightly in front of you.
2. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward at the hips until your torso is parallel to the ground. Core is engaged and spine is neutral (back flat). You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings (back of the legs).
3. Maintain this forward hinge as you lower down into a squat, pushing your hips down until your hips align with your knees (making a 90-degree angle with your hips and knees). Knees push out towards your outer three toes. If possible, tap the dumbbells to the ground.
4. Drive through your heels to stand as you continue to maintain the forward hinge. To make this exercise harder, keep constant tension on the glutes by never standing straight up, keeping a slight bend in the knees.

How To Do Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats (Bulgarian Split Squat)

1. Kneel in front of your bench or chair, then place your left foot behind you on a chair or bench, shoelaces down. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand.
2. Step your right foot forward (it will vary for everyone, but a little over a foot in front of your bench). Your front thigh will be parallel to the floor. This is the bottom of your movement.
3. Drive through your front right heel, squeezing your right glute to return to standing. Feel your front glute engage to power the movement.
4. With control, bend your knee to lower down back to the starting position (back left knee should lower down close to the ground), to make your front thigh parallel with the ground. Shoulders remain stacked over hips throughout the movement.

Modification: Perform a standard reverse lunge or split squat, keeping your back foot on the ground rather than elevating it on a chair.

How To Do A Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift (Single Leg Deadlift)

1. Start standing in front of a bench or chair, holding a set of dumbbells in front of you. Place your left foot behind you on the bench, shoelaces down.
2. Keeping hips square, press your glutes back towards the wall behind you, hinging at the hips and gliding the dumbbells down your front leg until you feel a stretch along the back of your right leg. Range of motion will be different for everyone.
3. Exhale as you press through your front heel and stand tall, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform a staggered deadlift, keeping both knees bent slightly, 80% of your weight in your front heel and 20% in your back toe.

How To Do Single Leg Step Ups

1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, core tight and engaged. Place one dumbbell, horizontally, on your upper back, neck and shoulders. Holding each head of the dumbbell with one hand.
2. Step your right foot up onto a bench or chair, planting your right heel firmly on the surface.
3. Using the muscle in your right glute (rather than momentum from your left leg), press through your right heel to stand tall, aiming for full hip extension at the top.
4. With control, slowly lower your left foot down to touch the ground, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform a staggered squat and knee drive rather than step ups.

How To Do A Single Leg Dumbbell Hip Thrust

1. Sit in front of a bench or chair, feet flat on the floor and hip distance apart. Lean back, resting your upper back on the bench. Option to hold one dumbbell at your hips, resting on your hip bones.
2. Press your weight into your right heel and lift the left foot off the mat.
3. Then press through the right heel to lift your hips until your right knee, hips and shoulders form a straight line. Squeeze your glutes and pull the belly button in towards the spine to protect the low back and prevent overextension.
4. Hold at the top of the hip thrust for a moment before lowering your hips back to the starting position with control.

Modification: Perform staggered glute bridges from the floor.