Calisthenics Glutes: Is It Possible?
Yes, you can do calisthenics for the glutes, and I don’t mean just the quads. I’m talking about glute-specific exercises. Calisthenics is an excellent way to improve gluteal musculature without spending tons of money and years in the gym.
The exercises you can do with just dumbbells and a few other pieces of equipment or even without one, can help tone and strengthen your glutes, helping you reduce the risk of injury and achieve the muscle symmetry you want.
If you’re looking to get a firm, well-defined butt, then calisthenics may be the workout for you. But if you’re looking to build muscle mass and strength, then it’s best to stick to weightlifting or bodyweight exercises.
So if you are questioning if you can train calisthenics for glutes, then you need to read this post.
How To Build Your Glute Muscle With Calisthenics?
There are many calisthenics glute exercises, but it’s very easy to get overwhelmed with options. That’s why I’ve put together this simple guide to help you choose the right calisthenics workout for your needs.
While your glute muscles have many functions, they are primarily responsible for hip extension. This is the action that raises your body’s hips and allows you to sit up.
Your glutes should feel like a hammock, supported and cushioned, allowing your spine to naturally curve and your pelvis to rotate naturally. Without this support, you will experience pain and stress in your lower back and hips.
There are several directions to increase glute size, but the most common methods include weight training, doing more eccentric squats, and increasing the angle of your squat you’ll find more info in the next sections of this article.
If you want to learn about Getting Six Pack Abs check out our article:
Best 15 Calisthenics Glutes Exercises For Well-Defined Butt.
When done correctly, they’re extremely effective, but not always easy to master. Here are some directions for the best 16 calisthenics glutes exercises that are sure to help you achieve a sleek, defined look
1. Bulgarian Split Squats
Are an exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and core. You can perform them anywhere that you find a sturdy object to step up onto.
To perform the exercise, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and feet firmly on the ground. Inhale and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and push back to standing.
2. Traditional squats
They are an excellent choice for those who want to build their butt muscles. The traditional squats can be performed with almost any kind of equipment, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, a yoga mat, and a tennis ball. So if you’re having trouble doing squats or lunges or if you don’t have access to weights, you can still exercise and build your glutes.
3. Jump Squats
Are among the best glute exercises for improving lower-body strength.
By targeting the glutes in particular, jump squats can help strengthen the muscles around the hip area. These exercises will work to improve stability, balance, agility, and power.
4. Hip Extensions
For most people, the hip flexors are the most difficult muscle group to work out since they lie deep beneath the muscle mass.
Hip extensions are good directions to target the hip flexor group without having to lift heavy weights or spend a lot of time in a gym.
5. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
The single-leg glute bridge is a fantastic exercise for targeting the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles. The glute bridges exercise targets the hip abductors, which are the muscles that allow us to kick a ball or jump, the muscles that make us strong and mobile.
6. Single Leg Side Lunges
A single-leg side lunge is an essentially one-foot lunge with the opposite arm raised to help keep balance. This exercise is a simple, yet effective, core exercise that can be done with ease and can be modified to meet the needs of the individual.
7. Hydrants With Leg Extension
Hydrants With Feet Extension are a simple and effective way to target and work your glutes. It is a great workout for the entire body and the best thing is that it doesn’t takes much.
8. Frog Pumps
One benefit of frog pumps is that you can use almost any type of dumbbell. So it’s possible to mix and match to find the right combination for your needs.
9. Sumo Squats
Are probably the most popular calisthenic exercise. I often see people in the gym doing 20 reps of them. Now, that’s awesome. It’s super effective and I’m sure that the results that you see can be attributed to the intensity of the workout.
10. Reverse Lunges
A reverse lunge is a lower body exercise that involves extending your knee at 90 degrees to the floor. This movement should be executed with straight feet. This exercise helps to engage the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, and calves.
11. Curtsey Lunges
Are a quick and effective way to add cardiovascular exercise to your routine.
But they have a bad reputation, especially among beginners who have trouble doing them properly. And for good reason: if you don’t perform them correctly, they can leave you with an injury.
12. Step-Ups
A simple step-up exercise is done by standing on a bench or box. Then you take one leg, lift it over the bench or box and then lower the other leg down. That’s one repetition.
13. Donkey Kicks
Donkey kicks are the ultimate leg workout, right? The only problem is, they take a lot of dedication and consistency to perform properly.
14. Kickbacks
Kickbacks are an excellent addition to any gym routine, and they don’t need to be fancy or complicated. They only require a basic floor mat, a wall, and a few simple exercises to get started.
15. Hip Thrusts
Hip thrusts are a simple exercise that can be done anywhere and at anytime. The purpose of the exercise is to challenge your core and hips.
If you’re not sure what to do next, here’s an exercise video for you:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Place your arms on your hips. Begin raising your legs until you feel like you’re doing a squat.
3 Ways To Progress With Calisthenics Glutes Exercises
If you’re ready to take your calisthenics glutes to work to the next level, you can start with any of these 3 options.
1. ADD MORE WEIGHT
The best way to add weight is to perform single-leg squats with dumbbells or kettlebells. This allows you to use your bodyweight while simultaneously gaining strength in your glutes.
Dumbbells or kettlebells can be used in a variety of directions, such as by holding them in a rack position, placing them over the head, or simply resting them on the floor.
Adding weights to your glute exercises allows your muscles to increase their size, strength, and endurance.
2. INCREASE INTENSITY
You can also increase the intensity of your calisthenics glute exercises by increasing the speed and volume of your repetitions.
This method can be effective if you want to focus on improving your muscular endurance (in other words, your ability to maintain a certain pace) or if you want to add a challenge to your routine.
Speed is usually measured by the number of reps per minute, while volume is measured by the number of sets or exercises completed in a given period.
3. CIRCUIT YOUR EXERCISES
You can also try performing your glute exercises in a circuit format.
This method involves executing several exercises in a specified order and then resting for some time before repeating. This approach can be effective if you want to complete an entire workout in a short amount of time.
For example, if you’re looking to improve your strength and conditioning, you can choose exercises that target your upper body and core first, before transitioning to lower-body exercises.
It’s important to keep in mind that circuit-style exercises can cause fatigue. This may lead to reduced performance and results, so it’s important to pay close attention to your form and technique.
Why Training Calisthenics Glutes Is So Important?
Training the glutes with calisthenics is important because they’re one of the most powerful muscles in the human body. They are also among the hardest to train. This is because they are typically trained with free weights and isolation exercises. Because of this, they’re often neglected or ignored.
Calisthenics works the butt, obliques, hamstrings, and quads. But, the focus of this guide is on calisthenics and the glutes.
The glutes are known to be the powerhouse of the lower body. They help stabilize and control our posture, helping us walk, squat, and maintain an upright posture throughout the day.
In fact, according to research by Mark Cucuzzella of Human Kinetics, a traditional squat is the most powerful exercise to target the glutes. That said, glute training is a very specific movement that requires technique and a strong base.
The Disadvantages That Come With Not Training Glutes
Some of the disadvantages of not training glutes are obvious, like the potential damage to knee joints and lower back. More subtle and insidious are the long-term negative impacts on health and well-being.
Not training your glutes can lead to problems with:
Back pain; Knee pain; Poor posture; Weight gain; Poor running mechanics and Aging
It’s not hard to see why not training your glutes can have negative effects. Glute activation is a natural movement. You use your glutes to jump, sprint, and lift objects. When we don’t train them, the movement patterns we adopt cause our bodies to compensate by relying on other muscles.
How To Create a Calisthenics Glutes Workout?
It’s been a very long time since anyone has published a truly comprehensive program. There are no one-size-fits-all workouts. I get that.
So let me take you through the process of creating a calisthenics glutes workout.
Beginner;
- Squats; 12 reps x 5 sets
- Hip thrusts; 12 reps x 5 sets
Intermediate;
- Sumo Squat; (as many reps as possible) x 5 sets
- Donkey Kicks; (as many reps as possible) x 5 sets
Advanced;
- Bulgarian Split Squat 12 reps (repeat for each leg) x 5 sets
- Curtsey Lunges; 12 reps x 5 sets
Final Thoughts
We found out that it is possible to train your glutes with calisthenics. However, it takes time and effort to get there. There are different exercises you can do, but none of them are “magical.” The key to the right exercise routine is consistency.
References:
Cucuzzella, Mark. “Boston 2012 meets the heat: an evolutionary, scientific, and experiential approach to Marathon strategy.” AMAA Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, summer 2012, pp. 6+. Gale Academic OneFile
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can you build glutes with calisthenics?
You can build your glutes with calisthenics, but only if you don’t make them the main focus. To build your glutes, first make sure that you do lots of squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, etc. Then, make sure that you do glute-strengthening exercises like the ones stated in this article.
What are 3 exercises for the glutes?
The following three exercises target the glutes and can be done anywhere: 1. glute bridge, 2. dumbbell squat, and 3. dumbbell step-ups.
What exercise grows glutes the most?
It depends on what kind of exercise you do. If your gluteus maximus muscles are trained, then cycling or running exercises will help grow them.
Can you get bigger glutes without weights?
Yes, you can. There are some exercises you can do to help you build larger muscles in your butt, including squats and leg extensions.
How long does it take for the glutes to grow?
According to most experts, it takes anywhere from 10-14 weeks to develop full-size, healthy glutes.
