At-Home Glute Workout (Dumbbells)

Overview

A glute program you can do in your living room. Each session pairs heavy-for-home dumbbell lifts, like hip thrusts with your shoulders on the couch and Bulgarian split squats, with bodyweight moves that target the upper glutes, like fire hydrants and clamshells.

With lighter weights than a gym, the trick is reps and control. Rep ranges are higher, the pauses are longer, and single-leg exercises double the load each glute has to handle.

Weekly schedule

Day A Monday, Day B Wednesday, Day C Friday.

1. MonHome Glutes A
2. TueRest
3. WedHome Glutes B
4. ThuRest
5. FriHome Glutes C
6. SatRest
7. SunRest

The workouts

How to run it

Warm up

5 minutes of light cardio, then 2–3 lighter warm-up sets of the first exercise, building up to your working weight. Later exercises usually need just one lighter set.

Choosing a weight

Use a weight you could lift for 2–3 more reps than the target. The last set should feel hard, but your form shouldn't break down. Spend the first week or two a little lighter while you learn the movements.

Rest between sets

60–90 seconds between sets; 30–45 seconds on fire hydrants, clamshells and donkey kicks.

Progression

When you hit the top of the rep range on every set, make it harder: use a heavier dumbbell, add a 2-second pause at the top, or slow down the lowering to 3 seconds. Hold the single-leg glute bridge 5 seconds longer each week. In Progress, Progressive Reps is already on for fire hydrant, clamshell and donkey kick: each time you hit the target on every set, the next session's target goes up by one rep.

How long to run it

Follow it for 8–12 weeks, as long as you keep making progress. If most of your lifts stall for two weeks in a row, take an easier week at about 60% of your usual weights, then keep going.

Track every session

Write down the weight and reps for every set. You need last session's numbers to know what to do today, and seeing them climb is the best motivation there is.

Tips

• For hip thrusts, sit with your shoulder blades on the edge of the couch and hold one dumbbell across your hips. Put a folded towel under it for comfort.
• Slow lowering makes light weights feel heavy. Take 3 seconds on the way down for squats, lunges and Romanian deadlifts.
• Add a mini resistance band above your knees for fire hydrants, clamshells and hip thrusts once bodyweight gets easy.
• Keep the session short and intense rather than adding more exercises.

Questions