How To Grow Your Lower Glutes (aka the Under Butt)
Building your lower glutes, also known as the under butt/booty is a pretty common goal for most people chasing a bigger, better bum. Especially for those who either lack overall glute size or for people who worry about things starting to head south.
Developing and thickening up your lower glutes will help to give your bum that fuller, lifted and rounder appearance.
So if you feel your lower glutes are lacking in size and shape compared to your legs and upper glutes then these exercises and tips are for you.
The key muscles we are looking to target are the Gluteus Maximus and Hamstrings.
What is the Under Butt?
Like a lot of things you see on social media, the under butt/booty is not a real thing, it’s just a catchy click-bait name.
It’s not a specific muscle you can target. When we talk about the lower glutes/under butt we are really just talking about the glute max (and specifically emphasising the lowermost fibres of the muscle) and the hamstrings.
So yes, despite the glute max being only one big muscle, we can place more attention and stress on the lower part to get some growth.
I suggest you read this article on The Beginners Guide To Glute Muscles for more information on the function of the glute max.
Before we go on, why not follow my Instagram where I post awesome glute and training tips daily.
Glute Building Nutrition
There is no point in looking at the exercises that build and shape your glutes if we don’t fix your nutrition first.
We need calories and protein to build muscle, so to grow your lower glutes we need to eat.
I go into greater detail in this article on glute building nutrition - go read it.
I’ve got a brilliant and handy CALORIE CALCULATOR on my instagram that will give you custom calorie targets, advice on macro splits and advice on either building muscle or burning fat, make sure you check it out.
Exercises To Build Your Lower Glutes
You’ll probably be surprised and even a little disappointed by this next part.
There are no secret exercises you haven’t done for building your lower glutes.
Sorry.
Like everything in fitness it’s done with the basics - Big Compound Exercises.
In no particular order here are: The best exercises to grow your lower glutes.
Hip Hinge/Pull Exercises
Romanian Deadlifts
Easily my #1 exercise for hitting the entire posterior chain and especially the hamstrings and glutes. If I could only choose one hamstring exercise to do for the rest of my life, RDL’s would be it.
If this doesn’t grow and lift your bum… nothing will.
Other variations to try include:
Single Leg RDL’s
Good mornings
B-Stance RDL’s
Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Banded RDL’s
Another fantastic choice is:
Glute Dominant Back Extensions
These have insanely high levels of glute activation and when done properly will have your glutes and hamstring burning like Satan’s butthole after a Vindaloo.
To really target the glutes, you want to turn out the feet to 45 degrees and round your back and tuck your chin (it’s safe, it’s fine!).
Rounding your spine “shuts off” your lower back muscles, allowing you to really pull with your glutes and hamstrings.
Next up we have:
Hip Hinge/Thrust Exercises
Hip Thrusts
As predictable as the sunrise! Yes, we have the good old hip thrust.
Hip Thrust will grow your entire glutes but they also smash those lower glute fibres. The hip thrust provides the most tension on the glutes when they are fully contracted at the top position.
So make sure you are squeezing hard.
I also recommend pausing for 1-3 seconds on most reps.
Personally I also find the Single Leg Hip Thrust to be an amazing exercise for hitting the lower glutes. It’s also perfect when you lack equipment and space.
Other variations (of many) to try include:
Squat/Lunge Exercises
Squats
Squats and Lunges put a huge emphasis on the lower glutes and quads. Squats and Lunges put the most amount of tension on the glutes when they are in a fully stretched position.
So that means to get maximum glute activation and stimulation you need to be getting as big a stretch as you can (aka going deep).
No half reps squats and lazy lunges!
Squat Variations are vast, but here are a few key ones to play with:
Now even better than squats we have lunges!
And In my opinion, the best bang for your buck (booty building) lunge is:
Deficit Reverse Lunges
With even a little bit of a deficit, you can get so much more stretch on the glutes than from squats. These are a top 5 glute builder for me.
I love them in the Smith Machine for extra stability and heavier weight, but they are great with dumbbells too.
Other great lunge variations to try include:
Front Foot Elevated Split Squats
Barbell Lunges - Static, Reverse, Forward.
Now…
Surely we can’t talk about squats and lunges without mentioning what my client once called the “worst exercise of all time”.
Yeah, you guessed it!
Bulgarian Split Squats
I love Bulgarian Split Squats, when you add a forward lean they become a truly first-class glute exercise. You just have to stop being a pussy and embrace the pain they inflict.
As with all squats and lunges, you want to get deep to maximise the stretch on the lower glutes. No half reps!
Want to make them extra spicy? Try these variations:
Deficit Bulgarian Split Squats
1 & 1/4 Bulgarian Split Squats
Plyometric Bulgarian Split Squats
One final exercise of note in the Squat family is Step Ups:
Step-Ups
Studies have shown that Step-Ups have some of the highest glute activations of any exercise, so definitely one to add to the mix.
Just make sure you are using as big a step as possible - remember we want the MAXIMUM stretch to hit those lower glutes.
I highly recommend trying these in the Smith Machine (if your’s is tall enough…. or you’re a shortie).
In Conclusion….
So there you have it, some great exercises to grow your lower glutes.
The main takeaway is you need to include Hip Hinge, Thrust, Squat and Lunge exercises.
There are dozens of exercises and combinations to play with, this is just a taste of some of my favourites.
Now to get that perfect bum, I suggest you pair what you’ve learned here with this article:
How To Develop Your Upper Glute Shelf - That way you can grow your glutes to their absolute potential.
I recommend that these exercises make up the bulk of your leg workouts and try playing around with different weights and rep ranges.
Train your glutes 2-3x a week (even up to 5-6 days) for maximum glute gains.
And don’t forget if you want your glutes to grow then you need to eat. Stop worrying about getting skinny or shrinking your waist and just focus on growth.
Check out my CALORIE CALCULATOR on my website that will give you custom calorie targets, advice on macro splits and advice on either building muscle or burning fat.
Thanks for reading.
Aaron
If you are looking to make that change, work with a strength and conditioning coach and build your dream butt then consider applying for
And Check out of a few of my clients below, all bad asses with great asses!
