Undoubtedly, a round butt is one of the most aesthetically pleasing body parts for both men and women. This is because well-developed and rounded glutes complement and highlight the V-taper physique or the hourglass body shape many aspire to achieve in the gym.
However, it goes beyond aesthetic appeal. A rounded and firm backside also symbolizes a well-balanced lower body profile. With the rise of social media, your phones might be flooded with influencers flaunting their body shape, especially their backside, but behind those snapshots is a dedicated regimen of exercises, nutritional adjustments, and posture.
In many ways, a sculpted butt is similar to a sculpted abs. It is the epitome of fitness dedication, not just for its looks but also for how you feel and move. Although some people are genetically blessed to have a better-shaped butt than others, you can achieve that too.
In this article, we will discuss how you can develop more rounded glutes and how they can benefit your physical health and aesthetic appeal.
The “glutes” is short for the gluteal muscles and vital components of your posterior chain. It consists of three powerful muscles in your buttocks.
Gluteus Maximus is the largest muscle in the human anatomy and is primarily responsible for hip extension and helping you with activities like standing up, climbing stairs, and running..
Just under the Gluteus Maximus, the Gluteus Medius aids in hip abduction and pelvic stabilization. The gluteus medius is the primary muscle activated when you stand on one leg or shift from side to side. It’s a critical muscle for maintaining stability and balance.
The smallest of the trio is the Gluteus Minimus. Despite its size, it has a crucial role in assisting hip abduction and inward rotation of the hip.
These muscles are crucial for accomplishing various movements, stabilization, and athletic performance. Strong and developed glutes can decrease lower back pain and reduce the appearance of hip dips, especially in women.
Calories and protein
To add more shape to your backside, you need to support your developing gluteal muscles by consuming enough calories and protein in your diet. Doing so can accelerate the transformation of your square glutes to round glutes.
Also, pay attention to your macros when building your glutes. Your goal is to add more mass to your back profile, so you need to ensure you meet your caloric needs daily. You don’t want to work hard in the gym only to get too skinny due to the calories you burn from your exercises.
Your glute muscles are powerful and consist of complex subdivisions. This means that as a muscle group, they can handle a lot more volume than your other muscles. In addition, the gluteus medius consists of more slow-twitch muscle fibers, which respond well to high-volume exercises. If you want to achieve a more rounded glute fast, you must train them 2 or more times a week, with many sets and reps.
The key to achieving this is through variation. Ideally, you want a varying set of exercises targeting the different parts of the gluteal muscles._ (See exercise section below)_
Following an upper and lower body split is an excellent regimen to train your glutes and optimize your overall fitness and recovery. Your workout schedule could look like this:
| MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| Lower body (Variation 1) | Upper body | Lower Body (Variation 2) | Upper Body | Lower body (Variation 3) | Rest | Rest |
To develop a more rounded butt, you need to activate and work the three main muscles of the glutes consistently. Keep in mind that the glutes are strong and resilient, so don’t be afraid to load your exercises.
Emphasize the different parts of the glutes during your workouts:
- Gluteus maximus - hip thrust
- Gluteus medius - side-lying hip abduction
- Gluteus minimus - fire hydrants
See the exercise section below for a detailed exercise routine.
To ensure muscle development and add bulk to your backside, you must follow the overload principle— the concept of consistently adding challenge through exercise variation and adding resistance to your exercise to stimulate muscle growth.
Yes, you want to add bulk to your buttocks. However, it is crucial to eliminate excess body fat to build more rounded glutes. Excess body fat can cover the underlying gluteal muscles and decrease the visual impact of your exercises on your butt when fixing square-shaped buttocks.
It may seem complicated, but finding a balance between losing fat and building muscle is achievable through the process of body recomposition.
Targeting the glutes 2 or more times per week may seem overwhelming. After all, it is critical to have appropriate rest and recovery in between workout sessions. But the glutes are a special case, and you can perform high-volume and high-frequency exercises safely and effectively if you introduce variations to target the different gluteal muscles more evenly.
- Back squat 3 sets x 8-10 reps)
- Barbell hip thrust (3 sets x 10-12 reps)
- Cable kickbacks (3 sets x 12 reps each side)
- Leg press (single or double) (3 sets x 10-12 reps)
- Dumbell Romanian deadlift (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Hip abduction machine (3 sets x 15 reps)
- Dumbbell Reverse lunges (3 sets x 15 reps each side)
- Barbell glute bridge (3 sets x 15-20 reps)
- Sumo Deadlift (3 sets x 8 to 10 reps)
- Single-leg hip thrust (3 sets x 12 to 15 reps each side)
- Lateral band walk (3 sets x 10 each side)
- Frog jumps (3 sets x 10-15 reps)
**Add at the end of your workout: **
- Standing cable hip abductions (1-2 sets x 8-10 reps each side)
It’s vital to have 1 day of rest between your leg days to avoid overtraining and injury. During those days, you can perform your upper body workout or completely skip the gym to recover, depending on your fitness goals.
A workout plan that will help you build a strong butt:
Show the gluteus medius some love
If you want to lift your bum, you need to focus on training your gluteus medius. Due to its natural anatomy, it sits on the higher part of your butt, closer to your waist, which gives you the “side arc” profile of a rounded butt.
Since different muscles of the glutes are responsible for rotating the hips, the position of your toes during exercise plays a major role in targeting the gluteus medius and maximus.
When performing a standing cable hip abduction, point your toes in to target the gluteus medius more. In contrast, pointing your toes out will allow the Maximus to take over.
The glute-ham-developer machine (GHD) is a unique piece of equipment that allows you to target the glutes as well as your entire posterior chain. If you want a more balanced back profile, you should give this a try!
Another tool that can add bulk in the outside part of the hips is the Hip Abduction Machine. This equipment allows you to effectively isolate the glutes and activate more muscle fibers during the exercise.
Studies have shown that pre-activating the glutes with warm-up exercises such as 1-2 sets of banded lateral walks or banded clamshell results in more activation of the upper and lower glutes.
Using a resistance band is an excellent way to offer resistance and activate the gluteal muscles when performing lower-body exercises. A 2022 study has shown that resistance band position around the forefeet can effectively increase muscle activity of TFL by 24%, gluteus medius by 83%, and gluteus maximus by 68% during squats.
The gluteus maximus fires the most when it is in full extension. The hip thrust exercise locks the upper body in position, allowing the hips to move in end-range full extension, which activates the upper glutes better compared to other exercises.
Assuming a wider stance can further activate the glutes because it optimizes the line of pull of the muscle with the direction of the muscle fibers of the glutes. For example, taking a wider stance during deadlift and hip thrust while pointing your toes outward can be a game changer for your butt workouts.
The glutes are considered one of the most aesthetic parts of the human body. A strong, well-developed backside can help you maintain a healthier spine and improve your athletic capabilities. To build more rounded glutes, you must prioritize adding more glute exercises in your routine that evenly target the different muscles of the glutes.
- Lee, J. H., Cynn, H. S., Kwon, O. Y., Yi, C. H., Yoon, T. L., Choi, W. J., & Choi, S. A. (2014). Different hip rotations influence hip abductor muscles activity during isometric side-lying hip abduction in subjects with gluteus medius weakness. Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology, 24(2), 318–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2014.01.008
- Németh, G., & Ohlsén, H. (1985). In vivo moment arm lengths for hip extensor muscles at different angles of hip flexion. Journal of biomechanics, 18(2), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9290(85)90005-3
- Lee, J. H., Cynn, H. S., Choi, S. A., Yoon, T. L., & Jeong, H. J. (2013). Effects of different hip rotations on gluteus medius and tensor fasciae latae muscle activity during isometric side-lying hip abduction. Journal of sport rehabilitation, 22(4), 301–307. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.22.4.301
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 46(11), 1689–1697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
- Cambridge, E. D., Sidorkewicz, N., Ikeda, D. M., & McGill, S. M. (2012). Progressive hip rehabilitation: the effects of resistance band placement on gluteal activation during two common exercises. Clinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon), 27(7), 719–724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2012.03.002
- Martins, E. C., Steffen, L. B., Gomes, D., Herzog, W., Haupenthal, A., & De Brito Fontana, H. (2022). Looped Elastic Resistance during Squats: How Do Band Position and Stiffness Affect Hip Myoelectric Activity? Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 7(3), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk7030060
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
I'm a fitness enthusiast with a deep understanding of exercise physiology and strength training. I've spent years studying and practicing various workout routines, including those focused on developing specific muscle groups like the glutes. My expertise comes from a combination of personal experience, formal education, and staying up to date with the latest research in the field of fitness and exercise science.
What are the glutes?
The glutes, short for the gluteal muscles, are vital components of the posterior chain and consist of three powerful muscles in the buttocks: the Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus. These muscles are crucial for various movements, stabilization, and athletic performance. Strong and developed glutes can decrease lower back pain and reduce the appearance of hip dips, especially in women.
Gluteus Maximus: The largest muscle in the human anatomy, primarily responsible for hip extension and activities like standing up, climbing stairs, and running. Gluteus Medius: Aids in hip abduction and pelvic stabilization, critical for maintaining stability and balance. Gluteus Minimus: Assists in hip abduction and inward rotation of the hip.
The glutes play a significant role in achieving a well-balanced lower body profile and are essential for both aesthetic appeal and physical health.
How to build more rounded glutes?
Calories and Protein
To add more shape to your backside, it's essential to support the development of gluteal muscles by consuming enough calories and protein in your diet. This can accelerate the transformation of square glutes to round glutes. Additionally, paying attention to macros and meeting caloric needs is crucial for adding mass to the back profile.
Volume and Frequency
The glute muscles can handle a lot more volume than other muscles and respond well to high-volume exercises. Training them 2 or more times a week with many sets and reps, along with exercise variation, is key to achieving more rounded glutes.
Exercises
Emphasizing the different parts of the glutes during workouts is important for muscle development and adding bulk to the backside. It's vital to consistently add challenge through exercise variation and resistance to stimulate muscle growth.
Lose Excess Body Fat
While adding bulk to the buttocks is important, it's crucial to eliminate excess body fat to build more rounded glutes. Finding a balance between losing fat and building muscle is achievable through the process of body recomposition.
Exercises to Build Rounded Glutes
Targeting the glutes 2 or more times per week is critical, and introducing variations to target the different gluteal muscles more evenly is essential for high-volume and high-frequency exercises.
Other Tips to Develop the Glutes
- Show the Gluteus Medius Some Love: Focusing on training the gluteus medius is important for lifting the bum and achieving a rounded butt profile.
- Toes In and Toes Out: The position of your toes during exercise plays a major role in targeting the gluteus medius and maximus.
- Use the Machines: Equipment like the glute-ham-developer machine and the Hip Abduction Machine can effectively target and activate the glutes.
- Pre-Activate the Glutes: Warm-up exercises such as banded lateral walks or banded clamshell can result in more activation of the upper and lower glutes.
- Hip Thrust: This exercise locks the upper body in position, allowing the hips to move in end-range full extension, which activates the upper glutes better compared to other exercises.
- Take a Wider Stance: Assuming a wider stance can further activate the glutes because it optimizes the line of pull of the muscle with the direction of the muscle fibers of the glutes.
In conclusion, building more rounded glutes requires prioritizing glute exercises that evenly target the different muscles of the glutes. This not only contributes to aesthetic appeal but also helps maintain a healthier spine and improve athletic capabilities.
