How To Grow Glutes

Get set for the glute gains. Oner Active Ambassador Mia Green knows how to gain strength, confidence and muscle. And now she’s got your back with this guide to growing your glutes. Building the glutes has a ton of positives when it comes to body conditioning. Think majorly to improve mobility and overall performance improvements in the gym and in everyday life. And Mia knows more than anyone how to get those glutes pumped.

Whether you’re just getting started on your glute-gaining journey or just need a refresher, we give you all the tips to up your glute game with ease.

And don’t forget to pack those gains into the perfect shorts or leggings. Explore the Oner Active EnhanceLift™ and EffortlessLift™ collections. Designed to offer support exactly where you need it.

Top 5 Tips for Growing Your Glutes

Like any fitness goal, success depends on more than just the moves you make in the gym. A holistic approach ensures your lifestyle supports your goals. Here Mia Green shares her top five tips for making sure you’re setting yourself up for glute success.

Eat in a calorie surplus

If you want to build muscle, you need to eat more calories than you burn. This’ll help you build new tissue after training and recover faster after workouts. It’s all about fuelling the body with enough energy to maximise muscle growth.

Prioritise compound movements

Compound movements use multiple muscle groups and joints at the same time. The best examples? Squats and lunges. They work the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves and core. All at the same time. That means they can be much more time-efficient than isolation exercises. A no-brainer when it comes to building muscle.

Warm up correctly

OK, you’ve probably heard this one hundreds of times. But go with us. Warming up before a workout (especially with strength training) is essential for getting the most out of your body and preventing injury. Nobody wants their workout schedule impacted because they’re too sore to move from the subpar warm-up the day before. Simple dynamic stretches are enough to loosen your muscles and keep soreness on the downlow.

Eat a high amount of protein

Protein intake is a key part of building muscle, wherever you’re looking to increase it. Mia recommends ensuring you’re consuming lots of it on your glute-building journey and we couldn’t agree more.

Rest and recover optimally

As tempting as it might be to go hard every day when you’re trying to grow your glutes, rest and recovery are an essential part of the process. Two rest days a week will ensure your body is getting proper time to recover. And don't forget to bank a good night’s sleep!

How long does it take to grow your glutes?

"This is very dependent on the person," says Mia. "It’s definitely not a two-week kind of thing". "It takes months and months - even years - to grow a substantial amount of muscle."

Does the stairmaster grow your glutes?

“No,” advises Mia. “The stairmaster is a cardio-based exercise. You need to utilise strength-based exercises using weights to grow muscle.”

How can you stretch your glutes?

“You can stretch your glutes post-workout by doing static stretches,”says Mia. “Some include the knee-to-chest stretch or a figure four stretch.” Check out Mia’s post-build stretch routine here.”

Mia’s Favourite Glute-Growing Exercises

We know there’s no such thing as a single exercise that will magic up your dream glutes. But a muscle-building routine doesn’t need to be super complicated either.

Mia Green shares her top five exercises for some serious glute gains.

Prefer to see the moves in action? Mia breaks it down on her IG here

Hip thrusts

To practice hip thrusts, sit on the floor with your upper back resting gently against a weight bench. Place a weighted barbell on your hips (start with light weights or go without a barbell if you’re just starting and work up to adding weight) and thrust your hips toward the ceiling, stopping once your form resembles a tabletop. Slowly lower your hips and repeat.

Romanian deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts start with holding a barbell at hip height. Again, there’s no need to pile on the weights too much here – start with what you’re comfortable with. Hinge your hips while keeping your back and arms straight, your legs can be slightly bent. Once you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, slowly bend back upwards to standing. The barbell should be kept close to your legs throughout.

Step ups

Using a bench or plyo box (the boxes often found in gyms), place one foot on top of the surface so that your knee is bent at 90 degrees. Drive through so that you lift yourself to the top of the bench/box – and repeat. Step ups are great as they target each glute individually, which can be helpful if you feel like one needs more attention than the other.

Kick backs

Kick backs are great because they can easily be adapted to different levels and settings. If you’re at the gym, kick backs can be done with the cable machine - tie your ankle to the machine and kick back against the resistance. Resistance bands or bodyweight kick backs are also a good option if you’re working out at home or travelling.

Sumo squats

To achieve the ideal sumo squat, start with your feet placed wider than hip-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward (around 45 degrees). Lower yourself down while keeping your chest tall throughout. Keep an eye on your knees to ensure they don’t collapse inwards – they should be above your feet. Push into your feet to return to standing.

Inspired? Discover more tips on how to get the most out of your training sessions on our blog, Oner World.

Want to find out more about Oner Active’s range of activewear for women? Take a look at our extensive collection, including our squat-ready leggings and shorts.