Glute training became incredibly popular with the rise of social media in the 2010s. I remember lifting throughout middle school and high school and never once thinking about which exercises could help target my glutes.
Now, I constantly ensure I have at least one glute-focused exercise in all of my lower body workouts.
And it makes sense that glutes have become popular for a couple of reasons.
First off, let’s be human. We all know it is a primal instinct to take notice when selecting a possible mate.
Secondly, most of us spend the better part of the day sitting on our glutes, atrophying them as a result, and are in need of activating them during our workouts.
Not to mention that if you have any strength or physique related goals, the glutes are the body’s powerhouse to help you move weights during lower body exercises.
Another thing that has gotten incredibly popular within fitness? The kettlebell.
An item that once collected dust at most commercial gyms has become a staple for many via its increased popularity among athletes, group class attendees, cross-trainers, and now at-home enthusiasts.
So, this workout will pair the two together. We will dive into how build your glutes using kettlebell exercises, provide a sample routine, and answer some FAQs I found on the web.
But, before we begin, while writing this article I couldn’t help but to have this movie scene replaying in my head the entire time:
Best Kettlebell Exercises for Glutes
When it comes to selecting kettlebell exercises that target the glutes, you will have to balance compound exercises and isolation exercises.
The kettlebell was traditionally used for building explosiveness. So, we will need to consider some of those explosive movements as they collectively train the posterior chain (muscles on the back of the body) with isolation exercises that target your glutes.
Best Compound Glute Exercises using Kettlebells
Listed below are a handful of compound movements using a kettlebell you could use to help facilitate your glute growth.
As we will see when we get into building a template, I like the idea of including a squat, a hip hinge, and a lunge when designing a glute-focused workout. These three movements are fundamental movement patterns. And as you get stronger in them, you will notice growth throughout the lower body, including the glutes.
While all of these movements provide a stimulus necessary to grow your glutes, there are certainly some that will activate the glutes to a greater extent. Not to mention, everyone is different. What really works for you might be different than what works for me.
- Kettlebell Goblet Squat
- Kettlebell Plie Squat
- Kettlebell Curtsey Squat
- Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift
- Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift
- Kettlebell Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
- Kettlebell Swing
- Kettlebell Step Up
- Kettlebell Lunge
- Kettlebell Reverse Lunge
- Kettlebell Lateral Lunge
Best Isolation Glute Exercises Using Kettlebells
This is where we can really focus on building the glutes. As mentioned earlier, I like to include at least one isolation exercise in all of my lower body workouts. However, if you are really interested in growing glutes, you may want to consider including 2 isolation exercises.
- Kettlebell Glute Bridge
- Kettlebell Hip Thrust
- Kettlebell Frog Pump
- Kettlebell Single Leg Glute Bridge
Kettlebell Glute Workout Routine
In the template below, I have curated my personal favorite exercises when it comes to activating and building glutes.
As mentioned, what works for me may be different than what works for you. I would suggest experimenting with the list of exercises provided earlier in the article to see which exercises you enjoy performing the most and that help you connect/feel your glutes working.
A template such as this one can be utilized pretty much indefinitely once you find the exercises you enjoy and work well for you. Once you have tailored it to fit your individual needs, aim to get stronger in each movement over time, keeping a workout journal so you know when you are ready to purchase a new kettlebell or otherwise increase the weight you use.
| Exercise | Set Range | Rep Range |
| Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift | 3-4 | 8-12 |
| Kettlebell Plie Squat | 3-4 | 8-12 |
| Kettlebell Step Up | 3-4 | 8-12 |
| Kettlebell Single Leg Glute Bridge | 2-3 | 8-15 Each |
| Kettlebell Frog Pump | 2-3 | 10-20 |
Kettlebell Glute Workout Notes
In this section, I wanted to break down my reasoning for the exercises I selected as part of my kettlebell glute workout.
I kicked things off with the kettlebell Romanian deadlift. I find that Romanian deadlift variations always do a fantastic job with allowing me to stretch my posterior chain muscles during the eccentric phase of the lift and feel them contract during the concentric or lifting portion of the exercise.
Now, I know some have a difficulty in feeling the contractions of a Romanian deadlift. For those, you may prefer to either begin with a squat variation or pick the sumo variation. The sumo variation, for me, is another excellent deadlift choice for connecting with my glutes.
In fact, that is why I chose the plie squat as the second exercise. Another wide-stance variation of an exercise, this squat puts your feet in a sumo position and really allows you to work your glutes throughout the range of motion. While most kettlebell squat variations may have you feel more tension in your quads or hamstrings, the plie squat is an excellent choice if you want to pivot that tension to the glutes and hamstrings.
The third exercise is arguably the best at activating your glutes due to the amount of glute extension required to take a step during the step up. The kettlebell adds a weighted stimulus to the exercise which primes the muscle for growth. If your goal is glute growth, you’d be mistaken not taking advantage of the step up or some other lunge variation.
The final two exercises are where I focused on bringing in some isolation work. The first isolation exercise I chose was the kettlebell single leg glute bridge. Single leg glute bridges bring the added challenge of stability. While this may detract from the mind-muscle connection felt for some, for those who are able to maintain it, the added stability will help you not only build your glutes, but also some outer hips used to maintain that stability.
Lastly, we wrap up with the frog pump. Simply because I like any exercise named after an animal. And they place a whole lot of tension on the glutes. Try them to see for yourself.
FAQs about Training Glutes with Kettlebells
In this section, I will answer some of the questions I have found online centered around the topic of glute training with kettlebells.
Can you build glutes with kettlebells?
Absolutely. Kettlebells provide a form of resistance and a measure of progress for how much stronger your glutes are getting. By using kettlebells to train your glutes consistently, you can journal what weight you use and attempt to improve upon your strength week after week.
And while this is true for any sort of weight implement you use, kettlebells have an advantage for home lifters due to the amount of space they take up. For work-from-homers, it is quite easy to purchase a selection of kettlebells, keep them in your office and keep your glutes strong and healthy.
It is worth mentioning that whatever kettlebell lower body and glute-focused workouts you create should be incorporated into a kettlebell workout routine that ensures each muscle group is targeted throughout the week.
Are kettlebells or dumbbells better for glutes?
Yes. Both are great for glute training. One is not better than the other. Whichever you prefer will work. Simply buy sets of either for your home gym or go to a gym and use either. Your preference, just make sure you strength train weekly (if you are healthy enough to do so) and improve your fitness.
For those who opt for dumbbells, check out the dumbbell glute workout for a starting point.
Do kettlebell swings shape glutes?
Kettlebell swings are an excellent exercise for shaping your glutes. While they are not one of my personal favorites, they absolutely can help those who enjoy them build glutes.
Kettlebell swings are a hip hinge movement. This means they mimic a similar movement pattern as a deadlift.
I know plenty of folks who absolutely love performing kettlebell swings. You can perform them with a heavy weight, or keep them more moderate and utilize them in tabata training, circuit training, or emom (every minute on the minute) training.
The reason I don’t particularly enjoy performing them is I am an old school bodybuilder at heart. I enjoy exercises that you can keep the eccentric and concentric movements slow and focus on building that mind-muscle connection while prioritizing getting stronger over time.
How do you target glutes with kettlebells?
Through a combination of compound exercises and isolation exercises. Pick a hip hinge, a squat and a lunge movement pattern that you enjoy and can feel glute activation with. Then, round out your workouts with 1-2 isolation exercises targeting the glutes.
If you have trouble connecting with your glutes, you may want to consider acting in 1-2 activation exercises at the beginning of your workout/warm-up. Some of these exercise might include banded duck walks, donkey kicks, bodyweight glute bridge variations, clams, etc.
While not kettlebell exercises, bodyweight and banded exercises can be a great way to activate the glutes and add in some extra growth volume.
What weight kettlebell should I begin with?
The answer will be highly individualized. Assuming you are a beginner, there is nothing wrong with purchasing/using the lightest kettlebell you can find and making it a goal to use it for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, purchase/use the next weight available. Rinse and repeat.
You may find that you are stronger at the compound movements than the isolation movements. Or that you are stronger at a particular exercise than another. It is completely fine to use different weights for each exercise of your workout.
Simply aim to improve over many weeks and many years and keep getting stronger at the exercises you enjoy performing.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap on kettlebell glute workouts. I hope you enjoyed the article and that I was able to answer most of your questions.
We covered kettlebell glute exercises, how to pair them together into a workout template, why I chose what I chose and my recommendations for finding what works for you, and answered some of the most common questions about kettlebell glute training.
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