Step-ups and their variations produce the highest gluteal activation of any commonly performed strength exercise. But the honest answer is that no single exercise is “the best” in isolation. A systematic review of gluteal activation studies found that more than 16 exercises crossed the threshold of “very high” activation (above 60% of maximum voluntary contraction), including hip thrusts, deadlifts, lunges, split squats, and squats. The best approach combines several of these movements to work the glutes through different angles and ranges of motion.
Exercises With the Highest Glute Activation
A systematic review published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine ranked exercises by how hard they make the gluteus maximus work, measured as a percentage of its maximum contraction capacity. Step-up variations topped the list: standard step-ups, lateral step-ups, diagonal step-ups, and crossover step-ups all produced very high activation. Following closely behind were barbell hip thrusts (including rotational, American, and traditional variations), hex bar deadlifts, conventional deadlifts, belt squats, split squats, lunges, and modified single-leg squats.
All of these exercises cleared the 60% activation threshold, which means they’re all capable of driving meaningful strength and size gains in the glutes. The practical takeaway: you don’t need to obsess over finding the single perfect exercise. Pick two or three from this list that you enjoy and can perform well, then progressively add weight over time.
Hip Thrusts vs. Squats
This is one of the most debated matchups in glute training. A nine-week controlled trial compared barbell hip thrusts to back squats and found that both produced similar gluteal muscle growth. Cross-sectional measurements of the gluteus maximus increased by comparable amounts in both groups across the upper, middle, and lower portions of the muscle. The hip thrust group saw slightly more growth in the lower glutes, while the squat group gained more thigh muscle, but the differences were small.
Neither exercise did much for the gluteus medius or minimus, the smaller muscles on the side of the hip. Both groups showed little to no growth in those areas. So if you prefer squats, squat. If you prefer hip thrusts, thrust. For overall lower body development, squats offer more quad work as a bonus. For people with knee sensitivity or those who want to isolate the glutes with less quad involvement, hip thrusts can be a better fit.
How Deadlift Variations Compare
Deadlifts are primarily thought of as a back and hamstring exercise, but they rank among the top glute builders too. The conventional deadlift produces higher gluteus maximus activation than the Romanian deadlift. One study found peak glute activation of roughly 52% for the conventional deadlift versus 47% for the Romanian variation. The sumo deadlift also performs well, with mean glute activation slightly higher than the conventional pull in some measurements.
The Romanian deadlift, while less effective for the glutes, shifts more work to the hamstrings because the knees stay relatively fixed throughout the movement. If your goal is specifically glute strength, conventional or sumo deadlifts are the better choice. If you want to hit the entire posterior chain with extra hamstring emphasis, the Romanian deadlift fills that role.
Single-Leg Exercises Have an Edge
Unilateral (single-leg) exercises tend to demand more from the glutes than their two-legged counterparts. The Bulgarian split squat, for example, produces greater gluteus maximus and hamstring activation than the back squat. This makes sense biomechanically: when you’re balancing on one leg, the glutes have to work harder to stabilize your pelvis and control your knee position, on top of producing the force to move the weight.
This is one reason step-ups rank so highly. They’re inherently single-leg movements. Lunges, split squats, and single-leg deadlifts offer the same advantage. If you’re only doing bilateral exercises like back squats and conventional deadlifts, adding a single-leg movement is one of the simplest ways to increase the challenge on your glutes without necessarily adding more weight.
Training the Gluteus Medius
Most people searching for glute exercises are thinking about the gluteus maximus, the large muscle that gives the backside its shape and generates power in squatting, jumping, and sprinting. But the gluteus medius, which sits on the outer hip, plays a critical role in pelvic stability. It prevents your opposite hip from dropping every time you take a step, and weakness here is linked to knee pain, IT band issues, and poor movement control during running and cutting.
The exercises that best activate the gluteus medius are different from the big compound lifts. Side-lying planks with hip abduction, reverse clamshells, single-leg bridges, and prone planks with hip extension all produce high activation. For people who tend to let their knees cave inward during squats or lunges (a sign the tensor fasciae latae is compensating for weak glute medius), clamshells, banded side-steps, and quadruped hip extensions are particularly effective because they preferentially activate the gluteus medius over the compensating muscle.
Where Resistance Bands Fit In
Resistance bands placed around the knees or ankles during exercises like squats, bridges, and lateral walks do increase glute activation. They’re useful as a warm-up tool to “wake up” the glutes before heavier work, and they’re a practical option for people training at home or while traveling. Banded walks, in particular, target the gluteus medius effectively.
That said, bands alone are unlikely to build significant glute strength or size over time for someone who’s already reasonably fit. They simply can’t provide enough resistance to challenge the gluteus maximus, which is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Think of bands as a supplement to heavier loaded exercises, not a replacement. They’re especially valuable for activation drills, rehabilitation, and targeting the smaller gluteal muscles that don’t respond as well to squats and deadlifts.
Why Your Lower Back Might Take Over
One of the most common problems in glute training isn’t exercise selection. It’s compensation. When the glutes aren’t firing properly during movements like squats, deadlifts, or even bending forward to pick something up, the lower back absorbs the load instead. The gluteus maximus is supposed to decelerate hip flexion and prevent your lumbar spine from rounding excessively under load. If it’s not doing that job, the spinal muscles become overworked.
This pattern often shows up as lower back soreness after exercises that should be felt primarily in the glutes. A few cues that help: think about pushing the floor away with your feet rather than pulling with your back, squeeze your glutes at the top of every rep (especially on hip thrusts and deadlifts), and make sure your hips are actually hinging backward rather than your spine folding forward. Starting a workout with a glute activation drill, like banded clamshells or glute bridges, can help establish the mind-muscle connection before moving to heavier lifts.
Putting It Together
A well-rounded glute program includes at least one heavy bilateral movement (like a squat, deadlift, or hip thrust), one single-leg exercise (like a step-up, Bulgarian split squat, or lunge), and one isolation or activation movement for the gluteus medius (like a banded side-step or clamshell). Training the glutes two to three times per week with progressive overload, meaning you gradually increase weight, reps, or difficulty over time, is the most reliable path to strength gains.
Volume matters more than finding the “perfect” exercise. Consistently performing a variety of the high-activation movements listed above, with enough load to challenge the muscle in the 6 to 15 rep range, will produce results regardless of which specific exercises you choose. The best glute exercise is the one you’ll do consistently, with good form, and with enough weight to make the last few reps genuinely difficult.