When it comes to strength training, glute-focused exercises are surely one of the most popular across the board. Be it a squat, a lunge, or a deadlift, we’ve all at least heard of these popular gym moves, and more than likely tried them once or twice as well.
And if you want to dive a little deeper into glute-focused workouts, there’s one simple addition you can make that will instantly elevate your results: a resistance band. This humble gym accessory is guaranteed to increase the intensity of a glute workout, helping you get stronger muscles, quicker. And don’t just take our word for it. This 2019 study showed that training with a resistance band provides similar strength gains to using conventional gym equipment.
If this is your first venture into the world of glute training, then don’t worry. The best resistance band glute workouts for beginners are accessible enough for everyone to try, thanks to their low-impact (but effective) nature.
“Low-impact exercises using resistance bands can be so beneficial if you want to achieve great glutes,” personal trainer Emily Schofield advocates. “And remember, low-impact does not necessarily mean low intensity and it certainly doesn’t mean low benefit – it simply means you are protecting yourself from suffering an unnecessary injury and focusing on slower, steady movements.”
That’s why the best resistance band glute workouts for beginners are so popular right now. I’ve been seeing a lot of banded glute routines crop up on my social feeds lately, and with both PTs and the research backing their effectiveness, it felt only fitting that we did a round-up of the best resistance band glute workouts for beginners to try.
So if you’re in the market for some recommendations, you’re in good hands. The resistance band glute workouts in our guide have all been approved by PTs, so rest assured they’re going to get you the glute gains you want, without excessive strain or injury.
And while you’re here, we’ve got lots of workout inspo to keep you fuelled. Check out our guides to the best dumbbell exercises for beginners and the best home workouts for beginners to try. Oh, and if you want to get the most out of your resistance bands, make sure you look at the best resistance band arm workouts for beginners and the best resistance band leg workouts for beginners, too.
Resistance band glute workouts for beginners, made simple: your handy guide
What is a resistance band glute workout?
“A resistance band glute workout involves exercises that target the glute muscles using a resistance band,” lululemon ambassador Ali Hayes summarises. “The band provides resistance, which helps activate and strengthen the glutes.”
The best resistance band glute workouts will focus on activating the glute muscles (including the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus), though a lot of the exercises will involve using other muscles as well. And by adding a resistance band, we maximise the workout’s potential.
“Resistance bands add tension, which increases the intensity of movements,” Les Mills UK trainer Rhian Toates explains. “Over time, resistance band glute workouts will enhance strength, endurance, muscle tone, and stability.”
What are the benefits of using a resistance band for your glutes?
As Toates just touched on, there are some serious advantages to trying the best resistance band glute workouts for beginners. Below are four key benefits we can expect to gain from them.
1. They strengthen the glutes
This one is pretty obvious, but it’s still worth understanding. Resistance band glute workouts are great for targeting and strengthening (you guessed it), the glutes. Thanks to the added tension provided by the resistance band, our glute muscles are under constant tension during the workout, meaning we can get better glute activation.
And why would we want stronger glutes, you ask? Well, it’s not just our glutes that benefit, according to the research. This 2015 paper found that stronger glutes can help reduce lower back pain by creating better alignment and stability. So it turns out that the glutes are a pretty important player in our overall postural health.
2. They help you avoid (and recover from) injury
“Resistance bands are fantastic for unilateral (single-sided) exercises, helping correct muscle imbalances and support injury rehabilitation,” Toates explained to MC UK.
Essentially, using a resistance band to train the glutes helps to create better stability in the pelvis and hips, which in turn means that we’re far less likely to injure ourselves while exercising.
And as an added bonus, resistance band glute workouts can help us recover from injury if it does happen, too. This study suggested that glute strengthening exercises can help in rehabilitating injuries related to poor gluteal function, such as knee and hip dysfunction.
3. They improve balance
Another key advantage of training our glutes (and upping the intensity with a resistance band), is that we improve our balance. And the importance of balance goes beyond keeping ourselves upright, as personal trainer Jess Parkinson explains.
“Balance is a really important factor to focus on, especially as we age,” she told MC UK. “Better balance prevents falls, improves co-ordination, and increases stability.”
And a sure way to improve our balance is to strengthen the glutes, according to the pros. The gluteus maximus is actually the biggest muscle in the body and is crucial for supporting hip extension (which is a key player in balance and posture, FYI).
“Hip extension is a crucial movement for walking, going up stairs, getting up from the floor and feeling physically stable,” Parkinson says. “Training our glutes is therefore a massively important and beneficial practice.”
4. They’re great for beginners
Finally, the best resistance band glute workouts for beginners are designed with entry-level fitness in mind. So whether it’s your first time training your glutes or you’re returning to strength workouts after some time off, these exercises are one of the best places to start.
“Resistance band exercises offer a low-impact form of strengthening the glute muscles in a convenient and accessible way,” Hayes advocates. “Suitable for all fitness levels, from beginners to advanced, these exercises can be tailored to suit any individual.”
The best resistance band glute workouts for beginners to try
Now that we’ve established why working out our glutes with a resistance band is so good for us, we can get into the best workouts for beginners to try. All of the workouts in our guide have been directly recommended by a PT, which is why we’re pretty confident that you’ll see results from them.
It’s worth noting that we’ve focused on glute workouts that use smaller resistance bands (sometimes called “mini bands”). These offer a good variety of beginner-friendly exercises, but there are glute workouts that use longer resistance bands available too, for when you’re ready to mix things up.
1. Glute activation workout
What?
- 90-degreeBanded Glute Bridges – Place a band above your knees, lie on your back, and push through your heels to lift your hips.
- Banded Clamshells – Place a band around your upper thighs and lie on your side with your knees at approximately a 90 degree angle, stacking your hips. Keeping the feet together and on the floor, open the top knee away from the bottom knee, then return to the starting position.
- Banded Lateral Walks – Place the band around your thighs or ankles and step side to side while maintaining tension.
- Seated Banded Abductions – Sit on a bench, place the band above your knees, and push your knees outward against resistance.
Why? This is a really good workout for beginners, because the exercises involve a lot of mobility around the glute and hip areas. It ticks off some key exercises that will get your glutes activated and working.
How long? 10-15 reps of each exercise, 3-4 sets.
2. HITT glute workout
What?
- Banded Alternating Kickbacks – Anchor the band around a sturdy object or under your foot and kick one leg back.
- Banded Lunges (With Pulses) – Put the band around your thighs, slightly higher than the halfway point. Stand in a split stance with both feet facing forward. Bend the knees until the back knee is as close as you can get to the ground without touching it, then pulse up and down before returning to standing.
- Banded Lateral Walks – Place the band around your thighs or ankles and step side to side while maintaining tension.
- Banded Deadlift – This one can work well with a longer band, but a mini band is fine, too. Place the band underneath both feet, hip-width distance apart, and hold the other end of the band in front of your hips. Hinge your hips backward, maintaining a neutral spine. Engage your glutes as you rise back to standing.
- Banded Squats (With Pulses) – Stand with your feet hip-width apart and the band around your thighs. Shift your stance to a point where you can feel some tension from the band. Slowly push your hips back into a sitting position while bending your knees. Hold the position, then pulse 2-3 times before rising back to standing.
Why? There’s a fair few exercises involved in this one, because it is designed to push you. But it’s still beginner-friendly and a great all-around glute workout. By taking a shorter rest time between each exercise, you’ll get your heart rate up and experience a cardio workout, too.
How long? “Try to push yourself to 15-25 reps of each exercise,” PT Parkinson recommends. “Take a short break before doing it all again, for 3-5 rounds.”
3. Glute growth workout
What?
- Banded Squats – Place the band above your knees, squat deep, and press your knees outward to maintain tension.
- Banded Romanian Deadlifts – Stand on a resistance band with feet shoulder-width apart, hold the band, and hinge at your hips to lower and lift.
- Banded Hip Thrusts – Wrap a band around your knees, place your upper back against a bench, and thrust your hips up.
- Banded Reverse Lunges – Step one foot back while keeping band tension, then return to standing.
- Banded Frog Pumps – Lie on your back, place the soles of your feet together, and perform glute bridges with knees flared outward.
Why? “This is a good workout for those looking to build muscle and strength in the glutes,” Emily Schofield, PT from Ultimate Performance says. “It’s targeted towards hypertrophy (basically, the growth of muscles), and glute strength.”
How long? Four sets of each exercise, repeated for 12-15 reps.
4. Floor glute workout
What?
- Banded Clamshells – Lie on your side with a band above your knees, keep your feet together, and open your knees like a clamshell.
- Banded Single Leg Extension – On all fours, place the band around the lower shins or ankles. Extend one leg behind you, aiming to keep the hips steady and level. Lift the extended leg up, maintaining a straight leg and then lower back down.
- Banded Glute Bridges – You can do this lying on the floor or for an extra burn, place your upper back onto a sofa or bench with bent knees and ankles under knees. Place the band around your upper thighs, and with the legs hip distance apart, lower the hips down to the floor, then thrust them back up to the starting position.
Why? “This workout involves my top three glute exercises,” Parkinson says. “Together, they’re a great combination for a workout. They work the glutes, hip extensors, and incorporate the hamstrings too, all of which are crucial for balance, stability and mobility.”
How long? 12-15 reps for each exercise, repeated three times.
5. Glute workout for fat loss
What?
- Banded Step-Ups – Place a band around your thighs, step onto a bench, and drive through your heel.
- Banded Fire Hydrants – Start on all fours, lift one knee out to the side while keeping your foot flexed.
- Banded Jump Squats – Squat down and explode upward, keeping tension on the band.
- Banded Side-Lying Leg Raises – Lie on your side, keep the band above your knees, and lift your top leg.
- Banded Glute Kickbacks to Side Lifts – Kick one leg back, then immediately lift it sideways for maximum glute activation.
Why? “This is my top glute workout recommendation using a resistance band for those looking to lose excess fat,” Schofield says. “It’s ideal for conditioning and endurance work.” Conditioning just means improving your body’s ability to perform and sustain physical activity – hence this workout being a good one for people looking to scale their general health and fitness.
How long? Three sets for each exercise, with 10-15 reps each.
6. Glute cardio circuit
What?
- Banded Pulse Squats – Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band around your legs just above your knees. Push your hips back and lower into a squat position, pulsing at the bottom of the movement.
- Banded Squat Jumps – Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band around your legs just above your knees. Lower into a squat and up into a jump.
- Banded Glute Bridge Marches – Lie on your back with the resistance band around your lower thighs, bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the floor. Push your pelvis up towards the ceiling, engaging your glutes and core lifting one leg at a time in a marching motion.
- Banded Plank Jacks – In a plank position with the band around your lower thighs, engage your core, jump your feet out, and then back in again. For a lower impact option, you can step your feet out to the same position one at a time.
Why? “This high-energy but simple workout is ideal for getting your heart rate up and working your leg and glute muscles,” Jenni Tardiff, master trainer at The Gym Group, recommends.
How long? Complete 4-5 rounds, 50 seconds on followed by 10 seconds rest. “Take a shorter rest to intensify your workout, or more rest if you need it,” Tardiff advises.
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Are resistance bands good for training the glutes?
The short answer is yes; resistance bands are very good for training the glutes, especially for beginners.
“Whether you’re training at home or in the gym, resistance bands provide constant tension throughout the entire range of motion, helping to activate and strengthen the glute muscles efficiently,” PT Schofield says. “These versatile bands engage your glutes effectively without placing undue stress on your joints, making them an excellent option for those who need a low-impact yet high-intensity workout.”