I often get asked how to build glutes without building quads.

Now I love me some quads but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea so here ya go!

First, focus on hip thrusts and even more so, glute bridges. Glute bridges have even less quads due to the smaller range of motion.

Focus on kickbacks, side kicks and abduction variations.

Rdls and 45’s are also two great movements that focus on glutes and also hamstrings.

I’d avoid movements with a lot of knee flexion to extension like lunges, step ups, split squats and squat variation because these do have a lot of quads.

Happy glute building ☺️

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Lol please try these! Soo good for upper glutes. #glutegains #fitness #glutesworkout #musclegrowth #glutetips #glutetips #glute #glutes

Ok YES. The stability here is 👌 #fit #gym #glutesworkout #fitnessmotivation #hypertrophy #glute #glutetips #upperglutes #glutes

Going to keep debunking this new terrible kickback making its way around 😂 #glutemedius #glutes #gymtok #glute #gluteworkout #workoutroutine #biomechanics #hypertrophy

Let’s talk redundant exercises! I often get asked if you can do split squats, step ups and lunges in the same session… And my answer is, if you essentially want to do the same thing over and over, sure! These movements are all lengthened unilateral movements. They’re quite redundant to do all in one session. Not to mention they’re quite fatiguing as lengthened movements are more fatiguing as well as unilateral movements. I’d recommend choosing ONE per session and doing other movements that target the different divisions of the glutes like a hip thrust, RDL and kickback. Here’s a great glute workout⬇️ 1. Hip thrust 2. Kickback 3. Rdl 4. Cable step up You have variation and you’re targeting all the different glute muscles and different positions. 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑 Now offering a FREE 7 day trial to my app📲💜 Access 25 programs, track sets/weight/reps, form checks, ask me questions, community chat, track nutrition and more! #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

If I wanted to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, here are 4 things I would do… 1. I’d make sure I’m choosing 4-6 quality exercises and pushing to failure. You don’t need to do 8-10+ exercises and spend 2 hours in the gym for a good workout. 2. I’d choose a rep range of around 5-8 reps for my working sets. These are the sets you’ll take to failure. You can do sets outside of this rep range but I’d recommend your main focus to be 5-8 reps to minimize fatigue and maximize muscle growth. 3. I’d make sure I’m eating around my body weight in grams of protein per day. Protein is not only important for building muscle, but also retaining it during a fat loss phase. High protein is arguably more important when trying to lose fat than build muscle. 4. I’d make sure I’m focusing on mostly walking for cardio or some form of low to moderate intensity cardio. If I wanted to do something more intense, I’d add in some sprints and do cardio only AFTER my training for the best results. #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

What I’d do if my focus is on building upper glutes… 1. I’d focus on hip thrusts 2-3x per week, training them hard and heavy with good form making sure I’m reaching full hip extension. 2. I’d focus on kickback and side kick variations to target the glute medius and minimus along with the seated abduction. 3. I’d add in some side lying hip abductor on variations either with a cable or band. 4. I’d implement the 45, while it does have a good amount of hamstrings, it’s also a great upper glute exercise. You can add a band to change the resistance profile making it even more beneficial for glutes. #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

Let’s rate some glute exercises! 1. Seated good mornings 2/10 I see these more often on social media for upper glute emphasis but it’s a lot of flexion and extension at the spine and ends up being a lot of low back. The range of motion is suuuuper short, and the glutes really aren’t under much tension. I would recommend a standing good morning instead, especially on the smith machine. 2. Cable pull throughs 4/10 I’ve given my opinion on these many times and while they’re not terrible, they’re not my favorite. The loading is limited by your body weight. I’d recommend an RDL instead! 3. Cable step ups 9/10 I loveee these for glutes! This is my favorite way to set up a set up. You’ll always get some quads as well due to the knee flexion and extension but you can change your mechanics to make it more glutes. 4. Bench supported glute kickbacks 10/10 These are 10/10 especially with the bench because it allows you to isolate the working glute instead of having to use your standing leg to stabilize. I like to keep the cable low to train and load the glutes in the short position where they have the best leverage. #glutes #glute #gymtok #gymtok

I know not everyone likes hip thrusts and they can be a pain to set up if you don’t have a machine. I still recommend prioritizing them to build glutes but here are 6 exercises you can do that AREN’T hip thrusts. P.S. this isn’t an all encompassing list 😊 if you want an all encompassing list, ➡️comment “GLUTE” to get my free glute cheat sheet 🗒️ 1. 45’s (also can use a GHR) These are good for upper glutes and also will target hamstrings. Think RDL at the bottom hip thrust at the top. 2. Side kicks These are great for both upper/side glutes 3. Kickbacks Depending on the variation you’re doing, these can either be more upper glute max or glute med/min. Cables will have more upper glutes/med whereas a machine will be more upper glute max. 4. Step ups Step ups are a great lower glute exercise. I often asked if you’ll still get quads in step ups and yes, any exercise where you’re doing a lot of knee flexion to extension will have a lot of quads. But you can lessen this by changing your execution to maximize hip flexion. 5. Rdls Rdls are a great lower glute exercise along with hamstrings The key here is to bend your knees and push your hips back 6. Bulgarians split squats Nobody really seems to like this exercise but it is a good lower glute exercise and can also target the medius/minimus if you’re not using a machine/holding onto something, aka challenging stability. As with step ups, you’re still getting quads. If you’re trying to build glutes without quads, I made a post on this last week ☺️ #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

Can’t feel glutes in a 45? Let’s fix that! 1. Make sure you’re turning your toes out This will allow you to bias the upper glutes more and fully shorten them. 2. Bend your knees This will disadvantage the hamstrings a bit so you’re getting more glutes. You’ll still get some hamstrings here. 3. Hold the weight away from you (a barbell is a good option if your 45 is taller) This is going to increase the moment arm to the glutes making it so the glutes have to work harder 45’s are a great exercise for both glutes and hamstrings! If you have access to this machine, I highly recommend implementing it. This is going to be mostly upper glutes! #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

Fix your RDL form! Here are some common mistakes and how to fix them! 1. Tuck your chin I often see people looking in the mirror or looking up but it’s important to tuck your chin so that you have a neutral neck and spine. 2. Neutral spine I will either see people arching or rounding. You want a neutral neck and spine throughout the exercise. 3. Slight knee bend This is going to make it less hamstrings and more glutes. 4. Push butt back This is the biggest mistake I see and why people often feel more LOW BACK than glutes. It’s important that you’re hinging at the hips and not bending at the waist. Think BUTT back. You can also stand in front of a wall and push your butt back towards the wall. Hope this helps 🩷 Now offering a FREE 7 day trial to my app📲💜 Access 25+ programs, track sets/weight/reps, form checks, ask me questions, community chat, track nutrition and more! #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

Cable kickback form ❌ Let’s fix it! Often times I hear people say they get low back pain from kickbacks and it’s usually due to arching the low back as you kick back. To fix this, make sure you’re keeping a neutral spine and slightly leaning. I prefer to keep a more upright torso position as oppose to leaning over completely. Bring your working leg in front of your standing leg to lengthen the glute a bit more. Don’t kick up so high to where you end up arching your low back. You only need to kick up to when the glute is fully shortened. You can either kick straight back or on an angle. Angled = more glute medius. Straight back = more glute max. But there will always be overlap with the cables in terms of what you’re targeting! Hope this helps! #glutes #glute #gymtok #fitnessmotivation

1. More FOOD I added about 300-500 calories per day. In order to grow, I had to increase my calories. And yes, fat gain comes with this. I did not just gain pure muscle 🤪 2. Adequate protein intake I consumed around my body weight in protein (1g/lb). I mainly got my protein from food sources but also shakes. 3. Increased training volume, hip thrusts 3x per week This will vary based on the individual but I personally noticed my glutes respond better to higher volume. I aim to train them 3x/week and do thrusts each day. Shameless plug- I have 3 3XThrust programs if you feel like more volume may benefit you. These tend to be the most popular programs in my app! 4. Consistent training routine Consistency is key. I kept my exercises consistent and didn’t constantly change them up. I focused on getting better on each movement and adding weight/reps. 6. I trained to failure I do a couple warm up sets and take my last, heaviest set to failure. Training to failure has been shown to produce greater hypertrophy than staying far away from failure. 7. Time and patience Growth doesn’t happen over night. Drastic body changes don’t happen in a few weeks. It takes time, commitment and showing up even when you don’t want to. #glutes #glute #gymtok

Doing a bunch of body weight glute exercises isn’t what’s going to build solid glute muscle… It’s choosing good quality exercises, implementing progressive overload and training to failure/close to it. Sure, you can add in these body weight exercises to your routine if you enjoy them, but I would not recommend relying on them. Choose exercises like hip thrusts, rdls and kickbacks to build glutes. Need help? Check out my 3XThrust program series in my app. Access over 25+ programs when you join and get 7 days free. My New Year challenge starts January 13, FREE if you’re in my app🤍 #glutes #fitnessmotivation #gymgirl #gymtok

These types of apps make me so sad! Sadly, photoshop is incredibly prevalent in the fitness industry and the beauty industry and it’s also gotten REALLY good. People are now creating false images of themselves and sharing them online only to be promoting something that isn’t real and potentially hurting someone else in the process. Comparison is real and it’s something we all struggle with and I believe it’s at an all-time high due to social media. It is truly the thief of joy. But you may be comparing yourself to something that is NOT real. So remember this post the next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else… Are you comparing yourself to someone who has created a fake version of themselves??? You’re not alone in struggling with comparison whether it’s looks, material things, jobs, lives, etc., but social media is always a highlight reel of someone’s life and it may not even be real… I find that creating a gratitude list each morning and starting my day with the Word of God🕊️ helps me to appreciate my life and all God that has blessed me with, as opposed to fixating on what I don’t have. 🤍

Glute focused cardio??? I haven’t heard of this one! There’s no such thing. Cardio is cardio. There are different forms of cardio but there’s no such thing as cardio that isolates the glutes… Cardio is used to increase daily movement, heart health, aid in fat loss… It’s not used to build muscle. Yes, even the stair stepper. Cardio can help alter body composition along with diet and resistance training, but it will never compare to resistance training which is needed for building significant muscle mass. This is probably just a clickbait term but I promise you that an incline walk and stair stepper isn’t going to magically isolate and tone your glutes 🫠🫠🫠 #glutes #fitnessmotivation #gymgirl #gymtok

Glute max vs. glute medius exercises The glute maximus makes up the majority of the glutes (hence the name) and the glute medius is deep to the glute max and makes up the upper glutes (along with the upper fibers of the glute max). The glute maximus is an extensor muscle while the glute medius is an abductor (brings leg away from body) and stabilizer. The glute maximus is worked during hip thrusts, 45° glute raises and stable lunges (this isn’t an all encompassing list btw- just what is shown here). The glute medius works in hip abduction and also as a stabilizer in unilateral work. The glute medius gets trained in a glute medius kickback (angled- 30-45 degrees), a side lying hip abduction and a side kick. While this isn’t included here, the glute medius also works to stabilize the pelvis in unilateral movements where stability is needed, like a split squat where you aren’t holding onto anything or a walking lunge. The reverse lunge here is going to be more glute max as it’s very stable due to the smith machine. Now offering a FREE 7 day trial to my app📲💜 Access 25+ programs, track sets/weight/reps, form checks, ask me questions, community chat, track nutrition and more! #glutes #fitnessmotivation #gymgirl #gymtok #glute #gluteanatomy