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If you've been trying to grow your booty, you've probably logged hundreds of squats in the gym. And while squats can help your overall lower-body strength [3], they won't give you the transformative booty gains [4] you are looking for. In fact, you don't even need to do exercises that require both of your legs.
Personal trainer Bret Contreras, PhD, who calls himself the "Glute Guy," shared on Instagram his 10 favorite single-leg exercises for your butt. And for those unfamiliar with the specific fitness terms, he also included photos of each move — scroll through to see them all.
His top 10 exercises are:
- EZ bar B-stance hip thrusts
- Ankle weight single-leg reverse hypers
- Dumbbell braced single-leg RDLs
- Bodyweight ring-supported pistol squats
- Bodyweight single-leg round-back 45-degree hypers
- Dumbbell deficit reverse lunges
- Bodyweight high step-ups
- Single-leg leg presses
- Cable kickbacks
- Dumbbell Bulgarian split squats
For more advanced gym-goers who have access to more advanced equipment, like at Bret's gym, he included 10 additional exercises:
- Smith machine B-stance hip thrusts
- Pendulum single-leg reverse hypers
- Skorcher single-leg hip thrusts
- Lever single-leg RDLs
- Pendulum quadruped hip extensions
- Deficit curtsy lunges
- Lever reverse lunges
- Band single-leg round-back 45-degree hypers
- High step-ups with eccentric step-downs (ring-supported)
- Pistol squats (counterbalance off tall box)
Luckily, these aren't the only exercises that will help you achieve booty gains. Check out some of our 50 favorite exercises for a bigger, rounder butt [6] to incorporate into your gym routine.