Butt-ology 101: How to Enhance Your Gluteal Muscles

Tom Kelso

Contributor - Strength and Conditioning

St. Louis, Illinois, United States

Strength and Conditioning

Your butt - a.k.a. tush, ass, derriere, caboose, unit, booty, moneymaker, hiney, bum, arse, or fanny. We all have one, so how can you care for it and develop it?


A butt in jeans.



Fun Facts About Your Butt:

  • gluteus maximus, glute muscles, glute anatomy, glute exercises, bigger buttIt affects your purchase of underwear, shorts, and jeans.
  • The primary butt muscle - the gluteus maximus - is the largest muscle in your body.


What you'll learn:

  1. The basic anatomy and kinesiology of the glutes
  2. If squats alone can build your butt
  3. What role genetics play
  4. How anthropometrics and body composition figure in
  5. How to optimally warm up and train your glutes
  6. Workout programs you can start right now


Basic Anatomy and Kinesiology of Your Butt

There are three main muscles that comprise your butt:

  • gluteus maximus
  • gluteus medius
  • gluteus minimus


Gluteus Maximus



The function of the gluteus maximus (G-max) is primarily upper leg (thigh) extension, such as moving the upper leg backward as in rising from a squat position. The same with bent-leg deadlifting, the rear-leg drive in sprinting, and simply extending the thigh backward in any hip extension exercise (i.e., glute press).


Gluteus Medius

Butt-ology 101: How to Enhance Your Gluteal Muscles - Fitness, gluteus maximus, glute exercises, posterior chainThe gluteus medius (G-med, pictured right) originates on the outer surface of the ilium above and in front of the anterior gluteal line. It also originates at the gluteal aponeurosis.








Gluteus Minimus





Summary of Butt-ology 101:

  • Thigh extension – G-max
  • Thigh abduction – G-med and G-min
  • Thigh internal rotation w/flexed hip – G-med and G-min
  • Thigh external rotation w/extended hip - G-med and G-min


Unraveling Compensatory Patterns: To Clench or Not to Clench (Your Butt)


Four Points to Ponder About Your Backside

1. “Barbell Squats Will Make My Butt Bigger”

"Barbell squats will give you a huge butt." I hear that often. Where it came from, I have no idea. Think about it - you work your gluteals with extreme effort when you perform lunges, certain leg presses, deadlifts, glute presses, one-leg squats, and machine squats. Are you unable to stimulate your butt with those exercises?


Add barbell squatting to your program and BAM! your ass grows to epic proportions. Barbell squats are an effective gluteal developer provided you can squat properly, but a huge butt developed solely from their use is pure nonsense. If your butt has the potential to get larger, any gluteal-targeting exercise will work if you work it with effort.


Going Beyond Mindless Movement: 10 Killer Tips to Boost Your Squat


2. Butt Implants? No, Thanks, But(t) Genetics Are a Factor

gluteus maximus, glute muscles, glute anatomy, glute exercises, bigger buttLet's talk about butt implants. Yes, many are artificially augmenting the size of their butt through implants. Why? The genetic factor.


They may have tried every exercise and workout in the gym but didn’t see the results they expected. You can only do so much with your butt development.


If you possess a naturally large amount of muscle mass on your backside - or for that matter an exceptionally small amount (flat-ass syndrome) - it's probably due to your heredity.


On one end of the continuum is the flat, no-curves-whatsoever butt and on the other the "you can set a full tray of drinks on my ass" butt. Either way, you can still attempt to care for it and develop it.


Don't Take It Sitting Down: Why I Stopped Hating My Butt and Learned to Love Being a Woman


3. Hip to Butt Ratio

Do you have wide hips or narrow hips? Is your waist wide or narrow? This is another hereditary-contingent factor that affects the aesthetic of your butt. Your hip width is dependent on the width of your ilium, the largest and uppermost bone of your pelvis.


Naturally, a wider Ilium gives you a wider butt and a narrower Ilium offers the potential for a narrower butt. A narrow waist coupled with wide hips gives you a larger-looking butt. A wider waist and narrow hips gives you smaller-looking butt. Again, genetics rule, so good luck in your battle.


4. Muscle to Fat Ratio

What about your ratio of muscle mass to fat tissue in your buttocks area? If you have a fat ass, literally, then shed the fat and expose your shapely musculature. If your body fat is minimal, attempt to grow some meat back there, especially if you have the flat-ass syndrome. 


You cannot shape fat. Working the glute muscles will give you the best chance of “shaping” them. Over-consuming calories, performing zero exercise, and, ironically, sitting on your ass too much will give you a larger but fatter ass.


Workin' It - Let's Train!

So, how do you optimally work your butt? I'd bet your already doing it, but maybe you need to tweak your lower body routines and calorie intake.


Start Here: Glute Activation Warm Up for Squats and Deadlifts (Video)


Effective thigh-extending exercises:


Effective thigh abducting and exercises:


The reality of internal and external thigh rotation is that those movements are subtle. Provided you perform the aforementioned thigh extension and abduction exercises, you will be targeting these muscles. There are no special exercises to address these muscles aside from the above.


Get In Touch With Your Butt: One Exercise to Go From Dead Butt to Active Arse


That is a pretty good list of butt exercises. I’m sure you’re doing at least a few of them. The question is, are you performing them properly (form and intensity) and using a variety of those movements within your lower body routines? Doing so will give your butt the greatest chance of becoming epic within the confines of your genetic endowment.


And don’t forget your calorie intake. Gaining excess body fat can result in a larger but softer rear-end. For that rock-hard butt, pay attention to minimizing fat storage by refining your calorie intake.


In a nutshell, to optimally care for and develop your butt work hard on a variety of thigh extending, abducting, and rotating exercises and watch your calorie intake. At the same time, hope you have been blessed with good genetics in that part of your anatomy.


Now, get up and do something. Here are routines you can start today:


Dozie Ununkwo The 6 Best Exercises for a Bigger, Stronger Booty


Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.



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