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Glute Workout Plan for Women: A 4-Week Gym Program
Most glute workouts online are 15 exercises with a resistance band and no way to know if you're progressing. Glutes grow the same way any muscle does: heavy-enough work, enough hard sets each week, and a little more load or reps over time.
Updated · 7 min read · By the HerShape team
This 4-week glute workout plan for women gives you two glute-focused lower-body days a week, built around a few lifts you can actually get stronger on. Add two days from our upper body workout for women (or use the gym workout plan for women) and you have a full week.
The glute exercises that matter most
Your glutes extend the hip (stand up from a squat, lock out a hip thrust) and move the leg out to the side. A good glute workout covers both, through a full range of motion.
| Exercise | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|
| Barbell or machine hip thrust | Heavy load right where the glutes work hardest, at full hip extension |
| Squat or leg press (deep) | Glutes work hard at the bottom; also builds the thighs |
| Romanian deadlift | Loads the glutes and hamstrings in a long, stretched position |
| Bulgarian split squat | Single-leg work that hits the glutes hard with modest weight |
| 45° back extension (glute bias) | Hip extension with a rounded upper back and neutral lower back, to shift work onto the glutes |
| Cable or machine hip abduction | Trains the side of the glutes (gluteus medius) |
You don't need to pick between hip thrusts and squats. A 2023 study in Frontiers in Physiology found 9 weeks of either grew the glutes by a similar amount in untrained adults, while squats also grew the thighs more. This plan uses both.
Your 4-week glute workout plan
Do Glute Day A and Glute Day B on nonconsecutive days, for example Monday and Thursday. Each takes about 50-60 minutes. Rest times are listed for every exercise: longest after the big lifts, shortest on the small ones.
Effort is written as RIR (reps in reserve): how many more clean reps you could do when you stop. RIR 2 means two good reps left.
Warm-up (6-8 minutes)
- Three to four minutes of incline walking or easy bike.
- 10 glute bridges, 10 bodyweight squats, 10 banded side steps each way.
- Ramp-up sets for your first exercise: 8 light reps, 5 at about half your working weight, 3 at about three-quarters.
Glute Day A: hip thrust focus
| Exercise | Sets x reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell or machine hip thrust | 3 x 8-10 | 2-3 min | RIR 2 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8-10 | 2 min | RIR 2-3 |
| Bulgarian split squat | 2 x 8-10 each leg | 90 s | RIR 2 |
| Cable or machine hip abduction | 3 x 12-15 | 60 s | RIR 1-2 |
| Lying leg curl | 2 x 10-12 | 60 s | RIR 1-2 |
Glute Day B: squat focus
| Exercise | Sets x reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat, goblet squat or leg press (deep) | 3 x 6-10 | 2-3 min | RIR 2-3 |
| 45° back extension, glute bias | 3 x 10-15 | 90 s | RIR 2 |
| Dumbbell walking lunge or step-up | 2 x 10 each leg | 90 s | RIR 2 |
| Cable kickback | 2 x 12-15 each leg | 60 s | RIR 1-2 |
| Seated hip abduction (lean forward) | 2 x 15-20 | 60 s | RIR 1-2 |
That's about 23 sets a week that train the glutes (not counting leg curls), split over two days so each session stays high quality. Week 1 starts lower, at 2 sets per exercise.
How the 4 weeks build
| Week | Sets | Effort | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 per exercise | RIR 3 | Learn the moves, find your weights |
| 2 | As listed | As listed | Add reps |
| 3 | Add 1 set to the first exercise each day | As listed | Add reps or weight |
| 4 | As listed | Last set of the first exercise can reach RIR 1 | Beat your week 2 numbers |
Use double progression: keep a weight until you hit the top of the rep range on every set, then add the smallest jump available (usually 5-10 lb or 2.5-5 kg on hip thrusts and squats) and build the reps back up. After week 4, take an easier week (half the sets, RIR 4), then start again from your new weights.
Putting it in a full week
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Glute Day A |
| Tuesday | Upper body |
| Wednesday | Rest or walk |
| Thursday | Glute Day B |
| Friday | Upper body |
| Weekend | Rest, walk, or something fun |
Only three days a week? Rotate through Glute Day A, upper body, Glute Day B, upper body, one session per training day. You still train glutes every 4-5 days.
Glute workout at home
No gym this week? Swap in:
| Gym exercise | Home version |
|---|---|
| Hip thrust | Single-leg hip thrust, shoulders on the couch, or a heavy dumbbell on your hips |
| Back squat or leg press | Goblet squat, slow 3-second lowering |
| Romanian deadlift | Dumbbell or single-leg Romanian deadlift |
| Back extension | Single-leg glute bridge with a 2-second hold |
| Hip abduction | Side-lying leg raise or banded side steps |
Use higher reps (15-20) and slower lowering to make light weights count.
Common mistakes
- Doing 20 band exercises and no heavy lifts. Bands are a good warm-up, not the main course.
- Cutting the range short. Squat as deep as you can control; on hip thrusts, finish with your hips fully extended and ribs down.
- Feeling it only in your lower back. On hip thrusts, tuck your chin and keep your shins vertical at the top; on Romanian deadlifts, push your hips back and keep your back flat.
- Never logging weights. You can't beat last week's numbers if you don't know them.
- Skipping upper body. Balanced training is better for posture and overall strength, and it's half the week.
How HerShape helps
If you want a glute focus without writing the program yourself, HerShape builds your weekly workout plan around your goal, your equipment (full gym, dumbbells or bodyweight) and your schedule, then adapts it to your progress, life stage and cycle phase. Exercises come with form videos. With Pro, you can regenerate your plan and ask Coach Sarah (the AI coach) why it changed.
Download HerShapeYour first plan is free. Pro is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. See what is included
Frequently asked questions
How many times a week should I train glutes?
Twice a week suits most people. It spreads your weekly sets over two sessions so each one stays high quality, and leaves time to recover.
What is the best glute exercise?
There isn't a single best one. Hip thrusts and squats both grew the glutes in research; a plan that combines a hip thrust, a squat or leg press, a hinge like the Romanian deadlift and some abduction covers the bases.
How long does it take to grow your glutes?
Most beginners notice strength gains within a few weeks. Visible size changes usually take a few months of consistent training, progressive overload and enough food.
Can I grow my glutes without weights?
You can make progress with bodyweight and bands at first, especially with single-leg exercises and slow reps. Over time, adding load makes progress much easier.
Should I train glutes every day?
No. Hard glute training every day leaves little time to recover. Two focused sessions with rest in between is more productive.
Sources: Plotkin DL et al., "Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift," Frontiers in Physiology, 2023.