Glutes
Largest and strongest muscle in the body. Three muscles, only one is hit by squats alone.
The parts
What you're actually training.
Exercises
Ranked by directness on glutes.
Banded Lateral Walk
Outer-glute burn that builds slowly and hangs around.
Frog Pump
A surprisingly intense direct glute burn for an exercise that looks like nothing.
Glute Bridge
Glute squeeze you can dial in once you've felt it - then everything else makes sense.
Cable Glute Kickback
Pure single-glute pump - easiest exercise to feel the glute working.
Kas Glute Bridge
Top-of-the-rep glute squeeze for 15+ reps; you'll be sore in places you didn't know existed.
Reverse Lunge
Front-leg glute and quad. Easier on the knees than a forward lunge.
Lateral Lunge
A deep stretch through the inner thigh of the straight leg, with the bent-side glute and quad doing the work.
Cable Pull-through
Same hinge pattern as an RDL, with constant glute tension at the top.
Broad Jump
Maximum hip extension power converted into horizontal distance — the legs and hips, not the arms, create the projection.
Barbell Hip Thrust
A glute squeeze you'll feel for the next two days.
Walking Lunge
Front-leg glute and quad doing the work; deep stretch on the back leg's hip flexor.
Kettlebell Swing
Glute and hamstring slam at the top of every rep; lungs cooked by rep 20.
Single-leg Hip Thrust
One glute screaming; the other one watching.
B-stance Romanian Deadlift
Single-leg work without the balance frustration.
Box Jump
An explosive burst of hip extension, then a controlled soft landing that catches your own force.
- Glutes
Also involves this muscle
Lifts that pull this muscle in as a supporter.
Lower back
Superman
Whole-back engagement: erectors, glutes, rear delts all firing.
Quads
Goblet Squat
Quad load with a built-in posture coach.
Quads
Leg Press
Quads cooked under heavy load with the spine fully unloaded.
Obliques
Side Plank
Oblique burn down the side of the trunk; glute med on the bottom side fires too.
Obliques
Suitcase Carry
Off-side obliques burning by step 20.
Obliques
Pallof Press
Deep core brace; you can feel it from your obliques down to your glutes.
Lower back
Hyperextension (Back Extension)
Erectors lit if you allow flexion at the bottom; glutes lit if you keep it neutral.
Lower back
Bird Dog
Deep brace through the trunk; balance challenge wakes up the stabilizers.
Quads
Hack Squat
Pure quad load - no balance, no back, just legs.
Quads
Step-up
Front-leg quad and glute together; back-leg hangs out.
Quads
Smith Machine Squat
Quad-biased squat with no balance demand. Lower-back tax is low.
Lower back
Reverse Hyperextension
Lower back + glutes working in tandem; weirdly therapeutic for sore backs.
Quads
Jump Squat
A sharp burst of effort from the legs and hips — like trying to drive the floor away from you as fast as possible.
Obliques
Cable Woodchop
A diagonal rotational force through the trunk — obliques contracting on the pull and resisting on the return.
Quads
Heels-elevated Squat
Quad annihilation, especially the teardrop and outer sweep.
Hamstrings
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Same as a barbell RDL with fewer setup constraints - great for high reps.
Obliques
Landmine Rotation
A large, smooth rotational arc powered by the hips and obliques — like swinging a heavy club through a clean arc.
Quads
Bulgarian Split Squat
Burning quad and a deep glute stretch on the front leg.
Traps
Rack Pull
Insane trap and upper-back loading you can't get any other way.
Hamstrings
Stiff-leg Deadlift
Intense hamstring stretch all the way to the bottom of the rep.
Hamstrings
Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Hamstring stretch + glute med fire on the standing leg.
Obliques
Copenhagen Plank
Inner thigh and obliques screaming together; a strength you didn't know you needed.
Lower back
Good Morning
Hamstrings stretch first, then erectors light up to keep the back neutral.
Hamstrings
Glute-Ham Raise
Whole hamstring chain firing - calf-to-glute. Spinal erectors brace static.
Hamstrings
Romanian Deadlift
Strong hamstring stretch at the bottom - almost uncomfortable. Glute squeeze on the lockout.
Quads
Back Squat
Whole leg pump, especially the front. Should NOT feel it in the lower back.
Quads
Front Squat
Quad pump like nothing else. Upper back works hard just holding the position.
Hamstrings
Nordic Curl
Hamstrings screaming the entire eccentric, then again the next morning.
Hamstrings
Conventional Deadlift
Whole-body brace. Hamstrings, glutes, and back all firing at once.
Quads
Pistol Squat
Total single-leg domination - quad, glute, balance system all maxed.