Upper glute exercises: what 'upper glutes' are and how to train them

"Upper glutes" is not a muscle. You won't find it in an anatomy textbook. It's gym shorthand for the top and outer part of your hips, and the upper glute exercises sold under that name range from genuinely useful to a band, a mirror and a lot of hope.

Here's the honest version: what the upper glutes actually are, which exercises train those fibers best according to the research, what training can and can't change about the shape, and a session that puts it together. Build it into your own week or let a plan that adjusts every week do the arithmetic. The anatomy is the same either way.

What the "upper glutes" actually are

When people say upper glutes, they usually mean two different things at once:

• ›The upper (superior) portion of the gluteus maximus. The big glute is one muscle, but its upper and lower fibers don't behave identically.
• ›The gluteus medius. It sits higher and further to the side, on the outer hip, partly underneath the gluteus maximus. It moves the leg out to the side and keeps your pelvis level when you stand on one leg.

Underneath both sits the gluteus minimus, the smallest and deepest of the three. You can't see it, but it works alongside the medius.

The useful finding: the upper part of the gluteus maximus responds to slightly different movements than the lower part. In a 2016 fine-wire EMG study of 20 healthy people, the superior portion of the gluteus maximus showed significantly greater relative activity than the inferior portion during 5 of 11 exercises, the ones that incorporated elements of hip abduction and/or external rotation. Exercises that primarily involved hip extension targeted both portions to a similar extent.

Translation: the best upper glute exercises are either abduction moves (leg out to the side), or hip extension moves, which train the whole muscle, upper fibers included. That's it. No secret third category.

If you want the full program and not just a list, a women's lifting and running schedule is the version with the week already built. For the full menu of hip thrusts, hinges and split squats behind it, there's a guide to glute exercises.

What training can and can't do for the "shelf"

The phrase "upper glute shelf" describes a look, not a muscle. Training the gluteus maximus and medius hard and progressively will make them bigger and stronger over months. That part is real.

What exercise can't do:

• ›Pick where fat comes off. You can't spot-reduce fat from one area by training the muscle underneath it.
• ›Change your skeleton. The shape of your pelvis and where your muscles attach set a lot of how your hips look, and no exercise changes that.
• ›Sculpt a precise shape. You can bias regions of a muscle a little. You can't draw a line with exercise choice.

So train for strength and muscle, judge progress by the weights going up, and let the shape be whatever it turns out to be. That's a far better deal than chasing a filter.

The best upper glute exercises

1. Barbell hip thrust

Hip extension, heavy, with the hardest point at the top. In a 2015 study of 13 trained women, the barbell hip thrust produced greater upper and lower gluteus maximus EMG activity than the back squat at estimated 10-rep max loads. Upper fibers included.

The longer-term data is more modest. In a 9-week training study, hip thrust and back squat training produced similar gluteus growth measured by MRI, with estimates modestly favoring the hip thrust at the lower, mid and upper gluteal sites but with appreciable variance. Gluteus medius and minimus showed little to no growth in either group. Hold that thought. It's the argument for the abduction work further down.

Use a pad, set your shins vertical at the top, and stop at full hip extension instead of arching your lower back to go higher.

2. Side-lying hip abduction

Lie on your side, bottom knee bent, top leg straight and slightly behind your body. Lift the top leg up, leading with the heel, without rolling your hips backward. Lower slowly. In a 2009 EMG study of 12 exercises, side-lying hip abduction produced the highest gluteus medius activity. Add an ankle weight or a band when bodyweight gets easy. It's also the backbone of most lists of exercises for gluteus minimus and medius, because it trains the side glutes directly.

3. Clamshell and lateral band walk

Clamshell: on your side, knees bent, feet together, open the top knee without letting the pelvis roll back. Band walk: band around the knees or ankles, slight squat, small sideways steps with your hips level. In a 2013 fine-wire EMG study designed to find exercises that activate the gluteus medius and the superior gluteus maximus while minimizing the tensor fascia latae, the clam and the sidestep made the authors' shortlist of most appropriate exercises.

4. Quadruped hip extension or cable kickback

On all fours, extend one leg back, knee bent or straight, without arching your lower back. Both quadruped hip extension variations in that same 2013 study made the authors' shortlist too. Move to a cable kickback when you need more load.

5. Single-leg glute bridge

The unilateral bridge was also on that 2013 shortlist. It trains hip extension on one leg while the side glutes hold your pelvis level, which makes it an efficient two-for-one. The single-leg glute bridge breakdown covers form and progressions.

6. Step-ups and Bulgarian split squats

Standing single-leg work trains hip extension under real load plus pelvic control. In a 2020 systematic review of gluteus maximus activation, step-up variations showed the highest activation of the loaded exercises reviewed. Lean your torso slightly forward on split squats to shift more of the work to the glutes.

7. Machine or cable abduction

The seated abduction machine and standing cable abduction train the same job as the side-lying lift, with a load you can increase in small steps. Good for the end of a session. Hip hitches and isometric holds against a wall train the same side glutes with no equipment at all.

What isn't an upper glute exercise

• ›The glute-ham raise. A great glute ham raise exercise is a hamstring exercise first, with the glutes keeping the hips straight. Keep it for the hamstrings.
• ›Fifty-rep band circuits. Fine as a warm-up. If you can do 50, the band stopped being a training stimulus around rep 20.
• ›Anything promising to "lift" or "tone" a specific spot. See the section above.

An upper glute workout you can run this week

Coaching conventions, not commandments. RPE 8 means about two reps left in reserve. Reps for single-side exercises are per side.

About 45 minutes. Short on time, do the first three. If the hip thrust is new to you, the setup and loading for barbell hip thrusts are worth learning before you add weight. Run it once or twice a week alongside your other lower-body training, not instead of it.

Home version: dumbbell hip thrust off the sofa, dumbbell split squat, single-leg glute bridge, side-lying abduction, band walk. Same order, same idea.

Progression: when every set hits the top of the rep range, add the smallest weight jump and start again at the bottom. For abduction work, add reps first, then load, then slow the lowering.

Where it fits a running week

The side glutes help keep your pelvis level every time you land on one leg, which is every stride. That's a good reason for runners to train them. It isn't a promise about injuries, and if something hurts, see a professional.

Scheduling follows the usual rules. Abduction and band work are low-fatigue and fit almost anywhere, including after an easy run. The heavy part of the session (hip thrusts, split squats) is leg work: put it on an easy run day, and keep it away from the day before intervals or the long run.

After the session, a figure-four or other glute max stretch can feel good. It's optional, and it isn't what builds anything.

How exrsz handles it

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so a home setup gets dumbbell thrusts and banded abduction while a gym gets a barbell and a cable stack. It balances lower-body work against your runs in one plan, adapts loads each week to what you actually lifted, and reshuffles missed sessions instead of stacking them.

FAQ

What are the best upper glute exercises?

Hip thrusts and split squats for heavy hip extension, plus abduction work: side-lying abduction, clamshells, band walks and machine abduction. A 2016 EMG study found the upper gluteus maximus was preferentially active in exercises with hip abduction or external rotation.

Are the upper glutes a separate muscle?

No. "Upper glutes" usually means the upper fibers of the gluteus maximus plus the gluteus medius on the outer hip. The gluteus minimus sits deeper, under the medius.

Do upper glute shelf exercises actually work?

They make the muscles stronger and, over months, bigger. They can't choose where fat comes off or change your bone structure, so how much of a "shelf" shows isn't fully up to training.

How often should I do exercises for upper glutes?

One or two dedicated sessions a week, on top of the glute work you get from squats and deadlifts. Abduction work is low-fatigue, so it can also go at the end of other sessions.

Do hip thrusts work the upper glutes?

Yes. In a 2015 EMG study, the hip thrust produced greater upper gluteus maximus activity than the back squat. It's hip extension, so it trains the upper and lower fibers together.