Check out these hamstrings and glute exercises ranked from best to worst by Jeff from Athlean X.
Hamstrings and Glute Exercises Ranked
“There are many different glute exercises but today, we are going to rank them so that you know which are worth your time and which ones you should skip. Because the glutes and hamstring muscles share many of the same functions, you are going to get a two for one here as both the glute exercises and hamstring exercises are going to be reviewed and ranked.”
Hamstrings and Glute Exercises Ranked
“We start as always with the criteria for inclusion on this list. First, these exercises for glutes have to be capable of being overloaded over time. This is key for progressively building muscle. They also by that note have to be capable of delivering hypertrophy and not just strength. Finally, all of these glute exercises have to be safe to perform. As you’ll see, some don’t hold up well to this requirement and are therefore lowered down in the rankings.”
“We start as always at the bottom of the list in the worst exercises for glutes category.”
“First up is the prone hamstring curl. Remember, since we are grouping hamstring and glute exercises together due to their shared function, this variation of the curl deserves the lowest spot. It’s not that it isn’t capable of building bigger hamstrings. It’s because it often times brings about low back pain in the process. Especially when there’s a better option to come, this deserve the lowest spot on the list.”
“Next we have the heel press. This bodyweight glute exercise is one that is limited in both range of motion and overload capacity. There are many better and therefore cannot be ranked highly.”
“The Step Mill is one of the most popular forms of cardio, especially for those that are looking to build their butt and do exercises for better glutes. The problem is, the motor is doing all the work. Pass and move onto to a superior alternative later on.”
Hamstrings and Glute Exercises Ranked
“Finally, the leg press (even when performed with the feet high on the plate) is not nearly adequate for delivering glute gains. The range of motion is horrible and the overload is far from optimal. Much better glute exercises await.”
“In the better category, we improve on the isolated kickback to this time include some additional weight resistance. The standing cuff kickback is a good way to up your exercises for glutes and deliver better results. The DB reverse sprinter lunge will mimic the position of the chest and thigh that you would see at the bottom of the leg press but do a much better job resisting the extension at the hip on the way up, allowing it to rank deservedly higher.”
“The DB single leg RDL is great for exposing right and left leg muscle imbalances but the balance requirements could compromise the hamstring and glute muscle results that you’ll see which leaves it lower on the list.”
“Taking another step up in the glute exercise rankings into the better still category we find the cable single leg RDL as a slight improvement over the dumbbell because of the added stability we get from it in the frontal plane. The Seated hamstring curl machine is a far better option if you want to use a machine to build bigger legs. The direction of force takes the hip flexors out of the exercise and therefore saves your back. The KB Swing, while an amazingly athletic exercise for glute development can become more of a challenge to your conditioning rather than building bigger glutes.”
“The almost best category includes the incredibly powerful squat (this time being recommended in a low bar position for targeting the glutes more effectively), the standard two legged version of the barbell RDL, a leaning forward step up, pull throughs and of course the underutilized glute ham raise. All of these exercises for glutes and hamstrings are capable of delivering stronger bigger glutes and are worth a spot in your glute workout.”
“Finally, the best of the best glute exercise is the barbell hip thrust. Both the mechanics of the exercise as well as it’s ability to check all three criteria laid out make it the best exercise for glutes. Be sure to watch why for all the details.”
Video – Hamstrings and Glute Exercises Ranked
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Glutes are all important. The number 1 muscle you have to focus on. The second most important group is the hamstrings which are the ones in charge of hip extension (glutes and hamstrings are the glute enxtensors). And it is this hip extension what transfers energy of your body to the ground.
First up: The deadlift. One of the biggest and most respected gym exercises, the conventional deadlift is a compound movement that allows a serious amount of weight, and volume to go through your hamstrings, glutes, and back.
Some consider them the pinnacle of hamstring exercises. Instead of bending the knees for a conventional deadlift, keep the knees straighter and maintain only a soft bend. This results in both a deep stretch and a strong contraction for the hamstrings.
In general, the step-up exercise and its variations present the highest levels of GMax activation (>100% of MVIC) followed by several loaded exercises and its variations, such as deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges, and squats, that presented a very high level of GMax activation (>60% of 1RM).
What is the 4-2-1 workout split? The 4-2-1 workout split recently grew to TikTok fame as a simple formula for programming your workouts throughout the week, says Stewart. It's broken down to four strength workouts, two cardio workouts, and one mobility session per week, she explains.
The Romanian deadlift is one of the best hamstring exercises for mass because it trains many of the same muscles as the regular deadlift but causes far less fatigue, so you can do it more often without wearing yourself to a frazzle.
In this case, three exercises demonstrated significantly higher activation levels than the prone leg curl: stability ball hamstring curls, reverse hip raises and glute-ham raises without equipment.
Second, a massive part of the reason you're likely struggling to develop your hamstrings is because you lack muscular innervation in your hamstrings. Which is another way saying that your mind-muscle connection, and your ability to “feel” and contract a muscle under load may or may not leave much to be desired.
Calves are often either the most complained about muscle to build mass or the most overlooked. Either way they often pose more of a problem compared to other muscle sets. And there's an actually a reason behind why they are so challenging. The anatomical configuration of the calf muscles resists the act of hypertrophy.
You already know that squats are one of the best glute exercises of all time, and adding heavy weight makes them even more effective, says Elizabeth Burwell, a NASM-certified trainer and co-owner of High Performance Gym in Greenville, South Carolina. "A good goal would be to squat your own body weight," says Burwell.
So when it comes to growing the glutes, typically there's 2 exercises that people say you must include in your glute workout. Hip thrusts and back squats.
No surprise here: If you want to grow your glutes, back squats should be a staple part of any glute workout. They're a great compound movement that will not only aid glute growth but help to develop and strengthen your entire body by engaging your hammies, core, and quads.
The short answer is yes, it is possible, and in some cases it is recommended that you work both your hamstrings and glutes at the same time in a singular workout. There are a number of exercises which actually train both muscle groups at the same time, these include hip thrusts and deadlifts.
"Your first obligation in your training is to always train those larger major muscle groups," Samuel says. "In part because if we do that well, we will tangentially train our secondary muscle groups and our minor muscle groups."
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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