Having the booty of your dreams is possible if you focus on upper glute exercises. The upper glute, made up of the gluteus medius and the upper portion of the gluteus maximus, are central to shaping the top of your booty, sometimes called the “shelf.” 

Many people like to work on their gluteal muscles, looking to shape and sculpt. Others prefer to just maintain strength or work on strength to improve athletic performance. To do this, so many athletes turn to squats. However, squats are not the best all around glute exercise. 

Why You Should Care About Glute Strength

Even if you aren’t interested in shaping the butt, strengthening the gluteal muscles is necessary to living a long and healthy life. The glute med — which upper glute exercises target — is especially important because it controls the internal and external rotation of the hip. Building strength in the glutes also improves hip stability. 

By building strength in the glute med and thus the hip, you are also preventing injury. So much of the lower body — knees and ankles, especially — rely on the strength of the hips to stay in proper alignment. Weak hips can cause issues down the chain. 

Building Glute Strength Into Your Workouts

Ready to start building strength in your gluteal muscles? 

The first step is figuring out how to build new strength exercises into your current exercise routine. Adding something new can be overwhelming, but remember to build in changes slowly. With something like new strength exercises, you want to be sure that you have the energy and time to ensure your form is correct and you can give your focus to the workout. 

We recommend doing a rotation of glute workouts at least twice a week. If you already have a set leg day, that is the best time to incorporate your glute exercises. If you are a runner or other athlete, a couple 20-minute workout sessions for your glutes each week will make a big difference in your  overall strength. 

Our Top 3 Exercises for Upper Glute Strength 

Our top three exercises for upper glute strength combine a range of motions to target the gluteus medius and upper gluteus maximus. 

We like that these exercises have both basic and advanced versions so you can continue to improve even when you begin to master the exercises. 

Clam Shell

The clam shell, though underappreciated, is a great exercise for building strength. 

To do a clam shell, lie on your side with your knees bent. Keeping your feet together, squeeze your glutes and push your top knee out, opening like a clam. Lower with control. This is one rep. 

We recommend repeating this for 3 sets of ten. 

If you find the basic clam shell too easy, then there are ways to make it more difficult. We find adding a resistance band slightly above the knees can make a huge difference in building strength. As you progress, you can upgrade your resistance bands as well. 

Lateral Lunge 

The lateral lunge is a great glute exercise because it builds strength while stretching and helps you build both mobility and stability in your hip joint. 

When doing a lateral lunge, start with your feet hip-distance apart. Then, step your right foot out from the side of your body and bend your right knee until it is at a 90 degree angle, lowering your hips back. Then, push up with your right leg and return to the start position. Repeat this movement on the left side. Repeat the lateral lunge for three sets of ten on each side. 

If you need a challenge for this exercise, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell can help you increase your strength-building capacity. 

Glute Bridges

Glute bridges are necessary in any list of effective glute exercises because they really work all three gluteal muscles and there are plenty of modifications to make glute bridges easier or harder depending on what you need for an effective workout. 

The starting position for a glute bridge is on your back with your knees bent, feet hip-distance apart, and hands palm-down at your side. Activate your core by flattening your lower back against the ground. Then, activate your glutes and quads and push your hips into the air as high as you can. Hold for a few seconds and then lower with control. 

If this exercise is too easy, you can try crossing your arms over your chest or doing glute bridges with a barbell over your lap. Single leg bridges can target the upper glutes on each side, making your individual legs stronger. 

Monitor Changes to Your Glutes with ZOZOFIT 

ZOZOFIT recently unveiled its brand new Booty Mode features, so if you want to see how your upper glute workouts are impacting your shape, the ZOZOFIT app can help. When you use Booty Mode, it'll track changes to your glutes after each scan, and you can even have your booty assessed to see what type of butt you have as well.