Move 1: Dumbbell Rack Squat

Dumbbell Rack Squat

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SKILL LEVELAll
Levels
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Stand tall with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold a pair of
dumbbells and bend your arms so that the weights rest in front of your
shoulders.

2. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat. Descend
as far as you comfortably can without lifting your heels from the floor.

3. Drive through your heels to return to the standing position.

Move 2: Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
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SKILL LEVELAll
Levels
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each
hand with your arms at your sides.

2. Take a big step back with your right foot, and bend your knees as far as
comfortable or until it's parallel to the ground and your back knee is
hovering about an inch above the ground.

3. Drive through your left foot (the front foot) to stand back up and bring
your right foot to meet it in the starting position.

4. Do all your reps on one leg and then repeat on the other; or, alternate
legs with each rep.

During a reverse lunge, think about tilting your torso forward while keeping your
back flat and core engaged. During a lunge, your spinal positioning dictates what
muscle you will load, Vesco says.

“A more upright spine will load your quads while a slight hinge forward will load
your glutes,” she says.
Move 3: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

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SKILL LEVELAll
Levels
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Stand with your feet together and hold a dumbbell at your chest with
one hand on each end.

2. From standing, root your right foot into the ground and take a big step
with your left foot to the side.

3. Bend your left knee, keeping it in line with your left foot. Your right leg
should be extended straight to the side. Make sure your toes on both
feet are facing forward.

4. Push off your left leg and return to standing.

5. Do all your reps on the left leg before doing the same number of reps on
the right leg.

The lateral movement works both the inner and outer parts of your leg, Vesco says,
including your hip abductors and adductors.
Move 4: Dumbbell Split Squat

Dumbbell Split Squat

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SKILL LEVELAll
Levels
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Get in a split stance with one foot about three feet in front of the other.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging by your sides.

2. Bend both knees until your front thigh is parallel with the floor,
stacking your knee over the ankle. Lower your back knee until it hovers
above the floor or as far as you can comfortably go, allowing the heel to
rise up. Remember to keep your hip stacked over the knee.

3. Press through your front foot to stand back up to the starting position.

4. Do all your reps on one leg, then switch and repeat on the other leg.

Because your feet stay in place during a split squat, there’s less of a stability
challenge. This means there’s a good chance you’ll be able to lift more weight
doing this exercise versus a forward or reverse lunge.

Move 5: Single-Leg Dumbbell Deadlift

Single-Leg Dumbbell Deadlift
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SKILL LEVELIntermediate
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each
hand by your sides.

2. With your core tight and a slight bend in your right knee, send your hips
back and lift your left leg straight behind you.

3. At the same time, lower both dumbbells toward the ground, keeping the
weight relatively close to your body. Keep your core tight and your
spine straight.

4. Once your torso is parallel to the ground, or as close as your hamstring

flexibility allows, pull your hips forward and reverse the motion to
return to standing.

5. Do all your reps on one leg, and then repeat on the other leg.

This unilateral deadlift variation helps recruit smaller stabilizer muscles in your
glutes, such as the hip abductors and adductors (muscles that move the legs away
from and toward the midline), Vesco says.
Move 6: Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift

Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift

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SKILL LEVELIntermediate
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart and your feet turned out at
45 degrees.

2. Let your arms hang directly in front of you between your legs, holding a
dumbbell in each hand.

3. Bend your knees to lower yourself down into a squat. Keep your chest
up, back flat and knees in line with your toes. The weights should
almost touch the floor.

4. Pause for a second at the bottom, then press through your heels and pull
your hips forward, squeezing your glutes tightly to return to the starting
position.

A sumo deadlift hits the muscle on your outer glutes, called the gluteus medius,
Vesco says.
Move 7: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

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SKILL LEVELAll
Levels
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand
in front of your thighs.

2. Keeping your core tight, hinge your torso forward and push your butt
back as far as possible. Allow your knees to bend slightly so that they
aren't locked out, but you want to keep them relatively straight
throughout the movement.

3. At the same time, lower both dumbbells toward the ground, keeping the
weight close to your body. Keep your core tight and your spine straight.

4. Once your torso is parallel to the ground, or as close as your hamstring

flexibility allows, pull your hips forward and reverse the motion to
return to standing.
To do a Romanian deadlift, you’ll want to keep your knees mostly straight, with
just a gentle bend so that they aren’t locked out. This puts a larger emphasis on the
hamstrings.

Move 8: Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Dumbbell Glute Bridge

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SKILL LEVELAll
Levels
ACTIVITYDumbbell Workout

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and knees bent. Place
a dumbbell in each hip crease and hold them by the bar in the middle or
on one end.

2. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes, and then press into your heels
to drive your hips up toward the ceiling until you form a diagonal line
from knees to hips to the chest.

3. Pause here for a moment, continuing to squeeze your glutes.

4. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position.

The dumbbell glute bridge targets the gluteus maximus, Vesco says, and is the
basis of many of the best glute exercises.
If you want to change it up, try one of these glute bridge variations that work the
body in slightly different ways.

Kettlebell Exercises
Chelsy Pillsbury, CPT, certified trainer and founder of Hypefit Method,
loves kettlebells because they're "dynamic, cost-effective, and really fun to master."

They're also great for targeting the glutes. "You can do slow strength work for your
glutes with a single kettlebell (goblet or sumo squats) and then pair those with
faster power work (swings) for the ultimate glute growth package," she says.

Below, Pillsbury demos five of the best glute exercises you can do with a kettlebell.