Decoding Glute Anatomy

In the journey towards body confidence and empowerment, it's essential to acknowledge that each of us has a unique and beautiful physique. While we can't alter our bone structure, we can certainly enhance our natural curves and create a flattering silhouette. There’s a lot of information going around social media about the best glute exercises, how to “get rid” of hip dips, and how lifting heavy is the only way to grow glutes. It’s hard to know what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s worth doing weird trending positions in the gym. This blog post is all about your glutes, their anatomy, and how to grow them from a certified personal trainer. We even cover hip dips.

Quick Anatomy

There are three main muscles in your glutes: Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus. Your Gluteus Maximus is the largest muscle in your glutes- hence the name. This muscle is responsible for creating that “shelf” appearance. The side glutes consist of the Gluteus Medius and Minimus. These muscles are much smaller and create the illusion of wider hips when trained properly. That brings us to our next topic- hip dips.

Here’s the thing about hip dips, they’ve gotten a lot of unwarranted hate on the internet. Social media is infamous for instilling insecurities in all of us, despite nothing actually being wrong with our bodies. Hip dips, also known as violin hips, are the indentations that occur on the sides of the hips, creating a dip between the hip bone and the top of the thigh. This anatomical feature is primarily influenced by the shape of the pelvic bones and the distribution of muscle and fat in the area. The structure of our pelvis is determined by genetics and cannot be altered through exercise or lifestyle changes. So can you get rid of hip dips? No, you can’t. However, you absolutely can create an illusion of making them appear filled in. You can either have narrow pelvic bones or wider pelvic bones. Some are longer and some are shorter. Those are the bones you’re stuck with and hopefully they do their job just right regardless of their shape. Before we get into this, there is nothing wrong with hip dips. In fact, a lot of us think they’re beautiful.

While we can't change our bone structure, we can strategically target and grow the surrounding muscles to create a more rounded and contoured appearance. Focusing on glute-specific exercises can be a game-changer. By developing the gluteus medius and maximus muscles, you can enhance the curves around the hip dip area, giving the illusion of a smoother transition between the hips and thighs. We’ll get into ways of doing this for your specific butt shape.

Glute Shapes & How To Train Them

Understanding your glute shape is a pivotal step in developing a targeted and effective workout routine. From heart-shaped to triangular, round, and square derrières, this in-depth guide explores the science behind glute workouts, backed by studies that unveil the most effective exercises for each shape. There are four glute shapes, as stated above.

The National Library Of Medicine has an article that shares the results of a study where the participants tested a plethora of glute exercises to see which activated the glutes the most. The workouts with the higher Maximal Voluntary Muscle Contraction (MVMC) were the most effective for activating the glutes. We will be referencing this article a lot in this blog. Here is the link to the article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3201064/

Gluteus Maximus:

Training this muscle on your glute days is a must. To train it, you want to focus on compound movements. A compound movement means that using more than one muscle group at a time. Using the MVMC chart referenced on “Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7039033/ we can actually see which workouts are best for Gluteus Maximus activation. Step ups scored very high in MVMC at 101%. There are plenty of variations to this exercise and the forward step up is the most effective for this muscle. Hip thrusts rank in at %75, split squats and lunges at around 66%, and belt squats at 71%. Deadlifts are also on this chart at 53%.

Gluteus Medius:

This muscle is apart of the side glutes. Based on the chart, the most effective workout for this muscle is the side plank abduction, ranking in at 103%. This movement can be done with a glute band and used towards the end of your routine. Following in the chart is the single limb squat at 82%, clamshells at 77%, lateral step ups at 60%, and single leg deadlift at 56%. Clamshells can be done on a cable machine or on the floor with a glute band. The single leg deadlift should not be confused with a B-stance deadlift.

Gluteus Minimus:

Although the other smaller side glute muscle. To activate this muscle the standing hip abduction is ranking in at 55% and the single leg bridge at 46%. The minimus seems to really like banded workouts like the lateral band walk, donkey kicks, fire hydrants, etc. Banded workouts can be used in your warm ups or towards the end of your workouts with the cable exercises.

Heart Shape

This shape is characterized by a heavier bottom glute that tapers towards the tailbone. This shape tends to hold fat at the bottom of the glutes, giving the appearance of lower hip placement. This shape requires a little extra attention to the Gluteus Medius. You of course want to train the other two muscles when planning your glute routines, include a few workouts dedicated to the Medius.

Square Shape

A square shaped derrière (also known as an H shape) is characterized by a straighter side glute appearance. This shape usually comes with hip dips. Because of the slight indentation, we really want to work on the minimus. Doing a lot of banded work can really help to fill in your curves as well as compound movements stated above. A personal favorite that doesn’t appear in the chart is the glute extension. This workout is unique in the sense that it works all the glute muscles.

Triangle Shape

A triangle shape is characterized by a heavier top that tapers towards the bottom of your glutes. While this is a more rare shape, it can happen in older women and/or women with low estrogen. Working out this glute shape is similar to the square shape. Focusing on the minimus can be beneficial in balancing this shape out. Doing workouts that really target the lower half of the glute maximus are also going to help build the bottom up. Good mornings and glute extensions as well as Romanian deadlifts are great routine starters.

Round Shape

The round shape is exactly what it is- round. It’s certainly not lacking in the side glutes and usually doesn’t come with hip dips. For this shape, doing an even mix of a couple workouts from each muscle will help you to maintain your shape and build it up.

If You Aren’t Lifting Heavy, You Might As Well Quit

This section can be its own blog post about the toxic gym culture on social media. The truth is, you don’t have to lift heavy to make a difference in your body. You don’t have to lift heavy to make a difference in your overall wellness at all. If it’s fun for you and you enjoy challenging yourself in that way, go for it! If you’re working out to improve your mental wellness, health, or look a certain way, you don’t need the heaviest weights in the gym.

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is increasing the intensity of your workout. This helps to tear those little muscle fibers so they can rebuild themselves stronger, bigger, and better. Bumping up the weight is one way of progressive overload training but there are many other ways. Supersets, dropsets, half-reps, isometric holds, etc. Increasing reps (repetitions) or sets are another way.

-If you’re interested in learning more, send a message to @fleurafit on instagram-

Decoding your glute anatomy allows for a nuanced and tailored fitness. Remember, patience and consistency are key as you embark on this personalized fitness journey. FleuraFit will be coming out with glute plans soon so look out for that! If you would like to be a tester of the programs, reach out to @fleurafit on instagram!