Build Muscle
Booty Builder
A glute-emphasis programme across four days: two lower-body days built around the glutes, and two full upper-body days so nothing else stops progressing while they are the priority.
- Days a week
- 4
- A session
- 58 min
- Sessions in it
- 4
- Split
- Glute Emphasis (4×/Week), Double Progression
What you actually train
4 sessions, in order. Every movement links to how to do it.
Glutes A: Loaded Hip Extension
6 movements
- Barbell Hip Thrust4 sets of 9 reps
- Romanian Deadlift4 sets of 9 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Seated Hip Abduction3 sets of 16 reps
- Lying Leg Curl (Machine)3 sets of 12 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Standing Calf Raise5 sets of 12 reps
- Plank3 rounds of 45 seconds
Upper A
9 movements
Superset — no rest between these
- Seated Cable Row4 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell Bench Press4 sets of 10 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Lat Pulldown (Wide Grip)4 sets of 11 reps
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press4 sets of 10 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Face Pull4 sets of 16 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise3 sets of 14 reps
Circuit — straight through, then rest
- Dumbbell Curl3 sets of 11 reps
- Triceps Rope Pushdown3 sets of 12 reps
- Dead Bug3 sets of 16 reps
Glutes B: Deep Hip Flexion
6 movements
- Barbell Back Squat4 sets of 8 reps
- Bulgarian Split Squat3 sets of 16 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- 45-Degree Back Extension3 sets of 13 reps
- Banded Lateral Walk3 sets of 20 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Seated Calf Raise5 sets of 13 reps
- Side Plank3 rounds of 40 seconds
Upper B & Quad Finisher
9 movements
Superset — no rest between these
- Barbell Bent-Over Row4 sets of 9 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press4 sets of 10 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Leg Press3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg Extension (Machine)3 sets of 14 reps
Superset — no rest between these
- Dumbbell Reverse Fly (Rear Delt Fly)3 sets of 15 reps
- Dumbbell Flyes3 sets of 13 reps
Circuit — straight through, then rest
- Hammer Curl3 sets of 11 reps
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension3 sets of 12 reps
- Cable Crunch (Kneeling)4 sets of 12 reps
Why it works
- Twenty hard glute sets a week across three sessions — the top of the useful range, and a ceiling rather than a starting point.
- All three glute muscles are trained, not just the big one: six direct sets of hip abduction a week for the medius and minimus, which is the work most programmes skip.
- Both ends of the movement are loaded deliberately — Romanian deadlifts and deep squats where the muscle is long, hip thrusts and abduction where it is short.
- The hip thrust has its own rule, because it is the lift where load climbs fastest: the weight goes up only when every rep reaches lockout with the ribs down.
- Every other muscle group still gets a real dose, so this is an emphasis block rather than a neglect block.
Run this as a block rather than for ever — two or three cycles, then back to a balanced split. Emphasis works because it is temporary.
What it builds is muscle; how much of it you can see also depends on your overall body-fat level, and no exercise decides where your body takes fat from.
What to expect
Expect the two glute days to be the shorter sessions of the week and the two upper days to be the longer ones.
Before you start
If a lower body-fat level is part of what you are after, that is a food and overall-activity question rather than a set-and-rep one, and it belongs with a registered dietitian or your GP.
Before you start, please read this part. Lifting is among the safest and most useful things most people can do, and there is a short list of exceptions worth checking yourself against first.
If you have a heart or lung condition, chest pain or pressure at rest or on effort, dizziness or blackouts, blood pressure or diabetes that is not currently controlled, a hernia, low bone density or osteoporosis, a joint or back problem that is flaring, or you are pregnant or within a year of giving birth, speak to your GP or a physiotherapist before starting and follow their instruction over anything written here.
Stop the set and get advice for chest pain or tightness, breathlessness out of proportion to the effort, dizziness, or a sudden sharp pain in a joint or the back.
Stop it as well for pain, numbness, pins and needles or weakness that travels down an arm or a leg, and get that seen before you load the pattern again.
The barbell hip thrust needs a pad and a bench that will not move; set both before you load the bar, and if you cannot reach a full lockout without arching your lower back, the weight is too heavy.
If you have a history of low-back pain, start on the dumbbell hip thrust and the cable pull-through and build from there. Nothing here is medical advice.
What you need
- Barbell
- Dumbbell
- Cable Machine
- Machine
- Bench
- Back Extension Bench
- Resistance Band