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How to Grow Glutes Without Growing Legs
- The Peach Club
- May 21
- 3 min read
Target Your Glutes While Keeping Quads Slim
Can You Grow Glutes Without Growing Legs?
Yes—you can grow your glute muscles while minimising growth in your quads and hamstrings, but it requires:
Specific exercise selection
Focused mind-muscle connection
Volume and tension tailored to glute hypertrophy
Strategic training frequency and recovery
The glutes respond best to moderate-to-heavy resistance, slow tempo, and high activation movements—many of which don’t overly recruit the quads.
Why Legs May Grow During Glute Training
Your quads and hamstrings often get activated during compound lower-body exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts. While great for full-body strength, these moves also stimulate muscle growth in the legs.
If your goal is glute growth without leg size, you need to reduce quad-dominant moves and instead emphasise:
Glute isolation exercises
Hip thrust and bridge variations
Banded and bodyweight movements
Proper exercise form and tempo
Key Strategies to Grow Glutes Without Growing Legs
1. Prioritize Glute Isolation Exercises
Focus on exercises that target only the glutes without loading the quads.
Best glute isolation movements:
Cable kickbacks
Glute bridges
Donkey kicks
Fire hydrants
Hip abductions
2. Modify Compound Exercises
You can still include some compound lifts—just tweak your stance and form to shift activation away from the legs.
For example:
Hip thrusts with feet further out = more glutes, less quads
Romanian deadlifts with a glute squeeze
Avoid deep squats if you're quad-dominant
3. Train Glutes More Frequently (2–3x/Week)
The glutes respond well to frequent, moderate-volume training. Use glute-focused days instead of traditional “leg day.”
4. Use Resistance Bands and Bodyweight
Mini bands are ideal for glute-only training. They add resistance without loading the quads or hamstrings too much.
Great for:
Glute activation
Burnout sets
Low-impact hypertrophy
5. Avoid Quad-Dominant Exercises
Try to reduce or eliminate exercises that highly activate the quads, such as:
Front squats
Step-ups
Lunges (especially forward)
Leg press
Leg extensions
6. Emphasise the Mind-Muscle Connection
Focusing on the glutes during each rep can increase glute activation by up to 40%.
Sample Glute Workout (No Leg Growth)
Focus: Glute isolation + activation
Frequency: 2–3x per week
Equipment: Bands, cable machine, bodyweight, dumbbells (optional)
Exercise | Sets x Reps |
Banded Glute Bridge | 3 x 20 |
Cable Kickbacks | 3 x 12 each leg |
Fire Hydrants with Band | 3 x 15 each |
Donkey Kicks | 3 x 12–15 |
Glute Bridge Marches | 2 x 20 (10 per leg) |
Standing Hip Abduction | 3 x 15 per leg |
Optional Finisher:
Banded wall sit with abduction pulses (30 seconds)
Weekly Training Schedule Example
Day | Focus |
Monday | Glutes (Band & Bodyweight) |
Wednesday | Glutes + Upper Body |
Friday | Glutes (Cable + Isolation) |
Sunday | Optional Glute Activation Flow |
Diet & Recovery Tips for Glute Growth
If you want to grow muscle without gaining excess fat or size elsewhere:
Eat in a slight calorie surplus (5–10%)
Consume high-protein meals (1.6–2.2g/kg body weight)
Prioritize glute recovery: rest days, foam rolling, stretching
Focus on glute-centric macros—plenty of protein, healthy fats, and fiber
FAQs
Q: Will squats grow my glutes or legs more?
Squats work both, but tend to grow quads more in most people. If you’re quad-dominant, replace them with glute bridges or hip thrusts.
Q: Can I train glutes every day for optimal growth?
No. Muscles grow during rest. Aim for 2–3 sessions per week with at least 48 hours between glute days.
Q: Should I completely stop training legs?
Not entirely, but keep leg volume low and glute volume high. Focus on isolation and balance.
Final Thoughts
You can absolutely grow round, strong glutes without growing your legs—but it requires a strategic approach. Stick to glute isolation, avoid quad-dominant lifts, and train smart with intention.
Need a personalised glute-isolation training plan?
Join the Peach Club and let the experts do the planning for you.
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