Top 10 Reasons Your Glutes Won’t Grow & How To Fix It

If you’re frustrated because your glutes won’t grow no matter how many squats you do, you’re not alone. Building bigger, stronger glutes isn’t just about aesthetics – it’s about improving posture, performance, and long-term health. But here’s the thing: glute growth requires more than just showing up to the gym and doing a few hip thrusts.

In this post, we’re diving into the real reasons your glutes aren’t growing, and what you can do to actually see results. If you’ve been stuck spinning your wheels, this is for you.

1. You’re Not Activating Your Glutes Properly

If your glutes aren’t “turning on” during your workouts, other muscles (like your quads or lower back) will take over. This is super common, especially if you sit a lot or have poor posture.  If you feel your quads or lower back working more than your glutes, you’re likely not activating them efficiently.

👉 The Fix: Warm up with glute activation exercises before your main workout. Focus on squeezing your glutes hard during each rep. The mind-muscle connection is real, and it makes a big difference.

• Incorporate glute activation drills pre-workout (e.g., banded glute bridges, clamshells).
• Slow down your reps and focus on the mind-muscle connection.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top of every rep.

2. You’re Not Training With Enough Intensity

One of the biggest reasons your glutes won’t grow? You’re not pushing yourself hard enough. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the right exercises – if the weights aren’t challenging, your muscles won’t respond. The glutes are a large, powerful muscle group. They need heavy resistance and progressive overload to grow.

👉 The Fix: Start progressively overloading—this means gradually increasing the weight, reps, or intensity over time. Push yourself in movements like hip thrusts, deadlifts, and leg presses where you can safely go heavy.

• Track your workouts and increase your weights every 1-2 weeks.
• Train close to failure (1-2 reps left in the tank).
• Focus on form, but don’t be afraid to push your limits.

3. Your Form Needs Work

Even the best exercise won’t do much if your form is off. Poor form often leads to compensation from other muscles and puts your glutes on the sidelines.

👉 The Fix: Record yourself or ask a coach or someone you trust to check your form. Small adjustments like your foot placement, torso angle, or range of motion can instantly boost glute activation. For example, for a glute focused leg press, placing your feet higher on the platform can better target the glutes.

• Record your lifts to check form and make adjustments.
• Get a coach or trainer to give you feedback.
• Prioritize quality over quantity.

3. You’re Relying Too Much on Squats and Lunges

Yes, squats and lunges are great. But they’re not glute-isolation exercises, and they often work other muscles more. To grow your glutes, you need exercises that specifically target them. I’m not saying lunges can’t light up your glutes — when done right, they’ll have you walking like a baby deer the next day. That said, it doesn’t mean you should ditch squats and lunges altogether. They still deserve a spot in your lineup. Just don’t treat them like the holy grail of booty building — there’s more to the glute game than just those two exercises.

The glutes have multiple roles—hip extension, abduction, and rotation—so they need variety.

👉 The Fix:

• Add glute-biased movements like hip thrusts, glute bridges, kickbacks, and Romanian deadlifts.
• Focus on exercises that keep constant tension on the glutes.
• Use different angles to hit all three glute muscles (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus).

4. You’re Not Eating Enough

Muscle growth doesn’t happen without fuel. You can’t build muscle in a calorie deficit. If you’re constantly dieting or under-eating, your glutes won’t grow—no matter how hard you train.

👉 The Fix: Make sure you’re fueling your body properly. Don’t fear food—muscle needs it.

• Track your macros. Aim for a small calorie surplus if you want to build.
• Eat enough protein (0.7-1g per pound of body weight).
• Don’t be afraid of carbs – they help with recovery and performance.

5. You’re Not Training Frequently Enough

Hitting glutes once a week isn’t going to cut it if you want real change. The glutes can handle a higher training frequency than most people think.

This study shows that higher frequency resistance training for lower limbs increases 1 Rep Max more than lower frequency training.

👉 The Fix:

• Train glutes 2-3 times per week with at least 48 hours between sessions.
• Split your training into different focuses: heavy thrusts one day, volume work another.
• Keep your volume and intensity in check to avoid overtraining.

6. You’re Not Focusing on the Full Range of Motion

Half reps lead to half results.

If you’re cutting your range of motion short just to lift heavier, you’re cheating yourself out of gains.

👉 The Fix:

• Drop the ego and focus on proper depth and control.
• For exercises like hip thrusts, hold the squeeze at the top.
• For RDLs, stretch the glutes fully at the bottom.

8. You’re Not Prioritizing Recovery

Muscle grows when you rest, not just when you train. If you’re always sore or fatigued, your body doesn’t have the chance to rebuild and grow. Recovery days matter. Training glutes every day or skipping rest can actually slow progress.

👉 The Fix: Train your glutes 2–3 times per week with intention, and give them time to recover in between. Sleep, hydration, and stress management all play a role in how well your body can grow muscle.

• Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.
• Schedule rest or active recovery days.
• Manage stress and avoid overtraining.

9. You’re Being Impatient

Glute growth takes time. A lot of it. If you expect to grow peachy glutes in 4 weeks, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

👉 The Fix:

• Track your progress with photos, measurements, and strength gains.
• Commit to a long-term plan (6-12 months or more).
• Celebrate small wins along the way.

10. You’re Not Staying Consistent

This one’s big. Inconsistency is the silent killer of glute gains. Missing workouts, skipping progressive overload, or changing routines every week keeps you from making real progress.

👉 The Fix:

• Stick with a well-designed program for at least 8-12 weeks.
• Schedule your workouts like appointments.
• Don’t chase novelty – master the basics.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, if your glutes aren’t growing, it’s not because you’re lazy or genetically doomed—it’s probably just a few small things that need tweaking. The key is to train smart, fuel your body, and give it time. Stop chasing hacks and start focusing on what actually works: intensity, consistency, recovery, and a little patience.

Start with one or two or three areas from this list, dial them in, and stay patient. Stick with it, trust the process, and keep showing up. Your glutes will thank you.