The Best Glute Workout Split for Women (Beginner to Advanced)
Three glute training splits — for beginners, intermediates, and advanced lifters — with the exact day-by-day exercise selection, sets, and reps. Pick the one that fits your training age and stop guessing.
If you've ever spent an hour trying to put together your own glute workout plan from Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, this post is the antidote. Below are three full glute splits — designed around the big three lifts (hip thrust, RDL, squat), structured by training experience, and explicitly programmed for glute growth.
Pick the one that matches your training age. Run it for 8–12 weeks. Then progress to the next.
Before you start: the rules that apply to every split
- Track every set. Weight, reps, and RPE (how hard it felt, 1–10). If you don't track, you can't progress.
- Add weight or reps every week. Even a small jump.
- Warm up properly. Two minutes of glute activation (banded clamshells, glute bridges) before every session. Cold glutes are quiet glutes.
- Eat enough protein. 0.7–1.0g per pound of bodyweight, daily.
- Don't switch programs every two weeks. Pick a split and run it for at least 8 weeks before changing anything.
The Casual Builder Split — 2 days a week (beginner)
For: women in their first six months of consistent lifting, or anyone returning after a long break. Two glute-focused days, 72 hours apart. Other days are rest or upper body / cardio.
Day A — Heavy Hinge Day (Monday)
- Barbell hip thrust — 3 sets of 8–10 reps
- Romanian deadlift — 3 sets of 8 reps
- Goblet squat — 3 sets of 10 reps
- Bulgarian split squat — 2 sets of 8 reps per leg
- Banded hip abduction — 2 sets of 15 reps
Day B — Squat & Single Leg (Thursday)
- Back squat (or goblet squat) — 3 sets of 8 reps
- Single-leg hip thrust — 3 sets of 10 per leg
- Reverse lunge — 3 sets of 8 per leg
- Glute kickback (cable or band) — 3 sets of 12 per leg
Total sets per week: ~25 working sets for lower body, ~12 of which are direct-glute work. Right in the beginner sweet spot.
The Heavy Lifter Split — 3 days a week (intermediate)
For: women with 6 months to 2 years of consistent lifting. Three lower-body / glute-focused sessions per week, with varied intensity (one heavy day, one volume day, one accessory day).
Day A — Heavy Hip Thrust (Monday)
- Barbell hip thrust — 4 sets of 6 reps (heavy)
- Romanian deadlift — 4 sets of 8 reps
- Bulgarian split squat — 3 sets of 8 per leg
- Cable kickback — 3 sets of 12 per leg
Day B — Squat Focus (Wednesday)
- Back squat — 4 sets of 6 reps
- Hip thrust — 3 sets of 12 reps (lighter, more reps)
- Reverse lunge — 3 sets of 10 per leg
- Seated hip abduction — 3 sets of 15
Day C — Accessory + Single Leg (Friday)
- Single-leg hip thrust — 4 sets of 10 per leg
- Romanian deadlift — 3 sets of 10 reps (lighter, slower tempo)
- Step-up — 3 sets of 10 per leg
- Banded glute bridge burnout — 2 sets of 25 reps
Total sets per week: ~35 sets, with ~20 direct-glute sets. Intermediate growth volume.
The DUMPY Y2K Pro Split — 3 days a week (advanced glute specialization)
For: women with 2+ years of consistent lifting who want a dedicated glute hypertrophy phase. Run for 8–12 weeks max, then return to a more balanced split. This is high-volume glute work — recovery and nutrition need to be on point.
Day A — Heavy Glute Day (Monday)
- Barbell hip thrust — 5 sets of 5 reps (heavy, top-end strength)
- Romanian deadlift — 4 sets of 6 reps
- Pause hip thrust — 3 sets of 8 with 2-sec pause at top
- Walking lunge — 3 sets of 12 steps per leg
Day B — Volume Glute Day (Wednesday)
- Hip thrust — 4 sets of 12 reps (moderate weight)
- Single-leg RDL — 3 sets of 8 per leg
- Bulgarian split squat (deficit) — 4 sets of 8 per leg
- Cable hip abduction — 4 sets of 15
- Banded kickback finisher — 2 sets of 25 per leg
Day C — Stretch & Accessory (Friday)
- Deficit RDL — 4 sets of 8 reps
- Front-foot-elevated reverse lunge — 3 sets of 10 per leg
- Single-leg hip thrust — 4 sets of 12 per leg
- Frog pump — 2 sets of 30 reps (burnout)
Total sets per week: ~40 sets, ~28 direct-glute. Advanced glute specialization volume. Don't run this year-round — it's a phase.
Common mistakes when running any of these splits
- Adding "just one more glute exercise." The splits above are calibrated. Adding 3 more exercises per session will not give you more growth, it will give you more recovery debt.
- Skipping the rest day. The 72 hours between sessions is when growth happens. Stack glute days back-to-back and you'll just be more tired.
- Switching programs after 3 weeks. Pick one. Run it 8+ weeks. Track everything. Then evaluate.
- Underloading hip thrusts. Most beginner women can hip thrust significantly more than they think. If you're hip thrusting 8 reps with weight that feels easy by rep 5, the weight is too light.
- Not eating enough. You can't build a muscle you're not feeding.
The takeaway
You don't need a custom-built program designed by a coach. You need a sensible split, run consistently for at least 8 weeks, with progressive overload tracked on every lift.
If you want all three of these splits (with progressive overload tracking, warm-ups, and a Y2K interface that doesn't look like every other beige fitness app) handed to you — DUMPY Y2K's three programs are these exact splits. Free to download, easy to start.