How To Get A Rounder Bum At The Sides (5 Glute-Curves Exercises)

Getting a rounder bum at the sides is possible, only if you’re doing the right type of exercises.

If you’re willing to put in the work consistently you can see positive changes in your side glutes over time. To get a rounder butt, you should focus on exercises that target the key muscles in your glutes:

• The gluteus medius
• The gluteus minimus
• And the gluteus maximus

However, being that your goal is to get rounder on both sides, you’ll be doing exercises that target mostly the gluteus medius muscle. 

This muscle is in charge of the side part of the bum. That being said, to avoid developing square-shaped glutes, you should target all 3 glute muscles with different types of exercises. 

This will give your glutes a bigger and rounder look. In this guide you’ll learn how to build a rounder and fuller side bum and we’ll go over some of the best exercises to help you achieve this goal.

What Is The Gluteus Medius?

There are two muscles at each side of the buttocks called the gluteus medius. 

These muscles need to be worked if you want to shape your “side bum”. The side glutes is the area of your butt that connects your backside to your hips and thighs.

To get a fuller and rounder bum, you should be consistently doing an exercise routine that targets the gluteus medius. This will help you strengthen your glutes so they grow more curvier.

Will Working The Gluteus Medius Make My Bum Rounder On Both Sides?

Training your gluteus medius regularly will add more dimension to your butt, making them look rounder and curvaceous.

Now bear in mind, it can’t create a completely round bum, you should be also doing exercises that target the gluteus maximus as well for it to develop a rounder shape.

Why Is Training The Gluteus Medius Very Important?

Training your gluteus medius isn’t just about aesthetics. Its main function is to stabilize the hip joint and support the leg during single-leg activities.(1)

The gluteus medius is often referred to as the “core” of the glutes. This is because it is responsible for most of the movement and stability of the hip joint. 

When the gluteus medius is weak, it can lead to a number of problems, including:

• Hip instability
• Poor balance
• Knee pain
• Lower back pain

Why Resistance Band Is Helpful In Growing The Glutes Medius

There are a number of ways to train the gluteus medius. These includes, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, weightlifting and pilates.

While all of these methods are effective, resistance bands are often considered the best way to train the gluteus medius. Reasons are:

• They can be used to target not only the gluteus medius but also the maximus and minimus
• They’re very easy to use and do not require a lot of space
• They’re relatively inexpensive

If you’re looking to grow a rounder bum, improve your hip stability and reduce risk of injuries, then you should definitely consider training your gluteus medius. 

Resistance bands are a great way to do this, and they offer a number of other benefits as well.

Best Exercises For The Gluteus Medius To Get A Rounder Bum

These exercises focus on the gluteus medius and are a great addition to your current lower body workout.  With these moves, you can achieve a curvier, fuller, and rounder butt.

Note: The time it takes for glutes to grow depends on your ability to be consistent with your glute workouts and eating a healthy high-protein diet.

1. Elevated Clam

Starting off this list is the elevated clam exercise. This move targets the gluteus medius very well and it can be easily done with or without a resistance band.  

How to do it: 

• Lie down sideways on the left side with your legs bent and hovering above the ground 
• Slowly open the right leg far apart from the left leg as much as you can
• Hold the position 2-3 seconds and return to starting position
• Do 3 sets of 15 reps of this move on each side

2. Clam Extended Leg Lift

With this exercise you’re going to really feel the burn in your side glutes. This move targets the gluteus medius and even the gluteus minimus. Working these side butt muscles consistently will lead to rounder bum overtime.

Again, you don’t need a resistance band but if you do have one use it for extra resistance.

How to do it: 

• Lie down on your left side as shown in the image above with your right leg extended 90 degrees to your body
• Now slowly raise your right leg as high as possible and hold the position for 2 seconds then return to the starting point
• Aim to do 3 sets of 12 reps on each side

3. Dumbbell Fire Hydrant

If you don’t have a 4-6 pound dumbbell you can still do this exercise. That being said, just fill a water bottle and use it instead.

The thing is, you want to add extra stress to these side glute muscles for them to grow. Without extra resistance they will struggle to develop and get rounder.

How to do it: 

• Get on all fours and make sure the dumbbell or water bottle is held between your left leg hamstring and calf
• Slowly lift your left leg sideways until it’s parallel to the ground and hold that position for 2 seconds
• In a slow and controlled manner, return to the starting position and repeat the move
• Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps on both each side

4. Standing Fire Hydrant

This is an amazing gluteus medius exercise that will really let you feel the burn. Plus, its very easy to do and can be done anywhere.

Optionally, you can add a resistance band to work the side bum muscles even more. 

How to do it: 

• Stand on your right leg as shown in the image above with your left leg off the ground and your right hand on the wall for stability
• Raise your left leg sideways as high as possible until it’s above the ground’s parallel
• Hold that peak position for 2 seconds and slowly return to the starting position
• Do 3 sets of 15 reps for maximum engagement

5. Single Leg Squat

The single leg squat is one of the best exercises for training your gluteus medius. 

In this study by the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, this simple body weight exercise has been demonstrated to activate the gluteus medius to 64% of its maximum voluntary isometric contraction (this is just the standard measure for muscle strength).

This makes it the one of the highest of any exercise. So make sure to add it to your glutes workouts and get good at performing it properly.

 The video below shows you how to do it:

• Start by standing on one leg with your other leg lifted off the ground
• Bend your standing leg and lower your body down into a squat
• Go as low as you can while keeping your other leg lifted off the ground
• Push back up to the starting position
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions
• Switch legs and repeat

Now You Know How To Get A Rounder Bum At The Sides 

So remember, you should add gluteus-medius specific exercise to your butt workout such as Elevate Clam, Dumbbell Fire Hydrant, Single Leg Squats and the others mentioned above.

You don’t have to do it all at once, just mix it up now and then. If you want a great gluteus medius workout routine to do right away check out the video below: