Best glutes exercises on machines

Exercises where glutes are a main mover and that need a machine or Smith machine, plus a bench at most. Best muscle growth rating first, with more weight on ratings several sources agree on. The full glutes ranking covers every kind of equipment.

  1. 1Smith machine front-foot-elevated lunge, start positionSmith machine front-foot-elevated lungeLungeSmith machineTop tier for the target muscle. Peak tension at a deep stretch. Also works quads and hamstrings.
    Growth
    4.8 5 sources
  2. 2Machine multi-hip, start positionMachine multi-hipHip extensionMulti-hip machineVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works adductors.
    Growth
    4.0 1 source
  3. 3Smith machine lunge, start positionSmith machine lungeLungeSmith machineVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works quads and hamstrings.
    Growth
    4.0 1 source
  4. 4Smith machine squat, start positionSmith machine squatSquatSmith machineVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works quads and adductors.
    Growth
    4.0 1 source
    Worth the fatigue
    4.0 1 source
    Injury risk
    3.0 2 sources
  5. 5Machine hip thrust, start positionMachine hip thrustHip extensionHip thrust machineVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works hamstrings.
    Growth
    3.5 2 sources
  6. 6Machine glute kickback, start positionMachine glute kickbackHip extensionGlute kickback machineSolid; a reasonable default. Also works hamstrings.
    Growth
    3.0 2 sources
  7. 7Reverse hyperextension, start positionReverse hyperextensionHip extensionReverse hyper machineSolid; a reasonable default. Also works lower back and hamstrings.
    Growth
    2.5 2 sources