Advanced Home Workout for Women (Glute Builder + HIIT)

Program overview

This advanced plan is for experienced women who want to build stronger, rounder glutes, defined shoulders and great conditioning without going to a gym. It runs five days per week: three lower-body days with different glute emphasis, one upper-body day and one HIIT day.

Training the glutes three times per week with different rep ranges and exercises is supported by research on muscle growth: higher weekly volume, spread across several sessions, tends to produce better results than one long "leg day".

Use heavy dumbbells for the main lifts and push the accessory sets close to failure. Sessions take 50–60 minutes.

Equipment needed: Adjustable dumbbells (up to 40–50 lb / 18–24 kg), a kettlebell, resistance bands, a bench and a jump rope.

Weekly schedule

• Mon: Glute strength
• Tue: Upper body
• Wed: Glute & quad volume
• Thu: Rest
• Fri: Glute & hamstring pump
• Sat: HIIT + core
• Sun: Rest

You can move days around to fit your life. Just avoid training the same muscle group hard on two days in a row, and keep at least one full rest day per week.

Warm-up (8–10 minutes, before every workout)

1. 3–5 minutes of easy cardio: brisk walking, marching on the spot, light jumping jacks or cycling.
2. Cat-cow stretch × 8 reps to loosen the spine.
3. World’s greatest stretch × 5 per side to open the hips and upper back.
4. 10 bodyweight squats and 10 glute bridges.
5. 1–2 light warm-up sets of the first exercise of the day.

The workouts

Perform the exercises in order. "Rest" is the time between sets. Click any exercise for animated pictures and step-by-step instructions.

Glute strengthHeavy lower body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Glute Bridges	4	8–10 heavy (pause 2 sec)	90 sec
Romanian Deadlifts	4	8–10	90 sec
Bulgarian Split Squats	4	8 per leg	90 sec
Kettlebell Swings	3	15	60 sec
Side-Lying Leg Raises	3	20 per leg (band)	30 sec

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Key exercise of the day: Glute Bridges. The glute bridge is one of the best exercises for building and activating the glutes. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Upper bodyShoulders, back, arms

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Push-Ups	4	8–15	60 sec
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows	4	10–12 per arm	60 sec
Arnold Press	3	10–12	60 sec
Lateral Raises	4	15	30 sec
Reverse Dumbbell Flyes	3	15	30 sec
Hammer Curls	3	12	30 sec
Close-Grip (Diamond) Push-Ups	3	8–12	45 sec

Key exercise of the day: Push-Ups. The push-up is the most famous bodyweight exercise in the world for a reason. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Glute & quad volumeLower body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Goblet Squats	4	12–15 (3-sec lowering)	75 sec
Step-Ups	4	12 per leg	60 sec
Walking Lunges	3	12 per leg	60 sec
Single-Leg Glute Bridges	3	15 per leg	45 sec
Standing Calf Raises	3	20	30 sec
Hanging Leg Raises	3	10 (or reverse crunches)	45 sec

Key exercise of the day: Goblet Squats. In a goblet squat you hold one dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Glute & hamstring pumpLower body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Reverse Lunges	4	12 per leg	60 sec
Romanian Deadlifts	3	15 (single-leg optional)	60 sec
Glute Bridges	3	25 (band)	45 sec
Donkey Kicks (Glute Kickbacks)	3	20 per leg	30 sec
Superman	3	15	30 sec

Key exercise of the day: Reverse Lunges. In a reverse lunge you step backward instead of forward. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

HIIT + coreConditioning

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Jump Rope	6	45 sec	15 sec
Jump Squats	4	12	30 sec
Mountain Climbers	4	40 sec	20 sec
Push-Up to Side Plank	3	8 per side	30 sec
Flutter Kicks	3	30 sec	30 sec
Russian Twists	3	20 per side	30 sec

Key exercise of the day: Jump Rope. Jumping rope is one of the most efficient cardio workouts. Give it your best focus while you are fresh.

Cool-down (5 minutes)

Finish every session with 60 seconds of child’s pose, slow walking and a few deep breaths. Gentle stretching after training will not prevent soreness, but it helps you relax and shift into recovery mode.

8-week progression

Keep a simple training log: date, exercise, weight (or variation) and reps for each set. If a number goes up compared with last week, you are making progress. If you stall for 2–3 weeks on a lift, check your sleep and food first, then swap to a similar exercise for a few weeks.

Cardio and daily steps

Strength training is the base of this program, but cardio supports heart health and fat loss. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (for example 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week), which matches the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines. A daily step goal of 7,000–10,000 is a simple target that also burns a meaningful number of calories without hurting recovery.

For fat loss, add 2–3 sessions of 20–30 minutes of cardio after your workouts or on rest days. Incline treadmill walking, cycling and the elliptical are low-impact choices.

Nutrition for this program

Training creates the signal; food provides the building blocks. Three simple rules work for almost everyone:

1. Eat enough protein: about 0.7–1 g per pound of body weight (1.6–2.2 g/kg) per day, spread over 3–5 meals.
2. Set your calories for your goal: a moderate deficit to lose fat, a small surplus to build muscle, maintenance to recomposition. Use our calorie calculator.
3. Eat mostly whole foods: lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, whole grains, potatoes, fruit and vegetables.

For a ready-made menu, try our 7-day meal plan or get personal numbers with the plan builder.

Recovery: sleep, rest days and soreness

Muscles grow between workouts, not during them. Sleep 7–9 hours per night, take at least one full rest day per week, and manage stress. Mild muscle soreness (DOMS) 24–72 hours after a workout is normal, especially in the first weeks. Light activity such as walking usually helps it fade faster. Sharp joint pain is not normal: stop the exercise and get it checked.

Frequently asked questions

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