Rejuvenate Your Glutes: Top 4 Standing Exercises for Ageless Strength

Concerned about weak glutes after reaching 60? These four standing exercises can help rebuild hip strength, all without the need for a gym class.

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Strengthening the glutes becomes increasingly beneficial after 60 when it ties into natural movement. The goal is to have hips that enable you to stand upright with ease, stride energetically, ascend stairs with confidence, and spare your lower back from tasks meant for your glutes. An effective standing exercise routine can achieve all this without the hassle of crowded classes or extensive equipment.

While gym classes can boost motivation, their rapid pace often hinders the ability to truly focus on engaging your glutes. Standing glute exercises, however, grant you greater control over each repetition. You can sit into a squat, hinge properly during a good morning, challenge your posterior with a Romanian deadlift (RDL), and finish with kickbacks that hone in on hip extension. Each movement assigns a unique role to your glutes, making for a well-rounded routine.

My coaching philosophy is straightforward: let the hips take the lead. Execute each rep smoothly, press through your feet, engage your core, and pause just long enough to feel your glutes complete the movement. This approach builds strength through everyday postures, not merely chasing the sensation of a workout burn.

These four standing exercises address the primary functions your glutes should perform. Squats develop bilateral leg strength, good mornings train the hips to hinge effectively, RDLs offer an increased challenge to the posterior, and kickbacks promote focused glute activation. Whether you use your bodyweight, resistance bands, dumbbells, or kettlebells, choose based on your current strength and comfort levels.

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Squats

Squats train your glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips, and core while reinforcing one of the most important lower-body patterns after 60. Every rep asks your hips to sit back, your legs to drive, and your glutes to help you return to standing. Compared with a fast-paced class, squats give you room to slow down and feel your lower body working with more control. Stronger squats support standing from chairs, climbing stairs, getting out of the car, and moving with more confidence throughout the day.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, core.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Brace your core and keep your chest lifted.
3. Push your hips back and bend your knees.
4. Lower to a depth you can control.
5. Drive through your feet to stand tall.
6. Squeeze your glutes at the top.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds between each set.

Best Variations: Chair squats, box squats, goblet squats, pause squats.

Form Tip: Press through your whole foot and finish each rep by standing tall with your glutes.

Good Mornings

Good morning, train your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and core while teaching your hips to hinge with control. The glutes work as your hips drive back and then return forward to standing. This makes good mornings especially useful for rebuilding the backside strength that supports bending, lifting, walking uphill, and maintaining strong posture. Move slowly and treat the exercise like a hip drill with strength benefits.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back, core.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands behind your head, across your chest, or hold a light band.
3. Brace your core and soften your knees.
4. Push your hips back as your torso leans forward.
5. Stop when you feel your hamstrings and glutes working.
6. Drive your hips forward to return to standing.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps. Rest for 45 seconds between each set.

Best Variations: Bodyweight good mornings, banded good mornings, tempo good mornings, staggered-stance good mornings.

Form Tip: Keep your spine long and let your hips lead the movement.

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Dumbbell RDL

Dumbbell RDLs train your glutes and hamstrings with more load than a bodyweight hinge. As the dumbbells lower, your hamstrings lengthen, and your glutes help control the movement. Then your hips drive forward, bringing you back to standing. RDLs are a strong choice after 60 because they build the posterior-chain strength you need for lifting from the floor, carrying objects, walking with power, and keeping your lower body strong from the back side.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back, core, grip.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold dumbbells in front of your thighs.
2. Brace your core and soften your knees.
3. Push your hips back as the dumbbells travel down your legs.
4. Lower until you feel a stretch through your hamstrings.
5. Drive your hips forward to return to standing.
6. Finish tall without leaning back.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Rest for 60 seconds between each set.

Best Variations: Kettlebell RDLs, staggered-stance RDLs, single-leg RDLs, tempo RDLs.

Form Tip: Keep the dumbbells close to your legs and have your hips handle the movement.

Standing Glute Kickbacks

Standing glute kickbacks train your glutes through direct hip extension. The movement looks simple, but a controlled kickback can light up the backside quickly when you keep your torso steady and move from the hip. This exercise pairs well with squats, good mornings, and RDLs because it gives your glutes a more focused finish. Use a wall, chair, or countertop for light support to keep the rep clean and controlled.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, core, hip stabilizers.

How to Do It:

1. Stand tall behind a chair, wall, or sturdy surface.
2. Place your hands lightly on the support.
3. Shift your weight onto one foot.
4. Brace your core and extend your opposite leg behind you.
5. Squeeze your glute at the top of the movement.
6. Lower your foot with control and switch sides after your reps.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps per side. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds between each set.

Best Variations: Banded kickbacks, paused kickbacks, slower tempo kickbacks, cable kickbacks.

Form Tip: Lift from your glute and keep your lower back quiet.

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How to Build Stronger Glutes With Standing Exercises

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Standing glute work gives you a practical way to build strength where it matters most. Your hips learn to squat, hinge, extend, stabilize, and drive movement from positions you use every day. Keep each rep controlled, use a range you can own, and focus on feeling the glutes engage rather than rushing through the set.

• Make the hinge a priority: Good mornings and RDLs train the glutes and hamstrings through hip extension. Stronger hinging helps with bending, lifting, and walking with more power.
• Use squats for daily strength: Squats build the lower-body strength you use when standing from chairs, climbing stairs, and moving through regular tasks.
• Add direct glute work: Kickbacks give your glutes focused attention after the bigger movements. A short pause at the top can make each rep more effective.
• Control the lowering phase: Slower reps keep your muscles under tension longer. That helps build strength without needing to rush or add more complexity.
• Progress with small changes: Add reps, use a band, hold dumbbells, slow the tempo, or pause at the hardest part of the movement once the exercises feel smooth.

A strong set of glutes can make daily movement feel more powerful and supported. Train the squat, hinge, RDL, and kickback with consistent effort, and your hips will have a better base for walking, stairs, standing, and everything else your day asks from them.

References

1. Neto WK, Soares EG, Vieira TL, Aguiar R, Chola TA, Sampaio VL, Gama EF. Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Feb 24;19(1):195-203. PMID: 32132843; PMCID: PMC7039033.
2. Inacio M, Ryan AS, Bair WN, Prettyman M, Beamer BA, Rogers MW. Gluteal muscle composition differentiates fallers from non-fallers in community dwelling older adults. BMC Geriatr. 2014 Mar 25;14:37. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-14-37. PMID: 24666603; PMCID: PMC4101852.