The Best Bodyweight Exercises for Glutes and Hamstrings
Strong glutes and hamstrings do more than shape how your legs look — they hold your hips together, protect your lower back, and power almost every athletic movement you make. The good news is you don't need a gym full of machines to train them well. In this session, we walk through four calisthenics-based moves that hit the glutes and hamstrings hard, using nothing but your own bodyweight and a little control.
Nordic Curls (Hack Curls)
The first exercise is one of the most respected bodyweight hamstring movements out there — known as the Nordic curl, or sometimes the hack curl. It's a favorite for good reason: it loads the hamstrings through a long range of motion and builds real strength, not just a burn.
To set it up, have someone anchor your feet from behind, or hook them under something sturdy. From a kneeling position, lean forward as far as you can control, resisting the fall with your hamstrings the whole way down. As you feel yourself starting to lose control of the descent, begin bending at the waist rather than letting your hips collapse. Once you've bent at the waist and reached toward the floor, reverse the movement — bring your torso back up without letting your hips drift backward. In the more advanced version, the entire body moves up and down as one controlled unit, without breaking at the hips at all.
This is a demanding exercise, so don't be discouraged if the full range feels out of reach at first — the regressions below are there to help you build toward it.
B-Stance Glute Bridge
Not everyone will be ready to load the Nordic curl right away, and that's exactly what this next move is for. The second exercise is the B-stance glute bridge — "B-stance" simply meaning one foot is set slightly forward as a kickstand while the other leg does most of the work.
Through the movement, focus on the heel-to-toe rhythm: strike through the heel, then rise up through the toes, driving your hips upward as you go. Keep the hips lifted and level throughout. Many people notice an intense pressure through one hip, especially the working side — that's normal, but it's a signal to move a little slower and stay in control, particularly if you have any history of lower back issues. Train this one thoughtfully rather than rushing the reps.
To increase the challenge, try elevating the toes of your working foot. That small adjustment noticeably increases glute activation — you'll likely feel (and see) the difference right away. The B-stance bridge is excellent both for shaping and strengthening the glutes, and because it also works the hamstrings through knee flexion, it earns its place as a genuine two-for-one movement.
The "Table Maker"
The third exercise is a variation sometimes nicknamed the "table maker," because of the shape your body creates at the top of the movement. It's especially valuable for people who spend a lot of time sitting in chairs during the day, since it directly counters that seated posture.
The key coaching cue here is to avoid arching your lower back. Instead of arching, focus on lifting through the hips and squeezing the glutes tight, keeping the spine in a neutral position throughout — you should be able to see a straight, flat back rather than one caving or overextending. Done correctly, this exercise builds glute strength while actively working against the effects of prolonged sitting, making it a great addition for posture as much as for strength.
B-Stance Deadlift (B-Stance Reach)
The final exercise in this set is the B-stance deadlift, also called the B-stance reach. Like the bridge earlier, this uses a staggered "B" stance — one leg planted squarely under the hips doing the work, the other trailing behind purely for balance.
Set your hips square and level, then hinge forward, reaching your arms out and down, until you feel a strong, noticeable stretch through the hamstring of your front leg. Keep a slight bend in that front knee rather than locking it out. This position also does a solid job of activating the glutes as you push forward and reach.
The hip position is what makes this exercise work: keep your hips stable and pushed backward as you hinge, letting your front knee bend to accommodate the movement while your back leg simply provides balance — it isn't doing the heavy lifting. At the same time, reach forward with your arms. And as with any deadlift-style movement, keep your back straight throughout the entire rep, without rounding or arching.