Do Squats Work Hamstrings and Glutes?

Do squats target the hamstrings and glutes?

Short answer: No. 

Long answer: Squats mostly use the quads and, to a lesser extent, the hamstrings and glutes. However, plenty of other exercises out there target the hamstring and glutes at a greater intensity than squats do if your main goal is to build a stronger butt and hamstrings.

But, if you want a more detailed explanation, here’s everything you need to know about squats. 

I’ll discuss what muscles they do and don’t work and some exercises to target the hamstrings and glutes.

Which Muscles Do Squats Work?

The quadriceps are responsible for flexing the knee joint, like squatting down to pick something up. Since squats are a knee flexion movement, squats mainly target the quadricep muscles and the stabilizer muscles like your hip abductors and adductors.

In addition to the quadriceps and the stabilizers, your glute muscles slightly contract when you’re at the bottom of a squat.

What Are the Hamstring and Glutes?

The hamstring muscles are located at the back of your thighs, right below your butt. Glutes are the muscles of your butt.

How Do the Hamstrings Work?

The hamstring muscles contract when your hip hinges, like when you touch your toes, or when you curl your legs, like if you were trying to get your heel to touch your but. This then brings the hip joint out while extending the knee joint.

How Do the Glutes Work?

The glutes work when your hip hinges but not when you curl your legs. The glutes are stimulated best when your leg goes behind your body, like how a donkey kicks.

Why Are Squats a Bad Option for the Hamstrings and Glutes?

Squats are a terrible option for developing the hamstrings and glutes since they’re a knee flexion movement, not a hip hinge.

This happens because of two reasons:

• Muscle activation
• Hamstring length

When you squat, the quadriceps contract. 

But, the hamstring muscles don’t receive much activation as they aren’t performing their muscular purpose.

In addition to that, the hamstrings are responsible for extending the knee joint. 

So, when you squat, the hamstrings contract and are then stretched. 

This is great for strengthening your quadriceps, but it isn’t a good exercise for strengthening the hamstrings and glutes.

Better Exercises to Target the Hamstrings and Glutes

Here are some exercises that are better than squats for your hamstrings and glutes:

• Hip Thrusts — These work the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back tremendously. If you want to build a bigger, firmer butt, do hip thrusts.
• Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) — These work the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and upper back. RDLs activate the hamstrings slightly more than hip thrusts, but hip thrusts would build a bigger butt.
• Hip Extensions — These work the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. These are similar to hip thrusts as they both help you build a big, strong butt. But hip extensions work the lower back more and are easier to set up.

Conclusion

Squats are a great exercise, but they only train the front of the legs. 

If you’re not supplementing them with other hip hinge exercises, you’re not training the muscles at the back of the leg.

If you want to build a big, strong butt for athletics or to look good, I highly recommend adding hip thrusts, RDLs, and hip extensions into your workout routine.

I hope this helped!

If you’re unsure whether a full-body or split workout routine is better, I recommend reading this article to find out which is better based on your goals.