5 Standing Exercises That Tighten Glutes Faster Than Gym Machines After 50

By Alexa Mellardo

August 4, 2026

Gym machines may be a go-to workout for many fitness enthusiasts, but they’re certainly not the only option. Standing exercises are an excellent way to build and improve functional fitness right at home. They help build solid core strength and bone density while engaging the stabilizer muscles and challenging your balance.

If your goal is to sculpt and tighten your glutes, we have five standing exercises that can help get the job done faster than gym machines after 50.

“Gym machines can absolutely build lower-body strength, but most of them lock you into one track and take balance out of the exercise. A leg press lets you push a lot of weight, but it does not ask your feet, ankles, hips, and core to stabilize you. The hip abductor machine works the side glutes, but you are sitting down while doing it,” explains Jacob Siwicki, founder and head coach of Siwicki Fitness, NCSF and AFAA certified, former top 1% globally ranked Equinox group fitness instructor (2019), Dartmouth economics graduate and former Dartmouth football player, fitness expert on FOX 5 DC, ranked #1 personal trainer in D.C. in 2021. “Standing exercises train the glutes the way you actually use them, getting out of a chair, climbing stairs, walking uphill, and catching your balance. Machines are useful for adding extra resistance, but standing work usually gives you more real-world strength from the same exercise.”

Squats

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Extend your arms ahead of you or place your hands on your hips.
3. Bend at the knees and hips as you lower into a squat.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
5. Press through your heels to rise back up to standing.

Reverse Lunges

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1. To begin, stand with your feet hip-distance apart and arms at your sides. Maintain a tall chest.
2. Step your left foot back a few feet, making sure to land on the ball of your foot.
3. Lower into a lunge position until your front thigh is parallel to the ground and your back knee hovers just above the floor.
4. Press through your front heel to rise back up to standing.

Standing Hip Extensions

1. Begin standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. If balance is a concern, hold onto a countertop or sturdy chair for support.
2. Slowly kick one leg straight behind you.
3. Squeeze the glute of the working leg, holding for 1 second at the top.
4. Return it back to the start position.
5. Switch sides.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts

1. Begin by standing tall and holding a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Shift your weight to one leg.
3. Keep a slight bend in the standing knee.
4. Lift the opposite leg straight behind you and reach toward the floor, keeping your lower back, shoulders, and hips straight as you do so.
5. Return to a standing position.

Lateral Step Squats

1. Begin standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and hands clasped at your heart’s center.
2. Take a big step out to the side with your right foot.
3. As your foot lands, press your hips back and lower into a squat, maintaining a tall chest.
4. Press through your heels to rise back up.
5. Bring your right foot back to the start position.
6. Repeat on the other side.