Can I realistically reach my glute/toning goals at home with dumbbells up to 15kg?

reemhaqqi6467
reemhaqqi6467 Posts: 1 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building

I’m a 27 y/o woman, 157cm tall, currently 51kg. My main goal is glute growth — aiming for a 7–12cm increase (from ~93cm hips to around 100–105cm), plus overall toning and some upper body definition.

I haven’t trained in years, but I plan to work out consistently 3–4x/week. I already have a diet and workout plan in place.

Currently I have 2kg, 3kg, and 5kg dumbbells, and am about to buy 8kg, 12kg, and 15kg pairs. I also have resistance bands, a yoga mat, and a plastic stool I use instead of a bench.

I know a gym would be ideal, but for now I’d rather stay home. So — if I stick with this setup, would it be enough to help me actually reach my goals over the next 7–12 months? Or am I likely to plateau without going heavier?

If you do think I’ll eventually need more than 15kg, what would I need to add to keep progressing and finally reach my goal? I couldn’t find any good-quality adjustable dumbbells where I live, so that’s not an option unfortunately.

Would really appreciate any insight 🙏🏼

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Answers

  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,936 Member

    I train for specific strength for my sport rather than aesthetics, and there are people on here with a lot more experience in your kind of training.

    For what it’s worth though, I think you will need a lot more than 15kg. I’m a lot older than you so my muscle growth is likely to be slower, but I need to do heavy squats and glute bridges to build my glutes (think 120kg on glute bridges for reps). With only 15kg you’re going to have to focus on tempo to get those muscles working hard, ie Bulgarian split squats going down for three then up for three.
    The reality is that glutes are a big old muscle and need a lot of resistance training to grow. Those fitness influencers who say they built their bum with bands? Yeah they’re lying. They probably deadlift heavy, they squat heavy, they glute bridge heavy.

    There are some heavy bands you can get which are useful - but growing your glutes that much is going to require effort, dedication and hard work. And a calorie excess.

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 2,169 Member
    edited July 19

    I know you said it's hard to find adjustable db's but I'd strongly advise looking more, including the used market. You might also be able to find a pre-made set of loadable db's, e.g. in my last visit to the UK a friend loaned me a pair like this at the link. As a pair, they're 20kg, but a single db can be quickly loaded to 14kg. Or look to buy a pair of sleeves, Titan and others sell these, and buy the weight plates separately at any fitness store. Ultimately this will be cheaper and more flexible than repeatedly buying heavier and heavier db's as you progress, all of which also means more storage space needed.

    https://amzn.eu/d/dS2Vekz

    Assuming your max is a pair of 15kg, I think that will be challenging enough for you with single leg movements while holding both db's, e.g. Bulgarians, lunges, step-ups. They'll hit your glutes some. But it's not going to be enough for key exercises like regular squats or Romanians, or glute bridges.

    There's no such thing as toning. You can build muscle and lose muscle, and gain fat and lose fat, potentially at the same time with the right circumstances.

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,434 Member

    I’m happy with my fitness level at home and I don’t use anything over 35 lb. I typically only use the 35 one at a time for squats.

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 15,566 Member

    I put together this thread to discuss options to continue making strides in strength training, and only one of them required going heavier. Changing angles, adding reps, slowing down, and a whole lot more are ways we can make the weights we have seem so much heavier and continue to improve. Yes, eventually you may need to continue to get heavier weights, but that's not our only option:

    30-tips-to-increase-strength-training-intensity

  • I2k4
    I2k4 Posts: 217 Member

    Not a trainer, but suprising that a pair of 15kg dumbbells isn't enough for a fairly lightweight young woman to build glutes and upper body at home. Off the top consider a DB on the lap for glute bridges with relatively high volume sets (e.g. 12 to 20 reps) or to failure, and progress to single leg bridges if that's too easy - unilateral can be taxing at bodyweight. I also like lateral cossack squats for the side of the butt, adding a DB in a goblet hold. If a single DB is uncomfortable to hold, and if unwilling to splurge on a kettlebell, I have and use a plastic "Kettlegryp" for goblet, cossack and split squats and even for those glute-friendly kettlebell swings: won't win friends in the serious kettlebell community but good enough up to about 20kg.

  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,936 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48805511#Comment_48805511

    It’s not that lighter weight DBs won’t build glutes - they will, and especially if the person hasn’t done any lifting before. But the OP wanted c12cm growth - that’s quite a lot considering she appears quite small. I’ve only got personal experience to fall back on, but I think it unlikely anyone could build 5 inches of muscle growth on their bum using 15kg. It’s taken me years and a LOT of weights to build any muscle on my glutes!

  • I2k4
    I2k4 Posts: 217 Member

    I agree to the extent that there's much too much pointless abstract mathematical expectation and "goal setting" inflicted on just about every aspect of the general health and fitness space (as opposed to competitive sports or pageantry). Simple genetics is a huge factor, only revealed with actual experience of diet and work, and it's only experience that lets anybody realistically predict results.

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