Easy 15-Minute AB AND GLUTE WORKOUT for Women at Home (No Equipment)

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Reviewed By: Ashley Castleberry

Not every ab and glute workout needs to involve squats and lunges. Sometimes the floor is all you need.

Today’s core and glute workout keeps things simple — 15 minutes, no equipment, and you don’t even have to stand up.

It’s one of the best glute workout options when you want something effective but low-key. Just follow along and give each move your best effort!

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1

Cocoons

Let’s kick off this at home abs and glutes workout with a solid core move. You’ll stretch everything out — arms, legs, the whole deal — then pull it all in for a reverse crunch.

It sounds simple, but keeping your lower back glued to the floor when you extend? That’s the tricky part. Go as slow as you need to here.

Modification: Drop the legs and just do the reverse crunch on its own.

How to perform:

  • Lay down on the floor with your arms and legs extended.
  • Bring everything in for a reverse crunch.
  • Extend your arms and legs back out.
  • Make sure you press your lower back into the floor when you extend your limbs.
  • If extending fully is too difficult, you can drop the legs and just do a reverse crunch.
  • Take this movement as slow as you need to.
2

Bicycle Legs with Crunch

For this one, you’re holding a crunch the entire time while your legs do all the pedaling. Your upper body stays locked in — no dropping down between reps!

The goal is to extend those legs out as far as you can without losing that lower back connection to the floor. 

Fair warning: your abs will start talking to you real quick.

How to perform:

  • Press your lower back into the floor.
  • Position your legs at a 90-degree angle.
  • Keep your upper body held up in a crunch position.
  • While holding the crunch and keeping your lower back pressed down, perform bicycle legs.
  • Extend your legs out as far as they can go while maintaining the position.
3

Glute Bridge to Crunch

This is a two-for-one kind of move. You’ll press your hips up into a glute bridge, come back down, then go straight into a crunch.

It’s a great combo for this core and glute workout because you’re never really resting. Make sure you sit into your heels when you bridge up — that’s where you’ll really feel your glutes fire.

How to perform:

  • Keep your feet flat on the floor and place your fingertips by your ears.
  • Press your hips all the way up into a glute bridge.
  • Sit into your heels and press the hips as high as they can go.
  • Lower your hips back down.
  • Once down, press your lower back into the floor and perform a crunch.
  • Repeat the sequence: Bridge up, come down, crunch.
4

Crunch with Abduction

Here’s where things get a little creative. You’ll open your legs like you’re pushing against a booty band, and as they open, you crunch up and reach your fingertips through the gap.

It might feel awkward the first couple of reps, but once you get the rhythm, it’s a great way to hit both your abs and inner thighs in one shot.

How to perform:

  • Bring your legs up to a 90-degree angle and press your lower back into the floor.
  • Extend your arms above your head.
  • Open your legs as if you are resisting a booty band (abduction).
  • As you open your legs, perform a crunch and bring your fingertips through the open space between your legs.
  • Close your legs as you lower your upper body back down.
5

Butterfly Crunch

Open your knees out wide and keep your heels glued together — that’s your frog position. From there, you’ll crunch up and bring your elbows to meet your knees.

The key here? Your knees don’t move. You’re doing all the work with your upper body. If you feel your knees creeping toward you, reset and try again.

How to perform:

  • Open your knees while keeping your heels together.
  • Bring your elbows to your knees for a crunch.
  • Ensure your knees do not move; you are bringing your upper body to your knees.
  • Press your lower back into the floor throughout the movement.
6

Butterfly Leg Kicks

Stay in that same frog setup, but now you’re extending your legs straight out and pulling them back in. You’ll feel this one in your inner thighs on top of your abs.

Keep those arms down by your sides and focus on controlled movements. No rushing — the slower you go, the more you’ll feel it.

How to perform:

  • Keep your legs in the frog position (knees open, heels together) and place your arms down.
  • Extend your legs out straight.
  • Bring the legs back in to the starting frog position.
  • Keep your lower back pressed into the floor.
  • Focus on feeling this movement in your inner thighs.
7

Donkey To Fire Hyrdrant

Time to flip over! You’ll get into tabletop and start with a donkey kick followed by a fire hydrant. This is where the full glute workout really starts to kick in.

The biggest thing to watch for: keep your hips square. Drive the working hip toward the ground so you’re actually using your glute and not just swinging the leg around.

How to perform:

  • Flip over into a tabletop position.
  • Choose a side to start with (e.g., left leg).
  • Perform a donkey kick, driving the working hip into the floor to keep your hips square.
  • Immediately follow the kick with a fire hydrant movement.
  • Squeeze and hold at the top of the movements.
8

Donkey Pulse

After those kicks, you’re going to hold that knee up and pulse your heel toward the ceiling. It’s a small movement, but it burns — in the best way.

Don’t arch your back to get the leg higher. Keep your core tight and let your glute do the lifting. A little squeeze at the top goes a long way.

How to perform:

  • After the initial set, hold the knee up and pulse it up.
  • Press your heel toward the ceiling.
  • Make sure you are not arching your back to get the leg up.
  • Keep your core nice and tight throughout the movement.
9

Bird Dog Crunch

Now you’ll extend the working leg and lift the opposite arm at the same time. Balance is the real challenge here, so don’t be surprised if you wobble a bit!

Bring the arm and leg in for a crunch, then extend back out. This is a simple glute workout move that also fires up your core like crazy.

(Don’t forget to repeat exercises 7–9 on your other leg!)

How to perform:

  • From the pulse position, extend the working leg and lift the opposite arm.
  • Find your balance and use your core.
  • Bring the opposite arm and leg in for a crunch.
  • Extend them back out.
  • Lower them down, then bring them back up to repeat the sequence.
Note: Repeat this entire sequence—Donkey Kick, Pulse, and Bird Dog Crunch—on the other leg after a 15-second rest. Ensure the hip of the working leg faces toward the ground so you use the glute and hamstring.
10

Single Leg Glute Bridge with Crunch

Time to combine everything you’ve been working on. You’ll do a single-leg glute bridge, come down, and add a crunch with a leg lift.

Press those hips up as high as you can and really sit into that supporting heel. This one asks a lot of your body, so take your time with the transitions.

How to perform:

  • Lay down on your back with arms extended.
  • Perform a single-leg glute bridge by pressing your hips up as high as you can while sitting into the supporting heel.
  • Come down from the bridge.
  • As you lower, perform a crunch while bringing the working leg up toward you.
  • Lower the leg and upper body, then repeat the bridge.
  • Complete the set on one leg before switching to the other leg.
11

Regular Glute Bridge

Both feet are back on the floor for this one — classic glute bridge. Send those hips up, squeeze at the top, and come back down.

Don’t hang out at the bottom too long, though. Keep the movement going and protect that lower back by pressing it into the floor every time you come down.

How to perform:

  • Place both feet flat on the floor.
  • Send your hips up into a regular glute bridge.
  • Press your lower back into the floor when you are at the bottom.
  • Don’t spend too much time at the bottom; keep the hips moving.
12

Glute Bridge Pulse

You’ll stay in the top half of the bridge and pulse — down about halfway, then all the way back up. This is one of those moves that looks easy until you’re 15 seconds in!

Stay in that upper range and keep the rhythm going. Your glutes should be on fire by now, and that’s exactly where you want to be in this glute workout routine.

How to perform:

  • Press your hips all the way up to the top of the bridge.
  • Lower your hips down about halfway.
  • Immediately press them all the way back up.
  • Continue this pulsing motion, staying in the top range of the movement.
13

Glute Bridge Hold

Last 30 seconds of the bridge series, and you’re just holding at the top. Don’t drop those hips — challenge yourself to press them even a little higher.

Squeeze your booty as tight as you can and breathe through it. This is the part of the buttocks workout where mental strength matters just as much as physical.

How to perform:

  • For the last 30 seconds of the sequence, hold your hips up at the very top.
  • Keep your hips pressed as high as they can possibly go.
  • Squeeze your booty tightly while maintaining the hold.
  • Do not drop the hips; challenge yourself to press them even a little higher before releasing.
14

Oblique Crunch with Leg Lift

Roll onto your side for this one. You’ll crunch up while lifting your top leg in a fire hydrant–style motion. Try to get your elbow to touch your leg at the top.

It’s a combo that hits your obliques and your side glute at the same time. If you’re looking for the best glute workout moves that also target your waistline, this is it.

How to perform:

  • Lay on your side with your legs bent.
  • Come up and squeeze your side booty.
  • As you lift your upper body, lift your top leg in a fire hydrant-like movement.
  • Try to get your elbow to touch your leg.
  • Lower your body and leg back down.
15

Clamshells

Prop yourself up on your elbow, hand on your hip, and open those legs like a clamshell while pressing your bottom hip up. You’ll feel your obliques and outer glutes working together here.

Make sure you’re pressing that hip all the way up — don’t let it sag. Even if you’re new to workout routines for beginners, you’ll get the hang of this one fast.

How to perform:

  • Prop yourself up on your elbow.
  • Place your hand on your hip and keep your legs bent.
  • Lift your hips off the ground while opening your legs (clam shell motion).
  • Press the bottom hip all the way up and squeeze your oblique.
  • Lower your hips and close your legs.
  • (Perform the Side Oblique Crunch and Clam Shells on the other side after a rest).
16

Low Plank with Leg Kicks

You made it to the finish line! For this last move, you’ll hold a low plank — and if you’re feeling strong, kick one leg up at a time.

Squeeze your booty at the top of each kick and keep that core locked in. Even just holding the plank for 30 seconds is a solid way to close out this glute and ab workout.

How to perform:

  • Get into a low plank position on your elbows.
  • You can choose to just hold the low plank.
  • Alternatively, kick one leg up at a time while holding the plank.
  • Squeeze your booty as you lift the leg.

Article Medically reviewed by

I’m fitness coach Ashley Castleberry, an NASM-certified personal trainer and nutritionist, as well as a coach on an established YouTube Channel with over 1 million followers. With certifications from major fitness brands, I specialize in athletic, HIIT, and strength training. Leveraging my experience coaching clients on lifestyle changes, I provide customized exercise and nutrition guidance to help people reach their fitness goals, whether that be weight loss, muscle gain or overall health improvement.

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Download this free printable Workout Tracker! Plus receive weekly workout tips when you subscribe.

Writer & Editor
Tonya McIntosh

Hi, I’m Tonya McIntosh — Founder of TGFFitness, NASM-certified Nutrition Coach, and Personal Trainer. With over 8 years of coaching experience, I’ve seen firsthand that the biggest challenge most people face isn’t starting — it’s staying consistent.

Finding your true motivator is the key to lasting results — and I’ll show you how. Keep Reading.

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