All Cheeked UpGlute Training Guides
Progressive Overload for Glutes, Without the Fairy Tale
How to make glute training harder on purpose: reps, load, range, and rest. Plus the things that are not progress.
By All Cheeked Up Coaching. Updated 2026-10-21. Reviewed as general fitness education, not as personal coaching.
Progress is a comparison with last time
Overload means the work is a notch harder than it was, in a way you can repeat. For a hip thrust, that might be 5 more pounds. For a banded kickback, it might be a slower lowering or a thicker band. For a beginner squat, it might be one extra rep with the same depth.
It is not a new exercise every workout. It is not a burn that leaves you unable to walk. Soreness is a side effect, not a score.
A simple rule
Write down the exercise, the load, and the reps. Next time, try to match it. When you match the top of the range with form you would show a coach, add a little. If you miss, repeat.
Every few weeks, hold the loads steady for a week. The Heavy Cheek Club is built around that idea. You can do the same thing in a notebook.
Keep going: hip thrust, back squat, banded kickback