How Many Exercises for Glutes Is Enough to Grow?

If glute day has turned into a 12-exercise scavenger hunt, here’s the thing: more isn’t better. For most people asking how many exercises for glutes is enough to grow, the answer is much smaller than social media makes it look, and a smarter plan usually works faster.

What you’ll learn from this guide

You do not need a giant menu of glute moves to build stronger, fuller glutes. You need enough quality work, the right movement patterns, and a plan you can repeat long enough to actually progress.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how many glute exercises to do per week, how many to put in each workout, how to match that number to weekly sets, and how to tell if your current plan is helping or just making you tired. You’ll also get sample routines you can use right away, whether you train in a full gym, your garage, or on your living room floor at 6 a.m. before the rest of the house wakes up.

What you’ll need before you build your glute plan

Before Step 1, get three practical things in place: some kind of resistance, a simple way to track your training, and a weekly schedule that fits your real life. That sounds obvious, but honestly, most stalled glute plans break down right there.

1. Pick the equipment you actually have access to.

2. Set up a workout log on your phone or in a notebook.

3. Choose how many days per week you can realistically train.

If those three pieces are solid, the rest gets much easier.

Equipment options: gym, home, or bodyweight

You can grow your glutes in a gym, at home, or with a mix of both. A gym gives you the easiest path because barbells, dumbbells, cable machines, benches, leg presses, and abduction machines make progression simple. Home training can still work very well if you have dumbbells, a bench or sturdy couch edge, resistance bands, and enough room for split squats, RDLs, and step-ups.

Bodyweight-only training is the toughest setup for long-term growth, especially once beginner gains fade. It can still be useful at first, and it can absolutely improve glute control and endurance, but muscle growth needs increasing challenge. If your glute bridges and donkey kicks feel easy forever, your body has no reason to adapt.

1. Gym setup: barbells, dumbbells, cables, machines, benches.

2. Home setup: dumbbells, bands, bench, step, backpack loading.

3. Bodyweight setup: best for beginners, burnouts, and temporary training blocks.

Checkpoint: if you can perform some version of a thrust or bridge, a squat or split squat, a hinge, and a lateral movement, you have enough tools to build a working glute plan.

A simple workout log

A workout log matters more than adding fresh exercises every week. If you do hip thrusts on Monday and cannot remember whether last week you used 95 pounds for 8 reps or 115 pounds for 10, you’re guessing. Growth responds to progression, not novelty.

Track four things for each exercise: the movement, the sets, the reps, and the load. If you train with bands or bodyweight, track the band tension, tempo, pauses, or elevation. That still counts as progression.

1. Write down each exercise.

2. Record sets and reps.

3. Record weight, band, or variation used.

4. Add a quick note on effort if helpful.

Checkpoint: after one week, you should be able to open your log and know exactly what you’re trying to beat next time.

A weekly schedule you can actually stick to

The best glute routine is not the one that looks impressive on paper. It’s the one you can still do next month. If your work, commute, kids, or recovery only support two lower-body sessions per week, that is enough to make progress.

Choose a schedule that feels repeatable, not heroic. Two to three glute-focused touches per week works for most people. Four can work if your overall training is organized well. One marathon glute session every Sunday usually looks serious and performs badly.

1. Decide how many training days you truly have.

2. Place glute work on 2 to 3 of those days if possible.

3. Leave at least one recovery day between harder glute sessions when needed.

Step 1: Start with the real answer to “how many exercises for glutes”

Here is the direct answer: for most people, 3 to 5 glute exercises per week is enough to grow. Not per workout, per week. Sometimes that means 2 exercises in one session and 2 in another, with one overlap. Sometimes it means 3 total movements repeated across the week.

The catch is that those exercises need to be chosen well and trained hard enough to matter. Five random glute exercises done casually are worse than three smart ones done with intent.

1. Start with 3 to 5 total glute exercises across your week.

2. Make sure those exercises cover different movement patterns.

3. Progress them before adding more variety.

A 2025 meta-analysis found that resistance training has a moderate positive effect on gluteus maximus hypertrophy, and both single-exercise and combined-exercise approaches worked well. That matters because it supports a simple idea: you do not need a huge exercise list to grow.

Why exercise count is not the main driver of growth

Muscle growth comes from hard sets, enough effort, useful range of motion, progressive overload, and recovery. Exercise count is just packaging. If your plan has eight glute exercises but only one or two serious sets on each, you can finish sweaty without giving your glutes a strong reason to grow.

What matters more is how many quality sets you accumulate and how close those sets get to true challenge. A deep split squat set that makes rep 10 slow down is productive. A dozen light kickback variations done while scrolling between sets usually are not.

1. Prioritize hard sets over exercise variety.

2. Train with controlled form through useful range.

3. Add load, reps, or difficulty over time.

4. Recover well enough to repeat quality work.

The sweet spot for most training levels

Beginners usually do best with fewer exercises. You are still learning positions, balance, bracing, and how to feel your glutes working. Three good choices are enough. Intermediate lifters often benefit from 4 to 5 exercises across the week because different patterns can help bring up different parts of glute function and keep volume manageable.

If you already do a lot of lower-body training, your glutes may not need much direct work at all. In that case, one or two direct glute moves added to compounds can be plenty.

1. Beginner: 3 exercises per week.

2. Intermediate: 4 to 5 exercises per week.

3. Advanced glute-priority phase: 4 to 6, if volume and recovery support it.

When fewer than 3 exercises can still work

Sometimes your glutes are already getting hit hard by heavy squats, Romanian deadlifts, split squats, step-ups, or deadlift variations. RP Strength notes that glutes can sometimes grow even with zero direct glute sets if lower-body training already includes enough hip-flexion-heavy compounds.

That means if your leg day includes deep squats, long-stride reverse lunges, and RDLs done hard, you may already have enough glute stimulus. Direct thrusts, kickbacks, or abductions can still help, but they are additions, not magic.

1. Count compound lower-body lifts toward glute work.

2. Add direct glute exercises only if you need more stimulus.

3. Judge by progress, not by whether the workout is labeled “glutes.”

Step 2: Learn what your glutes actually do

You do not need a full anatomy lecture, but you do need the basic job description. Your glutes are not one simple muscle that only squeezes at the top of a bridge. Different parts help extend your hips, stabilize your pelvis, control single-leg movement, and manage side-to-side force.

That is why one great exercise still does not cover everything.

Gluteus maximus: your main hip extension muscle

The gluteus maximus is the big one. It drives hip extension, which means bringing your thigh backward or driving your hips forward. Hip thrusts, glute bridges, Romanian deadlifts, squats, step-ups, and lunges all involve this job in different ways.

Some exercises challenge the glute max hardest near lockout, like hip thrusts. Others load it more in a stretched position, like deep squats or RDLs. Both matter.

Gluteus medius and minimus: your side-hip stabilizers

The glute medius and minimus sit more on the side of your hip. They help abduct the hip, stabilize the pelvis, and control rotation, especially during walking, running, step-ups, split squats, and any single-leg work. If your knees cave in or your pelvis wobbles, this area may need more attention.

Band walks, cable abductions, clamshells, fire hydrants, and machine abduction are common ways to train this function directly.

Why different functions matter for exercise selection

If you only do hip thrusts, you can build glutes, but you will miss some benefits of lengthened work and lateral control. If you only squat, you may miss the shortened-position tension that makes thrusts so useful. If you ignore side-hip work completely, your stability may lag behind your strength.

Think of it like furnishing a room. One couch does not make it finished.

Step 3: Pick the 3 movement buckets that matter most

The simplest way to choose enough glute exercises is to stop thinking in terms of random movements and start thinking in buckets. Most effective glute plans pull from three categories: horizontal hip extension, vertical or lengthened glute work, and lateral or rotational work.

1. Choose one exercise from each bucket.

2. Build your weekly sets around those choices.

3. Add extra exercises only when you have a reason.

Bucket 1: Horizontal hip extension

This bucket includes hip thrusts, glute bridges, frog pumps, and cable pull-throughs. These exercises load the glutes strongly when your hips move into extension and often give a strong peak contraction feeling at the top. The 2025 review suggested that if glute hypertrophy is your main goal, single exercises such as the barbell hip thrust should be prioritized.

If you want one direct glute builder that is easy to feel and easy to progress, this is usually the best place to start.

Bucket 2: Vertical or lengthened glute work

This bucket includes squats, split squats, Bulgarian split squats, reverse lunges, walking lunges, step-ups, Romanian deadlifts, and stiff-leg deadlifts. These movements challenge the glutes through deeper hip flexion and longer muscle lengths, which is a big deal for growth.

Some research summaries have noted that step-up variations produced especially high gluteus maximus activation, and deep squats, split squats, and hinges keep showing up for a reason. They work.

Bucket 3: Lateral or rotational glute work

This bucket includes band walks, cable abductions, machine abductions, clamshells, fire hydrants, and some kickback variations. These moves usually use lighter loads and higher reps, but that does not make them fluff. They train the side-hip stabilizers and can help you feel more stable in bigger lower-body lifts.

They are usually the smallest slice of your program, not the whole pie.

How to avoid overlap that adds fatigue but not results

Five exercises can look different and still do the same job. A barbell hip thrust, Smith machine hip thrust, glute bridge, frog pump, and feet-elevated bridge are not five separate training categories. They are mostly variations of horizontal hip extension.

That does not mean variations are useless. It means you should not count every variation as unique stimulus. If two exercises hit the same pattern in a similar way, keep the one you can load, feel, and recover from best.

1. Identify the movement pattern first.

2. Keep one strong main option per bucket.

3. Swap duplicates out before adding more volume.

Step 4: Choose how many exercises you need per workout

Once you know your weekly exercise count, turn that into a session plan. Most workouts only need 2 to 4 glute exercises, depending on your goal.

1. Decide if the session is glute-focused or part of leg day.

2. Start with one big movement.

3. Add one secondary pattern.

4. Finish with isolation only if it serves a purpose.

If glutes are your main priority

A glute-focused workout usually includes 2 to 4 glute exercises. That gives you room for one heavy anchor move, one lengthened movement, and one lighter accessory. Sometimes a fourth makes sense if volume is spread carefully.

A good session might look like hip thrusts, Bulgarian split squats, RDLs, and machine abductions. That is enough. You do not need to follow it with six burnout circuits.

If glutes are part of leg day

If you already squat, lunge, or hinge hard on leg day, 1 to 3 direct glute exercises can be enough. For example, if your workout includes back squats and RDLs, adding hip thrusts and cable abductions may cover the gaps nicely.

This is where a lot of people overdo it. Compounds count.

If you train at home with limited equipment

Home training works best when exercise count stays low but difficulty stays high. Single-leg variations, slower lowering phases, pauses, and bands can make a small menu very effective.

A home session might include dumbbell hip thrusts, rear-foot-elevated split squats, single-leg RDLs, and band walks. That is a serious workout if the sets are hard.

Step 5: Match your exercise count to the right number of weekly sets

Here is where the question gets more useful. Instead of only asking how many exercises for glutes, ask how many hard sets your glutes get each week. That number drives progress much more reliably.

A practical weekly set range for most people

A solid starting range is about 8 to 20 weekly hard sets for glutes. Beginners should start lower. More advanced lifters, especially during glute-priority phases, can often handle more. Outlift’s hypertrophy guide puts many muscles in the 10 to 20 set range, while RP Strength suggests roughly 8 to 24 sets for most trainees, with lower minimums and higher specialized phases.

Start with enough to progress, not the maximum you can survive.

How sets spread across several exercises

Twelve weekly glute sets can be done with three exercises or five exercises. Example one: hip thrusts for 4 sets, split squats for 4, and cable abductions for 4. Example two: hip thrusts 3, bridges 2, lunges 3, RDLs 2, band walks 2. Same total sets, very different simplicity.

The first version is easier to track and progress. The second may be fine if you have a reason for the variety, but it is not automatically better.

How to tell if your current volume is too low or too high

If volume is too low, your lifts stall quickly, your glutes never feel challenged, and weeks go by without stronger reps, better control, or visible change. If volume is too high, performance drops, soreness lingers for days, motivation dips, and your lower back or hips start complaining.

Use recovery as feedback. Enough volume should challenge you and still leave room to improve next week.

1. Too low: no progression, too easy, no meaningful fatigue.

2. About right: steady strength gains, manageable soreness, good performance.

3. Too high: constant soreness, performance decline, recovery problems.

Step 6: Build your first glute exercise menu

Now pick your actual exercises. The easiest method is simple: choose one from each main category, then add a fourth only if you need it.

1. Pick one horizontal loading exercise.

2. Pick one squat or lunge pattern.

3. Pick one hinge pattern.

4. Pick one lateral or isolation move if needed.

Checkpoint: if your menu covers those bases, you do not need more variety yet.

Best first pick for horizontal loading

Start with barbell hip thrusts if you have the setup and feel them well. Dumbbell hip thrusts and glute bridges work nicely at home. Cable pull-throughs are a good alternative if thrusts bother you or setup is annoying.

The best choice is the one you can progress consistently and feel mostly in your glutes, not your lower back.

Best first pick for squat or lunge patterns

Reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, and deep squats are all strong options. If balance is a mess, step-ups or split squats may feel easier to control than walking lunges. If your knees dislike forward travel, reverse lunges often feel friendlier.

Choose one that lets you reach depth and load it over time.

Best first pick for hinge patterns

Romanian deadlifts are usually the easiest place to start. They teach a clean hip hinge, load the glutes and hamstrings hard, and progress well. Stiff-leg deadlifts can work too, but they ask for more flexibility and control. Good mornings are effective, though usually less beginner-friendly.

If you are unsure, start with dumbbell or barbell RDLs.

Best first pick for lateral or isolation work

Cable kickbacks, machine abductions, band walks, clamshells, donkey kicks, and fire hydrants all have a place. For simplicity, band walks or machine abductions are easy starters. If you want more direct glute max focus without heavy spinal loading, cable kickbacks are useful too.

Keep isolation work honest. Slow reps, full control, no flinging.

Step 7: Decide your reps, effort, and loading

A short exercise list only works if the sets are productive. That means choosing rep ranges that fit the movement and training with enough effort to stimulate growth.

Heavy-to-moderate work for compounds

For hip thrusts, squats, RDLs, split squats, and step-ups, most sets work well in the 5 to 12 rep range. Some people like thrusts a little higher, around 8 to 15. What matters is that the last few reps feel hard while form stays solid.

A good rule is to finish most working sets with about 0 to 3 reps in reserve, meaning you could have done maybe zero to three more clean reps. If every set ends with five easy reps left, it is too light.

1. Use roughly 5 to 12 reps for main compounds.

2. Keep most sets close to failure.

3. Add load once you hit the top of your target range.

Moderate-to-high reps for isolation work

Kickbacks, abductions, clamshells, fire hydrants, and band walks often shine in the 12 to 25 rep range. Lighter exercises need enough reps and control to create real tension.

The burn is not the goal by itself, but in these movements it can be a sign that the target area is finally doing some work.

Why form and full range of motion beat ego loading

A half squat, tiny split squat, or rushed RDL often turns into a math trick where the weight looks impressive and the glute stimulus is mediocre. Full range of motion matters. Deep hip flexion, controlled lowering, and strong lockouts often make lighter loads far more effective.

That is especially true for glute work. A pause at the top of a hip thrust or a deep, controlled reverse lunge can humble you fast.

Step 8: Set your weekly glute training frequency

Frequency is just how often you train glutes each week. In most cases, spreading your sets across multiple days works better than trying to cram everything into one long session.

Training glutes 2 days per week

Two days per week works very well for beginners and busy schedules. You can divide your weekly sets into two solid sessions and still recover well.

A simple setup is one thrust-focused day and one squat-or-hinge-focused day. That gives enough stimulus without turning training into a second job.

Training glutes 3 days per week

Three sessions often works best when glutes are a priority. It lets you spread volume more evenly, keep individual sessions shorter, and rotate movement emphasis. For many people, this is the sweet spot between quality and recovery.

A common setup is one heavier day, one moderate day, and one lighter accessory day.

Training glutes 4 or more days per week

Higher frequency can make sense if your total volume is high, your recovery is good, and each session is short. But if you are repeating the same hard patterns too often, you are just stacking fatigue.

More days are only useful if performance stays high. If it does not, cut back.

Step 9: Put it together with sample routines

Here is what enough can look like in real life.

Sample beginner plan: 3 exercises per week

1. Day 1: Hip thrust, 3 sets of 8 to 10.

2. Day 2: Bulgarian split squat, 3 sets of 8 to 10 per side.

3. Day 2: Band walk or machine abduction, 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20.

This gives you one strong direct glute exercise, one lengthened lower-body movement, and one lateral accessory. Simple and effective.

Sample intermediate plan: 4 exercises across 2 to 3 sessions

1. Day 1: Barbell hip thrust, 4 sets of 6 to 10.

2. Day 1: Reverse lunge, 3 sets of 8 to 10 per side.

3. Day 2: Romanian deadlift, 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10.

4. Day 3: Cable abduction or kickback, 3 sets of 12 to 20.

This covers thrust, lunge, hinge, and isolation work without getting bloated.

Sample advanced glute-priority plan: 5 exercises across the week

1. Day 1: Hip thrust, 4 sets.

2. Day 1: Bulgarian split squat, 4 sets.

3. Day 2: Romanian deadlift, 4 sets.

4. Day 3: Step-up, 3 to 4 sets.

5. Day 3: Machine abduction or cable kickback, 3 to 4 sets.

This works well when glutes are the main goal and recovery is strong. Bret Contreras has suggested that lagging muscles can sometimes benefit from higher weekly volume, often split across several days.

Sample home glute plan with bands and dumbbells

1. Day 1: Dumbbell hip thrust, 4 sets of 10 to 15.

2. Day 1: Dumbbell split squat, 3 sets of 8 to 12 per side.

3. Day 2: Dumbbell or single-leg RDL, 3 sets of 8 to 12.

4. Day 2: Band walk or fire hydrant, 2 to 4 sets of 15 to 25.

If the weights are light, slow the lowering phase, pause in the stretch, and push sets closer to failure.

Step 10: Pair glute work with leg days without overdoing it

Your glute plan has to live somewhere. For most people, that means fitting it into leg days without accidentally doing the same pattern all week.

When squats and deadlifts already count as glute work

If you squat deep, pull with good hip mechanics, and include lunges or step-ups, those lifts already train your glutes. Research summaries have even noted that hip thrusts and back squats produced similar glute hypertrophy over nine weeks in untrained participants.

So yes, your compounds count. Do not ignore that when planning total volume.

A simple split for glutes plus quads

A glute-plus-quad day might include squats, hip thrusts, leg press, and a lateral accessory. That gives you direct glute work without piling on three more lunge variations just because the workout still has time left.

If quads are doing a lot of the work, add one direct glute move that clearly shifts tension backward.

A simple split for glutes plus hamstrings

A glute-plus-hamstrings day often includes RDLs, hip thrusts, leg curls, and either a split squat or abduction movement. Since hinges already hit glutes hard, you may need less extra direct work than you think.

This is where people often overshoot volume. Hinge-heavy training adds up quickly.

Step 11: Progress your plan instead of constantly changing exercises

The best results usually come from getting more out of a few good exercises, not from chasing a new playlist of movements every week.

Progress reps first, then load

Use double progression. Pick a rep range, such as 8 to 10. Keep the weight the same until you can hit the top of the range for all sets with good form. Then increase the load slightly and build again from the lower end.

1. Choose a rep range.

2. Stay with the same weight until reps improve.

3. Add load once all sets hit the top end cleanly.

That method is simple and works.

Know when to keep an exercise

Keep an exercise if your reps are climbing, your form is improving, your glutes feel challenged, and the movement is not irritating your joints. Lack of soreness does not mean lack of progress. Soreness is dramatic, not reliable.

If your hip thrust went from 95 pounds for 8 to 135 for 10 in six weeks, it is working.

Know when to swap an exercise

Swap an exercise if progress has stalled for several weeks, setup is so annoying that you avoid it, your joints hate it, or you cannot feel the target area despite solid technique. Boredom can count too, but try earning your variety first.

Swap within the same bucket when possible. For example, move from barbell hip thrusts to dumbbell hip thrusts, or from reverse lunges to step-ups.

Step 12: Check your form so your glutes do the work

Sometimes the issue is not exercise count at all. It is that your lower back, quads, or hamstrings keep stealing the job.

Hip thrust and bridge form fixes

Set the bench so your shoulder blades, not your low back, rest on the edge. Keep your ribs down, chin slightly tucked, and pelvis neutral to slightly tucked at lockout. Your shins should usually be close to vertical at the top.

1. Set your upper back on the bench.

2. Plant your feet where shins are nearly vertical at lockout.

3. Drive through the midfoot and heel.

4. Stop when hips fully extend, not when your low back arches.

Checkpoint: at the top, you should feel a strong glute squeeze, not a pinch in your lower back.

Squat, lunge, and split squat form fixes

To bias the glutes more, a slightly longer stride and a modest forward torso lean often help in lunges and split squats. Depth matters too. If you cut the bottom short, you lose valuable glute loading in the stretched position.

Let your hips move back naturally. Do not force an ultra-upright posture if it kills tension where you want it.

RDL and hinge form fixes

An RDL is a hip hinge, not a weird half-squat. Push your hips back, keep the weight close to your legs, maintain a soft knee bend, and stop when you feel a strong stretch in the glutes and hamstrings without losing spinal position.

If the bar drifts far from your body or your low back rounds, tension leaks away fast.

Step 13: Troubleshoot the most common glute growth problems

If your plan looks fine on paper but results are flat, one of these issues is usually the reason.

You are doing too many exercises and too few hard sets on each

Seven or eight glute exercises in a week can sound productive, but if each gets one or two token sets, nothing gets enough quality work. Spread too thin, your effort gets diluted.

Cut back to fewer exercises and give each one enough serious sets to matter.

You feel every exercise in your lower back

This usually points to setup, bracing, or poor exercise fit. On thrusts, you may be overextending at the top. On hinges, you may be reaching for range you do not control. On split squats, your stance may be off.

Try lighter loads, cleaner setup, and exercise swaps that suit your build better. Cable pull-throughs, supported split squats, or machine options can help.

You only use banded burnouts and bodyweight work

Bands and bodyweight are useful tools, especially for warm-ups, side-hip work, and home training. But if you want real glute growth, you eventually need enough resistance or enough progression to challenge the muscle seriously.

If every workout ends with a burn but nothing gets stronger, that is your clue.

You never train through a full range of motion

Short reps limit stimulus. Deep squats, controlled split squats, full hip hinges, and complete hip extension usually produce better glute training than rushed partials.

Range is free progress that many people leave on the table.

You train hard but never recover

Glutes often tolerate decent volume, but not infinite volume. If sleep is poor, nutrition is sloppy, soreness never fades, or performance keeps sliding, growth can stall even when effort is high.

Recovery is not optional. It is part of the program.

Step 14: Know what results to expect and what to do next

A good glute plan should feel almost boring in the best way. You know the exercises, your numbers improve, and your body starts changing because you finally stopped restarting every week.

What “enough” looks like after 6 to 8 weeks

After 6 to 8 weeks, enough usually looks like stronger lifts, better control, improved balance in single-leg work, more obvious glute tension during sets, and some visible shape change if nutrition supports it. Your hips may feel more stable. Your lower back may feel less overworked.

You are looking for a trend, not magic after one workout.

When to add another exercise

Add another exercise only if your current plan is progressing well, your recovery is solid, and you have room for more weekly sets. Do not add variety just because you got bored on a Tuesday.

Usually, add an exercise when one of your movement buckets is under-covered or when your current volume is clearly too low.

Your simplest next step

Pick three glute exercises that cover the main movement patterns: one horizontal, one lengthened, and one lateral. Run them consistently for the next month, log every set, and try to beat your numbers with clean form.

That is enough to get started, and for a lot of people, it is enough to keep working much longer than expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many glute exercises should you do in one workout?

Most workouts only need 2 to 4 glute exercises. If glutes are part of a broader leg day, 1 to 3 direct glute moves can be enough, especially if squats, lunges, or RDLs are already included.

Is 3 exercises enough for glute growth?

Yes. Three well-chosen exercises can absolutely be enough, especially if they cover different patterns and you do enough hard weekly sets. A hip thrust, a split squat, and an abduction movement can build a strong beginner or intermediate plan.

Do squats count as glute exercises?

Yes. Deep squats train the glutes, along with the quads and other lower-body muscles. They are not the only glute exercise worth doing, but they absolutely count toward your total glute stimulus.

Are hip thrusts better than squats for glutes?

Hip thrusts are excellent for direct glute loading, especially near lockout, while squats challenge the glutes at longer muscle lengths. One is not automatically better in every way. The best plan usually includes both patterns or at least one of them plus another lengthened movement.

How often should you train glutes each week?

Two to three times per week works well for most people. That frequency makes it easier to spread out weekly sets, keep performance high, and recover between sessions.

Should you feel glute exercises mostly in your glutes?

Mostly, yes. You may still feel support from hamstrings, quads, and core depending on the exercise, but your glutes should be doing a clear share of the work. If every set turns into a lower-back exercise, your setup, range, or exercise choice probably needs adjusting.