Created by Bret Contreras, PhD, also known worldwide as The Glute Guy, the program is an 8-week training blueprint designed specifically for women who want to develop their glutes and build total-body strength.
It’s part of the massively popular Strong Curves system, which has helped thousands of women around the world transform their bodies through science-based strength training.
But what makes the program – commonly referred to as Bootyful Beginnings – so uniquely effective? Why has it become a go-to program for those looking to lift, sculpt, and grow the glutes?
Let’s break it down.
The Glutes Are the Powerhouse of the Body
Before diving into the program itself, it’s important to understand why glute training is so essential—not just for aesthetics, but for overall strength and function.
Your glutes are the largest, most powerful muscles in your body. They stabilize your hips, protect your spine, and generate the force for nearly every athletic movement: walking, running, jumping, lifting, even standing upright. Weak glutes can lead to poor posture, back pain, knee problems, and an overall loss of power in daily life.
But here’s the problem: most people have underactive glutes.
Thanks to our sedentary lifestyles—hours spent sitting at desks or lounging on couches—many people struggle to “feel” or activate their glutes properly during workouts. That’s where Bootyful Beginnings comes in.
What Is Bootyful Beginnings?
Bootyful Beginnings is an 8-week program designed to teach you how to properly activate, train, and grow your glutes using science-backed techniques.
It includes:
- 3-4 workouts per week (ideally spaced out on non-consecutive days)
- Full-body training, with a primary emphasis on the glutes
- A smart mix of compound lifts, bodyweight moves, and accessory work
- Built-in progression so your workouts become more challenging as you get stronger
Each workout takes about 35–50 minutes and focuses on movement quality, not just intensity. That’s crucial for beginners who need to develop proper form and mind-muscle connection.
Why Bootyful Beginnings Works So Well
1. Glute Activation Comes First
One of the key innovations Bret Contreras brought to the mainstream is the concept of glute activation—getting your glutes “turned on” before you do big lifts like squats or deadlifts.
Most people default to their quads or lower back during leg exercises, which means their glutes barely get worked. In Bootyful Beginnings, every workout starts with targeted activation drills (like glute bridges or frog pumps) to ensure your glutes are firing correctly before the heavy lifting starts.
This alone can double the effectiveness of your workouts.
2. Balanced Full-Body Training
While glutes are the star of the show, Bootyful Beginnings trains the entire body. That’s important because your body works as a system. Strong glutes won’t do much if your hamstrings, core, or upper back are weak.
By developing strength across all major muscle groups, you not only look better but move better. You’re more likely to avoid injury, maintain better posture, and progress faster.
3. Science-Based Exercise Selection
Contreras didn’t randomly throw together exercises. He’s spent decades researching EMG data (electromyography) to determine which moves actually activate the glutes the most.
That’s why you’ll find highly effective glute-builders like:
- Barbell hip thrusts
- Glute bridges
- Kettlebell swings
- Quadruped hip extensions
- Frog pumps
- Reverse lunges
- Step-ups
- Cable kickbacks
Each of these exercises is chosen because it targets the glutes through different angles and ranges of motion. By attacking the muscle from multiple directions—horizontal thrusts, vertical squats, lateral movements—you ensure complete glute development.
4. Progressive Overload (Even for Beginners)
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is not gradually increasing the intensity of their workouts. Bootyful Beginnings solves this by incorporating progressive overload—a gradual increase in weight, reps, or difficulty.
This teaches beginners how to lift in a way that continually challenges the body, forcing the glutes (and other muscles) to grow stronger over time. It’s the exact opposite of a random YouTube workout with no structure.
And for women who are afraid of “bulking up,” rest assured: this type of training will sculpt and firm, not make you bulky. Muscle is toned by definition, and the program is designed to enhance feminine curves, not diminish them.
5. Low-Impact, Joint-Friendly Design
Another advantage of Bootyful Beginnings is how joint-friendly it is. Many beginner programs throw people straight into high-impact plyometrics or heavy barbell squats without proper preparation. That’s a recipe for burnout—or worse, injury.
This program focuses on controlled, safe strength training with a strong emphasis on form. It’s especially great for:
- People who haven’t trained consistently before
- People returning from injury
- Anyone looking to build glute strength without trashing their knees or back
It meets you where you’re at—and then builds you up, week by week.
The Bret Contreras Advantage
There’s a reason why Bret Contreras is known as The Glute Guy. He’s not some Instagram trainer who got lucky with a viral post. He holds a PhD in sports science, has published peer-reviewed research on glute training, and has coached everyone from bikini competitors to everyday women just starting out.
His programs work because they’re rooted in science and refined through experience. Thousands of women have used Bootyful Beginnings as their launching point—not just to build glutes, but to fall in love with strength training.
What You Can Expect After 8 Weeks
If you stick with the program, here’s what many women report after 8 weeks:
- Noticeable lift and roundness in the glutes
- Improved strength, posture, and confidence
- Better muscle tone in the legs and back
- Reduced knee or lower back discomfort
- Increased energy and motivation to keep training
It’s not a quick fix—but it is a smart, sustainable one. The kind that builds momentum and confidence.
Click here to get the program.
E. K. Soroba