Strong Curves is a system of separate 12-week programs created by Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis. You pick the program that matches your experience and equipment, run it for the full 12 weeks, then move up to the next one when you’re ready. Each program opens sessions with hip thrusts and glute bridges as the primary work, then moves into legs, upper body, and core. Bootyful Beginnings, the beginner program, runs 3 days per week.
The training idea is glute-focused hypertrophy with progressive overload. You start with bodyweight and band work, then add barbells as you get more experienced. Rep ranges shift each program so the weight goes up and the reps come down as you progress. It’s not a powerlifting program and it won’t build your squat and deadlift the way a strength-focused template would.
Strong Curves is a good fit for women and anyone focused on glute development at the novice to intermediate level. If you want a program built around the big-four lifts with linear progression, you’d get more out of something like Starting Strength first. Come back to Strong Curves when glute and lower body hypertrophy is the goal.
Table of Contents
- 1 Strong Curves Video
- 2 Strong Curves on Boostcamp App
- 3 Strong Curves Spreadsheets
- 4 Strong Curves Workout Program Overview (Free PDF)
- 5 Strong Curves FAQs
- 5.1 What is the Strong Curves program?
- 5.2 How long is the Strong Curves program?
- 5.3 What’s the difference between Bootyful Beginnings and Gluteal Goddess?
- 5.4 Do I need lifting experience to start Strong Curves?
- 5.5 Is Strong Curves only for beginners?
- 5.6 Do I need special equipment to run the Strong Curves program?
Strong Curves Video
Strong Curves on Boostcamp App
Strong Curves: Bootyful Beginnings - Boostcamp App
Prefer an app to a spreadsheet? If so, you're in luck!
Boostcamp has a free app version of Strong Curves (Bootyful Beginnings) that you can use directly from your phone.
It tracks your progress and calculates your lifts, just like a spreadsheet.
Works on iOS and Android.
If you prefer to use a free app version, Boostcamp is a good pick.
It also has other popular programs like 5/3/1, nSuns, Candito, Greg Nuckols, and Reddit PPL.
Strong Curves Spreadsheets
There are 4 separate Strong Curves spreadsheets below. Each covers a full 12-week program. Pick the one that fits your level and equipment, run it completely, then move to a harder one when you’re ready.
- Bootyful Beginnings (beginner, 3 days/week)
- Gluteal Goddess (advanced, 4 days/week)
- Gorgeous Glutes (lower-body community variant, 3 days/week)
- Best Butt Bodyweight (at-home bodyweight, 3 days/week)
Strong Curves: Bootyful Beginnings Workout Spreadsheet
Bootyful Beginnings is the 12-week beginner program (3 days/week). It’s the right starting point if you haven’t done hip thrusts and glute-focused training before. The program has three internal 4-week phases that take you from bodyweight movements up to barbell work over the full 12 weeks. If you’re new to Strong Curves, start here.
Strong Curves: Gluteal Goddess Workout Spreadsheet
Gluteal Goddess is the 12-week advanced program (4 days/week, run as an ABAC split with 3 unique workouts and Workout A twice per week). Run Bootyful Beginnings first and graduate to this one when you’re ready for heavier loads and more volume. It’s a separate program from Bootyful Beginnings, not a continuation of the same one.
Strong Curves: Gorgeous Glutes Workout Spreadsheet
Gorgeous Glutes is a 12-week lower-body community variant (3 days/week) built on the Gluteal Goddess template by the /r/StrongCurves community. This is a lower body only program, so add your own upper-body work alongside it. There is some space in the spreadsheet for that. Lift Vault has bench press programs you can pair with it, or swap in the upper body work from another program you prefer.
Strong Curves: Best Butt Bodyweight Workout Spreadsheet
Best Butt Bodyweight is the 12-week at-home program (3 days/week). If you have minimal equipment or prefer to train at home, this is the right pick. It’s a complete program, not a warmup to the barbell versions.
Strong Curves Workout Program Overview (Free PDF)
To read more about the program and how to do the exercises, here is a sample PDF that Bret published for free. It includes the training philosophy, exercise descriptions, and warm-up protocols from the book, up to but not including the full weekly programs (those are in the spreadsheets above).
Source for the spreadsheets
/r/StrongCurves Community on Reddit if you have any questions
Check out Strong Curves on Amazon if you want 100% of the programs, tips, and advice from Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis.
December 2019 Update:
Bret Contreras has published a new book: Glute Lab. Readers who ran Strong Curves for years have said Glute Lab fills in the anatomy and exercise science that the original book left sparse. At over 600 pages, Glute Lab goes deeper than Strong Curves on the anatomy and exercise science side.
Related: Book Review: The Glute Lab vs. Strong Curves: What’s the Difference?
The latest and greatest effort from Bret Contreras, aka The Glute Guy.
Everything you've ever wanted to know about how to get stronger glutes and a nicer butt.
Strong Curves FAQs
What is the Strong Curves program?
Strong Curves is a system of glute-focused 12-week programs created by Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis. Each program is built around hip thrusts, bridges, and progressive overload from bodyweight up to barbell work. You pick one program based on your level and equipment, run it for the full 12 weeks, then graduate to a harder one when you’re done.
How long is the Strong Curves program?
Each program is 12 weeks. You run one at a time, not all of them back to back as phases of one program. If you work through all four programs in the system (Bootyful Beginnings, Gluteal Goddess, Gorgeous Glutes, Best Butt Bodyweight), you’re looking at close to a year of training, but most people start with Bootyful Beginnings and run it as a standalone 12-week program.
What’s the difference between Bootyful Beginnings and Gluteal Goddess?
They’re separate 12-week programs at different difficulty levels, not phases of one program. Bootyful Beginnings is the beginner program (3 days/week) that starts with bodyweight and band movements and builds to barbell work over 12 weeks. Gluteal Goddess is the advanced program (4 days/week) you graduate to after finishing Bootyful Beginnings. It uses heavier loads and more volume from the start. Run Bootyful Beginnings first, then move to Gluteal Goddess when you’re ready.
Do I need lifting experience to start Strong Curves?
No. Bootyful Beginnings was designed for beginners with no barbell experience. The book explains how to do all exercises (with pictures too!). Beginners welcome!
Is Strong Curves only for beginners?
Nope. The Gluteal Goddess program is for more advanced trainees. You can also use Best Butt Bodyweight if you’re an experienced lifter who wants a bodyweight-only phase or a travel program.
Do I need special equipment to run the Strong Curves program?
It depends on which program you pick. Bootyful Beginnings and Gluteal Goddess use a squat rack, barbell, dumbbells, and resistance bands. Best Butt Bodyweight works with minimal equipment and is the right pick if you train at home. More detail on equipment options is in the book.
