When you’re a Bikini Olympia champion, every workout has a purpose. In a recent training session, Lauralie Chapados gave us an inside look at her current offseason glute training as she begins preparing for the 2026 Olympia. While many athletes focus on simply lifting heavier weights, Lauralie’s approach is much more intentional. Every exercise, every rep, and every movement pattern is chosen with a specific goal in mind: building complete, balanced glutes while maintaining the shape that has made her one of the most successful bikini competitors in the world.
The Goal: More Than Just Bigger Glutes
For Lauralie, glute training isn’t simply about adding size.
One of the key pieces of feedback she’s received from judges is maintaining glute fullness while walking on stage. Because of this, much of her current training focuses on developing the upper glutes, improving mobility, and creating a more complete look from every angle.
She explains that her lower glutes have always developed more easily, so building the upper portion requires a more precise approach. That’s why her program includes a significant amount of unilateral work, helping her correct imbalances and target specific areas of the muscle.
Three Glute Days Per Week
Lauralie’s current training split includes three glute-focused sessions per week alongside shoulders, back work, daily cardio, and a dedicated rest day. Even in the offseason, the focus remains on improving weaknesses and refining her physique for the next Olympia season.
Starting with Unilateral Hip Thrusts
The workout begins with B-stance hip thrusts, performed for three sets of fifteen reps. Rather than simply moving the weight, Lauralie pays close attention to foot placement and pressure throughout the movement. She emphasizes driving through the heel while keeping the entire foot engaged, making sure both the big toe and pinky toe remain active to maximize glute recruitment.
It’s a reminder that effective glute training often comes down to execution rather than simply adding more weight.
Training with Purpose
One of the biggest themes throughout Lauralie’s workout is intentionality. Before training, she focuses on mobility work to improve glute activation and pelvic positioning. She also strategically alternates between open-chain and closed-chain exercises, allowing stabilizing muscles to recover while keeping tension on the glutes throughout the workout.
Rather than randomly selecting exercises, every movement serves a specific purpose in building balanced glute development and improving overall performance.
The Exercise She Credits Most for Glute Growth
If Lauralie had to choose one movement responsible for building her glutes, the answer is simple: squats.
She describes squats as the exercise that has contributed most to her glute development throughout her career. Beyond building the glutes, squats strengthen the entire lower body and posterior chain while offering endless variations through depth, tempo, pauses, and rep schemes.
“Master your squat,” she says, explaining that learning different squat styles and execution techniques can dramatically change the results you achieve.
Lauralie’s Top 3 Glute-Building Exercises
When asked which exercises she would recommend most for glute growth, Lauralie narrowed it down to three:
- Squats – Her number one choice for overall glute development and lower-body growth.
- Reverse Hyperextensions – Particularly effective for targeting the glutes while minimizing hamstring involvement.
- Abductions or Unilateral Kickbacks – Ideal for isolating the glutes and creating balanced development.
Together, these movements train the glutes through multiple functions and angles, creating more complete development.
Nutrition: The Missing Piece for Most People
According to Lauralie, glute growth comes down to three pillars: training, nutrition, and recovery.
She strongly encourages focusing on nutrient-dense foods and building meals around simple, minimally processed ingredients. Her typical meals include a lean protein source, quality carbohydrates such as rice or sweet potatoes, and healthy fats from foods like olive oil, avocado, or nuts.
Her biggest nutrition tip? Don’t be afraid of carbohydrates.
Lauralie explains that carbs provide the energy needed to train hard enough to stimulate growth. For those looking to build their glutes, she recommends placing carbohydrates around workouts to maximize performance and recovery.
What We Can Learn From Lauralie’s Approach
What separates Lauralie’s training from the average glute workout isn’t necessarily the exercises themselves, it’s the intention behind them.
Every movement serves a purpose. Every exercise is selected to address a specific weakness. Every nutrition choice supports a larger goal.
Whether you’re preparing for the Olympia stage or simply looking to build stronger glutes, Lauralie’s message is clear: focus on proper execution, prioritize recovery, fuel your body with quality nutrition, and stay consistent.
The basics still work, when they’re done exceptionally well.
