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Does Unlock Your Glutes Work? An Evidence-Based Review of the GM3 Method

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Why Your Glutes Might Not Be Growing From Squats Alone

You have been squatting for months. Your legs feel tighter. Your quads show more shape. But your glutes still look flat, and you cannot feel them working during the exercise itself.

You are not imagining this. One person captured the exact frustration in a Quora thread: “Why can’t I ever feel my glutes when I workout? I just feel quads (squats and lunges), hamstrings (hip thrust and glute bridge), etc.”

That disconnect between effort and results has a name in strength training circles: poor glute activation. It is also the exact problem Unlock Your Glutes claims to solve, which raises the real question: does Unlock Your Glutes work? Before we get to the product, let’s look at what is actually happening in your training.

What Happens When Weak Glutes Go Unaddressed

“Dead butt syndrome” is the informal name for gluteal amnesia, a state where the gluteus medius weakens from too much sitting. According to the Cleveland Clinic, prolonged sitting can gradually weaken this muscle. Over time, that weakness can contribute to pain in the buttock, hip, and lower back.

That matches what people describe online. One poster, “gatorbait,” wrote that when they try to squeeze their glutes at the top of a movement, they feel it in their lower back instead, according to a forum thread about glutes that will not fire.

In a different thread, a poster named “Dayz” struggled to activate one side’s glute as well as the other, according to a forum discussion on uneven glute activation. They also mentioned occasional balance trouble on that side in the same thread.

But it would be a mistake to treat weak glutes as the single cause of back pain. As Physio Network puts it, “Weak glutes as a catch-all cause of LBP would be a wrongful oversimplification.” Muscle weakness is one piece of a much bigger picture, not a simple cause and effect.

The “238% Better Than Squats” Claim: What the Study Actually Measured

Unlock Your Glutes’ sales page leads with a bold claim. It says the method “sculpts a strong, round booty 238% better than squats,” and attributes that number to the Journal of Applied Biomechanics. This is the vendor’s own marketing language, not an independent finding, and it deserves a closer look.

There is a real study behind the general idea. Contreras et al. (2015) tested 13 trained women performing barbell hip thrusts versus back squats at an estimated 10-rep max. The researchers measured muscle activation with EMG sensors, not muscle growth. Upper gluteus maximus activation averaged 69.5% during hip thrusts compared with 29.4% during squats. Lower gluteus maximus activation averaged 86.8% versus 45.4%.

That is a real activation difference, but a few things matter here. The study used a loaded barbell, not bodyweight movements. It measured electrical activity in the muscle during one set, not what happens over weeks of training. Higher activation is not the same as more growth.

A 2023 study makes that gap clear. Plotkin et al. tracked 34 college-aged participants over nine weeks, comparing hip thrust training with squat training twice a week. Their finding: “Squat and hip thrust RT elicited similar gluteal hypertrophy, whereas quadriceps and adductors hypertrophy was superior with squat training.” In other words, more activation on an EMG screen did not translate into more glute growth over time.

One forum poster, “ccrow,” raised the same concern in a strength training discussion. They argued that EMG numbers do not necessarily prove one exercise builds more real-world size or strength than another. The research since then has largely backed that skepticism.

How Unlock Your Glutes Works

According to the sales page, Unlock Your Glutes is a digital program built around what the creator calls the GM3 Method. It is delivered as a PDF manual plus HD coaching videos. It comes in two editions, one built around bodyweight movements and one built around gym equipment. Together they include 36 exercise demonstration videos across a 4-week structure. The program also includes something called the Wake Up Protocol, a set of activation and stretching movements meant to be done before the main workout.

The exercise selection itself, hip thrusts, bridges, and single-leg work, is consistent with what mainstream strength coaches generally recommend for glute training. That part is not unusual or fringe.

The program is created by Brian Klepacki, who runs a training facility called The Compound in Clearwater, Florida. He is also associated with the fitness brand Critical Bench. Across his own properties, including You Are Strong By Design, Klepacki identifies himself as holding an MS in exercise science from Florida Atlantic University. He also lists a CSCS certification. I could not confirm his current CSCS status through the NSCA’s public certification registry. That does not mean the credential is false. It means it is self-reported and not independently confirmed through the registry, and that qualifier applies every time the credential is mentioned.

What’s Inside Unlock Your Glutes: Price, Format, and What You Can Verify

Here is what is verifiable directly from the sales page, as of July 24, 2026.

The core program is priced at $17 at the current launch price, listed against a stated regular price of $50. Two bonuses are included: a Strong Legs Workout and a 14-Day Rapid Fat Loss Plan. The sales page states each is valued at $47. Those stated values come from the seller and are not independently appraised.

The purchase is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee, per the same sales page. That window gives you time to try the full 4-week structure before deciding whether to keep it.

One thing worth naming plainly: the sales page uses a countdown timer framed as a “one day discount.” Countdown timers on digital sales pages are a standard marketing tactic. There is no way to verify from outside the page whether the price actually changes when the timer expires. Treat it as a sales tactic, not a real deadline.

What is not verifiable is whether the finished 4-week program, as a complete package, has been tested in any independent trial. It has not, based on the sources checked for this review as of July 24, 2026.

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Try This Program

This program is aimed at generally healthy adults who want a structured, mostly bodyweight routine for glute training. It is not a rehabilitation program.

This is not for you if you have a diagnosed lumbar disc problem, sciatica that is currently being treated, a hip labral tear, or if you are in post-surgical rehab. In those cases the right next step is your clinician, not a self-guided program.

Some symptoms mean stopping and getting assessed rather than starting a new routine. Pain that radiates down the leg is one. So is numbness that spreads past the buttock into the leg or foot. Back, hip, or knee pain that does not ease with movement belongs in the same category.

Talk to a doctor or physical therapist before starting any new exercise program, including this one. That especially applies if you are new to structured strength training or have an existing hip, knee, or lower back injury. The same goes if you are pregnant, recovering from surgery, or managing a chronic pain condition.

The exercises described on the sales page, hip thrusts, bridges, and single-leg movements, are common in physical therapy and strength coaching settings. That does not mean they are automatically appropriate for every body. Form matters more than the exercise selection itself, especially for anyone prone to lower back strain during hip-dominant movements.

There is no independent, product-specific research on this 4-week program. That means no one can tell you in advance exactly how your body will respond to it. General fitness guidelines are not a substitute for a professional assessment of your specific joints, injury history, and movement patterns.

My Honest Verdict on Unlock Your Glutes

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So, does Unlock Your Glutes work? Based on what is verifiable, the honest answer is that there is not enough independent evidence to say either way.

The exercise selection is grounded in real strength training principles. The hip thrust does activate the glutes more than the back squat during EMG testing, per Contreras et al. But there is a genuine limitation here. The 2023 Plotkin study found that hip thrust training and squat training produced similar glute growth over nine weeks. That held true even though hip thrusts activated the muscle more during testing. Activation is not the same as results, and no independent trial has tested this specific 4-week program as a finished product.

The format is straightforward: a PDF manual, video demonstrations, two training editions, and a 60-day refund window that gives you room to evaluate it. The creator’s credentials are self-reported and not independently confirmed through the NSCA registry, which is worth knowing going in.

Given the lack of product-specific evidence, I cannot recommend this program based on results. What I can say is that the underlying exercise science, hip thrusts and glute-focused training in general, is not fringe. Whether this particular package fits your budget and goals is a decision only you can make.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Unlock Your Glutes actually work?

No independent trial has tested the finished 4-week program, so there’s no product-specific evidence confirming that it works as described. The exercise science behind glute-focused training in general is sound, but that is different from proof about this specific package.

What is the GM3 Method?

According to the sales page, the GM3 Method is the name Klepacki gives to the program’s 4-week training structure. It pairs a warm-up sequence called the Wake Up Protocol with glute-focused exercise progressions.

How much does Unlock Your Glutes cost?

The sales page lists a current price of $17 against a stated regular price of $50, plus two bonus guides. Prices on digital sales pages can change, so check the current figure directly on the site before buying.

Is there a refund policy?

Yes. The sales page states a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Do hip thrusts really beat squats for glute growth?

They activate the glutes more during EMG testing, according to Contreras et al. But a later study by Plotkin et al. found similar glute growth from both exercises over nine weeks. Squats also built more quad and adductor size in that same study.

Related reading

• How to loosen tight hips from sitting all day: a 5-minute yoga routine
• Our evidence-based review of Old School New Body, a resistance program for adults over 40