Hip thrust
Main muscle worked: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings
Hip thrust is one of the great exercises that can grow your glutes. There are so many advantages to this exercise for glute development! Let me introduce the top three advantages of this exercise. First, this exercise is easy to learn. The movement is not as complex and does not need any technique. Second, you can handle heavy loads with this exercise. Many exercises with heavy loads can sometimes increase the risk of injury, such as deadlifts and squats, but this exercise is fairly safe even with heavy loads as long as you know how to perform it. Third, this exercise can give you constant and high tension in your glutes. Glute muscles activate the most when shortened, and glutes muscles are shortened at the top of hip thrust.
- Sit with your back on the bench. Place the bottom of your shoulder blades on the bench with a leg in shoulder-width apart.
- Drive your hip upward by pushing through your heels to extend your torso and let it to be parallel to the floor in a controlled movement. Adjust the position of your feet to make your shins to be almost vertical to the floor. Pushing your knees outward as you extend your torso help to create better glute activation. Keep your head facing forward for a proper alignment
- Extend your hip fully for the highest glute activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top. Get your shoulders, hips and knees at the same level in a line. Do not overextend your hips.
- Drop your hip in a controlled movement
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Tips: If you push through the balls of your feet instead of the heels, quadriceps work harder instead of gluteus maximus. To make gluteus maximus work effectively, you may raise your toes off to focus on your heels.
Notes: longer stance vs. shorter stance
With a longer stance, your hamstrings work out more compared to a shorter stance. In other words, with a shorter stance, your quadriceps work out more. To get the maximum glute activation. Let’s keep your knees around 90 degrees.
Single leg hip thrust
- Sit with your back on the bench. Place the bottom of your shoulder blades on the bench with one leg on the ground and the other leg in the air (or slightly on the ground)
- Drive your hip upward by pushing through your heel to extend your torso and let it to be parallel to the floor in a controlled movement. Adjust the position of your feet to make your shins to be almost vertical to the floor. Pushing your knees outward as you extend your torso help to create better glute activation. Keep your head facing forward for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hip fully for the highest glute activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top. Get your shoulders, hips and knees at the same level in a line. Do not overextend your hips.
- Drop your hip in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Notes: You can start with light weight and high reps.
If you want to grow your glutes, this is one of the exercises you should add to your glutes day! I could say this is one of the safest heavy lower-body exercises. Let’s get butts like a peach!