The hip thrust is the go-to glute builder as a result of it develops robust, muscular glutes that look good, boosts athletic efficiency, improves squat and deadlift power, and protects the decrease again. However let’s be sincere—not everybody loves it, and a few lifters force-feed this train to their detriment. Enter these 5 hip thrust options.
You could discover the setup awkward, dislike having a barbell throughout your hips, or expertise hip or decrease again discomfort, making the motion extra irritating than efficient.
The excellent news is you don’t need to depend on the hip thrust to construct the glutes of your associate’s desires. Many options nonetheless hammer the glutes by full hip extension—with out the effort of establishing a barbell.
Right here, we’ll clarify why the hip thrust is efficient—however not all the time ultimate for everybody—what makes an awesome different, and 5 legit options to loading up a barbell.
What Makes the Hip Thrust Efficient?
The hip thrust is a wonderful train for focusing on the glutes and transferring them by a full vary of movement. Not like squats and deadlifts, the place different muscle tissue share the workload, the hip thrust emphasizes the glutes and permits you to go heavy with out extreme spinal compression. However as nice as it’s, it’s not the one method to construct glute power. Many options supply comparable advantages with out drawbacks in the event you don’t get pleasure from it, really feel discomfort, or wish to add selection.
Subsequent, let’s focus on what makes a very good different so you possibly can practice onerous and sensible.
What to Look For In A Good Different
If you happen to’re in search of a strong different to the hip thrust, you want actions that verify the precise containers and ship critical glute activation. An excellent substitute ought to:
Successfully Goal the Glutes: The first objective of the hip thrust is to coach the glutes by full hip extension. Any different ought to do the identical by specializing in the hips somewhat than the quads or decrease again.
Enable Progressive Overload: To construct stronger, extra muscular glutes, you want an train that permits you to enhance weight, reps, or resistance over time, just like the hip thrust.
Be Joint-Pleasant: If the barbell hip thrust causes ache or discomfort, a very good different ought to nonetheless problem the glutes with out unnecessarily stressing the decrease again, hips, or knees.
Help Athletic and Energy Coaching Targets: A powerful set of glutes isn’t all about vainness—it improves deadlifts, squats, sprinting pace, and lower-body energy. An incredible different ought to do the identical.
Now, let’s get into 5 hip thrust options that may nonetheless give your glutes the positive aspects they deserve.
5 Hip Thrust Options For Extra Muscular Glutes
If the barbell hip thrust isn’t working otherwise you want added selection, these 5 lower-body actions will nonetheless enable you construct robust, muscular glutes with out the awkward setup.
Bulgarian Cut up Squat
The Bulgarian Cut up Squat is a unilateral power train emphasizing glutes and hamstrings. It helps construct lower-body power, steadiness, and mobility. Not like the hip thrust, it trains the glutes by a bigger ROM (due to the elevated rear foot) whereas enhancing unilateral power. To make this extra glute-dominant, keep a slight ahead lean to make sure the glutes keep juicy.
Programming Strategies: 3-4 units of 8-15 reps per leg.
Cable Pull-By
The Cable Pull-By is a pure hip hinge that locations fixed rigidity on the glutes and hamstrings, making it an efficient different to the hip thrust. The mixed fixed rigidity from the cable machine, giant ROM, and decrease back-friendly nature make it a wonderful glute different, however provided that you don’t make pleasant eye contact with anybody. For finest outcomes, hold the chest up and shoulders all the way down to keep away from overusing the decrease again. Deal with driving the hips ahead and squeezing the glutes at lockout.
Programming Strategies:
- Units & Reps: 3-4 units of 12-16 reps.
Kettlebell Swing
The Kettlebell Swing is a ballistic hip hinge that builds explosive hip energy and strengthens the posterior chain and glute lockout power. As an alternative of a gradual, grinding, heavy hip thrust, it’s a dynamic power-based motion that trains the glutes. It additionally trains the hamstrings and core whereas enhancing cardiovascular endurance. Please keep away from utilizing your arms to swing the bell to get essentially the most out of it in your glute positive aspects; let the hips do the work.
Programming Strategies:
- Units & Reps: 3-5 units of 15-25 reps.
Resistance Band Hip Thrust
The Resistance Band Hip Thrust is a modified model of the barbell hip thrust, utilizing ascending resistance from a looped band. Because the band stretches, the stress will increase, creating a powerful contraction on the lockout, and that is its most vital benefit over the barbell hip thrust. The band tightens on the prime, forcing the glutes to work more durable to attain full hip extension. Make sure the band is secured appropriately, and hold your core tight to keep away from overworking the decrease again.
Programming Strategies:
- Units & Reps: 3-4 units of 10-25 reps.
Mini Band Frog Hip Thrust
The Mini Band Frog Hip Thrust is a high-rep glute isolation train incorporating hip abduction and exterior rotation. It emphasizes the glutes whereas lowering hamstring and lower-back involvement. Because of the elevated hip abduction, this trains the gluteus medius and minimus greater than a regular hip thrust for enhanced glute growth. To get the very best out of it, hold your toes collectively, knees pushed outward, and glutes squeezed onerous at lockout to really feel the burn..
Programming Strategies: 3-4 units of 20+ reps.
Chinese (Simplified)
English
French
Japanese
Russian
Spanish